You've landed in Shanghai, picked up your keys, and collapsed onto your new sofa. Congratulations — but before you unpack a single box, there's one piece of paperwork the law expects from you within 24 hours: temporary residence registration (临时住宿登记, línshí zhùsù dēngjì). It sounds more intimidating than it is. The good news: in Shanghai, you can now do the whole thing online in...

If you have spent any time in Shanghai, you have noticed them. Blue bikes. Yellow bikes. Green bikes. Parked neatly in designated zones near metro stations, office buildings, and residential compounds. Shared bikes have become an essential part of daily life in Shanghai. For the 1-3 kilometer trip where walking is too far and taking a taxi feels excessive, they are often the best option. Since the...

Ladoll International City sits on Beijing West Road, just steps from Jing'an Sculpture Park and one block from Nanjing West Road and HKRI Taikoo Hui . The location is about as central as it gets. You are a five-minute walk from the metro and five to ten minutes from the heart of the Nanjing West Road commercial area . What sets Ladoll apart from other Jing'an compounds is the greenery. There...

Let us start with a confession. When the Oriental Pearl Tower was first proposed, many people thought it would never work. The design was too strange. The location was too remote. The construction was too difficult. Thirty years later, it is impossible to imagine Shanghai without it. Here is everything you need to know about the tower that changed Pudong forever – from its unlikely birth to what...

Top of City sits on Weihai Road in the heart of Jing'an, between People's Square and Nanjing West Road. It is one of the few compounds in central Shanghai built around a large man-made lake. The 8,000 sqm ecological lake and 26,000 sqm lakefront gardens give it a park-like feel that most downtown developments cannot match . The compound was completed in 2005 by Shanghai Zhongkai Real Estate. It...

Finding the right compound in Shanghai can feel overwhelming. There are dozens of options spread across Jing'an, the Former French Concession, Pudong, and beyond. Each has its own character, amenities, and price point. To make your search easier, we have created a custom Google Map that pinpoints the most popular expat-friendly compounds across Shanghai's downtown area. This is not a comprehensive...

Shanghai in winter is a strange beast. The temperature rarely drops below freezing, yet the cold seeps into your bones in a way that catches most newcomers off guard. It is damp. It is persistent. And if you are moving from a place with central heating, it will be the first thing you complain about come December. This guide explains why Shanghai never had central heating, how residents stayed warm...

The Paragon sits at the intersection of South Maoming Road and Julu Road, where the Former French Concession meets the Huaihai Road commercial district. The location is among the most desirable in Shanghai. You are walking distance to Huaihai Road shopping, Jing'an Temple, and the cafes of Anfu Road and Changle Road. The area is tree-lined, quiet, and central. The building is often listed in "Top 10...

Let us be honest. Before you moved to Shanghai, someone told you about the fake markets. A friend whispered about a secret building where you could buy a "luxury" bag for the price of a nice dinner. A colleague bragged about their "totally real" watch that cost ninety percent less than the one in the mall. Those days are mostly over. But the markets are not dead. They have just changed. This guide...

Eight Park Avenue is the newer, more polished sister compound to One Park Avenue. Both were developed by Singapore‘s Keppel Land, but Eight Park Avenue came later (phased completion from 2007 to 2015) and benefits from newer construction and a significantly better clubhouse . The compound sits on Xikang Road, just north of West Nanjing Road. You are close to Jing’an Temple, the shopping on...