272 pictures and an unique Sightseeing Map of Prominent Historic Buildings illustrate this book about Shanghai's half-forgotten cultural heritage. The narrative follows an historic perspective outlining different architectural trends that flourished in the city during the first half of the 20th century, notably the Art Deco movement, and introduces the major personalities who contributed to so high a degree of refinement. It also inquires about the significance and the status of such architectural heritage, built under colonial rule, in the frame of today's vastly expanded and renovated metropolis. Today officially protected by the City Government, the same sites were regarded with contempt not too long ago: "These buildings have nothing to do with Chinese culture, they're someone else's heritage." wrote in 2003 the China Youth Daily.