Notes for prospective migrants
Hey guys 👋🏻 I'm officially a student here in Shanghai for the last two months and thought I'd share some tips that would've helped me.
Get Alipay, your VPN and WeChat before coming to china. I had to get a VPN once I was here because I'm an idiot and it was a hassle.
The metro is the best way to get around, don't waste money on Didi. If you really need to get somewhere specific then sure but the metro has let me organically explore which led to a lot of neat discoveries.
Get used to people looking at you. Ya, it's Shanghai and most people are used to it but you're still going to get stares from Chinese tourists and some older locals. You're going to be told by local friends not to worry about it and they're right, nobody is going to harm you BUT sometimes those stares aren't just good willed "curiousity". If you really don't like it stare back or wave, they'll either wave or look away.
Please try the local food. I immediately went looking for burgers and fries when I arrived but upon trying the local food I have fallen in love with dishes I never thought I'd enjoy. Seriously, the food is incredible here
Don't drink Starbucks unless you wanna sit down. Luckin coffee and Manner are cheaper and taste the same, luckin is definitely slightly worse but honestly they're all mediocre.
The culture is very different and you're going to have to adapt to them. It's not like some European countries or America where different cultures kinda mesh into their own thing. It's mostly homogenous and as such you'll have to play by their rules (this applies to basically anything in china)
Network. Seriously join WeChat groups, go to events with expats and communicate with them. People who have been living here for awhile are a great resource and you might make a few buddies! Also helps you out since most locals don't know the rules themselves and following their advice sometimes isn't the best.
Don't go on dates where the local decides where to go, especially if it's Nanjing road, seriously, don't. There's lots of open minded Chinese people here (I was dating my gf before I came here so I never experienced it first hand) but I've heard horror stories. If you do get a huge bill after drinking some tea just threaten to call the police or actually do it and they'll leave you alone.
Get used to being a very small fish. I'm from a very small city compared to Shanghai and I had to get used to rushing for seats on the metro, having to just walk through groups of people and dealing with the lack of manners. It's just the reality of any big city is assume.
Watch out for the fucking scooters. These things suck and a good chunk of riders don't follow the rules. You will have people zipping on sidewalks, you will have to dodge them, and ya, everyone I've talked to hates it.
If you're going to live here understand where you are. Shanghai is very westernised but there's obvious differences and you should keep them in mind, don't be an idiot.
Go to the propaganda museum and the first site of the CPC. Really cool areas.
Don't end up just walking around malls, happened to me for the first month. Try and get out and about away from them and walk along the streets, you'll find cool stuff.
Don't obnoxiously film people dancing in parks. You can take pictures and a video but I've seen too many expats and tourists videoing people trying to have fun on their Friday night, don't be that guy.
And that's it! If this is horribly redundant let me know, just thought I'd chuck it out there.