living

As a halfpat in Shanghai, of course I’m excited about the upcoming World Expo in May. Since I arrived here in 2005, the city has been striving to shine for the world to see, and the curtains will be lifted just 100 days later. “Better City, Better Life”, so it says on the hoardings of every construction site, while the mascot Haibao prances around on mobile television on buses and trains; the little interactive screens on taxis; laid on the ground for sale, and smiles at you at every major cross junction or residential area…

Do you miss Internet freedom?

Living in Shanghai, or anywhere in Mainland China, means access is denied for Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Blogspot, and all the other sites blocked by Great Firewall of China (GFW)…

Heard your Chinese colleagues/friends boasting about their Taobao purchases, and how cheaply they got them? It’s no exaggeration when they say you can get ANYTHING on taobao.com. Other than the usual clothes, accessories, shoes and electronics, you can purchase books and software (both pirated and original), snacks (even 7D dried mangoes from The Philippines), top up your prepaid SIM card, or even develop your digital photos at about a third of what any neighbourhood photo printing shop charges! …

Many may have the misconception that all foreigners working in Shanghai are livin’ it up in their adopted city because they earn big bucks and live a typical life of an expat — dining at Xintiandi, shopping at Plaza 66, chauffeurs to pick the kids up from international schools, housekeepers to sweep up every crumb you leave and iron out every crease, etc. Well, unless you’re the director or other high-level manager that foreign companies send over here to steer the company, chances are this is only your dream/goal. Full expat packages like that are diminishing, as these expats are too expensive to keep. There are different types of expats living in Shanghai, and you’d be surprised that not everyone makes that much money…