Hi all,

I'm moving to Shanghai in late March, early April. I'm pretty excited.

My work place is situated at Zhang Jiang Hi-Tech park, at the end of the Metro-2 line in Pu Dong. Its on Cai Lun Road too.

That's all I know about Shanghai topography, so I'm wondering if anyone can recommend closeby areas to look for apartments? I would like to commute for about 30 mins max - preferably by the metro line.

Can anyone recommend a good neighbourhood/location with the following...

- close to the Metro-2 line
- close to a park, parkland
- any gymnasiums or sport clubs nearby (basketball, cricket, rugby etc).
- supermarkets, markets, etc.

Most sources I've found so far focus on Puxi. What are people's ideas about Pu Dong? I hear it is growing really rapidly, but does it have the infrastructure I'm looking for?


Thanks for your help,
crikey...

Hi crikey,

My name is christina Deng from Suchas Real Estate Agency Co., Ltd, whose headquarters is in HongQiao District and having 9 branches in all in various area of shanghai. And my department ,located in former French Concession ,focuses on the business of lease property for expatriates.Moreover, all orientation services we offer are all free.

As a realtor, i have known much about relevant info on properties situated in different areas due to around two years experience of accommodation lease. According to relevant requests in detail,i will provide my clients with related proposal .therefore i wonder the specifics of your requirements ,such as budget ,layout , location and so on if possible.

After checked your post, i think that would be a good choice for you to live in PuDong JinQiao. firstly ,it 's a wonderful internation living compound for persons from worldwide with good environment and convenient traffic & various facilities (a pretty good fitness centre named BiYun Internation Fitness Centre is in that area, you may play various facilities ,including indoor swimming , tennis, Gym ,Sauna, Squash , Billiard etc.),secondly, that's not far away from ZhangJiang High Tech Park and some properties in those area are very close to No.2 metro line.

Obviously, PuXi is also other choice for you due to more convenient living facilities comparing PuDong. i am also willing to show you some properties in PuXi if you hope.

Anyway, pls don't hesitate to contact me at :christinadeng510@hotmail.com or 13301952903 if you don't mind seeking your home here through a realtor.

Best Regards

Christina

Thanks for your advice Christina. I'll keep you in mind when I arrive in late March.

Are there any expats out there that want to throw in their 2 cents worth? PM me if you prefer.

cheers,
crikey

If you could visit briefly before-hand to do an apartment hunt, then ask your personnel department to help you look at apartments. They will know what your commute is like and they will understand your financial situation as well.
My HR director spent two days with me and a real estate agent to look at about 15 different apartments. If you do the same then it doesn't hurt to take a digital camera with you as a memory aid.
As to that part of town I can't say that I know much about it.
Regards,
b

pudong is a recliamed part of shanghai that in fact not so long ago was considered less than desireable by shanghaienese and was swamp and farmland until recent years when some amazing enterprise and enginerring took place, indeed today you would surpirsed to know of the areas former glory (sic) when you look around and see the variety of building around the place. anyway pudong ofcourse benefits in some way from better town planning than say the rest of shanghai, but that has its benefits and downfalls... theres loads of space, the roads are wider for the most part, and its easier in some ways to negotiate. unfortunately it is more spread out over a larger land area, so that means a heavier reliance on transport, mainly buses or or the metro, and that measn u cant get round so easily as the puxi side... which is crammed to gether in a far smaller area in some respects....
so depends what your circumstances will be... what you can afford, and as for 30mins to travel then maybe you might need to live very very close to your place of work. otherwise 30mins is going to be pushing it realistically. anyway there are loads of apartments... with budgets to match...

benkloepfer:

Don't assume that everyone coming here has somebody to hold their hand, let alone a HR Director and a whole HR Dept.

Not everyone works for a consulate or big corporations like Siemens, etc.

I came here alone 2 years ago to start an operation with nobody to help. This is not uncommon.

I live near Jing An Temple subway. I find its a very central and convenient location on Line 2. Easy to change to Line 1 at People's Square.

I suggest you rent a room in a hostel for three weeks upon arrival if yo can afford that, its better to look around the areas yourself before signing a long term lease.

PS: Most landlords will expect deposit plus twp months rent in
advance.

I may do the same - move to Shanghai by late March and the office location at the zhangjiang hitech park as well. So maybe we can get intouch and share info about the apartment and the moving - I just started looking for both.

hi all,

thanks for your advice. i know this is a little like asking 'what is your favourite colour' to the masses, so i appreciate any tidbits offered here. you guys rock!

my g/f & I will be looking for an apartment together (sorry donxu), but who knows, we may be able to get a better deal if we've got 2 people haraunging an agent. PM me & I'll keep you informed tiger.

My company will help me out with resettlement, including 2 weeks accommodation upon my arrival. A look-see trip was out of the question unfortunately, despite my insistence. Having an idea of the commuting time will be of concern. I know Zhangjiang is out of the way. Can anyone tell me the 'rough' time from Puxi to Zhangjiang via the Metro?

happy oz day to the aussie expats tomorrow,
cheers,
crikey!

My mistake, good4kicks.
Although sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask your company for help, the worst they can do is refuse.
Regards,
Ben

cannot help you with travelling time from Puxi to Zhangjiang Hi Tech sorry...... depends where in Puxi and although the metro is very convenient and metro 2 line is not as busy as line 1 Zhengjiang is at the very end of the line............. still I would have a slightly longer commute to work and choose to live close to metro line 2 in Jiang'an district on Puxi side; more lively than Pudong.
Enjoy the holiday tomorrow!

Hi all!

Thanks for all your help. I've been in contact with a number of people, & have most of my queries sorted.

In general - Metro#2 end to end = 30mins or so.

I've decided that anywhere close to the #2 line is a go'er. Now, to find that apartment.

Cheers,
crikey

Thanks all - see you sometime in April!