In Templexity, philosopher Nick Land examines the convergence of past and future in Shanghai, using the film Looper as a reference point. Land’s concept of "templexity" describes how different eras coexist within the city’s architecture and culture.

Before Bernardine moved to Paris in the late spring of 1925, she had socialized regularly with the founders of The New Yorker. In Paris, she had big plans to use her love of the visual and performing arts to bring people together. In 1929, she left everything behind, setting out for Shanghai, where she would begin to write her own story.