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.
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.
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.
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 |
Government controlled media |
Limit of 12 imported films per year |
Different electrical plugs requiring new electrical appliances |
Driving on the right-hand side of the road |
Voltage |
Metric system combined with Chinese weights and measures |
TV system |
Plum rains, rising damp winters and humid summers |
Pollution - air, water and noise |
Spitting |
Limited supply of current English-language books and magazines |
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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 |
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Adoption |
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Games |
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Antiques + Culture |
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Languages |
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Art & Crafts |
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Playgroups |
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Books/Reading |
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Sports |
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Career + Classes |
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Welcoming |
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Choir |
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Writers' Group |
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Community Service Groups |
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Foreign and Local Tours |
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Cooking + Dining |
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International Groups and Associations
Addresses: |
American Women's Club Shanghai
Tel: 6475 9801
Website
Email |
Australian Women's Group Shanghai
Email |
Belgium Night
O"Malley's 42. Taojiang lu
2nd Friday of each month |
Brits Abroad
Email |
Bucovinian Association
Victor
Tel: 6472 2737 |
Canuck Connection
for all Canadians
Tel: 6279 8400 |
Cascade Club
for people from the Cascade Mountain area
Email |
Cercle Francophone de Shanghai
21/F Qihua Tower
1375 Huaihai Zhong Lu
Tel: 6268 9988 ext. 410
Website |
Chatterboxes
Email |
China Sense
Email |
China-Italy Association
Tel: 6262 8878
Website |
Club Italia
Website |
Colombians in Shanghai
Email |
CultureXChina
Website |
Danish Society
Tel: 6209 0580 |
Dutch Community
Email
Meets at Face Bar on the first Friday of every month |
English Teacher Association
Website |
Filipino Community in Shanghai (FILCOMSHA)
Email |
Finnish Society
Peter Mulcahy
Tel: 6474 4533
Meets the last Friday of the month at O'Malley's |
German Club Shanghai
Website
Email |
HaiguiSH
for returning Chinese
Website |
Indonesians in Shanghai (INDOS)
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International MOMS Club Pudong
Tel: 5038 4234
Email |
Malaysian Associationof the PRC
Website |
New Zealanders Group
Email |
Norwegian Club
Email |
Polish Community
Website |
Russian Club
Website |
Shanghai American Club
Tel: 6393 2880
Website |
Shanghai Expatriate Association
Email |
Shanghai Indian Ladies Association (SHILA)
Sharmila Arora
Tel: 6278 5885 |
Shanghai Suomalaiset
Shanghai's Finnish Club
Website |
Shanghai Expatriate Association
Email |
Swedish Society
Meets first Friday of the month at O'Malley's 6.30 pm
42 Taojiang Lu |
Swiss Club
Tel: 6258 9452
Website |
1881 Taiwanese Professional Woman's Society
Website |
UFE (Unions des Francais a l'Etranger)
For French newcomers to Shanghai
Email |
Union des Francais a l"Etranger
Website |
XpatXchange
Tel: 6249 6319
Website |
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Teenager's Life in Shanghai
A Teenager's viewpoint and advice
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.
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.
Transportation in Shanghai is amongst the best in the country, it virtually extends to all corners of the city either by bus or subway, which are extremely cheap (riding the subway from one end of the city to the other end costs no more than 6 RMB or less than one US dollar).
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).
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.
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!
Info: Shanghai Youth Expats (SYE) |
SYE is a target group for the 18-29 expat youths living in Shanghai. We currently hold a weekly coffee meet-up to act as a gathering point for all those who are interested in finding new friends or have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon. On average, there are about 10-20 people who drop by each week (fab crowd!); lots of new faces every time |
Attendees are encouraged to organise outside activities. To date, groups of us have gone clubbing at VIP, Guandii, Mint, watched Batman in a VIP cinema, and lots more activities are lined up. Come by to chit chat and you might find yourself another social circle. We know how hard it is to find friends in Shanghai (supposedly) |
Time & Date: |
4:00 pm Every Saturday |
Location: |
The Starbucks located on the cross intersection of Shaanxi Rd & Changle Rd. Meeting point: 3rd Floor, spot the red and white cloth tied behind a chair |
Who is invited? |
Youth expats who are between 18 - 29 years of age. BUT, we openly welcome locals & those young/old at heart |
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Same Sex Partners
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.
Website: |
Please inform yourself about the scene and the laws |
http://www.utopia-asia.com/tipssing.htm |
http://www.ilga.org/ |
Singles
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 |
professionalsclub2002@yahoo.com |
Shaghai Expat |
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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!
