Expat Views :
Living and Working in Shanghai
Introduction
Shanghai is China's most Westernized
city, and the most comfortable
one for expatriates without single most difficult aspect
of living in Shanghai is
the language: Mandarin
Chinese is still, by far,
the lingua franca, and
without mastering the basics,
an expatriate won't have
access to all that the
city has to offer.
These
days, you can buy just about
everything in Shanghai, although
imported goods often carry
a hefty price tag. And what
can't be bought can always
be made.
Photo:enterAsia Art
Homes
for expatriates are
modern and generously-proportioned,
and range from city condominiums
to suburban communities.
Shanghai is easy to get
around, and taxis are inexpensive
and easily available, and
although taxi drivers don't
speak English, expatriates
quickly learn the names
of common destinations
-- or rely on `taxi cards,'
cards with the names of
destinations written in
Chinese. The clean, modern
subway system is equally
easy to navigate.
Photo: Elite 8 China
The
shopping in Shanghai
is excellent, from street
market bargains to designer
duds, although larger
sizes will have to stick
up at home or have things
tailor made -- not a
bad option, considering
Shanghai's tailors are
considered to be Asia's
finest. Shanghai's
international schools offer
children a good education,
but the international school
system here is still young.
Only the Shanghai American
School has a substantive
high school and comprehensive
facilities.
Shanghai's
crime rate is quite low,
particularly for a metropolis
of this scale and verve,
and streets are generally
safte day and night
-- although petty crime does occur in tourist areas like the Bund.Sports, travel and entertainment opportunities are growing:
Shanghai's basketball team produced NBA sensation Yao Ming, the Grand Theater gets musicals like Cats and Riverdance as well as prime local events, and travel to nearby destinations is comfortable and efficient.
If it's not quite on a par with more developed countries yet, it is on the fast-track to getting there.
Photo:enterAsia Art
For
all her capitalist form,
this is still Communist
China, and nowhere is that
more apparent than in the
media. The English
language papers are under
the auspices of the state
and the Propaganda Bureau,
and predictably, information
is restricted .
This, too,
is improving -- websites
like the New York Times
are no longer blocked,
although during sensitive
periods, it umay be blocked
again, and certain articles
will be blocked from time
to time.
Shanghai is busily cleaning up her act in the pollution arena, but it is a process, and the city today fluctuates between polluted and less polluted -- not as bad as Bangkok, but not as good as Shanghai.
| Info: Differences to live with | |||||||||||
|
Perhaps as a result of the challenges of trying to navigate Shanghai through both a linguistic and cultural barrier, Shanghai's expatriates are an unusually close-knit group, but one that is always willing to share their hard-won experience with newcomers. For new expatriates, the many clubs and associations make an excellent way to meet like-minded people who are all to happy to show you the ropes.
Socializing
Perhaps
as a result of the challenges of
trying to navigate Shanghai through
both a linguistic and cultural
barrier, Shanghai's
expatriates are an unusually close-knit
group, but one that is always willing
to share their hard-won experience
with newcomers.
For new expatriates, the many clubs and associations make an excellent way to meet like-minded people who are all to happy to show you the ropes. Several of the clubs have subcommittes or groups catering to special interests.
Photo:enterAsia Art
| Info: Overview of groups with international clubs and associations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
International Groups and Associations| Addresses: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Teenager's Life in Shanghai
A
Teenager's viewpoint and advice
by
Damon Lee (2005 graduate of the Shanghai
American School)
Hola to all you teens out there who may be moving to Shanghai in the near future! I know all too well what you may be thinking. First of all, you must be thinking to yourself: China? Are you serious? Isn’t China a third world country? Dirty, poor and infected by disease - come on, SARS! This must be the end of the world! Fear not my fellow teens because before you start dreading about these horrid stereotypes commonly associated with China, let me tell you a little about life in Shanghai as a teenager.
Photo: Damon Lee
Shanghai is a busy city bustling
with about 17.7 million people.
Living in Shanghai is like living
life in the fast lane where everything
is hectic - the people, the traffic
and undeniably, the bikes.Just
learning to cross a street in Shanghai
is a skill everyone must master.
For those of you who prefer a more comfortable and less crowded way to travel, there are also thousands of taxis in Shanghai which are unbelievably cheap compared to our western counterparts. As a result, getting around Shanghai is not a problem for us cash strapped teens who have to work within our “stingy” allowance.
Shopping
is what Shanghai is all about.
Going down to the Xiang Yang Handcraft
Market is where one will find the
most abundant choices of fake designer
and branded clothing.
A Quicksilver T-shirt may go for as little as 40 RMB (less than 50 US cents) or a Boss leather wallet for 20 RMB (25 US cents). For those of us with more money there are department stores which line Xu Jia Hui or Nan Jing Xi Lu, where a tie may set you back 300-400 RMB ($US50).
Photo:enterAsia Art
There is only one problem with shopping in Shanghai - the shops close relatively early, by 9pm on weekends most shops are closed and even earlier on weekdays.
After shopping for 6 hours straight, one may feel a bit hungry. Not to worry! There are cafes, restaurants, and hundreds of convenience stores that line Shanghai’s streets. However, it is always best to keep an eye out for the cleanliness of some restaurants and to be selective of the ones you decide to go to.
Some places are cheap and it is not until you see what the place is like that you understand why it is so cheap. As a warning, it is best not to eat seafood at these cheap cafés and restaurants as it almost certainly guarantees several trips to the bathroom a day for the next week.
Where in Shanghai can one go to have a good time and to meet people just like me? There are numerous clubs, discos where many expatriate teens like us gather. Pegasus and C’s are only two of the clubs out of the hundreds littered around Shanghai populated by expatriate teens.
There is not much night life in Shanghai and the only places to find night life is at these clubs. These clubs never check your ID and are more interested in the money you bring, so go at your own risk. and C’s are only two of the clubs out of the hundreds littered around Shanghai populated by expatriate teens.
There is not much night life in Shanghai and the only places to find night life is at these clubs. These clubs never check your ID and are more interested in the money you bring, so go at your own risk. If you are not of the legal drinking age in China (18 years of age), and you get caught by the authorities, it will be a rather unpleasant experience.
For those that do not go clubbing there are many activities in Shanghai such as go-karting, net café’s, paint-balling and even rock climbing. See Sports
A word of caution: Drugs are not tolerated in China, and an offence relating to drugs has serious consequences. Keep in mind that China issues the death penalty on a daily basis! Remember you are a visitor into this country so abide by their rules and your experience of Shanghai will be one that will stay with you for the rest of your life!
See also Laws/Crime and Sentencing
| Info: Shanghai Youth Expats (SYE) | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Homosexuality is still considered an aberration by Chinese
officialdom, but foreigners -- as
long as they don't flaunt it -- are
exempt. The expatriate community
has an open, active gay population,
which includes several high-profile
locals. It's important to remember,
however, that as open as Shanghai
may seem, flaunting homosexuality
is asking for trouble.
See also Risk Investigation
| Website: | |
Please inform yourself about the scene and the laws |
|
| http://www.worldpolicy.org/globalrights/ | |
| http://www.ilga.org/ | |
| http://yours.at/ajinsg (OASIS) | |
Shanghai
is a single man's paradise -- assuming
his tastes run to young Shanghai
women. The economic disparity between
the foreigner and the average Shanghainese
has created a breed of Western
man-chasing Shanghai women, hungry
for foreign passports and the luxurious
foreign lifestyles. It is, as one
man said, like being a kid in a
candy store.
It's not quite the same for single Western women, who seem equally divided between those who date foreign men, those who date local men, and those who are so focused on their career that they don't have time for either.
| Website: | |
| Foreign Talent | http://www.foreigntalent.com/ |
| AsiaXpat | http://shanghai.asiaxpat.com/nightlife/meeting/ |
| Professional Club/Email | [email protected] |
| Shaghai Expat | |
See also Business Clubs and Entertainment for places to meet other expatriates.
Seniors
Senior
citizens are highly respected in
Shanghai, and indeed throughtout
Asia, and as a result, seniors who
live here or visit their families
will find that they receive a great
deal of attention, with their views
being sought and opinions held in
high regard.
Shanghai's seniors have a routine all their own, gathering in parks to exercise in the mornings, and the intrepid expatriate senior who goes along will find a new source of companionship -- possibly even in English, as many older Shanghainese attended missionary schools and speak flawless English.
With the household help to do the chores,, and more time with the grandchildren along with the perks of expatriate life, visiting grandparents often find China so agreeable that they return again and again!