My friend once pictured China as a land of towering skylines and hidden watchers. She arrived in Shanghai. She found streets alive at midnight, offering a sense of safety and freedom. Public transport cost pennies, linking every corner of the city. E-commerce thrived with dizzying speed and convenience—fresh produce and ramen delivered to her dorm within hours. She experienced facial-recognition vending machines, neon avenues, and a palpable drive toward the future. Yet she also sensed a quiet oversight, an ever-present system logging purchases, journeys, and moments. She embraced the paradox. Shanghai revealed a more complex truth than any headline promised.