Next to the Hyatt Hotel, another new building in construction – the Shanghai Trade Center, that would reportedly be even higher than all the others, with its construction to be completed in the near future – appeared to be rising up like the genie out of the bottle. Mysterious masked workers could be seen welding high up here and there, perching precariously on the cloud-wrapped steel scaffolding, shooting out bright sparks into the grayness around them.

‘Yes, people nowadays call Shanghai a “magic city” on the Internet.’ Chen did not go on to say that the netizens did not use the term ‘magic’ always in the positive sense. There’s no point discussing anything without ‘positive energy’ to the senior Party leader, though Zhao was sometimes described as a relatively moderate one in the Forbidden City.

‘Guess why I have come to Shanghai this time?’ Zhao went on, as if in response to Chen’s unasked question about the unannounced visit. ‘ “It’s an old comrade’s research tour”, as reported in the newspapers. But between you and me, I’ve just had enough of the Beijing “smog” air, as it is called on the Internet – a new word in the Chinese vocabulary.’

‘Well it’s certainly not fog, which comes up just in the morning. Smog won’t disperse, and it remains indissoluble all day long. And so unhealthy too, full of tiny toxic particles.’

‘Whatever the name, the air quality is bad in the capital. I have to wear a mask going outside. So it’s a much-needed change for an old man like me, a short vacation for fresh air in the south. I think I’ll stay here for a week or so, and then go to Suzhou and Hangzhou.’

‘But here …’ Chen did not finish the sentence saying that the air quality is pretty bad too.

Compared with things in Beijing, it might not be that unbearable in Shanghai. For several days in a row, a considerable number of flights had been canceled or delayed, Chen had read, because of the extreme poor visibility caused by impenetrable smog surrounding the Beijing airport.

‘Yes, that’s a very good idea, Comrade Secretary Zhao. A lot of people are talking about “fresh air vacations” or “smog vacations”, traveling to seaside cities for a whiff of freshening air, or to other countries for a short “lung cleansing period—” ’

A low purring sound came from somewhere in the grand suite, abruptly, like a contented sigh produced by a whimsical cat after a satisfactory nap, rubbing its back against the windowpane. Chen looked around in surprise. For such a high-end hotel, the air conditioning should not have made any noise.

‘Don’t worry about it, Chen. It’s the latest imported fresh air machine system the hotel management has installed prior to my arrival here,’ Zhao said, with a subtle touch of self-satire. ‘Supposedly more effective than the ordinary air purifier. It’s capable of circulating the filtered naturally fresh air back into the hotel room.’

How the ‘filtered’ and the ‘naturally fresh’ could possibly co-exist in one single breath was way beyond him, but Chen knew better than to raise the question. After all, senior Party leaders like Zhao were supposed to enjoy those privileges unimaginable to ordinary people.