We started this adventure in Seattle. Margaret was looking for a position doing web work. Even though she had several local interviews, there was none she was excited about. I was working for a local health care organization in the IS department. We had our home, our car, our cats and were basically very contented. Very quickly, things changed. We received interest from a publishing company who had an office in Shanghai. They needed someone to manage all the Chinese web work in their Shanghai office. To cut a long story short -- with her skill with Chinese, web work, and familiarity with Shanghai (she is Chinese, originally from Shanghai), she got the job, complete with reasonable relocation package.
When we contemplate the move to Shanghai, the natural urge is to cram as many of our favourite brands as possible into our suitcases: reader, this not necessary….in some cases at least.
When we contemplate the move to Shanghai, the natural urge is to cram as many of our favourite brands as possible into our suitcases: reader, this not necessary….in some cases at least.
Given the recent upheaval and turmoil in the whole visa process, many folks are considering becoming legal. If you are to be sponsored as an employee by a local company or have been hired by a small to mid-sized company as an expat, you may find yourself in the predicament of having to walk through the entire work visa process on your own. Having joined a local start-up as a consultant, and then as an employee, I had the distinct "pleasure" of going through the process myself and now seems a good time to share what I know and put together a step by step manual. Please be advised that everything is subject to change here so contact the relevant authorities to confirm. This will be a guideline of sorts and based on information of November 2010.
A few years ago we wrote an article about the perception of a boom time in China and in Shanghai in particular and how foreigners from all over the world were treading their way to Shanghai in hopes of creating their own niche in China's booming economy. Times have changed, but people are still coming. At the Shanghaiexpat Coffee Meeting, I am meeting some people who are just landing in Shanghai on their tourist visa and starting a job hunt. Brave people. I hired one recently.
Summer is the season that new wave of expats begin to make plans for their move to China. We see the traffic to 
Whilst it’s common for corporations and companies to have agreements with a few agencies to keep consistency and cut costs, if you find yours isn’t up to scratch, ask first if you can change to another agent within the agency or see if your company deals with anyone else. Most MNCs or SMEs will have two or three agencies they have agreements with and some will allow their employees to choose their own agent.
Trying to find a new home in China can be frustrating. Property agents work differently than in the West. Having worked in the expatriate property agency industry for many years and being an expat myself, I thought I would to try to help people understand what goes on inside the industry and what they can do to make their move to China a lot smoother and more enjoyable. So, if you are a bit bewildered by the choice of agents, here is some advice for you that I hope helps. You can also view rental listings on our website by clicking 
I was just wandering in the city one day and I happen to come upon this huge book store over by People Square. I walked in and it was packed! There was barely any room for me to move around and I was absolutely speechless at how many books there were.