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...

Whether you are here for the World Cup, the Premier League, the NFL/NBA/NCAA playoffs, or just want a place to catch a game with a cold beer, Shanghai has plenty of options. The city’s sports bar scene has grown well beyond a few expat haunts. Today, you have dedicated American-style sports bars, Aussie pubs, British-style boozers, and massive multi-sport complexes. Here is a guide to some of the...

As an expat parent, one of your biggest decisions in Shanghai will be your child‘s education. You have three main options: international schools (for foreign passport holders), local public schools (for the academically intense local curriculum), and the increasingly popular middle ground – bilingual schools. This guide focuses on bilingual schools. We will explain what they are, how they...

Chevalier Place is not a large compound. It is a single 33-story tower with only 113 units . But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in exclusivity and service. The building sits on Anfu Road, one of the most desirable streets in the Former French Concession. You are steps from the cafes on Anfu, the boutiques on Wukang Road, and the consulates on Wulumuqi Road . Yet the building itself is...

If you have rented an apartment in Shanghai, chances are you have already encountered the concept of a second landlord (二房东 / èr fáng dōng) – whether you realized it or not. You find a beautifully renovated apartment online. The photos look great. The price is reasonable. You meet someone for a viewing, sign a contract, and move in. Weeks later, you discover that the person you...

There is a corner of Shanghai where grey brick Shikumen walls meet glass shopfronts. Where an alley that once led to a family kitchen now leads to an Italian restaurant. Where the past was not torn down. It was redesigned. Xintiandi is not the oldest part of Shanghai. It is not the quietest or the cheapest. But no other neighborhood tells the story of the city‘s transformation quite like this...

If you have been searching for an apartment in central Shanghai, you have noticed the trade-off. The compounds in Jing’an and the Former French Concession are well-managed and conveniently located, but they were built in the 2000s. The air conditioning works, but the layout feels dated. The flooring is intact, but you can tell it‘s been there for twenty years. Hong Yin Li (鸿印里) changes...

You‘ve landed in Shanghai. You’ve cleared customs. You‘re standing in the arrivals hall, jet-lagged, staring at your phone, and it says "No Service." That’s the moment you realize: you need a Chinese SIM card. And you need it now. It‘s not complicated. But there are a few things you should know before you walk into the first China Mobile shop you see. This guide covers the three major...