Blog List

Villas The villa market in Shanghai is almost exclusively dedicated to expatriates and well off local Chinese. Some developments solely house expatriate employees. These tend to be located in the suburbs, though there are some notable exceptions in the centre of the city that are difficult to obtain. Apartments The largest selection is in more »

There are two main form of expatriate transformation in Shanghai: company car or taxi. The company car, which used to be part of almost any expatriate package to China, is provided now only to high level executives. There are number of additional public transportation options available: Taxi: Taxis are plentiful, affordable and safe, though more »

Electricity voltage China uses 220V, whereas the United States and Japan use 110V and 100V, respectively. Adapters are easy enough to find as are shavers, hairdryers, and other electrical appliances. It is also best to first check your new residence’s outlet configurations – two or three prongs. The landlords of the renting apartments/villas/houses in more »

Across the river: Pudong & Lujiazui Until 20 years ago, Pudong was primarily composed of large tracts of farmland, hard to imagine given the area’s glass and steel skyline today, the symbol of Shanghai’s inexorable economic development over the last two decades. Besides being an economic hub, Pudong also offers a large variety of more »

The Bund The Bund, Shanghai’s famous landmark has been making international headlines in recent years due to its re-development into a luxury retail and F&B area. There is nowadays a splendid range of high-end entertainment destinations situated inside the buildings formerly occupied by Western trading houses and banks. While many of the buildings directly more »

In and around People’s Square People’s Square is Shanghai’s official centre and the intersection of the two most popular metro lines (lines 1 & 2) as well as the two major overhead highways. People’s square is home to many museums, theatres, hotels and other tourist destinations, so it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. more »

Trusted Gubei and Hongqiao Gubei has been a long-standing favorite with foreigners in Shanghai, especially Asian expatriates and those wanting access to excellent facilities while still being on a lower budget than downtown. Gubei was Shanghai’s first expatriate apartment area, built in 1994 and is located within Hongqiao. Further west of Gubei, the area more »

A home in Jingan This fashionable area along Nanjing West road has attracted many high-rise apartments and also contains some lovely restored colonial properties. Nanjing Road West, the area around Plaza 66 and the Portman Hotel is Shanghai’s most luxurious shopping destination, rivaled now only by some of the outlets at the Bund. Next more »

So, which district is best? There is obviously no ‘best’ district – each offers their own special features, advantages and disadvantages. So in order to understand the differences some research and a personal visit are important. The Former French Concession The area of Former French Concession is a narrow (approximately 1.5km wide) corridor stretching more »