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Congratulations, you have made it to Shanghai! To help you with the transition, the following is some useful information that many expats ask when first moving to Shanghai.
Communication
What many expats worry about when relocating to a foreign country is the ability to communicate with locals. The language of the land here in Shanghai is Mandarin Chinese often with locals using Shanghai dialect.
The big question is: Will life be difficult without the ability to speak Chinese? No, life will not be difficult without the ability to speak Chinese. With many Chinese learning English from a young age, it is not hard to find someone who speaks English but this also depends on the area that you live, work, eat and play. If you plan to live in an area where you will be the only expat (none of the neighborhoods mentioned below), then an inability to speak the language will make things more difficult.
The best is to attempt to learn the basics of the language, basic phrases and words for survival. If you decided take it further than that and strive for fluency you will impress many Chinese, which will make it easier to integrate into the community.
For those looking to find more information about the expat community in Shanghai, you can visit the following list of expat websites that are full of information specificallly for expats:
CommunityCenter.cn
SmartShanghai.com
ShanghaiExpat.com
Cityweekend.com.cn
bonjourchine.com(French)
schanghai.com(German)
chinaseite.de(German)
Education
Deciding on a school is one of the hardest decisions to make for newcomers to China. Fortunately, there are many options for foreigners to choose from when it comes to their child’s education. There are many international schools that can cater to your home country’s curriculum system or your desired system. Here are the following curriculum system options: British, American, French, German, and Singaporean. Check out our introduction to international schools in Shanghai, here.
If international schools are too expensive or you are looking for something a little immersive for your child, you do also have the Chinese public school option as well.
[Update 10/13/14]: According to our readers, the Chinese public school option should be approached with caution. There are many hoops to jump through to get your children enrolled and even then it may require having “Guanxi” in order to be successful. You’ve been warned.
Health
Since Shanghai is an international city, the city also has many international hospitals built specifically for expats. These international hospitals will make you feel at ease with their high standards, foreign or internationally educated doctors, acceptance of international health insurance coverage and English speaking service. One thing to note however, is that this convenience is anything but cheap. Here is a brief list of both international hospitals in Shanghai:
Shanghai East International Medical Center
Shanghai United Family Hospital and Clinics
American Medical Center
Global HealthCare Medical & Dental Center
Transportation
Living in such a large, developed city like Shanghai has its advantages and the convenience of Shanghai’s transportation options certainly is one. Shanghai’s Metro system is the most popular mode of transportation throughout the city. With its 329 stations, 14 lines and 538 kilometers or rail, the metro system in Shanghai pretty much takes you anywhere you want to go, cheaply. Here is a map of the system, to give you an idea of its coverage of the city.
If subways are not your thing, there are also many bus routes that can take you anywhere in the city. For those who are adventurous, driving is also another option. If you choose to drive, make sure to register for a driver’s license and be aware of the distinct differences between driving techniques in the west and in China.
Safety
Shanghai is a pretty safe city to live in and serious crimes against foreigners are a rare occurrence. Although Shanghai is fairly safe, it still makes sense to practice common sense in order to protect yourself. As pick pocketing and scams are the majority of crimes committed here, it is important to keep valuable belongings in a safe place, do not blindly trust strangers (including foreigners) and keep your head on a swivel.
Neighborhoods
Downtown
Xintiandi & Peoples Square
Xintiandi is popular destination for tourists but also hosts many high-end apartments in the area. With many shops, cafés and restaurants around, Xintiandi is a great place for those looking to live in one of the high-end areas of Shanghai. People’s Square is the true center of Shanghai and like Xintiandi, there are plenty of shops and high-end residential options in the area.
Jing’an & West Nanjing Road
With an overall layout plan of residential projects, offices, shopping malls, hotels, parking lots, cultural & entertainment centers, Jing’an District has increasingly become international and prosperous. The 750 year-old Jing’an Temple along with the top luxury and fashion street Nanjing Road, make it one of the most popular residential areas.
Former French Concession
The Former French Concession is easily one of the most unique areas of Shanghai. With its ‘Old Style” homes, the area allows those who either visit or live in the area to immediately feel history and modern, laid-back atmosphere of the area. Those looking for the most authentic Shanghai experience often choose the French Concession as a place to call home.
Xujiahui
Xujiahui is a business center with many shopping malls and grocery options. There are stores like City Shop(import grocery), Carrefour(grocery), and IKEA(furniture) in the area. Newly built high-rise apartments are the main choices for the area and they offer new and modern apartments with lots of sports facilities, and ask for reasonable rentals, which attracts many young professionals and couples.
Zhongshan Park
Zhongshan Park now is one of the most convenient areas for living. There are 3 main metro lines(2, 3, 4), department stores, supermarkets, restaurants perfectly combined together both at ground level and underground. Housing in this area, tends to be cheaper than areas like Jing’An or Xujiahui.
Pudong(East of Huangpu River)
Lujiazui
When many think of Shanghai, they think of the tall skyscrapers and bright lights that are often featured in movies around the world. Lujiazui is the place featured in those movies and it most likely looks familiar to you in some way. In addition to the bright lights of the office buildings and tourist attractions, high-end residence is the major options in the area. The area is very “rich” in its shopping, eating and entertainment options as expected in a business/tourism center.
Century Park
Century Park, Shanghai’s biggest park inside the inner ring, has plenty of green space, which makes life a real pleasure to those living in the surrounding areas. Century Park is a great area for those who would like to put a little distance between themselves and Lujiazui but still have quick access to the area.
Green City
Green City is definitely the most popular expat town in Shanghai. Most families with children enrolled in Concordia, Dulwich or the German and French Schools often choose to live in Green City. The area has everything an expat will need with Carrefour, Decathlon, and numerous restaurants and bars located in the center of Green City.
Kangqiao
If not for the international schools in the area, expats would seldom choose to live in the Kangqiao area. Kangqiao is far from downtown and with limited facilities around. There are several housing compounds like the Emerald, Trinity Village, Tiziano Villa and Belle Wood Villas to accommodate those who have children attending schools in the area.
Hongqiao & Gubei
Hongqiao and Gubei was one of the earliest developed districts for the international community and is regarded as another popular residential areas in Shanghai because its fully-developed infrastructure and sufficient facilities. It is also popular area because of its location and it’s the convenience of access to the fast passed life of downtown while retaining certain laid-back aspects of the suburbs in West Shanghai.
West Shanghai
To the west of Hongqiao Airport, Huacao and Xujing Town are relatively new but well-established international communities for expat families with kids going to international schools. The international schools present offer a wide variety of curriculum including: American, British, French, German, and Singaporean curriculum systems. Recently more and more families are moving to West Shanghai, favoring the drive from downtown in exchange for a bigger house, lower rent, larger garden, fresher air, quieter neighborhoods and little to no traffic.
