FAQ - What is it like Living Day-to-Day in Shanghai?

Alex C-G

What is it like living day to day in Shanghai?

Like living anywhere in the world, you'll have both the best of times and the worst of times. Shanghai can be fascinating, funny, frustrating, boring...you name it, Shanghai can be it. It's such a big place that practically anything you say about it can be true at least somewhere in the city.

Bear in mind that though Shanghai is marketed as an international city, most people don't speak or understand English. That's not to say you won't be able to communicate...many a world-class charades champion has honed his or her skills just by visiting a convenience store in Shanghai. Even if you do speak some Mandarin you may be out of luck at the ubiquitous Alldays, Kedis and Buddy Marts dotted around, since some of the staff there can only speak Shanghainese.

For most Westerners, prices are dirt cheap for almost everything, with the main exceptions being bars and coffee. Clothes are very affordable, with silk shirts going for 50 RMB and tailor-made suits starting from 400 RMB. Xiangyang Market also offers a plethora of pirated paraphernalia, including Gucci, Armani and Lauren. Basically, most things available back home are also available here...if you look hard enough.

As for the people...Well, to put it mildly, the Shanghainese don't enjoy the reputation of being the most friendly people in the world. Even some other Chinese consider them too cut-throat and rude. That may just be a symptom of city life in general, but it does seem more extreme in Shanghai than in other cities around China. Having said that, most people here are fine -- it's only the occasional bad apple that spoils the barrel.

Coming here for the first time, you will experience culture shock. Beggars, dodgy Rolex salesmen and scores of homeless people are just some of the pleasures that Shanghai has to offer. Also, guys, beware of any overly-friendly girls on the street who want to "improve their English" over coffee. It's a lot more expensive at their coffeeshop than you'd think, as some of us (not mentioning any names of course...) have found out the hard way. A good rule of thumb is that if a stranger approaches you on the street (particularly tourist hotspots), keep walking. Wearing a pair of earphones sometimes turns some of them off.

With such a broad question, it's difficult to answer it thoroughly without writing a book in the process. More information can be found on our forums, and any specific questions can be asked there.