tagged: moving to China, moving to Shanghai, Shanghai Likes

Top 10 List: My Top 10 “Likes” in Shanghai

Posted by Mike in China Living

Building off of my previous post of my Top 10 “Dislikes” in Shanghai, I wanted to do the reverse (to show that I really do like the city). Without further ado, I present my top 10 “likes” in Shanghai.

10) Water Coolers

I don’t know about you, but I’ve lived in two apartments in Shanghai and each has included a water cooler. For 22 RMB, I get what looks like 5 gallons worth of clean water that can be either cold or hot. What I once considered a luxury in the USA is commonplace here in Shanghai. I’m happy to give this a thumbs up.

9) Amusing People

Walking around the USA was never this amusing. Likely because everything seemed normal, I wasn’t caught off-guard trying to keep from laughing while seeing a child with “split-pants”, someone misjudge the time it takes to get into a metro (and therefore bang against the closing doors), someone with a great “Chinglish” t-shirt or someone oblivious to modern social norms by walking around in pajamas / boxers or picking his nose in public. It’s the small things that put a smile on my face. Are there strange people in the USA? Of course…however, I became numb to the humor of them.

8) Metros

Speaking of Metros. Shanghai has the best metro system I’ve ever seen. Metros that I was used to were dreadful — DC and NYC (I won’t even mention Philly). Not only are the metros in Shanghai relatively clean, but they are also cheap and go to both airports. Major thumbs up to Shanghai for pulling this off!

7) Ayis (Maids)

Ayis are great! For 15 RMB / hour, I can have someone clean up the mess I’ve made for myself. It is almost like I am a child and now have a surrogate mother to take care of what I don’t want to deal with. I have an Ayi work for 2 hours each week and I am always sure to leave a pile of dishes for her to keep her busy.

6) Zoning Out

One problem back west was that I could never truly zone out during commutes using mass-transportation. I would always be aware of other people’s conversations (whether I wanted to or not), and couldn’t just sit in peace. However, being in Shanghai and not really understanding anyone, I can’t understand their conversation and am able to zone out peacefully (even if I hear yelling — I know it is not for me). This might seem odd, but it is nice to not know what people are saying…unless I really pay attention.

5) Learning by Living

As someone who is attempting to learn Mandarin, I do attempt to pull out of my “zoned out” phase every once in a while to attempt to figure out what people are saying to one another (assuming they are speaking Mandarin). I also have a chance to do this while watching Mandarin TV or movies. Buying anything from a bottle of water to trying to explain my haircut to the barber also requires me to actively learn and apply a new language for each event. These small bits of learnings add up and allow me to maximize my learning while in China.

4) Massages

I love massages. However, I hate paying for massages. Back in the USA, the cost of a massage would be close to 7 RMB / minute, and that doesn’t include the cost of tip (usually $20). I could never justify these costs, but I can justify the cost of under 60 RMB / hour for a foot or body massage. Oh, and also throw in massages from hair salons into #4 as well.

3) Taxis

Taxis are everywhere. I don’t need to call them, I don’t need to wait 30 minutes. I just flag one down and 1 minute later I’m heading off to my next destination. Not only are they convenient, but the drivers are surprisingly good. I never feel like I’m getting ripped off and, once you get past the fear of swerving in and out of lanes, the drivers aren’t too bad either.

2) People

There is a fairly large difference between the type of people you meet on the East Coast of the USA and the people you meet in Shanghai. First of all, you get to meet a larger variety of Chinese in Shanghai. Instead of meeting only those with a slightly western mindset (studying and living in the USA), you get to meet those that care about the west and couldn’t care less about the west. This variety exposes me to a better idea of who Chinese people really are. Combine this with an understanding of those from Beijing, Guangzhou, etc. and you start to get the full picture. Also, the foreigners are different. There are many more Europeans in Shanghai than there were in the cities I lived in in the United States. This has given me a chance to begin exposing myself to those from other countries (and not just China).

1) Cost of Living

You had to know that this was going to fall in somewhere. Unfortunately, my cost of living isn’t substantially lower than it was in the United States, but there are some pretty large costs I am able to avoid — large cell phone plans, cable bills, shopping taxes, gas, car insurance, and I’m sure I’m forgetting a thing or two. If I were able to move to a city like Suzhou, I could cut these costs even further to expand my ability to live abroad without going back to the corporate world for an income refill.

Did I forget anything? Do you disagree with anything above? Let me know in the comments below!