Going to a spa, having two hours of acrobatics in a first-rate gymnasium, enjoying delicious tea and dinner served by a French chef and attending a concert by the philharmonic orchestra.

Many people would be excited at such a picture. But here is the question: Are these the things that should come to our minds first when we talk about the "comfortable life in a big city"?

There is a potential "yes". Everyone expects a better life and at the same time a better living environment. Perhaps that is why the theme of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai has touched so many people both at home and abroad. "Better City, Better Life" unveils in front of us a beautiful picture featuring the harmony of people and metropolis. If a city can really benefit people with better living conditions then how will it influence us and through what magical effects?

We have all become aware of skyscrapers, up-scale shopping malls and entertainment facilities in big cities like New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Now Shanghai is quickly catching up with these metropolises, not only in the number of highrises, but also in heavy traffic and dense population.

Shanghai has determinedly made itself a financial and economic centre in both China and Asia and will do anything to succeed in this ambition. Nowadays, when we pass the magnificent banking buildings along the Bund, it can feel as if we were walking along Wall Street in New York. When we stroll down avenues lined by Christian Dior and Levis' shops, we sometimes feel as if we were on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. To some extent, Shanghai has placed itself among the top cities in the world, which makes its citizens rather proud.

However, when it comes to "better life", I think we are compelled to be highly-demanding about the definition of the term.

The city is never short of workaholics and people who overexert themselves to pursue their careers, but I seldom meet people who can tell me the history of the city, and rarer still are those who sink into deep thought about the future of the place they have lived in for several decades.

The dynamics of a city going forward rely on the feeling of attachment of its people. Like any living creature, a city must have its soul. To be a better city, Shanghai needs to have its own special appeal to attract people and nourish them. The infrastructure can be established and the wealth can be accumulated and even the landscape can be copied but not the life. To lead a happy and comfortable life is more than just material comfort. It is based on an understanding of the world and of life itself, which means that we can work with a smile on our faces and live with appreciation in our minds. We can dream of pursuing our goals but simultaneously we have some basic values deeply embedded in our viewpoint.

What we get from the cosmopolis is not only its prosperity, but also its culture, the opportunity to meet and associate with people from all over the world and all walks of life, which will eventually root us in a cosmopolitan viewpoint.

I'm not against material prosperity, but the real prosperity can only be achieved when it is accompanied by mental harmony. When on our way through the hustle and bustle of the city, we should not be indifferent to passers-by who happen to be in trouble; we should not trample on lawns in order to take short-cuts and we should not be oblivious to the trivial happiness of our everyday lives.

Having talked too much about "Better City, Better life", we have found that the crown jewel of a better city is its better people.