For the loser now will be later to win

College reunions can be deadly dull with aging men and women trying desperately to recapture glorious moments of their youth. But in the fast moving society of Shanghai, such occasions can prove to be most revealing as we see in each other the fundamental changes that have stealthily transformed our lives.

One such occasion was the 10th anniversary of Fudan University's journalism school. The emotionally stormy weekend gave me a clearer idea of how a decade of economic progress and social makeover has affected some of the best and brightest in town.

I hadn't seen most of them in a decade. What would they look like now? I felt both excited and worried. As it turned out, most of the once-skinny young guys had put on weight and sported beer bellies. The girls, though, looked better than before with their shining LV or Gucci bags.