Set among tree-lined streets, art galleries, and passing strangers with unreadable pasts, this is a portrait of someone unforgettable — and a reminder that even the briefest encounters can shape our journey.

In this intimate spoken-word excerpt from Unravelling China, Finlay reflects on a magnetic meeting with Anna, a woman whose poise and presence seem stitched into the fabric of Shanghai’s French Quarter. What begins as a romantic impression becomes something deeper: a meditation on territory, history, self-invention, and the invisible rules of expat life.

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