Shanghai Living

You land at Pudong at 11pm, you need a map, a ride-hailing app, and a message home saying you made it — and this is exactly the moment an eSIM for China earns its keep. Here's the complete, current picture: how it works, what it actually gets you, the one mistake that catches almost everyone, and how it fits alongside getting a proper local number once you're settled. What an eSIM actually is, in...

If you're relocating to Shanghai, one of the first questions on your mind is: can my pet come with me? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: it takes real planning, exact paperwork, and enough lead time — but it's entirely doable, and more people are doing it successfully every year. Here's what the process actually involves, based on China's official customs regulations. The Good News: Pet Travel...

If you are moving to Shanghai, one of the first practical questions you will ask is: Do I need to re-learn how to drive? The answer depends on whether you already have a license. The process is different for license holders compared to complete beginners. This guide covers both scenarios in detail, with the latest 2026 rules for Shanghai. The good news? If you already hold a valid foreign...

Every expat's Shanghai grocery journey follows the same arc. Week one: bewilderment in a local supermarket, holding a vegetable you cannot name. Month one: discovery that groceries arrive at your door in under thirty minutes. Month three: you know exactly which three places have real cheese, proper bread, and the good olive oil — and you shop better than you ever did at home. This guide compresses...

Here's a neighbourhood truth: in central Shanghai, your gym is a bigger daily-life decision than your metro line. The FFC and Jing'an pack more fitness options per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Asia — mega-gyms, boutique studios, 24-hour budget chains, yoga in heritage villas — and the right choice depends entirely on how you actually train. Here's the honest map, from people whose...

If you've spent any time apartment-hunting in the Former French Concession, you've seen the word. Hengfu (衡复). It's in listings, on heritage plaques, in the name of the area's own museum. But most people — including plenty of long-term expats — couldn't tell you exactly what it means or where its edges actually are. Here's the real answer, with the numbers checked. What Hengfu Actually...

Here is the single most important practical fact about life in Shanghai: the city runs on two apps, and until they're on your phone, you can't easily buy a coffee, catch a taxi, rent a share-bike, order lunch, or pay your landlord. The good news — and it is genuinely good news, because this used to be a nightmare — is that in 2026, setting up Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign Visa or Mastercard...

If you have spent any time in Shanghai, you have heard the name. Ju Fu Chang (巨富长). It rolls off the tongue. It appears in every Citywalk guide. It is mentioned in conversations about where to live, where to eat, and where to find the city's most authentic street life. But what exactly is Ju Fu Chang? The name is a shorthand. It refers to three parallel streets in the heart of the...

Somewhere around your second month in Shanghai, a colleague will mention their ayi. Then you'll notice everyone has one — the single guy in the Jing'an loft, the family in the Pudong villa, your most frugal teacher friend. And you'll ask the question every newcomer asks: should I get an ayi, and how does this actually work? Short answers: probably yes, and much more easily than you think. Here's the...

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...