In the early morning, I watched the sun rise and the coal barges queue the Huangpu River along Pudong's skyline. Shanghai is China's most modern city--nicknamed Paris of the East--and Pudong is its financial and futuristic hub.

The sci-fi cityscape is dominated by the Shanghai World Financial Center (the bottle-opener building with the world's highest observation deck), the Jinmao Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower--all soon to be eclipsed by the 121-story Shanghai Tower.

This view was at the intersection of the Huangpu River and the Suzhou Creek, from my 18th-floor corner suite at Broadway Mansions. In one sweeping view, I could see the history of Shanghai: The Old City (the past), the Bund (the present) and Pudong (the future). I was wowed by the evolving scenery from sunrise to sunset. Traditional kites soaring high as skyscrapers in the morning. The hustle and bustle of the Bund scene heating up in the afternoon. And Pudong's candy-colored skyline glittering at night.

The Shanghai triad of past, present and future makes it one of Asia's most memorable cities.