Mad About Shanghai

Strangers in a Strange Land

Found this by accident on Dan Washburn's blog.

Interesting articles about expats in China featured on Good Magazine.

Read them here:

Article 1
Article 2

Shanghai is the 8th Costliest City in Asia for Expats

Shanghai is the 8th costliest city in Asia for expats. Yes, 8th. Seoul is the most expensive, surpassing Tokyo,  at least according to ECA.

Top ten most expensive cities in Asia for expats are:

1) Seoul
2) Tokyo
3) Yokohama
4) Kobe
5) Hong Kong
6) Taipei
7) Beijing
8) Shanghai
9) Singapore
10) Guangzhou

Read the article here.

Fabric & Tailor Market in Shanghai

Whilst everyone is crazy about Xiangyang market, few know about the other market - the fabric and tailor market where you can pick the material you want and get custom made shirts and business suits for a tenth of the cost that you would get it for in most of the western countries.

We  heard about this market not long after we arrived in Shanghai from some expats who have lived here for years.  They raved about how cheap it is to get a custom made suit for only RMB500 - 700 and to get a business shirt for RMB150 - 200.  The best method is to take an example of your clothes and get the tailor to copy it, that way you make sure the style is right (everyone knows Chinese people are good at copying stuff).

Eventually we managed to go to the market the other day and found it to be in one of the oldest areas of Shanghai near the Bund, old rundown houses serve the shop front, constantly you would notice filthy kitchens and gross smells from inside. Despite this, business in the market is prosperous. We went there on the weekends - lots of Chinese and Western people alike were  looking around picking their favourite material and getting their customised clothes made. It is not as crowded as in Xiangyang market and nobody constantly comes up to you trying to sell you something. You can just take your time strolling around.

The one thing they share with Xiangyang market is the double - standard pricing system, ie., higher price for foreigners and lower price for Chinese people (sometimes even lower price for local Shanghai people). Every time when I ask about  material price, they say "for you I don't ask too much, if it were him (referring to Brad), I would ask at least twice as much.) As a result we came back with a great sense of triumph - for a total of RMB510 we got Brad a wool business suit with an extra pair of pants; the price includes the wool material , the lining material and the cost of making.

The lead time is about a week. The following week we picked up the clothes - Brad was very happy with the quality - they did exactly what he requested. However so far from our experiences, they are good at copying men's clothes, but not women's. Maybe women's clothes require more skill of tailoring in terms of style , design and details which they do not understand.

So if you need to get some business clothes, a good place is the Fabric and Tailor market. Don't forget to haggle prices and you had better bring your own examples for them to copy (but there is plenty of books to choose styles out of).

It is also a good place to discover another side of Shanghai - opposite to the modern skyscrapers and shopping centres, it is old, rundown and smelly.  A few taxi drivers told me that part of the market has actually moved to a place near Nanpu Bridge (Lu Jia Bang Road) , the current market will be demolished soon for new constructions for 2010 World Expo.  It looks like that our next mission is to find out where is the new market.

The current market address is: Dong Jia Du Road & Weitan (the Bund). You will need to walk up Dong Jia Du and look down the alley ways. Once you start to see lots of awnings and bolts of cloth hanging around - you know you have made it.

_____________________________________________________________________

The quality of services offered on hawaiian airlines makes everyone go airlines even more. Now information on Hawaiian as well as midwest Airlines is available online and information about airline jobs are also available on their website.

______________________________________________________________________________

Number Plate in Shanghai

Do you how much a number plate is worth in Shanghai? Between RMB20,000 - 40,000!

Do you know when you register a  Rep Office in Shanghai, a FREE number plate is automatically allocated to you?

From my experience, lots of people (ie, expats) who have registered a Rep Office in Shanghai do not know the above fact.  But lots of people DO know (local people), these people are trying to buy unused number plates from those rep offices at about RMB13,000 - 15,000 and re-sell them at a much higher price.

My friend who works in a rep office told me the other day that he received a fax which says they would like to buy the allocated number plate at RMB13,000. My friend talked to the boss, who didn't know the existence of the allocated nunber plate and who doesn't want to buy a car in Shanghai either, and he got 100% support from the boss - sell the number plate to whoever is eager to buy!

So if you are living with an unused number plate, do something about it - just do not waste it!

Let that be a lesson - Problems with Visa's in China

"Let that be a lesson to you" has been running around my mind all afternoon.

I went to the equivalent of the immigration department to put in my visa application for an `F' visa (see here for more information on Chinese Visa's).

Now I knew I was overdue to get my visa updated - we were meant to go to Hong Kong over a month ago where I would start the second leg of my L Visa. But we didn't end up going and I promptly forgot about my needing to leave the country.

So, I was expecting to get a warning or a small fine, instead I got slapped with a 5,000RMB fine AU$850!

The fine is 500RMB per day! But they have a maximum fine of 5,000RMB - the equivalent of 10 days. (I was over by 39 days - oops).

Now despite the fact that we are working our butts off, a lot of our projects are still not paying us anything - so everything here has pretty much been expense with little income. Then to cop a 5,000RMB fine like that really hurts the small savings pile that we had!

So the lesson is - don't neglect your visa! Put the dates in your diary, your phone, your PDA, Outlook - whatever! Just don't let it run out.

I guess I am lucky in one sense, if it was the other way around and I was a Chinese passport holder and 39 days out of my Visa whilst being in Australia I am sure that I would now be locked up in Villawood or Baxter and be on a plane home without my belongings or any support! At least now I pay the money, get my F visa, and go home to my nice warm apartment for dumplings.

                                                                                                       Brad

Two Canadians' Special Shanghai Experience

Two Canadians had a very special Shanghai experience today. This is their story:

Tired and in a hurry, the two Canadians were standing on the road waiting for a taxi. They must have waited for a long time because they looked frustrated and helpless. The problem was there were no taxis - because where they were was actually a big construction site somewhere in Pudong; that whole area is newly designed to serve as a new business center - something to do with World Expo 2010.

Finally a car came to their sight, but it wasn't a taxi, but a black private  Santana. To their surprise, the black Santana pulled over right in front of them and the next thing they knew the driver asked them if they need a lift.

Everything happened too fast to think again: there in the middle of nowhere they were waiting for a taxi with heavy luggage showering in the dust by the construction work carrying on around them. Hopeless and exhausted, a Savior offering a lift came out of blue!

Into the car they climbed. On the way to the Pudong airport (their destination), the two Canadians were amazed by the music played in the car. They couldn't help but praise the amazing music and they were told that was Yo-Yo Ma! Only a couple of hours before the flight taking off for Canada, they won't have the chance to find the same CD. They really love the music. Again to their surprise, they driver offered the CD to them before they left saying " I can easily find another one here, but you probably won't in Canada."

The two Canadians couldn't thank the driver enough and wanted to pay for both the fare and the CD. But the driver smiled and said "not necessary. Everyone has one of those moments when they need help. It is just a lift and a CD - that's nothing."

So the Canadian business men left with a new favorite music CD and lots of gratitude. The driver continued her driving to see next customer.

The driver was my friend Liying. When she told me what had happened on her way visiting a customer this afternoon, I was so impressed and told her that she had done a great deed. She just responded lightly " I just gave them a hand - I've had those moments - waiting for a taxi in a dirty place, tired and in a hurry. I thought it is nothing but a lift."

Those two lucky Canadians had a very special Shanghai experience - compared to the other Shanghai experiences such as shopping in Xiangyang Market or drinking in a bar in Xintiandi. I guess whenever they listen to that CD, they will have a great story to tell and wonderful positive memory of China.

A little bit background info about my friend Liying:

She is a very generous girl and has a very warm heart. She is a real friend who you can count on at any time. She is one of the volunteers for aiding poor children in the west of China. She owns an embroidery factory and works very hard.  She is from Shanghai but prefers to speak Mandarin.

Looking for Accommodation in Shanghai - Continued

I called +86 21 114 which is the phone directory in Shanghai and was told the serviced apartments I was after is not registered with them. I realised that you can't contact these serviced apartments directly, that means,  the only way to inquire or book service apartments are through those real estate agents.

I called Shanghai Pearl Property  whose advertisement for serviced apartments is everywhere. I was told that they don't have any apartment available for budget within US$1000 in Shanghai downtown of Puxi. All the serviced apartments they have got are much more expensive.

Then I went to a couple of real estate agent websites and found out their service charges:

• No charge if your lease is more than a year (the apartment developer pays them commission)
• 1/4 of the monthly rent cost for lease 6-9 months
• 3/4 of the monthly rent cost for lease less than 6 months, more than 3 months
• full amount of monthly rent cost for lease less than 3 months

So if I rent a serviced apartment for US$1000 f or one month, I actually have to pay US$2000! Ridiculous! I can't imagine any one would like this deal.

(The price range for serviced apartment in the downtown area of Puxi is US$1000 - US$5000 for studio, 1 bed - 3 bed. )

I came to some other options such as staying with friends for a few days, hiring an agent to find an apartment for us now before we arrive etc. However, I prefer my  privacy and still like to find the apartment myself to gurantee the quality and satisfaction.

Finally I decided that

1. we can book a hotel for a couple of days;
2. the first couple of days in Shanghai should be just for apartment hunting;
3. as soon as we find the right apartment, we move in.

Generally you can move in straight away whenever you find an apartment you like because they are always empty when they are on the market for rent.  You never inspect an apartment with tenants in it in Shanghai.

I have to admit that I have underestimated the task and of looking for accommodation in Shanghai and also have underestimated the price. Things are always more complicated than on the surface.

Looking for Accommodation in Shanghai

Accommodation arrangement is always a hard part for people moving to a new place or a new country, especially for those who don't know the place well or don't speak the same language.

As I am a Chinese and was living in Shanghai before , plus I had the experience of renting in Shanghai as well, I am never worried about finding a suitable place in Shanghai.  Basically  I decided that we should first  find a serviced apartment in the downtown area and stay there for  a month while we are looking for an apartment ourselves.

Today  I spent some time searching the internet for some serviced apartments. I found generally serviced apartments are quite expensive in Puxi downtown area; those in Pudong are less expensive. I come across a very helpful website shanghaifinder .  I searched serviced apartments in this website and found a few that meet my standards.  They normally provide the detailed info about the apartment such as location, facilities, photos, prices, etc. However only one thing I find a bit frustrating is they don't provide a contact phone number, intead, there is only a online form for you to fill in.  I prefer to pick up the phone and talk to people rather than send in a form which I'm not sure if it will arrive there or if anyone would attend to it or not.

Anyway, I will keep you posted about our accommodation in Shanghai and will provide our first-hand info for you to make your future accommodation hunting in Shanghai as easy as possible.

Thank you, Mr. China!

Finally I finished the book Mr. China by Tim Clissold. I enjoyed the book thoroughly from the beginning to the end.

Out of everything, I have completely enjoyed the author's style of writing - vivid, lively, humorous, and sharp. I couldn't help reading aloud sometimes just to appreciate the powerful words he used and to imagine the pictures in his stories. I have felt like I have being listening to the author telling his stories directly to me, laughing heartily when coming to the funny parts, feeling stressed when being involved in a complicated row or seemingly everlasting stalemate, getting angry when facing deliberate fraud or betrayal, and  raising admiration when meeting people with great guts and incredible persistence.

Equally I was totally moved by the unbelievable effort the author has made to dig bone deep to understand Chinese people no matter who they were:  business partners, government officials, employees, peasants living in the remote areas of China. I was actually nearly to tears  coming to the very end of the book when the author said "If by writing this book I can make the Chinese people seem more human, less mysterious or threatening, just flawed and beautiful like us, then the troubles of the past ten years will all have been worthwhile." 

As a native Chinese, I can't appreciate more about the author's genuine intention to explain and illustrate about Chinese people and China to the rest of the world based on his own personal experience. Obviously as a white person from England and as a  respresentative for the Wall Street working and traveling throughout China for more than ten years, he can't be more a justifiable person to tell the rest of the world  about China and Chinese people.  However, he did not abuse this authority by lightly making some unfair or biased judgement, instead, he has been  passionately learning about Chinese history and has been persistently discovering the reasons behind Chinese people's "mysterious" behaviour. Disregard of his personal struggling , sometimes even dismal  while carrying on his business duty and ambition in China, he was always based on matter of facts to make any comments on Chinese people and always reserved great respect to the nation and its people no matter how much difference there remained either on the surface or in deep.

As a native Chinese who was born , grew up and educated in China and who is living overseas now, I understand perfectly the author's frustration in China with the "Chinese economic environment" such as the  banking system, legal system, definition of contracts, land ownership, lack of morale in the workforce etc and  I was also educated about my own country because while reading the book, I was looking at China as an outsider rather than a Chinese who is always "in" without seeing the whole picture!  You always see the picture more clearly if you are "out" of the picture. And as a younger generation, I was also educated about the early stage of China's opening up and reform which I wasn't aware of because I was still a bookworm in school back then. Now when I see the modern China, I will have a more complete picture when connecting it to the old days and I am sure I will appreciate more about the changes happening everywhere in China.

All in all, Mr. China is an excellent book both in terms of literature and information. It is a great book demanding slow sipping for both western and Chinese people who are interested in China and Chinese people. The world will be a more peaceful and more beautiful place if there is more understanding !

Thank you Mr. Tim Clissold!

 

Is living in Shanghai expensive?

A few weeks ago a friend of mine living in Shanghai went to Singapore for work and came back with two suitcases of new clothes and shoes. As soon as she got onto the phone with me, she started to rave about how cheap shopping is in Singapore and compared with Shanghai, Shanghai is super expensive! For instance,  4 people's decent breakfast in Singapore only cost 7 Singapore dollar; while in Shanghai similar composition would cost 200RMB; a skirt in Singapore is only about 50 Singapore dollar, while similar skirt in Shanghai is about 1000RMB.

I tried to find out the reason behind the high prices for some food and clothing in Shanghai. Firstly, my friend is  actually one of those snobs who like western food and imported stuff more than local food and clothing. So we are talking about prices for western style food and imported clothing in China here.

Those western food restaurants or coffee shops are obviously all overpriced. For example, a normal coffee in Starbucks is about 25RMB; some normal ice cream in Haggen Daz is about 40RMB.

Western style food and drinks are always positioned for high market in China where people believe western style food is something rather luxurious than just common everyday food(like Chinese food) . This is like the discussion between chicken and eggs, who comes first no one knows. Is that because Chinese believe western style food should be more expensive somehow, so when they priced the food accordingly or is that because western food is priced high first so that Chinese people get used to it? I can't answer the question.

The thing is in Singapore, having coffee, orange juice and toast for breakfast can't be more normal. There is no reason to charge a skyhigh price for those everyday local food. While in China, a couple vegetable buns won't cost you more than 2RMB because that is local Chinese food.

For imported clothing, I think one of the reasons is the same as food - overpriced. The other reason might have something to do with the tariff for imported textile items and luxurious items. As far as I remember, China always charge a higher rate of tariff for imported luxurious items. But how to define luxurious items in China is another thing. A normal pair of shoes in Singapore or Australia might be classified as luxurious item in China. Consequently those pretty clothing and shoes that my pretty friend likes are all unfortunately classified as luxurious goods, therefore, they are charged a higher rate of tariff.

Another side of the story about how expensive living in Shanghai is that another friend of mine living in Shanghai went to HongKong not long ago for a holiday. She only paid about 1200RMB for a guided tour which included return tickets from Shanghai, 5 days accommodation in 5 star hotel (normally 1000RMB a day for a twin share room in that hotel), 5 days guided tour in HK and 5 day's meals. I couldn't believe it - it is dirt cheap! She told me that the government is actually compensating the tourist operators in order to encourage tourists to travel and do shopping in HK.

As Shanghai is welcoming more westerners everyday, there will be more "westernly" priced goods and services appearing. No matter who you are, if you eat Chinese local food and shop for local goods, it will be always cheaper than maintaining a western style of life in China. I am sure about it!