Shanghai Living: Tips for packing, must do/see, beware

[eion_padraig]

Finally, life is a lot easier in China if you speak even a basic level of Chinese. Learn to pronounce pinyin and tones correctly, so if you see something written in pinyin with tones you can repeat the word. That really doesn't take much effort to learn.

Interacting with taxi drivers, waitresses, and other service people is much smoother when you speak a bit. Most service people not at high end hotels or restaurants don't speak much English even in Shanghai.

Learning to read basic Chinese words for food: meat, chicken, lamb, rice, noodle, dumpling, egg, tomato, etc can make life much easier when ordering from menus without pictures.

I think using Pimsleur levels 1 and 2 is very helpful along with learning pinyin. They are mp3 recordings that are half hour in length, that have you repeat things out loud. People who use them end up with very good pronunciation for what they learn. Sometimes people then think you speak better/more than you do. Listening comprehension lags behind.

Can you live in Shanghai without speaking Chinese? Yes. However, a little goes a long way.

[IAMBOG]

Most of my colleagues seem to know an average of about twenty words. Some of them have been here years, so clearly they think it's enough, although most live in areas with high expat populations (we don't). I would find that horribly frustrating. I've been dipping in and out of the Chinese speaking word for seventeen years now. My reading, typing ( my actual writing is dreadful) and speaking are at a very functional level, but not fluent by any stretch. Day to day communications are not an issue and I rarely have to repeat anything. You have to make the effort to learn Chinese, it's not really something you pick up as you go a long, at least, not at the beginning anyway. It's well worth the effort. One of the reasons we are here is so our kids grown up bilingual.

I lived in Egypt for three years before coming here. I probably got away with knowing about twenty words. I just didn't have the interest, plus a higher proportion of Egyptian speak English.

[PsyGuy]

Im far more on the side of IAMBOG. You only need about a dozen words, and you will be fine in Shanghai. Tonal languages are very difficult to learn and mandarin has 4 tones, and the tone can drastically change the meaning of the word. Its not really worth it, unless your that kind of person that wants to learn the language (at least the Chinese are nice about it, they will be impressed your at least trying. In JP if your pronunciation is not correct, Japanese will act like they have no idea what your talking about. At least the Chinese get "context").

Reading and writting script is a nightmare, to be literate you need to know about 2000 characters, a college graduate knows about 5000. The extended character set of traditional Cantonese has over 50,000 characters.

If you want to learn Mandarin I recommend either Rosetta Stone or Living Language (which works on computers, tablets and phones) these program include feedback and not just passive imitation. Rosetta Stone is better, but takes longer since your building language fluency. Living Language is more practical, but doesnt provide the same level of language acquisition. Living Language runs better on mobile devices, Rosetta Stone is a better choice for a computer and dedicated study time.

[bludgeoned again]

Make an effort, learn as much as you can. Getting by is not good enough. You miss out on so much if all you can do is count and do greetings. I agree about learning to recognize characters, it helps a lot. Also, I would learn to count and understand numbers in Shanghai dialect. At least learn to count with finger signals.
Anyhow, I think it enriches your life not to just be a bystander but to participate. Of course you will never integrate, be accepted as Chinese. You will always always be a foreigner, always. However, it promotes good will to at least try your best. And, as I said, it will enrich your life, make daily tasks easier and ingratiate yourself on the locals.

My two cents, from my experience and what I've seen with many of my friends and acquaintances.

Happy trails.

[Basmad6]

Thank you everyone! Keep the tips and suggestions coming. I've had a few people message me who are also headed to Shanghai and grateful for the info you are all sharing.
I'm planning on some private tutoring before heading out and will hopefully be able to maintain some language classes out there even if it's just to be able to get around. I don't see myself excelling too well in Mandarin but I def want to make an effort.

[eion_padraig]

I'll be kind and say Rosetta Stone has really good marketing. In my opinion, that's about all it has going for it. I don't know about the other one referenced. A colleague of mine also used another audio system, Michele Thomas Mandarin, fairly effectively to learn elementary Mandarin. I checked it out and it was promising though I didn't spend enough time with it to know how good it is in comparison. I think Serge Melnyks' program is good too in that it builds up fluency slowly, but last I looked it was more focused on spoken Mandarin used in Taiwan, which is slightly different than what you get in Mainland China. http://www.melnyks.com/ Any of these systems are best used with a tutor or teacher to help with corrections as basics.

The myth of Chinese is so hard to learn keeps a lot of people from learning elementary Chinese. Sure, native level Chinese is harder to achieve for a native English speaker than Spanish, but we're talking about much more basic communication. Learning Chinese for cabs, restaurants, Ayi (maids) is all key, but learning to talk about yourself and your family, and ask other people about themselves is not really that much more difficult. And Chinese people are very gracious when it comes to foreigners speaking crappy Chinese, though you'll get the blank looks if they don't expect you to speak Chinese. I think this happens far less than it used to happen.

[IAMBOG]

What bit of Shanghai is your school in?

[PsyGuy]

Living Language is very similar to Rosetta Stone.

I find interactive instruction such as Rosetta Stone and Living Language works better for me than an audio product. Tapes, CD's and other recorded language acquisition approaches are so 1980's. The same with most language instruction classes, its just showing up and having an instructor push play on a tap or CD. A tutor and instructor also has a much higher level of cost.

Chinese are very accommodating and gracious (really impressed) with those trying to learn the language.

[nikkor]

Instead of buying air filters like Blu Air or Alen Air, I would go the fan/hepa filter/velcro strap route. You can spend $1500 on a nice Blu Air, or $35 on a DIY. Either way, it's just a fan blowing air through a HEPA filter. Why pay a premium? This year, I've hardly even turned my filters on. There have been a few bad days, but generally air pollution in Shanghai isn't so bad. For example, today's AQI was about 35, whereas Beijing and other industrial cities are often over 300.

If you have a VPN, you can shop on YHD.com with google chrome's translate feature. It's cheap and the Cash On Delivery option is truly amazing. It's a great way to save money on imported food products like milk and beer.

Also google Shanghai Restaurant Week, and sign up for a few meals. It will be a great way to save money while trying out some new places. I never thought I'd say this, but since I've lived in Shanghai, I've become accustomed to $100 meals. My recommendation for a "must do" eating experience: A couple drinks at the long bar, dinner at Mercado, a stroll on the Bund, and then maybe another drink at Salt & Light is a good way to start your weekend.

When the weather is nice, there are quite a few good rooftop bars.

[IAMBOG]

I mentioned this above, but just to push the point - www.smartairfilters.com and their other site http://particlecounting.tumblr.com/post ... out-of-the

S33 dollar / 200RMB per unit, includes one fan, one strap and one filter. We change the filters about every five week. Free delivery to your apartment. We have five of these running in our apartment 24/7.

[PsyGuy]

Well they dont look as nice as the higher cost models, and for some people aesthetics matter, and are worth the cost.

[IAMBOG]

Aesthetics? I have one behind the TV and one under the dining room table. The others are strategically placed in semi-hidden places around the apartment. I prefer not to see them. If I want aesthetics, I'll buy myself a nice big Buddha painting.

[Basmad6]

Any tips on seeing $ home? Reading mixed reviewson just how easy or what a pain in the ass the process is. Being paid in RMB, sending funds home to US.
One suggestion was transfer from bank (China) to PayPal then to home bank
Wiring (no thanks)
I do use online banking now and my credit Union has indicated this won't be an issue on their end (to receive) but it seems like getting it out may be more problematic.
Thoughts? Experience?

[sciteach]

Quite often your school may allow you to pay your wage (or part of it) into an overseas bank account. This is what happens in China when I teach there next year - but I also get a living away from home allowance which is meant to pay for most basics in China....

[mysharona]

My school has a multitude of options one of which is to have a USD cheque issued in your name. I get the cheque and then my credit union has a mobile deposit app that allows me to deposit my cheque in my account. I have also had the school wire transfer money for me but that cost $ and finally our school community has a number of monthly envelopes go home and you have the option of sending a stamped/addressed envelop containing your cheque to someone who will then deposit it in your account. On a slightly different topic, sometimes I am forced to change money here and you can change $1000/day if you need to and then I have carried that money home with me.