Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Shanghai

Passenger flow per stop on the Shanghai Metro.

priorpark17 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:23:52 -0800

The Shanghai Metro System: I am looking for detailed passenger flow per stop/station. The automatic turnstyle system must collect the data showing how many passengers leave and enter at every Shanghai metro stop. I wonder is it publically available. In Chinese is fine.

Single female traveling alone and staying in a youth hostel in Shanghai: fun adventure or catastrophically bad idea?

aquafortis — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:52:12 -0800

Single female traveling alone and staying in a youth hostel in Shanghai: fun adventure or catastrophically bad idea? Do any women out there have any experience traveling alone to Shanghai and staying in a youth hostel? I've been thinking this would be fun, but don't know if I'd be better off waiting until my friends can join me some other time. Would Bejing be a safer choice?

All thoughts, ideas, and suggestions welcome-- thanks!

Passport troubles

Tiresias — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:03:51 -0800

Possible passport problem while catching a connecting flight in Shanghai I am a Canadian citizen currently residing in Japan. Time to go home! My passport is set to expire August 6th, so I booked a flight back to Canada on August 4th. Unfortunately, that flight connects through Shanghai --- and I just realized last night that it may be a problem to connect through China using a passport set to expire in two days.

The Canadian embassy has not been helpful, except to tell me that there is no way they can issue a temporary extension.

So, I have two questions:

1) Can I connect through Shanghai on a passport set to expire in two days? I will be in the airport for less than 24 hours.

2) I am a dual citizen and currently hold an Italian passport. Could I possibly leave Japan on my Canadian passport (I need to, for visa reasons) and then enter China on my Italian passport, which is valid for another few years?

Any information you have will be helpful, because I am utterly, utterly freaking out right now.

Help me negotiate a simple salary

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:06:09 -0800

We are talking small beans here, but it's my beans, so please hear me out... I'm an ESL teacher/tutor with 3 undergrad degrees, certification through Oxford and 5 years experience. I have been offered a job in Shanghai. Included is a small apartment (in Puxi), free meals whenever I want them, transportation unless visiting outside the city, round trip airfare to the US every 10 months, high-speed internet, and a number of other similar perks.
I have been asked to 'name' a desired salary.
Going in I'm pretty sure what ever I ask for will be bartered down, only because that's the way the game is played in China.
I don't much care about the 'going rate' as I teach not only English, but history and science as well, and am in my 40's, well-travelled, and bring a lot more to the table than a teaching cert from Oxford.
However, I don't want to be so outlandish as to ask for an impossible amount.
I am thinking $1000 USD a month as a minimum.
When I last taught in China, I made about 400. That was in a village, and in pretty much third-word circumstances.
Any suggestions? Again, this amount, while very low, is a heck of a lot in China. And my only expenses out-of-pocket will be entertainment, necessities such as occasional clothing, toiletries, travel, and other incidentals.
Essentially, 75% of what I make will be more than I need to live an OK lifestyle.
But again...I'm tired of being the guy who always settles for less. Getting older. No savings to speak of. Own nothing much. And I'm OK with all that...
Sorry to ramble and make, I'm sure, numerous mistakes here, but the deadline is looming and I'm way over thinking this deal.
Honest advice from a stranger or two is what I need.
email fatbackncollards at gmail...
or, preferably, try to give yr two cents here :)

Huge site near Tian Zhi Fang. What is it?

priorpark17 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:32:47 -0800

Shanghai Building Site : Huge site near Tian Zhi Fang. What is it? Can somebody tell me what they are building in the huge square site south of Tian Zhi Fang, on JiaojiaBang road and opposite the new Dapuqiao metro stop. I was told it is called Xin Xin Li but I cant find a website. Thanks for any links.

Help me getting shanghaied!

ouke — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:27:35 -0800

I am contemplating an offer to work and live in Shanghai. From where I'm standing now, the job looks fantastic and the whole situation looks like a long and deep wish come true. This question is basically about the cost of living in Shanghai for a family with two kids. This is not a standard expat situation, where there are corporate programs that take care of the families and their needs. The company I'm going to work for is an ambitious, but relatively small operation, so this means I have to take care of a lot of things concerning my family.
My biggest concern is the cost of the education of my kids and the cost of health insurance. I've been in a situation like this before when I went to Tokyo. I was offered a job that paid very well - until I found out that sending my kids to an international school basically took care of my monthly income.

Are there any mefites around that had to deal with this situation? My son is 10 years old and my daughter is almost 13. What would be a rough estimate for an annual income to get by in Shanghai? And what would be the best online community for expat and Shanghai noobs, like myself, where I can start worrying about the details?

Banjo in China

dawson — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:06:13 -0800

A bid of a wild side multi-layered question. Learning the banjo. And doing so in Shanghai. Most people who travel (younger free-spirited types, work with me here) sling a guitar over their shoulder. I never could much play one, and want to pass some free time picking some traditional instrument...something I could drunkely 'jam' with other amateurs and maybe use in a classroom situation.
I took maybe 7 years of piano as a kid and can't play a lick. I love guitar but just ain't interested in learning it. Whatever I might 'learn' will be quite non-professional and rudimentary, so why not something a bit different?
I love the banjo, the happy sound, Pete Seeger and it's place in American folk music...
I guess, to cut to the chase...
is it as easy to learn as the guitar? would it not be cheaper to buy one here and take with? (I plan to make at least 2 more r/t's this year)
What's the best style/brand/model for a raw beginner?
Or should I just get a decent harmonica?
Or stick with the ipod...

Maybe outsource to China?

matholio — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:21:01 -0800

Can I find Japanese IT workers in Shanghai. I've been asked to consider outsourcing a team of Japanese IT workers to Shanghai. The customer will want them to speak Japanese natively.

Perhaps my question should be, how much more will native speaking Japanese IT talent cost compared with Chinese with Japanese skills.

The level of IT skill required will be phone support, for a mature multi national.

Where to get local China news, in China

michswiss — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:05:23 -0800

I like keeping up with the local news and issues where ever I live. It's not been a problem in the US, Europe or A/NZ. Now that I'm close to moving to China after 18 months of business travel in the country, I'm looking for good local news sources and how best to view them. It's almost certain I'll be based in Shanghai. I'd like to learn and understand more about the dynamics of the city and what might be happening in the city that a proud Shanghaiese would care about.

I'm familiar with the local English language 'newspapers' and there's some info there, but with a fairly obvious slant. I don't want expat or business traveller news. Extra points for independent sources for Shanghai metro and China national news available in English or German.

Wanted: Pics of Pudong in the 80s

priorpark17 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:57:22 -0800

Looking for images of old Pudong prior to development. Coming up blank. Ideally, from the late 1980s. Plus anything else you stumble across that may be in interesting. Puxi is covered, but finding in hard the other side of the river. Pics will be used in a private seminar on development.

China Study

the cuban — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:51:17 -0800

Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. I'm looking into studying TCM in Shanghai and wondered if anyone had recommendations or experiences they'd like to share.

I intend on a long stay there, so anything beyond short 'taster' courses is what i'm looking for. Of course, any info on them is most welcome too.

I want to sleep in your womb, Shanghai

markesh — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:09:04 -0800

Following up on my last question, what is the most reasonable accomodation I can get in Shanghai for 100 Yuan a night? Ideally, I'd like to be in a room on my own with no restrictions as to my coming and going. Less ideally, a shared hostel room. I'll be in shanghai for close to a month, so perhaps a room rental would also work. However, most of the material online seems to be in chinese, making it a bit inaccessible.

Anyone have any experience with this? Any personal recomendations?

What are some books about old Shanghai?

nakedsushi — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:24:51 -0800

What are some books about old Shanghai? Inspired by Lust, Caution, I want to read some books about old Shanghai. More specifically, about Shanghai before, during, and after foreign (or more specifically, Japanese) occupation. Fiction is preferred, but if it's really good non-fiction, I'd like to read that as well.

Maybe I should have actually planned my vacation.

echo0720 — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:36:20 -0800

I'm off to Asia (Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong) and have done little to no prep work regarding places I want to check out. What are your suggestions for "can't miss" attractions/shopping/anything that I should check out while there? I'm off to Asia and have done little to no prep work for the tourism bit of my visit (other than buying a Shanghai book that I don't really like). What do you consider the "can't miss" attractions/shopping/anything that I should check out during my weekends in Hong Kong and Beijing and 10 days in Shanghai? I'm your typical tourist, some of the things I'd like to see/do: shopping, people-watching, quirky things, architecture, art...

I did find the older questions about these three places, but there wasn't much Shanghai info outside of where to stay. I'd like your input on things to do, places to see, places to eat, shopping, etc... and I'm totally open to day trips from Shanghai. I won't have much time in HK and Beijing, so tips on major tourist destinations and hidden gems would be very welcome! As would off the beaten path type places for Shanghai, I'll be there for a while.

Thank you!

And if you happen to have suggestions to where I should exchange money in DC before I leave, that would be helpful, too.

When to buy tickets for trains in China?

chippie — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:39:19 -0800

I'm going to China in a few days. Should I purchase train tickets in advance on the Web, or wait until I get there? Possibly relevant details:

I will be traveling from Shanghai to Beijing the second week of October. Later, from Beijing to Xi'an. And later still, from Xi'an back to Shanghai. Total time elapsed: about a week. Two of the trips would be overnight on the train, if I'm reading the online train tables correctly.

I don't speak any Chinese.

I am weighing which is the worse scenario: buying tickets in advance on the Web and struggling to sort out some unforeseen problem in person later, or being unable to buy tickets in person later because they're sold out.

Any and all other advice you'd care to share will be much appreciated. I'm adventurous but would like to avoid any obvious snafus. Thanks!

any nice apartments in shanghai?

edtut — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:41:43 -0800

i need an apartment in shanghai, but i want somethign nice! is there any cool warehouse type accomodation, because all the apartments i have looked at are cr@ppy. after christmas i expect to be working in shanghai wiht my global company. i have checked out some apartments that friends are in. they are stale, poor layout, unattractive, unfashionable, high rise, depressing .... in my last two places, i have had really nice open plan spacious warehouse style accomodation. does anything nice exist in shanghai? i want apartment, and the budget is probably less than or around US2000 per month. i just want something open plan and pleasant to live in..

Cheap travel from Hong Kong to Nanjing

msbrauer — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:15:21 -0800

What's the cheapest way to get from Hong Kong to Nanjing, China? My girlfriend and I need to travel from Hong Kong to Nanjing next week and would like to do it cheaply. Trains seem like the ticket. What's the best way to do this and is it realistic to buy train tickets a day or two before the travel? The only prices I can find online seem awfully high (US$165 for a soft sleeper from Hong Kong to Shanghai), though maybe those have an agency fee on top of the ticket price.

Trains seem great, but I can't find prices online. Seems like the best way to do this is train to Shenzen, train to Shanghai, train to Nanjing. She speaks Mandarin and I've dealt with train stations in various places in India, so standing in line and fighting for the window shouldn't be too bad. Is there another, better, cheaper way? I've seen reference online that a soft sleeper from Beijing to Shanghai is 499RMB, so can we expect a similar price from the Hong Kong area to Shanghai or Nanjing? Is it realistic to expect that we can buy tickets a day or two before the train trip?

gice me your shanghai secrets

edtut — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:42:27 -0800

what are the secrets of shanghai for an expat trying to make the most of his experience shanghai these days is a lot different from the old shanghai, but one thing i think still holds, money still talks. so i have a bit of money, and will spend about 18 months there. i want to know the secrets. not about where to buy a watch, or where the best starbucks is. give me something deeper, something that the normal expat would never see. like underground clubs, or trading, or night spots you wouldnt usually hear about, secret organisations, a way to get good seat at the grand prix, anything interesting. i want to get the most out of my time there.

Don't let me miss the boomerang exhibition!

antifuse — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:02:00 -0800

Help me not miss anything on my "once in a lifetime" trip through southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand! Ok... in just under a month, my new fiancee and I are leaving for a 6 week trip - we're moving back to Canada from Ireland and decided to take the long way home. Here's my itinerary:

Shanghai: 04/24-04/28
Siem Reap/Angkor Wat: 04/29-05/01 (Taking the bus there from Phnom Penh, and flying back)
Phnom Penh: 05/01 noon-05/03 noon
Phuket area: 05/03-05/11 (with roughly 4-5 days on Ko Phi Phi, and the rest travelling around the area)
Singapore: 05/11 noon-05/12 evening
Melbourne: 05/13 v.early-05/18 mid-morning
Sydney: 05/18-05/22 mid-morning
Townsville up to Cairns: 05/22-05/27(midnight) (Cairns because we are flying Cairns->Auckland->Queenstown)
Queenstown: 05/28-06/02 afternoon
Wellington: 06/02-06/05 evening
Los Angeles: 06/05 2pm-10pm

Now, here's my question. Given my itinerary, is there anything in my given destinations that is ABSOLUTELY not to be missed? We've already got some set things planned... obviously Angkor Wat, visiting the beach from The Beach when we're on Ko Phi Phi, Phillip Island when we're in Melbourne, some sort of boat tour on the barrier reef, the Franz Josef Glacier when we're in Queenstown, but I want to make sure I don't get home from this amazing trip, only to have somebody say "OMG, you didn't visit the flying trapeze museum in Shanghai? It is AMAZING!"

Some background for the types of things we're looking for: amazing museums, architecture, interaction with locals (moreso in Asia than Aus/NZ), beautiful natural areas with interesting wildlife (more like zoos than jungle hikes, though)

Things we're not interested in: jungle hikes (fiancee is afraid of snakes... deathly afraid... so much so that we're not allowed to go to Fraser Island)

I know that this is going to be a jam packed trip (we tried to arrange travel to give as much time in the places we're most interested in), but I'd hate to miss something absolutely amazing just because we were rushing, ya know?

Also, any tips for the trip in general would be well received, but I'm more interested in sights. And yes, we're already well sorted with our vaccinations/disease prevention plan. I feel like a pincushion!

Old time footage of San Francisco

wavejumper — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:23:00 -0800

I need some old-time footage of San Francisco in the 40s or 50s, and of Shanghai in the 20s. Anyone have any ideas of DVDs I could rent and rip some shots off of? I'd prefer documentary or real shots on old B+W film rather than staged Hollywood re-enactments or contemporary stuff.

Looking for Fairways, Freeways and Cafe's

michswiss — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 04:28:35 -0800

I'm starting research into a possible relocation to Shanghai and am looking for good resources into general accomodation and cost of living information. In particular, I'm looking for solid and broad coverage websites for rental housing. Google is throwing up way too many options. I'd expect to receive relocation support, but I'm hoping local knowledge could point me to a couple of good starting points.

I'm a mid- to high-level manager with a very large corporation and have lived abroad from my home country for over a decade. I am looking to understand what the likely quality of life could be, in particular around recreation (golf is a bit of a passion for me), commuting options to major business areas and airports.

Food, clothing, tourism in Shanghai and Beijing China.

juliewhite — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:21:44 -0800

My SO and I are in Beijing 1-11 October, Shanghai 11-18. 1st-6th is taken up by travel and a conference, but vacation after that. Help us have an awesome vacation...
Food:
We are crazy foodies, so would like to get the most out of China from that perspective. What is not to be missed? We eat anything! Any worthwhile "fine dining" options?

Clothing:
I am thinking of buying a suit or two. Is it possible to have one made in ~ one week? Any recommendations where? What are the customs ramifications for bringing it back to the states?

What kind of clothing to wear for wandering around? T-shirt & shorts, or jeans, or dress slacks or what? How about footwear? Are sneakers OK at most restaurants, museums, etc. or will I feel like a tool?

Tourism:
Are there any obscure but awesome things to do or see in either city?

We were thinking of booking some day tours, but reading this has made us a bit hesitant. Any recommendations on how to get the most out of the tourism perspective. We'd really like to find a food oriented tour, but have struck out so far. Would simply hiring an interpreter to assist us as we go about our day make more sense than booking a private tour? How would one do that?

My the gist of my reading elsewhere is, "haggle everywhere, don't tip anyone" - is this essentially correct?

Will my “PLUS / NYCE” debit card work in ATM machines there? Or, what is the best way to get cash? How widely accepted are Visa/Amex?

Yes, I have read all of the other ask.metafilter posts on this topic - no need to point them out.

Necessities for China

graventy — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 01:09:17 -0800

My sister is moving to Shanghai in eight weeks, for a six month position. Is there anything that I should get her for her trip? Is there anything great that she'd need, but not know about, that I could get her?

What job should I look for in China?

thebbxx — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 09:27:09 -0800

I am an American planning on moving to Shanghai, China. What are my employment options if I don't know Chinese? So far the best option I have come up with is to teach English. I am hoping to get a job with Wall Street English, the best private school from what I gather. I am under the impression that this is the school that Chinese executives attend, which will also be useful for making contacts. I will also have decent hours with time to learn chinese and enjoy myself. I have a degree in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Iowa State University. A friend of mine who also has a Com Sci degree thinks that teaching English is a shitty job for an expat. Anyone have experience or know someone that did something similar, etc? What other options would you suggest, assuming I will be moving there soon without knowing the language?

"shanghaied to beijing" hurts my brain

soma lkzx — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 08:11:17 -0800

Help me with my China vacation! So it looks like my SO and I are taking a week off in April and visiting China. Originally we were going to Shanghai, but it sounds like Beijing would be more 'Chinese' and less a big ol' city. Sound like a good plan?

Any unforgettable sites or ones we won't mind missing? Since we're there for a week, what about a day trip somewhere?

Also, what about bespoke suits - you always hear about Thailand and Hong Kong, but can I get the same custom tailoring magic to happen for me in Beijing? It would be nice to leave with some well-done clothing, or have it shipped home to me. Help me out!