I suspect most English-language readers would go for fiction. It’s so much more easily available, for starters.

In the Paper Republic roll call of books translated from Chinese in 2020, only a tiny number were contemporary non-fiction. That is a pity. Novels are works of the imagination, by their very nature. 

Must-Read Nonfiction Books About China

For facts and real-life stories, I am a big fan of literary non-fiction. Chinese essays and reportage, memoirs and blogs are often very good reads: incisive and witty, and every bit as entertaining as a novel.

Plus you can be sure that they will represent the writer’s unvarnished views of their country and give a fascinating glimpse into their thoughts. 

Let’s talk about some essential nonfiction books about China to illustrate my point.

China in Ten Words, essays by Yu Hua

I have read many books about China, as well as online posts and blogs by Chinese writers about China, but few have had me riveted the way this one did.

Not surprisingly, considering its acerbic tone, it has never been published in mainland China, although an edition came out in Taiwan in 2011 (《十個詞彙裡的中國》) and it can be found online in simplified Chinese.

There are quotable quotes on every page. It is almost impossible to choose from them. There are jokes, perceptive analysis, personal stories and historical context, all in one medium-sized volume. 

One of the remarkable things about Ten Words — undoubtedly one of the best books about China by a Chinese author — is that it has something to say not only to those who want to know about China (but don’t know much yet) but also to readers who already know a fair bit. 

As one of those readers, I was shocked at Yu Hua’s story of a three-year-old being denounced during the Cultural Revolution for saying ‘the sun has gone down’ (the sun being Chairman Mao’s emblem). 

I recognised from my own experience, his observation that most of today’s younger generation know nothing about Tian’anmen. And I was charmed by his description of his thirst for reading material as a child: ‘I would pick up the Selected Works [of Chairman Mao] and read it avidly by the light of the setting sun.

The neighbors all sighed in wonder, impressed that at such a tender age I was already so assiduous in my study of Mao Zedong Thought. My parents brimmed with pride on hearing so much praise. …In reality Mao Zedong Thought had completely failed to engage me.

What I liked to read in Selected Works was simply the footnotes, explanatory summaries of historical events and biographical details about historical figures, which proved to be much more interesting than the novels in our local library.

Although there was no emotion to be found in the footnotes, they did have stories, and they did have characters.’ 

Yu Hua’s essays — which comprise one of the best books about China you could ever hope to read — also bring us bang up-to-date and into today’s get-rich China. There are various mirth-making scams recounted in the Bamboozle chapter, perpetrated on the government by its people.

One city decided to set its teachers an examination in a bid to raise teaching standards. But it acknowledged that single-parent teachers had a hard life and exempted them.  There was a sudden outbreak of divorce … and re-marriage when the exam crisis was over.

Something similar happened when some farm land was redistributed. ‘Just how much square footage each … peasant should get involves a complex computation that takes into account the size of their original house and the number of their family members, but marital status is the most crucial element. 

Marriage and divorce, remarriage and redivorce, thus become the instruments of deception and subterfuge.’ That made me smile… I have known people in London do the same.

See also: Will Heath’s review of China in Ten Words

Oriental Silk by Zhu Xiaowen

My second choice for this list of essential nonfiction books about China is Oriental Silk, by Zhu Xiaowen. It tells the story of a Chinese family who emigrated to America and opened a shop importing that icon of Chinese culture – silk.

It is a truism, for most of us, that the Chinese and their shops are everywhere in the world. But how many customers know the back-story of the families who run them?

This book is Zhu’s account of her chance encounter with Kenneth Wong and his store, the eponymous Oriental Silk, and the stories he told her.

Wong’s great-grandfather went to America, then Mexico, where he made his money in casinos, before going back to China and losing every cent.

Ken’s father who left Guangdong again for Los Angeles in the late 1930s and settled there, serving with distinction in the US armed forces during the Second World War and helping to liberate Auschwitz. In the meantime, his wife and daughter lived through the almost unbelievable horrors of the Japanese occupation of China.

Once the family were united in Los Angeles after 1945, Ken’s parents set up a couple of small businesses, culminating in the Oriental Silk store in the early 1970s.

The store became famous, the go-to place for Hollywood film-makers in search of fabulous high-quality fabrics for their film costumes. 

In a reversal of the usual order of book-to-film, Oriental Silk was only written up as a book after Zhu had made her film about the Wongs.

It is a beautiful hardback, with a pale grey tactile cover and intricately designed pages, an artist’s book, but it is Wong’s family history and his memories that take pride of place.

Zhu Xiaowen herself has said, ‘Behind every person is a story.’ This book is about one family’s inner, and outward, journey. 

Excerpts from the film that Zhu Xiaowen made can be seen here, and give a better idea of the beauty of the fabrics and embroidery.

Read More: Must-Read Chinese Science Fiction Books

More than One Child by Shen Yang

My third choice for essential books about China is a memoir. Shen Yang was born a second daughter, during one of China’s biggest-ever experiments in social engineering — the One-Child per Family Policy.

She had to be hidden from the authorities from birth, and grew up, unwanted and illegal, in the family of an uncle and aunt who were volatile and sometimes abusive towards her.

All of that said, More than One Child is by no means miserable. Shen Yang is often funny and always sharply observant, and this is a colourful and, ultimately, uplifting read.

Instead, let me say something about the challenges of translating what I can only call ‘new-speak’.

One-Child per Family, a new policy, gave rise to a whole new language, both in the form of slogans and of words to describe the children, whether they were first-born and legal, or subsequent children and thus illegal.

In Shen Yang’s Foreword, she writes, ‘At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, when family planning was strictly enforced, and social controls were tightest, the ubiquitous wall slogans were intimidating and even contained direct threats.’

Translating slogans is a bit like translating song lyrics. They have to go with a swing. Puns, alliteration, rhymes… Chinese slogans have them all. Here is a sample of some where, horrible though they are, I had some fun creating a translation:

‘Give the snip to poverty, coil yourself in money.’

Original: 结贫穷的扎，上致富的环

Here, I used ‘snip’ to keep the reference to tubal ligation/vasectomy, and ‘coil… in money’ to pun on the birth control coil.

Another: ‘If you won’t have your tubes tied, we’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks; if you won’t have an abortion, we’ll pull a ton of bricks down on you.

Original: 该扎不扎，巨额严惩，该流不流，拆墙扒房。

It helped that in English, to come down on someone like a ton of bricks means to criticize or punish severely; and the second part refers to the practice of punishing multi-birth families by pulling their houses down.

So, no, the word play in the English does not reflect the Chinese, it is original. But the translation accurately conveys the meaning.

Then there are the words used to describe the first-born and subsequent children. Chinese is very concise and that conciseness had to be reflected in the translation. 独生子女… just four characters, for the legitimate, licensed first-born, the ‘only-birth-son-daughter’. I called them ‘only-children’, hyphenated.

Finding an English word for the illegal ones, the ‘second or third birth, (and some women even had five or six)’ as Shen Yang writes, was a different problem. In Chinese, they were variously called 超生儿, literally, excess-birth-children, or 小黑孩。

This term presented us — translator, author and publisher — with a problem, because it means ‘black child’. Not, of course, a reference to skin colour, but to the fact that she or he had been born illegally.

We tossed around a number of possibilities before settling on using the pinyin, heihaizi, in combination with the term ‘illegals’. ‘New-speak’ language often demands creative, new-speak translation.

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee

Like so many expats before me, I chose Moganshan – or Mount Mogan — for a long-weekend getaway. They constructed huge European-style villas, swimming pools and tennis courts that were ultimately abandoned after the rise of the Communist Party in 1949, when most foreigners were expelled from China. The magnificent villas were claimed by the People’s Revolutionary Army and were left to decay in the bamboo woods.

The mountain, located 200 kilometers outside of sweltering Shanghai, was a popular summer retreat for Western expatriates and the Chinese elite alike during the early twentieth century.

How to Get There

A high-speed train will take you from Shanghai Hongqiao Station to Deqing (station nearest to Moganshan) in an hour and 20 minutes. A ticket is roughly  90RMB per person each way. Alternatively, you can drive the route in 2.5 hours. You can also use the direct bus service that departs from the Old North Bus Station in Shanghai, it is a four journey but much cheaper than the train.

Moganshan Today

In recent years some of those derelict homes have been purchased and renovated into guesthouses and hotels as Moganshan – after an almost five-decade gap – once again began attracting city-weary tourists.

While China’s modern economic history has been defined by individuals leaving the countryside in droves to find work in cities, stressed out city-dwellers now seem to be looking to the countryside for relaxation and perhaps existential relief from the pressures of urban life.  (Or maybe the “existential relief” part is just me…)

Of course, it comes at a price. Those interested in reliving the glory days of the old Shanghai elite can rent hotel rooms or entire villas at the top of the mountain — the main attraction of Deqing County, where Moganshan is located.

However, because I didn’t want to pay $300 a night or more (high-season rate) I opted for accommodations just down the winding mountain road at the Bamboo View Guesthouse. I stayed for three nights and there wasn’t one thing to complain about.

My mountain-view room — which included a queen-sized bed, a spacious shower, a couch, a balcony and a free breakfast each morning – was about $90 a night. The lovely owner provides a buffet of western and Chinese breakfast foods (the basic toast and eggs or boiled dumplings and congee if you want to go native) and can add a cappuccino or latte to the meal for an extra 25 RMB.

What to do In Moganshan?

People go to Moganshan to basically do one thing: Hike. Hike up the mountain; hike down the mountain; hike through the lush bamboo forest. Go for a swim, if you’re lucky (unfortunately, it seems that many of the local rivers and springs have banned people from swimming.)

It doesn’t sound like much, but when you live in a city of 24 million people like me, any escape from the ubiquitous crowds and noise to an environment of pure silence isn’t just a relief. It’s a gift.

I only spent one day of my stay exploring Moganshan itself (the other two days were primarily spent hiking and lazing around in Huowu Village, where my guesthouse was located). I was able to get a sense of the local history — in English! – when I stopped by The Lodge, a restaurant and hotel placed near the top of the mountain.

Walk up the weathered stone steps to arrive at The Lodge, a haven for weary travelers craving anything from espresso to top-shelf whiskey. And of course, a great source for English speakers interested in Moganshan’s local history.

An Interesting History

Although I was admittedly enticed by the restaurant’s western lunch options after a solid four hours of hiking, the manager of The Lodge soon began telling my companion and me about the building’s ties to Moganshan history.

Its owner Mark Kitto was the first foreigner to live on the mountain in modern times after obtaining a 10-year lease on a villa directly from the People’s Liberation Army in the early 2000s.

He details Moganshan’s history, as well as the baffling process of conducting business in China as a foreigner, in his memoir “China Cuckoo.” I know this because the manager of The Lodge encouraged us to peruse a house copy of the book over our lunch of bacon-grilled cheeses and post-hike whiskeys.

I plan to return to Moganshan at least once more for a quick getaway. There’s still more to see:  After my long weekend I was doing some research and discovered that Deqing County is a centre for snake farming, with an entire community devoted to the industry known as “Snake Village”.

A few days in the abundant bamboo woods and a visit to the Deqing Snake Culture Museum seems like a good plan for my next 3-day weekend.

Written by Ashley Portero. Originally posted on her blog Stranger in a Red Land.

Purchase the inspiring novel ‘China Cuckoo’, by Mark Kitto here. Free worldwide shipping.

Suzhou is also a stone’s throw from Shanghai and, if you happen to be based in Shanghai for a few days or a few years, it’s quick and easy to get from Shanghai to Suzhou by train. A day trip to Suzhou is the perfect weekend escape from the metropolitan scene of Shanghai, offering a glimpse into the more traditional side of life in China.

Suzhou is friendly, clean, picturesque, and overflowing with artisan shops, canals, gardens, and great restaurants. Here’s how to get from Shanghai to Suzhou by train, where to stay in Suzhou, things to do in Suzhou, and how to have the perfect day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou.

Getting from Shanghai to Suzhou by Train

Taking the train from Shanghai to Suzhou, and back from Suzhou to Shanghai is quick, cheap, and easy. So easy, in fact, that many people who live in one of the two cities will take frequent weekend trips to the other without giving it any thought, as we often did when we lived in the heart of Shanghai. So, how do you get from Shanghai to Suzhou?

Wherever you are in Shanghai, you need to take the subway to Hongqiao Railway Station in the west of Puxi. Shanghai subway line 2 and line 10 will both take you to Hongqiao Railway Station. Line 2 passes through the centre of Shanghai and many of the major tourist areas: People’s Square, Jing’an Temple, Nanjing Road, and Century Avenue.

Once you’re at Hongqiao Railway Station, get yourself a ticket from Shanghai to Suzhou Railway Station on the high speed train. Regular second-class tickets cost around 35-40 RMB ($5-5.50), which is incredibly cheap by Western standards and pretty ordinary for China. The high speed trains in China are clean, efficient, and very impressive.

The entire train ride from Shanghai to Suzhou takes only 30-40 minutes, making it an incredibly cheap and convenient day trip from Shanghai!

Read More: 48 Hours in Shanghai – A Guide

What to Do in Suzhou

So, you’ve arrived from Shanghai to Suzhou Railway Station and now you’re wondering how to spend your day in Suzhou. The first thing to do is head to Pingjiang Road.

Pingjiang Road

Of all the avenues, roads, and streets in Shanghai and Suzhou, Pingjiang Road is easily the most beautiful, most historic, and most unmissable. As soon as you arrive at Suzhou Railway Station, wander over to Pingjiang Road, start at one end and stroll slowly along to the other end.

Pingjiang Road is around 1.5km long and, as you make your way along it, you’re becoming part of two thousand years of Chinese history. This is what is so spectacular about Pingjiang Road: its history remains so wonderfully intact.

In the 20th century, China underwent such a painful and dramatic transformation under the dictatorship of Mao Zedong. China’s cultural revolution did exactly what you’d expect: it levelled ancient temples, attempted to eradicate religions like Buddhism and Taoism, and brought about a forced modernity that covered over the ancient beauty of China.

But not everywhere; not by a long shot. And Pingjiang Road is the best example of that is Suzhou.

What you’ll see and experience on Pingjiang Road is the majesty and uniqueness of Chinese culture at its most raw and pretty. Much of Pingjiang Road is ancient stone bridges which arch over canals that frequently criss-cross Pingjiang Road.

Each time you find yourself on one of these stone bridges, pause to consider the two millennia of history captured in this place. See the old wooden houses, red hanging lanterns, and narrow side streets.

As you wander down Pingjiang Road, you’ll find boutique shops which sell artisan products like leather bags, traditional clothes like Chinese qipao, and hand-carved wooden charms. You’ll also find plenty of quaint bars and cafes lining your walk where you can refresh yourself before heading on to the Humble Administrator’s Garden.

Humble Administrator’s Garden

The Humble Administrator’s Garden might be the most famous garden in any Chinese city – certainly in Eastern China. It beats any garden found in Shanghai, including Yu Garden, and is another one of the must-visit things to do in Suzhou.

The beauty of Chinese gardens, much like Japanese gardens, is that there is a unique mesmerising quality to them regardless of season. Whether you visit in spring, summer, autumn, or winter, you’ll find the gardens full of captivating sights, smells, and calming atmosphere.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the one garden in all of China which most resembles a painting. It is a perfectly maintained, vast, respected, calming, and soothing place to visit.

A friend of ours, a fellow Brit who has spent many years of his life living all over China, finally decided in his late twenties to settle in Suzhou because, as he said, no other city comes close to the China of his dreams than Suzhou. And one of the reasons for that is the folk tale majesty of the Humble Administrator’s Garden which, as of 1997, is an official UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill is a must-visit attraction in Suzhou. Along with Pingjiang Road and the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Tiger Hill completes the trilogy of picturesque and historic sites of Suzhou.

The name Tiger Hill was either given due to its appearance being reminiscent of a crouching tiger, or the possible legend of a white tiger appearing on the hill after King Helu of the Western Zhou Dynasty was buried there in 496BCE. But what, exactly, is there to do on Tiger Hill?

To start with, Tiger Hill has its own Excalibur legend: that of Sword-Testing Rock. On Tiger Hill is a small, smooth rock that has been perfectly and cleanly split in two, supposedly by a legendary sword many hundreds of years ago.

The most impressive monument on Tiger Hill, however, is the first thing you’ll see: Tiger Hill Pagoda (or Yunyan Pagoda). Originally erected in 327CE and rebuilt in 1871CE, Yunyan Pagoda is perhaps the definitive symbol of Suzhou; a sacred monument of the city.

What makes it unique, aside from its magnificent stature, is the fact that it’s tilting. Having stood for almost two thousand years, Yunyan Pagoda has gradually leaned further and further, giving it the nickname: The Leaning Tower of China.

Read More: Where to Find Home Comforts in Shanghai

Where to Stay in Suzhou

Although Suzhou can easily be conquered in a day trip from Shanghai, to properly see everything the city has to offer, and to take your time in doing so, you might want to consider staying for a night or two. If you want to, and you’re wondering where to stay in Suzhou, here are some great choices:

Garden Hotel, Suzhou

The traditional beauty of Garden Hotel almost beggars belief. On the inside, it’s a modern hotel with delightful fixtures and comfortable beds.

And on the outside, it’s a maze of stone bridges, ponds and brooks, and covered wooden walkways like something out of a traditional Chinese storybook. For pure traditional aesthetics, you can’t do better than Garden Hotel.

Suzhou Suqi Guesthouse

The best thing about Suqi Guesthouse is its location: situated as it is on Pingjiang Road — the best historic street in Suzhou.

Matching the historic beauty of Pingjiang Road, Suqi Guesthouse offers rooms with Japanese tatami mats, futon-style beds, and even traditional wooden bathtubs. But it certainly doesn’t sacrifice comfort for the sake of tradition. It’s an air-conditioned and relaxing place to stay.

Oakwood Hotel and Residence

In case you’d rather forego staying in a traditional Chinese hotel, and would prefer to stay in a modern high-rise hotel, you absolutely can at Oakwood Hotel and Residence.

This ultra-modern and sleek hotel has all the trappings, style, and comfort of the kind of modern hotel you’d expect in New York or London. And that includes a fantastic breakfast buffet of European food choices and coffee.

Best VPN for China

If you’re thinking of living and working in China, or even just visiting for a week or two, it’s really important to know that you won’t have access to websites like Google, YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter while you’re in China. This is thanks to what we’ve come to call the Great Firewall of China.

To circumvent this issue, definitely consider getting yourself a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for your travels. VPNs allow you to access all the sites that are blocked by China’s firewall, and they’re how foreigners living and working in Shanghai are able to continue their lives as normal. Check out this guide to learn more about VPNs.

Is living and working in China for you, though? And are you for China? Moving to another country is like entering into a relationship — will you and China work well together? Are you an ideal match? Having lived, worked, and travelled extensively in China, we’ve taken our experiences, and those of others, and compiled a guide to help you decide if moving to China is the right step for you.

Who China is For

There are two kinds of people who thrive in China: those who seek the freedom to make of themselves whatever they want and enjoy a cheap and fun-filled life along the way; and those who have a real adoration for China’s language, food, history, and culture.

If you really care about China and take an interest in learning its language and reading about its history, China will love you back and give you a good life. You can be living in China and working in Chins with glee and an easy time. Similarly, if you have a business idea and enough savings, China gives you the opportunity to start your own business cheaply and easily (more on that later).

Living and working in China is also a lot of fun. Beer is cheap; you can eat out for every meal and still save money; you can even affordably take a taxi to and from work. It’s also big, and every town is vastly different from its neighbours. If you like to travel, and want a single country that has everything from metropolises to mountain villages, lakes to rivers to mountains, and everything in-between, China is the country for you.

Who China is Not For

Though it might sound harsh to say, China is a fairly rude culture, at least as viewed through Western eyes. Chinese people frequently spit, scream, push, and shout on the streets and in the stores. There is also animal abuse that you will bear witness to on the streets and in the markets.

It’s a place that can induce real culture shock and some upsetting frustration. It’s also rife with political corruption that goes very deep and very dark. If you’re someone who can’t acclimatise to a little rudeness and a lot of political corruption, living in China and working in China is not for you.

China also has a firewall which blocks the use of the following sites and apps: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WordPress and most reputable Western news sites. This can be overcome with the use of a VPN, and there are many to choose from, but they do slow down, and they do fail, and this can be frustrating. Before you decide to go living in China or working in China, you’ve been warned.

Job Opportunities

Of every country in East Asia, China probably has the biggest amount of job opportunities. In the big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, English is fairly widely spoken, and a lot of good jobs can be found for English-speakers.

This is especially true if you’re a teacher (more on that below) or if you’re a scientist, engineer, chef, or journalist. We have personally known people in all of these professions working good jobs in Shanghai. So if you’re a high-end professional with a job that’s sought-after, living in China can be hugely rewarding and opportunistic!

The best thing about working in China is the ease with which you can open your own business there. In Korea, most foreigners who want to open a business must physically invent a brand-new device that can help the economy – no joke. In Japan, there’s so much legal red tape for those wanting to, say, open a bar or a café.

In China, however, rent is incredibly cheap, laws are lax by comparison, money moves quickly, and you can have your own business – complete with a strong visa – open within months. If you were so inclined, you could move to China as, say, an English teacher, save for two years, and be ready to open up your own barbershop, deli, or juice bar in next to no time.

Teaching in China

Teaching English is how most people begin their time living in China. We’ve already made an extensive guide to teaching English in China, Korea, and Japan, but here are some details for the budding teacher looking to escape to China.

The big cities in China are almost overloaded with great teaching opportunities, and most of these big companies ask for nothing more than a bachelor’s degree. You can have your pick of age groups, with companies like EF focussing their attention on teaching English to local kids, and the likes of Wall Street English teaching exclusively adult clients.

These jobs usually have an afternoon/evening work schedule (great if you’re not a morning person), and they often ask you to work weekends but offer you another pair of days off in exchange – such as Monday and Tuesday, or Thursday and Friday. It’s average money for back West, but that pay goes much, much farther in China. Even in the big cities.

We, for example, worked and lived in the heart of Shanghai, managed to live a fairly luxurious life, and also came away with a lot of savings. When you look at it that way, you can’t go wrong living in China and working in China.

There’s also high school and university teaching. The big cities have a wide range of international schools (in the western suburbs of Shanghai, for example, there is a school exclusively for French and German expats). These schools pay extremely well and often provide apartments and long vacations. It’s not unlike working for a private school in the UK. These are good jobs, if you can get them. Best of all is the low bar for university teaching.

A lot of teachers –  TEFL and school teachers alike – dream of working as a professor. In China, you actually can, with relative ease. A little experience goes a long way in China, and you can end up with a university job within just a year or two of teaching. Especially if you’re willing to live in a tier-2 or tier-3 city. Speaking of…

Where to Live in China

This one is not as complicated as you’d think, even given China’s enormous size and population. The big cities have no shortage of jobs and apartments available and are still absurdly affordable with regards to rent, bills, food, and transport costs. If you want to live in the Chinese equivalent of Times Square or Covent Garden, you can.

Conversely, if you’d rather a slightly quieter life, and want to get stuck into learning the language, befriending the locals, and exploring the countryside, China’s smaller cities are still full of things to do. Even its smallest cities usually have a working subway system, which is amazing for convenience and speed. Cities like Hangzhou and Suzhou are of a manageable size, have less pollution, and are a short train ride from Shanghai.

Choosing where to live really comes down to what you want out of life, so here’s a handy list: For the city slicker who wants fried chicken at 3 am: Tier-1 cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen For the countryphile who wants to see the ‘real’ China: Tier-2 cities like Hangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, Kunming, and Nanjing

Each of the above cities has something unique to draw you in. For example, Chengdu is a modern, hipster city and is where the pandas live; Xi-an is a walled city and the ancient capital of China – it also has the Terracotta Soldiers.

Do a little research into each city and see what best suits you. Each one has a wildly different cuisine, different architecture, even often a different local language or dialect. China is fantastically, dizzyingly diverse, and you can see all of it. Picking the right hub is key, though.

For a little personal advice, we lived in Shanghai and if we were to move back and settle somewhere, it would probably be Chengdu for the countryside and the pandas, Shenzhen for the easy access to Hong Kong, or Xi-an for the deep cultural history.

How to Live (Rent/Bills/Phone/Internet etc.)

For a country with a lot of oppressive laws and regulations, China is surprisingly lax and carefree on the ground level. Most of the landlords are private and accommodating (ours was a friendly Shanghai police officer). Paying bills is easily done by hand at the nearest convenience store. The same is true for phone bills. Living in China is ridiculously free and easy.

Here is a personal story to give an idea of how it might work for you after arriving in China:

When we first began our own adventure working in China, our company put us up in a hotel and gave us five days to find an apartment. We had to accomplish this in the evening after our daily training (which finished late). We used the website/lifeline Smart Shanghai (if you move to Shanghai, this site will be your guide to everything from apartment-hunting to finding the best karaoke bars and restaurants).

The site gave us a frequently-updated list of new apartments for rent, as well as the contact info for the agents and/or landlords. From there, we made appointments and had a few viewings. Once we had decided, we drew up a contract and were good for a year.

For utility bills, they arrive in the post and you simply take the fax-paper-looking document down to the nearest convenience store and hand it over. They’ll ask for the required money in cash, and you pay it. Done until next month.

For phone bills, most convenience stores have a little touch screen/ATM thing placed in one of the corners. With this (it has English options) you can pay your phone bills and top up. For internet, it’s best to ask your landlord to help you set that up. They should be accommodating and helpful. If not them, you may be working for a company who can guide you.

Dos & Don’ts of Living in China

The ‘don’ts’ for while you’re living in China and working in China are big and important and easy to avoid:

• Don’t stage a protest
• Don’t bad-mouth president Xi Jinping in public
• Don’t discuss the independence of Taiwan or Tibet with local people

As for the ‘dos’ when it comes to living in China almost anything goes. There are smoking laws everywhere, and they are universally ignored. Every street corner has a store or stall selling good quality fake CDs and DVDs. Feel free to buy as many as you want. There really isn’t much, legally, that you need to worry about. For all the lack of freedom China has, it paradoxically gives so much freedom.

What to Expect When Applying for a Chinese Visa

The cost of a working visa changes from country to country, so think about where you’re from and google the cost of your nationality’s Chinese working visa.

The application process for working in China demands a private health check. For people with universal health care, like the UK and Canada, this means going to a private doctor, paying out the nose for a full physical check-up, keeping the receipt, and eventually being reimbursed by your company. When you arrive in China, they’ll give you a second health check just for funsies.

The process is also pretty long and drawn-out. We were stuck in the UK for three months while our visas were slowly processed broke and bored, so make sure you have a place to stay and a bit of savings, or a job to tide you over back home for a few months before you head over to China.

Final Note

If you are planning on living in China and working in China, it’s a country with incredible culture, a diverse and fascinating language, and an incredibly exciting and tumultuous political history. We highly recommend you do a little reading on China before you go, as we all should before we visit any new country. So, check out our recommended list of five books you should read before travelling to China. You should also read these books regardless because they’re all excellent reads.

Broken Stars is valuable in the scope of Chinese genre fiction. Literature in China – its publication, regulation, and its very creation – has had a difficult ride. During Mao’s Cultural Revolution, the only book legally allowed to be owned by citizens was his own Little Red Book.

Fast-forward only a handful of decades and we have in our hands a collection of electric, imaginative, sweeping-in-scope science fiction stories by several of China’s most ambitious writers. This book is valuable because it is allowed to exist. And it is good because its writers care about the genre.

A Glimpse of the Stars

Chinese-born, Boston, MA-based writer and translator Ken Liu has done us a dear kindness by offering us this book. The man knows his genre fiction, has a beautiful taste for good, thought-provoking sci-fi, and was also the translator of two of the three books in Liu Cixin’s Three-Body Trilogy (which exploded in popularity in the West when recommended by President Obama himself – read our review here).

In the introduction to Broken Stars Liu makes it clear that this is not a ‘best-of’ Chinese sci-fi, but rather a collection that he has hand-picked, that he believes is a worthy collection of varied and outstanding examples of the genre. Coupled with the stories themselves are also brief introductions to each writer before we dive in, and the book is crowned at the end by a collection of essays on science-fiction’s place in modern Chinese literature.

“This moment is a vortex where time caves in: to the left is the past, to the right—

To the right should have been the future.

But the stars are broken.”

Essentially, this book is a treasure trove of stories, information, and empathy for the revolution that is Chinese sci-fi, as picked and translated by a kind and intelligent writer.

The tales themselves are each one of them a delight. While every reader will have their own personal favourite, and a handful that don’t mix with their tastes, such is always the way with a collection featuring more than ten writers of different styles and perspectives.

Each author is worth reading and paying attention to, as is their own little biography – the people behind these stories are fascinating, with many of them having backgrounds in science and engineering. There’s also a roughly 50/50 split between men and women writers, which is highly appreciated.

You’ll find a diverse range of topics and themes on display here, from a semi-fictionalised story of the relationship between Alan Turing, father of computing, and a kind-of-AI that he builds, to a sci-fi interpretation of the Greek myth of Delphinus.

“What is clear to me is that all of Han Song’s stories are intensely political, but they’re couched in layers of allegory such that what message one takes away from them depends largely on what baggage one brings to them.”

There is a tale here which warns of the imminent climate change-induced apocalypse (featuring phone calls through time), another which recalls a writer who absorbed the skills of five genius authors in order to devise the perfect story, and many more wonderful stories besides. Honestly, the variety to be found here is inspiring and endlessly entertaining. 

“’Your mind is filled with such strange notions: submarines, the crystal sky, distant stars… are these the concerns of a dutiful child?’
‘I can’t stop thinking about them. A voice is always in my head, telling me, Hey Giana, why not go visit the stars?’”

One of the shortest stories, at only four pages, is Hao Jingfang’s The New Year Train. This punchy little story is perfect in its pace and length to deliver a hammer-blow of a punchline.

The entire story is written as an interview between a reported and an engineer who has designed a train which uses wormholes to pass through the spacetime continuum (think Event Horizon) and deliver its passengers home for the Lunar New Year on time.

The conversation is witty and whimsical; the dichotomy at play is fun and fluid; and when the engineer asks his final question, he is posing it to us, the reader, asking us why we often seem in such a rush to reach life’s finish line.

To use a short, simple, and playfully funny story to present a philosophical message that, while not breaking any new ground, invites at least a few moments of serious pondering, is highly appreciated and an instant favourite short story of mine.

Conclusion

I once found myself in a discussion with a middle-aged businesswoman in Shanghai. She saw me reading a book (I forget what it was) and asked me about it. When I asked her what books she liked, she chuckled and brazenly exclaimed, “Oh, we Chinese don’t read books.” But that’s not true, is it, lady? In fact, it’s dangerously misinformed.

Far more than an abundance of readers, China has a wealth of genius writers working to revolutionise their genre of choice, providing the world with new takes on old tropes, and new tropes altogether. Chinese sci-fi is an entire world in itself, and one to keep your telescope trained on. Ken Liu knows this, and he wants us to know it, too. This book is where all of that starts.

Published by Tor Books – read an extract here.

The book was a fierce delight, delivering on the promise of epic fantasy with a Chinese twist. More than that, it captured the beauty and eccentricity of the Chinese martial arts films of Zhang Yimou, films like House of Flying Daggers and Hero.

Only a single year later, the second book in the series A Bond Undone has arrived, building on the first in every single way. The series’ protagonist rises in strength, stature, and wisdom; side characters, a love interest, and even foes get their time in the sun to have their stories told and their backgrounds fleshed out. Fans of the first book A Hero Born will fall even deeper in love with the second.

“You think you can win without using your hands?”

“You can’t imagine the thrill our encounter has given me. How could I lift a finger against you?”

We Need More Asian Fantasy

First there was Liu Cixin’s science fiction trlilogy which started with The Three-Body Problem. This sci-fi epic was famously enjoyed by Barrack Obama and became a huge hit amongst western sci-fi audiences which partners perfectly with the new Broken Stars collection of sci-fi short stories.

Now we have Legend of the Condor Heroes, a sweeping epic of a series comprised of twelve books. We in the English-speaking world can how get our hands on the first two (and you absolutely should). This trend of Chinese genre fiction is an absolute good, and to see it continue will be a pleasure.

Read More: Review of The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin

Set during the 13^th Century, the series’ protagonist is Guo Jing, a young man with a destiny. Son to a father who is killed before Guo Jing is even born, the boy has some large shoes to fill.

His father was a legendary master of martial arts, and was cut down by members of the Jin army, who are slowly spreading like a cancer from north to south, moving to take complete control of China. Guo Jing’s widowed mother flees to Mongolia, and there raises him in safety.

To say more would be to give the story away, but what gives this first book a taste of the epic is seeing how Guo Jing himself does not become the book’s focus until the halfway point.

We spend a long time with his father up until his death, and we tag along with fighting monks and a group of eccentric fighters as they gamble on their abilities, dare one another, and set out on a quest which will tie into Guo Jing’s destiny. As for this second book, it continues the promise of an epic Chinese fantasy, with more action, a grander cast of characters, and a bigger journey to undertake.

Peaks and Valleys

 In truth, this series is peak after peak after peak, with few valleys. Which, I suppose, makes no topographical sense. It’s good, though. Very, very good.

The first book was translated by the first of The Three Nasties (what the three translators of this saga ingeniously call themselves), Anna Holmwood, who did a phenomenal job of translating one of the most difficult languages into English with far more than mere competence. She did it with wit and style and excitement.

The second book was handled by the second of The Three Nasties, Gigi Chang, a Shanghai-based translator who has managed to match Holmwood’s tone with precision, adding even more grandeur to the book’s martial arts actions scenes, and a little more pomp and spectacle to the characters’ dialogue.

In this second book there is an escalation in the campy spectacle of the story and the action. Everything is dialled up; where before the fighting and the shouting and the twists were at 11, now they are breaking beyond 12.

The biggest issue readers will come across with these books is not cultural. Those with little knowledge and experience of Chinese culture and history will find no difficulty diving in here. The translators have made the series accessible and consistently fun. A whole lot of fun.

What can be overwhelming at times, however, are the names. Deciding on a mix of English and Chinese names – such as Cyclone Mei – was a very smart idea, and works well to mesh with the tone of the adventure, but the sheer number of characters and names can be an issue, especially for readers unused to hearing and reading Chinese names.

‘He was Apothecary Huang, Lord of Peach Blossom Island. He became my shifu. He had already taken five protegees by that time, the most senior being Tempest Qu, followed by Hurricane Chen. The remaining three – Zephyr Lu, Galeforce Wu and Doldrum Feng – were a little younger than me.’

The English names here certainly help cement these characters in the mind, but if ever they are referred to as simply Wu or Feng, that might lead to a headache for some readers.

Conclusion

These books are an absolute wonder. Having such a ground-breaking Chinese epic in English is a real gift to fantasy literature. More than that, though, is the simple fact that they’re so much fun. Tragedy wafts across the story like a cold wind, but the events, the fights, the witty and charming dialogue, it’s all so much fun.

Western fantasy is a genre over-spilling with novels and writers right now, and if readers want to keep reading fantasy but are in desperate need of a fresh, exciting take on the genre, with a whole different tone and perspective, this series is the cure.

Yan Lianke is not beloved by his own government. Like all great artists, he has the skill and the confidence to hold up a mirror to the face of his society. This face doesn’t like what it sees, and so it hides the mirror as best in can by banning many of this genius author’s books.

Unlike his contemporaries, Ma Jian and Yiyun Li, who have moved to the UK and US respectively (and since have been vocally critical of their homeland’s regime) Yan has stuck it out in Beijing, happy to remain in the middle kingdom possibly at his own risk.

China, after all, doesn’t like honesty, and while The Day the Sun Died may be a deeply unsettling story about a single night where an entire rural town zombified into dangerous sleepwalkers, it might be the author’s most honest work to date.

The Chinese Dream

In a sort of bastardisation of that tired phrase ‘The American Dream’, president-for-life Xi Jinping has coined the phrase ‘The Chinese Dream’, the vision of a great and prosperous China. Yan Lianke has taken that phrase quite literally, and asked his president whether or not the realisation of this dream should be at the cost of its people’s lives. 

“It was as though he were sound asleep and no one could wake him … When he reached the wheat fields, he said he was thirsty and wanted to drink some water, then he proceeded to the canal … and drank from it. After drinking – and while still asleep – he fell into the canal and drowned.”

Li Niannian is a fourteen-year-old son of a funeral director living in a village in central China. One night there occurs a “great somnambulism” wherein all the villagers begin dreamwalking, returning to work or acting out their fantasies in the dead of night. As seen from Li’s perspective, we the reader voyeuristically bear witness to the dreams-in-action of the individuals in the village, and are exposed to the Chinese dream taking form.

As it starts, some of the first dreamwalkers we see are people eager to return to work, though not joyously. These dreamers are stressed and panicked, keen to provide for their families and harvest their crops. Several begin to die, first through accident and then, later, not so.

The metaphor is on the nose here: the working man so unable to escape his labour, even at home, even in his sleep, is obsessed with his work, consumed by it, to the point that it takes his life and suddenly he has nothing left.

“I didn’t know what might happen tonight. I didn’t know how many people might die. Perhaps our shop wouldn’t have enough wreaths to meet the demand.”

When we are not seeing people returning to work, we are seeing their crueller, darker sides, the sinister thoughts nestled at the backs of the minds of those too afraid in their waking mind to do anything but work. This is another in a growing list of fantastic books in the style of the Kafkaesque, condemning late-stage capitalism and asking it to shut down its machines.

Dreamwalking

If The Day the Sun Died had nothing but this Kafkaesque metaphor to offer us, it would not be able to maintain the same intense level of effect for so long, but what sustains this is its execution. The story, told from the perspective of this naïve and sceptical boy Li Niannian, is presented with this wonderfully rhythmic and dreamlike quality, captured perfectly and pleasurable in translation by Carlos Rojas.

In almost every dialogue exchange we get this repetitive quality to the writing, as characters repeat themselves and Li repeats his own thoughts and ideas. This happens over and over, page after page, and creates an unsettling notion in the mind of the reader that, perhaps, they are going mad; that they are reading this wrong.

“Even after falling asleep, she continued doing the things that urgently needed to be done.”

You shake your head and refocus on the page, only to find that it is all real. Déjà vu sets in time and time again, as it does in those waking moments where we remember a vague dream and lose ourselves for just an instant. The impact here is astonishing in its effect.

The other metaphor at play here is that of “corpse oil”, a kind of juice extracted from the body after cremation, something that Li has a vague understanding of. Its usage is unclear, only that it is profitable and sought-after.

Even after death, Yan argues, the Chinese corporate and government machines are eager to wring every last bit of worth that it can from its workers. The images conjured here remind me, at least, of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, both in its lyrics and its video.

“They will feel no pain as their bodies are being cremated. They will feel no pain as their corpses are being burned and their bones are reduced to ash. They will feel no pain as oil flows from their remains.”

Conclusion

Yan Lianke is a genius. His government doesn’t like that. He understands how to present to his readers a compelling and frightening metaphor that is not convoluted and vague, but neither is it patronising.

He is darkly funny, darkly disturbing, and writes with a hypnotic pace which maintains the tension that’s balanced on the edge of a knife. All of this is conveyed with astonishing accuracy by the talented translation skills of Carlos Rojas, and must be read for its power to be believed. Yan deserves all the praise he receives, and The Day the Sun Died, perhaps more than any other, proves it.

If you liked this review, you might also enjoy: 5 Books to Read Before Travelling to China and Broken Stars – Contemporary Science Fiction

After the phenomenal success of his 2011 book, Sapiens, Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari set out to discuss what our future – in terms of technology, biology, politics, trade, and more – might hold.

‘All roads used to lead to Rome. Today, they lead to Beijing.’

Mary Beard, following up her critically-acclaimed history of Ancient Rome, SPQR, turned to feminist philosophy, enlightening us on the powerful women of the world’s past and present, and attacking the misogyny that has plagued us for far too long.

And now, building on the ground-breaking work and huge commercial success of his 2015 book The Silk Roads, Oxford historian Peter Frankopan has delivered a fascinating, detailed, and accessible observation of the reblooming of the East in recent years, and where the economic, technological, and political strength of the Eastern powers will lead us in The New Silk Roads.

Who Rules the World?

America. But soon? China. Much of Frankpan’s research and focus here centres around China and its play for power in terms of global economy, trade, and the stretch of its political power.

While several chapters do also explore recent changes in Russian, Iranian, and Indian politics and wealth, much of the book’s focus is aimed squarely at China. And what can be found between these pages is nothing short of enlightening – at times, in fact, flabbergasting.

‘We are living through a transformation and a shift that is epochal in its scale and character, similar to what happened in the decades that followed the crossing of the Atlantic by Columbus and those who followed him.’

The time I spent living in China was the most educational experience of my life, far more than my time anywhere else; keenly because China is so radically complex and far removed from the West in terms of its history, its politics, and its philosophies. And this book serves as something equally enlightening for those who have never spent time in China.

t can almost be overwhelming to see that China has gathered so much economic and political power over the past twenty years, and the ways in which they have done so, and plan on implementing the strength of that power is equally fascinating.

All of this is presented here with simplicity and clarity. Frankopan neither patronises and over-simplifies, nor confuses and frustrates. He toes a perfect line, presenting the facts of trade, military struggle, and political chess with swiftness and lucidity.

And his own personal opinions are kept almost entirely removed; his professionalism and his aim to present only the facts and recent histories of the countries along the Silk Road is a testament to his prowess as a historian and a writer.

‘The new Silk Roads are an integral part not only of China’s economic and foreign policy, they are an integral part of how China sees the world – and how it is preparing for the future.’

One Belt, One Road

The most fascinating aspect of this book, revisited time and again across its chapters, is its exploration and explanation of China’s Belt and Road initiative: something that, as Frankopan himself admits, is very difficult to pin down.

It can be argued to be a method for China to seize economic and political control of more and more nations across the world. In its simplest form, it is a kind of Chinese EU, a method of creating easy trade connections and political ties between China and nations across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

‘The Belt and Road is all-encompassing and can include anything and everything; but then again, that was the case too with the Silk Roads of the past as well – where events that took place in one part of the world were sometimes directly linked to consequences in another.’ 

The Belt and Road, as Frankopan wonderfully details it, is what best compares the China of today with the Silk Roads of the past, and demonstrates most effortlessly and clearly why The New Silk Roads was indeed the aptest title for this astounding book.

Conclusion

With a first half that touches on every aspect of the East, from Turkey to Japan, and a second half that really digs into the true rising beast that is China, and the wavering power of Trump’s America, this book is truly invaluable and nothing short of enlightening. Empowering, even.

At times, one might get the feeling that they are reading a consecutive series of articles from the Financial Times but the unbiased, clear, and infinitely ingestible stories and facts on display here are staggering. The New SIlk Roads is the book to turn everyone’s attention to China.

This is the book that will encourage people from Prague to Palawan to stop their English study, and pick up a book on Mandarin. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ‘China is a sleeping dragon. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will move the world.’

If you like this then you might like: China in Ten Words

But it should speak to us all, right? The majority of us have parents, families, lives that shift and change, and periods of loneliness and emptiness.

But for many, many white people across the Internet, Bao was utterly baffling. Inverse.com and the Huffington Post have both touched on the issue. Their articles are well worth checking out, but here is our two cents’-worth as well.

What is Pixar’s Bao?

What’s Bao About?

Bao centres around a middle-aged Chinese woman living in Toronto. After her husband shoves three freshly-prepared bao into his face and heads out for the day, our protagonist watches as one remaining bao sprouts arms and legs and begins to burble like a baby.

What follows is a chance for this childless woman to experience all the joys, fears, and sorrows of motherhood. As her child grows, gets hurt, learns new things, and eventually begins to rebel and try to fly the nest with his white fiancée, his mother – in a last-ditch attempt at holding on to her dear child – devours him.

It is revealed soon after that our protagonist in fact has a son of her own (who has just returned home) and that the bao’s growing up and fleeing home mirror her real son’s step-for-step. This simple story of a mother struggling to let her child grow, find his own way in life, and eventually make a life of his own, has left some white folks baffled.

Eastern Family Values

Of course, there are significant Chinese cultural elements here: like our protagonist steaming baozi instead of cutting sandwiches into triangles for her husband; and more subtle and important ones, like the greater emphasis Chinese families typically and traditionally place on family bonds and values.

In China, Korea, and Japan (but China most of all) it is ordinary – indeed, expected – for a child, male or female, to remain at home until they are married. In recent years this has shifted a little: in big cities with greater career and financial opportunities, ‘married’ may be replaced by ‘employed’, especially for men.

Nevertheless, the stigma we have in the West of wanting, and being expected, to leave home the moment we are able (going so far as to mock those who still live at home past the age of, say, 21) does not exist in China.

In fact, if you were to bring up the idea, to a modern Chinese person, of mocking someone aged thirty-or-so for still living with their folks, they would be horrified. Where is the shame in remaining close to one’s loving and supportive parents, after all?

On top of this, the expectation that children, once grown up and with families of their own, will then go on to care for their ageing parents is a given. A family in China, even one in cooped up a small apartment in Shanghai, typically consists of three – maybe even four – generations under one roof.

The generation in the middle raise their children and take care of their parents, as their parents did a generation before. It’s a fair and even trade, ensuring that everyone is safe and secure. This tradition builds love, breeds familiarity, teaches respect and kindness, and gives the children a sense of stability.

All of what I’m saying here is a foreign concept in the West. And that’s certainly not to say it’s wrong (I’m a twenty-something white man who flew as far from his nest as possible); it’s merely a lesson in context and culture.

Conclusion

These cultural differences aside, it still bears repeating that, just because an animated film contains unfamiliar foods and a protagonist that is not young and white, this does not make its themes mysterious, confusing, or unrelatable. In fact, it simply goes to show that the oversaturation of young white people in our visual media today is perhaps a detriment to our ability to empathise with, and understand, others.

Bao should be a simple story to follow and, if it isn’t, then taking an interest in the cultures and traditions of other people only benefits both sides, in the end.

A 48-Hour Shanghai Guide

Shanghai is an amazing city. And although it’s a beast of one (think 24 million people), it has an excellent (and wonderfully cheap) public transport system. This includes a super fun high speed maglev train, currently the fastest train in the world which means you can get to tourist destinations cheaply and, most importantly for a layover, at high speed!

Spending a short time in China has never been easier due to the new visa waiver laws which means that, if you’re from one of 53 countries allowed by China and you’re travelling on to a third country (it must be different from where you came from but it can include Hong Kong or Taiwan), then you can stay for a set amount of time without a visa.

Rules do change depending on which Chinese city you’re laying over in, and not all cities are included, so check the layover rules for the particular city or province you’re flying to. Luckily, Shanghai is included. I was lucky enough to live in this dynamic city for a year so I can provide you with all the insider tips for a chilled-out layover.

From transport tips to the best sights, tours, and must-try foods, find everything you need below

Best VPN App: You won’t be able to access social media easily while in China but you can use the Hexatech app, a mobile-friendly service that connects you to one server for free. Perfect for a layover. You can upgrade for multiple servers. Google Maps doesn’t work so you can either download their native Baidu maps or be prepared to use your VPN.

Transport and Luggage Storage

The storage in Shanghai airport is safe, convenient, and cheap. It opens at 6am and is perfect if you need to drop off your suitcase to explore the city.

Unlike in Japan and Korea, you generally won’t find coin lockers in the subway stations, and even if you do they’re sporadic, pricier than you’d expect, and not the best quality so best ditch your luggage at the airport if you need to or leave it at your hotel.

So, as I said, Shanghai’s public transport is outstanding. There are ticket machines in every subway station and they have an English option. You pick where you’re going, put in your notes or coins, and just print it out. You can get a plastic subway card that the locals use but it requires a down payment so not that cost effective for a layover.

The subway cars are really busy for the most part. You’re going to get pushed and shoved, and lining up isn’t really a thing. Just get your elbows out and get on that train. This is also why ditching your luggage is the best idea.

Best Metro App: There are loads but ‘Explore Shanghai Metro Map’ works offline.

Taxis are cheap in Shanghai and you can just flag them down from the street. You’re not going to get taxi scams in the same you might in other parts of Asia as taxis are regulated and use a meter but they can get a bit funny if you’re not going too far as it’s not worth their while.

They do have to take you by law so just indicate that you’re going to take a picture of their licence and they usually get moving.

Best Taxi App: Didi Dache

While I  recommend the Shanghai subway for ease of transport and speed, Shanghai also offers a nifty tourist bus service which you can hop on and off when you see something you want to do, and it can work out much cheaper.

You can buy a 24-hour ticket (30 yuan/roughly $5) or a 48 hour ticket (50 yuan/Roughly $8) and it goes past everything mentioned below and much more.

The subway is cheap but if you’re planning on going to a lot of places then this will probably work out cheaper and you don’t have to waste time buying new tickets at the subway or paying for a transport card. You save a lot of money on tourist entrance fees.Book your tickets in advance here.

Audio guides are included and this is definitely an option for people who want to see more of Shanghai since you’ll be above ground.

Best Street Map: Baidu Maps

Apple Maps does work but this is more accurate. Google Maps won’t work without a VPN.

What to do in Shanghai (Guide)

What are the best things to do in Shanghai? Honestly, there’s a staggering amount so I’m just going to put the highest of the highlights and must-see destinations below for every kind of traveler, plus a few extras if you have more time.

1) Lujiazui

Emerging from Lujiazui station you’ll be nestled within ‘that’ famous skyline, and all of those tall buildings (and amazing sky bars) will be your playground. Go to Lujiazui and head to straight the top of Jin Mao Tower to get an awesome panoramic view of the city. There’s a Starbucks, a few restaurants, a spa, and a juice bar in there too.

If you want to head up another building, the famous Oriental Pearl Tower (right next to Jin Mao) has a revolving buffet restaurant at the top as well as several shops. You’ll also find a history museum and an amazing view if you choose to explore this building.

The tallest building is the Shanghai Tower and has an observation deck on the 118th floor. There’s also a huge mall within walking distance which includes luxury items, regular stores, and plenty of restaurants and coffee shops.

So if you have limited time and want to see some tall buildings I’d recommend this area. You can enjoy a bit of everything modern Shanghai which conveniently isn’t that far from the airport (particularly if you take the maglev to speed things up).

Coming to this area with children and need a family-friendly activity?

Try the Shanghai Aquarium. It’s adjacent to the above two buildings and is one of the largest aquariums in the world. It’s located in a pyramid and is divided into several zones such as the Africa zone, the America zone, and so on.

2) Yuu Garden

Need a bit of tranquility after your flight and want to see some old Shanghai to boot?

Yuu Garden is a great place to visit because, not only is it a beautiful garden with small bridges, streams, and rockeries to visit, but it’s also nestled between streets of ancient buildings filled with souvenirs, traditional clothes, and street food.

Generall,y anything you might want to pick up to take home for loved ones on your layover can be found here. Yuu Garden has a long and rich history, and is truly beautiful and picturesque, so it’s the perfect place for getting some memorable pictures on your layover in Shanghai.

3) The Bund

No trip to Shanghai would be complete without capturing the view of the Shanghai skyline from this beautiful locale. It’s the same view as you’ll get from high above in Lujiazui but instead from across the Huangpu river (in other words, where all the greatest photos of the skyline are taken from).

You also have the added benefit of seeing all the beautiful colonial buildings of the French concession.

So much of The Bund looks like it would be right at home in Paris, Berlin, or London. The Bund was once the centre of international trade and communication in China, and has a rich history of connection with Europe, as is plain to see from its stunning architecture.

Take a stroll down these wonderful streets and explore a beautiful juxtaposition between modern China skyscrapers and old European architecture. Don’t forget to look up! There are some wonderful restaurants, bars, and cafes here but everything does verge on the pricier side in this area.

4) West Nanjing Road, Jing’an Temple, and People’s Square

I’ve popped these together simply because they’re all super close to each other, connected by a single road that cuts through Shanghai from east to west, and you could actually walk between all these places if you wanted to stay above ground (otherwise they’re all on line 2 if you’re on the subway).

West Nanjing Road is the famous shopping street in Shanghai, and essentially their answer to Oxford Street in London. It’s made up mostly by recognisable Western stores (including Sephora, which I was delighted to find since we don’t have them in the UK).

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes on this street to keep you fuelled. West Nanjing Road is connected to the pedestrianised  East Nanjing Road which carries on the shopping fun all the way up the The Bund.

People’s Square is a busy area and arguably the heart of Shanghai. You’ll find the usual shops, cafes, and restaurants here but also the famous People’s Park which is nice for a walk around, and also where the marriage market is held every weekend where parents and grandparents try to marry off their unwed daughters and sons by showing off their photos and job descriptions (true story).

You’ll find the Shanghai Theatre and plenty of museums near here too. After you’ve explored, you can eat at the often overlooked Yunnan Road food street which is packed with traditional restaurants, street food, and Shanghai delicacies.

The area surrounding Jing’an Temple is a lovely place (I actually used to live there). The streets are set around a beautiful recreated temple with a long history; you can go inside and get some great pictures. There are plenty of bistros, cafes, and shops nearby if you’d like to hang out there for a while.

Have Some Extra Time in Shanghai?

China is full of beautiful water towns and picturesque snapshots of old China that still exist relatively untouched.

Visit a Water Town

While trips to nearby cities such as Suzhou are great fun, there is actually an option much closer. Zhujiajiao Ancient Town is on metro line seventeen. It’s the best preserved of Shanghai’s four water towns. Definitely only worth attempting if you have extra time.

Read More: Find out how to take a day trip to Suzhou

Go to Disneyland Shanghai

Shanghai opened this Disneyland shortly after I left, meaning it’s been open less than two years. I’m hoping to hop back soon for a visit. Disney needs no introduction. This is the newest Disneyland and has some areas and rides that can only be found here, including a Toy Story area. Perfect for families (or anyone, honestly).

Explore the Shanghai Propaganda Museum

Somewhere a bit quirky and different to visit, particularly if you like your dark history and art, is the propaganda poster museum, an unmissable secretive basement space filled with fascinating Chinese history. Propaganda posters adorn the walls and the gift shop has replica posters you can buy, as well as original communist memorabilia.

The whole museum has an underground, forbidden vibe and is truly informative. Explanations are provided in Chinese and English and it’s a great discussion starter as you make your way around the museum.

What to Eat in Shanghai

Shanghai is full of excellent cuisine and street food. There’s a lot to try but definitely get some dumplings while you’re there.

Yang’s Dumplings

Once a street stall and now a chain you couldn’t miss if you tried. The neon pink shops are everywhere. Their dumplings are a must-try in Shanghai and are amazingly cheap; they will keep you full for hours.

Simply walk to the counter, order a four- or six-tray of dumplings (they also have wonton dishes) with pork, shrimp, or veggie filling, and pick up from the hatch when they come up. Delicious fried dumplings (be careful: they’ll be very hot inside). I ate so many of these during my first few months that I couldn’t look at them again for about half a year.

Jia Jia Tang Bao

A tasty and highly recommended place near People’s Square to try out the delicious Shanghai xiao long bao dumplings.

Jia Jia Tang Bao, 90 Huanghe Rd, Huangpu, Shanghai,

Laowang Hot Pot

Hot Pot is a must-try while in Shanghai. It’s best for two or more people as it’s a real group activity. Here you can pick your sauces and your meat and vegetables then cook them yourself in the boiling broth. It’s fun, memorable, and, most importantly, delicious.

Laowang Hotpot is fantastic quality and a great place to start as staff are always happy to help out.

1052 Wuding Rd, Xīn kāng lù, Shanghai

Lanzhou Lamian

Want to try handmade noodles that you can see being pulled and moulded right next to you? This is the place to go. They’re tasty, very cheap, and authentic. The interior is traditional and overall this is a great food experience that needs to be tried during your stay.

Looking for a Food Tour?

If you’re looking for a food tour in four of China’s amazing cities, look no further than Untour Food Tours. They’re amazing and take you deep into the local culture.

I’m not a massive fan of tours but food tours have become a travel-must of mine, not just because I love food but because it often allows you to explore a rich culture in a short amount of time. See my review of my favourite Osaka food tour.

Need a Hotel in Shanghai?

Here’s a selection of reasonably priced rooms in Shanghai:

Jin Jiang Pacific Hotel

Guesthouse Nice Garden

Hotel Jade Garden Hongqiao

Cachet Boutique Shanghai

Hidden Garden Hostel

Thanks for reading. I hope I’ve given you some ideas for your layover in Shanghai! It’s an amazing city and perfect for a layover.

If you liked this you might also like our Shanghai Expat Guide.