CHINA
Country Overview:
“Love the food, hate the government”
I arrived in China in May 2013 and left August 2020. I taught English for awhile, did my master’s of politics & foreign policy at Tsinghua University, worked for a year at China Today, and then two years at Xinhua News Agency. I spent most of my time in Beijing, but also traveled to Shanghai, Wuhan, Inner Mongolia, Shenzhen, Panjin, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi’an, Sanya, Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Shanghai 2
Shanghai is great. Every time I come to this city, I’m reminded why it consistently ranks first or top two for “best cities to live in China”
The Bund
Walked all over Shanghai today looking for a gym, and found one in a hotel that I snuck into. After, made my way to the bund. Amazing sight.
Update: Shanghai was amazing. The city, the people, the environment, it was just so refreshing after being in Beijing for so long. The city feels more natural, less controlled - probably because all the government buildings are located in Beijing. Shanghai is more green, with trees on every street. There were noticeably less electric scooters and less people blaring their car horns. The street lights had timers on them so cars knew how much longer that green light would last, making it also easier for pedestrians to gauge if they can make it across the street or not. It might sound like a small thing, but this is a huge problem in Beijing - pedestrians. They operate in a 'mob-mentality' regardless of the color of the light. Shanghai was literally and figuratively a breathe of fresh air and I will certainly be open to looking for jobs there upon graduation