The truth about Shanghai: I spent a few weeks there just mingling and trying to understand the people, and what I dislike about Shanghai is this elitism that seems to exist among the foreigners living there. I went to some clubs and it was ALL foreign people - and mostly young. Not even the chinese girlfriend on the hand.
For the young and foreign, Shanghai is a playground. A place to live 10 times better than back home for half as much.
The chinese people and the foreigners seem to be living in different worlds. Shanghai seemed to me a bit like how one would imagine it in the 20s - with a cream of English expatriates and large mass of locals, both of which do not mingle with each other.
It was so different in other parts of China. In Sichuan, there were very few foreigners, and those that were there would be in groups of chinese people. In Shenzhen, the foreigners would be clearly business men looking to buy electronics or strike some deals and go home. In Kunming, the foreigners would be tourists.
Shanghai reeked to me of old world colonialism. The people were less friendly, less open and more jaded.
Through my travels in China, Shanghai was very frankly the place I liked the least.
(Hong Kong was great though, it has more foreigners than Shanghai probably, but people seem to have more of the attitude of do-your-thing-I-do-mine)
China has some of the best party spots on the planet. Especially if you have a little Mandarin you can have one _hell_ of a time and as much XYZ* as you could possibly want.
* Where XYZ includes women, liquor, food, music but not high speed Internet, political freedom, clean air or urbane conversation.
I just got back from Shanghai last week. Curious urban planning-- whatever you want, there's a street for it. My personal favorites: the industrial supply street, dye street, and the outdoor (!) air-conditioner market.
One of the side effects of this policy (pointed out to me by an architect acquaintance) was that when you go to the new "residential" areas (post-1985 or so), there is literally nothing but residential nearby. No stores, no cafes, maybe a kede (chain convenience store) if you're lucky. This is in stark contrast to the older, more integrated shikumen/hutong style of living, where residential and commercial are well-integrated (see nick ourossof's article in the nytimes about the demise of the hutong in Beijing).
I was there during a period of unseasonably clear weather-- from the top of the Grand Hyatt we could see clearly for miles and miles (which gives you a good idea as to how HUGE the city is.. and I live in NYC. ).
For the young and foreign, Shanghai is a playground. A place to live 10 times better than back home for half as much.
The chinese people and the foreigners seem to be living in different worlds. Shanghai seemed to me a bit like how one would imagine it in the 20s - with a cream of English expatriates and large mass of locals, both of which do not mingle with each other.
It was so different in other parts of China. In Sichuan, there were very few foreigners, and those that were there would be in groups of chinese people. In Shenzhen, the foreigners would be clearly business men looking to buy electronics or strike some deals and go home. In Kunming, the foreigners would be tourists.
Shanghai reeked to me of old world colonialism. The people were less friendly, less open and more jaded.
Through my travels in China, Shanghai was very frankly the place I liked the least.
(Hong Kong was great though, it has more foreigners than Shanghai probably, but people seem to have more of the attitude of do-your-thing-I-do-mine)