Anyone in Shanghai?

[alexis]

If you are or have been located in Shanghai before, I would love to hear from you. I am curious about your experiences. We currently live in Ningbo with our children but we are moving to Shanghai this early summer.

[Raoul Duke]

I liked living in Shanghai well enough; I like Suzhou a lot better.

Shanghai is definitely glittery (in places), energetic, cool. It has lots of wonderful things to do and see and eat and buy.

Of course, it takes a big salary to take advantage of all those wonderful things.

Other downsides: traffic is awful. If you depart from the excellent metro system, it can be frustrating to get around. The city is AWASH in foreigners...maybe a bit too awash.

I like my current situation better...I can get in and out of Shanghai easily when I want to, but I don't have to face the expense, the street craziness, and the urban pressure every day.

I really hated my job there. I was working at the Sydney Institute of Language and Commerce (SILC), a joint venture between Shanghai University and Australia's University of Technology at Sydney. I made an extremely high salary but couldn't cope with the environment...a paranoiac, xenophobic academic whorehouse designed primarily to line the pockets of various party members and their friends. It's also a school for the rich and stupid, and I couldn't hack the total lack of standards or respect for education.

But there are other jobs. Shanghai can be a wonderful place to live. Bring money.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Bring money? Only if taxis and upmarket restaurants are your scene. If you lived modestly in Ningbo you'll do the same in SH.
BTW, many SH unis are quite miserly. They think they're doing you a favor letting you work there. Less prestigious places generally pay better.