What is it like to live as a foreigner in Shanghai? Here’s a share from Ervis Micukaj.
I have been living in Shanghai since September 2013, and I will actively share my experience as a foreigner in Shanghai from the perspective of foreigners. This year is my sixth year in Shanghai. If you are confused about the advantages and disadvantages of living in Shanghai, I can share some experiences with you. My views are all from the perspective of foreigners.
Advantage:
1. Convenience of life: Shanghai is wonderful! You can easily get to any corner of the city. The shops are open 24 hours a day, and the shopping center is open for a long time. Compared with other cities in China, there are many English speaking people here. You can shop online and go anywhere.
2. First class transportation: subway, taxi, bus, bike sharing, Didi or Uber (DiDi bought Uber in China), electric bicycle (you must buy one), 2 airports, 5 railway stations (what I immediately think is central station, Hongqiao Station, Songjiang station, South Railway Station, West Station), black cars (if you are bold enough, there is no way or no other delivery) Communication mode). I think Shanghai’s transportation system is one of the best transportation systems in the world. It’s very convenient to travel.
3. Smart phone: in Shanghai, you can do almost everything with your smartphone. Just download WeChat (Tencent) and Alipay (Alibaba), bind them to your bank card, and you can enjoy it. You can pay with them anywhere, you can call a car, browse the latest news, pay bills, book a taxi / van / bus, order takeout, deliver meals to any address you specify, book holiday trips, etc. As long as you access these two applications and associated programs, you can accomplish too many facts.
4. Food: China’s provinces, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, English, Spain, Argentina, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. Salty, sweet, sour, spicy, roasted, soup, fried, etc. There are countless gourmet categories, each with its own characteristics and preferential price, which can make you pick your fancy. According to your budget, you can find all kinds of delicious food. From Michelin 3-star to roadside stall. It’s up to you.
5. Clean and safe: Shanghai is very safe (there are police and cameras everywhere), and many cleaning unions clean the city over and over.
6. Skyscrapers: This is my personal favorite, because you can go to almost all the skyscrapers. From the upstairs, the view is very good (when there is no haze).
7. Change! Shanghai has been changing. You never know what will happen in your life when you wake up the next day. Maybe it’s a new mobile app, maybe a new convenience service, or even a new building, subway (for the first year after I arrived in Shanghai, I had been living in the same apartment, but on the nearest street to the subway station, three-quarters of the shops had been changed.). If a store doesn’t make money, it will be eliminated within six months, and new owners will be eager to try to sell new things.
8. Financing. Shanghai is a melting pot. There is no doubt that you can see many high-rise buildings in Shanghai, but at the same time, you can still find many historical buildings, telling the history of Shanghai and showing you the reality of Shanghai.
Disadvantages:
1. Haze: there is often haze in winter. It is hoped that more and more large-scale international events will be held to increase the number of sunny days.
2. Line up: be prepared mentally, some people will jump in