An Interesting World

Laozi said, “Where disaster rests, fortune leans; where fortune settles, disaster hides.” The line sounds esoteric, but it captures the dialectic behind how events unfold. Let us revisit Shanghai in the first half of 2022 to see how this principle plays out.

A Phenomenon Worth Studying

In early 2022 Shanghai endured an extraordinary spell. Many residents faced hardship: daily life was disrupted, supplies were scarce, movement was restricted. Yet amid that pressure, some people made financial choices that later proved remarkably shrewd.

Their decisions clustered around three moves: selling property, converting renminbi into U.S. dollars, and securing overseas legal status. We can examine the timing logic behind each choice.

Rational Timing in Action

First, property sales. In 2022 the housing market was still hovering near its peak. Citizens who sold then cashed out before prices began to fall. Subsequent data showed declines of about 30 percent in many Chinese cities. By selling early, they sidestepped that loss of value.

Second, currency exchange. The renminbi remained relatively stable during that period, creating favorable conditions for moving into dollars. Those who acted quickly avoided the later depreciation that raised the cost of the same exchange today.

Third, overseas status. Immigration rules were comparatively relaxed and procedures straightforward. Anyone who completed a status change in 2022 dodged the stricter scrutiny and longer queues that followed.

A Curious Social Signal

Notably, many of the people who acted belonged to the so-called “little pink” nationalist camp. That detail deserves reflection.

It shows that political leanings do not automatically dictate financial behavior. When personal stakes are real, people tend to choose based on concrete realities rather than ideology. This split between cognition and action underlines the complexity of human decision-making.

A Contemporary Proof of Laozi

Shanghai’s 2022 experience offers a modern illustration of “fortune relies on misfortune, misfortune hides within fortune.” What looked like pure hardship created genuine financial advantages for a few.

The lesson is to stay objective and keep a long range of vision when evaluating events. Surface-level distress may contain opportunity, while surface-level stability can conceal risk.

Laozi’s line has endured for more than two millennia because it still rings true. Shanghai in 2022 is simply another verification of that timeless insight.