“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.

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.

It is also an increasingly popular tourist destination and place to live as an immigrant (or expat if you prefer). Before you visit any country, it’s a good idea to learn a bit about its food, history, politics, religion, and so on. You might even want to explore its literature a little. So here are a few books to get you started before you visit China.

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

(Non-Fiction/Biography)

To be personal for a moment, this is a book that I – as someone who has previously lived in and travelled around China – wish I had read before I went. It was written by a woman who now lives in the UK, and who was born during the reign of Chairman Mao Zedong. Jung Chang’s incredible biography is actually the story of three women: herself, her mother, and her grandmother.

It’s the extensive and gripping political story of 20^th century China. If you wish to know how and why China is what it is today, there is no better place to start. It is also this writer’s favourite non-fiction book of all time. Before you visit China, there isn’t a more important book to read than Wild Swans, I promise.

Buy a copy of Wild Swans here!

Read our review of ‘Wild Swans’

China in Ten Words by Yu Hua

(Non-Fiction)

Yu Hua is an author still living and writing in Beijing today. While he usually creates fiction, here he has offered a peek into what exactly makes modern China tick. Yu Hua has selected ten words which he believes summarise the Chinese way of thinking, in politics, economics, law, and so on.

Each word has its own dedicated chapter, making for a slender book full of fascinating stories – some personal, some national, some international – about the inner workings of China today. China in Ten Words is a gripping read, and a very useful book on the inner machinations of modern-day China, making it one of the most worthwhile little books to read before you visit China.

“We see the true weight of Mao Zedong’s words, the unending limits of his control, the impact of his death, and the shift from communism to capitalism under the rule of Deng Xiaoping.”

Read our review of ‘China in Ten Words’

Buy a copy of China in Ten Words here!

The Vagrants by Yiyun Li

(Fiction)

 Now living and working in New York, Li has left China far behind, refusing to even use the language any more. How she got to this point is fascinating in its own right, but her fiction teaches us more about modern China than her life does.

The Vagrants is based on a true story from the tumultuous era of 1970s China. A 28-year-old woman who has just spent ten years in prison has now been sentenced to death for her loss of faith in Communism. Following her death, we see the ripples it causes in her community. This book is a fascinating look into the lives of innocent people during the reign of Mao Zedong.

Buy a copy of The Vagrants here!

Read our review of Yiyun Li’s ‘Dear Friend…’ 

Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China by Leta Hong Fincher

(Non-Fiction/Current Affairs)

Human rights is a touchy subject in The Middle Kingdom. On the surface, the streets of China look rather chaotic, but its rules are strict, and failure to follow them can be punishable by death. Rules concerning the rights of minorities, LGBTQ people, and women can be discomforting.

These rules are being fought back against more and more, and the big rise of new feminism in China began with The Feminist Five: a group of activists jailed in 2015 who have since sparked a change in the people of China. In this book, Leta Hong Fincher documents that change and its wider implications. An enlightening read, to say the least.

Buy a copy of Betraying Big Brother here!

Read More: Essential Nonfiction Books About China

The New Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

(Non-Fiction/Economics)

It might not be so appealing to ask you to read a book on modern history, politics, and economics before you visit China, but Peter Frankopan makes the topic electrifyingly intense and fascinating with every passing page.

While this book does deal with a number of other countries along the Silk Roads, it does primarily focus on the power of China today. It’s an incredible resource for people intrigued by the sheer political, economic, and military power of the world’s second largest economy.

Here, Frankopan discusses the future of the world from a Chinese perspective: its plans to conquer more of the world through trade, language, law, and economic might. It’s a fascinating and arguably frightening exploration of just how China is changing the world, and a nudge at us to pay attention.

“All roads used to lead to Rome. Today, they lead to Beijing.”

Read our review of ‘The New Silk Roads’

Buy a copy of The New Silk Roads here!

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

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.

Xi’an people are passionate about their food and it shines through in the multitude of delicious dishes you can try. Most of these dishes can be found on the street or at local hole-in-the-wall places making Xi’an a budget-friendly adventure for a foodie.

Explore a Unique Chinese Cuisine

Due to Shaanxi’s geographical location in the centre of China, Xi’an cuisine uses different types of ingredients which derive from both northern and southern China. For example, salt, vinegar, capsicum, and garlic are frequently used, creating sour, spicy, and fragrant flavours.

If you’re travelling through the city during Chinese New Year then check out this great guide to special Chinese New Year food you’ll be able to find during this time.

Yangrou Paomo (yáng ròu pào mó 羊肉泡馍)

Yangrou Paomo is a delicious Xi’an speciality that comprises of mutton (sometimes substituted with beef) soup served alongside wheat flour flatbread. The hard bread is broken up into small pieces; the smaller, the better and are then added to the soup. The mixture is enjoyed with sweet crisp pickled garlic, coriander, and lashings of hot pepper sauce.

Photo credit and more information about this delicious dish at: Impressions of China.

Jiaozi (jiǎo zǐ 饺子)

Jiaozi (one style of dumpling) consists of a range of ingredients wrapped in a thin dough covering. It’s a real art form and almost too beautiful to eat.

Try not to miss Xi’an’s featured jiaozi Banquet (xī ān jiǎo zǐ yàn 西安饺子宴) if you visit. The jiaozi served in a jiaozi banquet are always made of the finest ingredients and come in unbelievable shapes like butterflies, penguins, leaves, goldfish, flowers, clouds and so on. Very much a treat for the eyes as well as the mouth.

Photo credit and more information about the Jiaozi banquet can be found at: China Culture Tour

Guan Tang Baozi (guàn tāng bāo zǐ 灌汤包子)

One of Xi’an’s most famous specialities is the guan tang baozi. They are delicate and delicious steamed buns hiding piping-hot soup within. You can usually choose from beef, lamb or the famous ‘three flavours’ – normally lamb, mushroom, and prawns.

With over ten types of seasoning, they are real delicacy. The easiest way to eat them is to poke a small hole in them with your chopsticks and suck out the soup. Sprinkle them with a little vinegar to really bring out the flavour. The best place to try them is at Jia Brothers’ Restaurant (jiǎ sān guàn tāng bāo zǐ guǎn 贾三灌汤包子馆) on Muslim Snack Street (huí mín xiǎo chī jiē 回民小吃街).

Rou Jia Mo (ròu jiá mó 肉夹馍)

Incredibly satisfying food, rou jia mo is finely chopped pork stuffed in toasted wheat flour flatbread. A piece of good-quality bread and a bowl of mung bean flour soup will cost you less than 10 Yuan ($1.47). You can find it easily in Xi’an and the best rou jia mo can be enjoyed in the Muslim Quarter where the filling is normally either lamb or beef. A cheap and delicious street snack.

Photo credit and more information about this amazing dish at: Top China Travel

Liangpi Noodles (liángpí 凉皮)

This wonderful noodle dish is a real staple in Xi’an. Filling and delicious, the dough is left to soak overnight and then cut by hand into thin ribbons. Other ingredients are added such as cucumber shreds, bean sprouts and then finished with spices, sesame paste and roast chilli oil. Wonderfully cheap and easy to find.

Photo credit: Find out more information and how to make Liangpi noodles (and a multitude of other fabulous dishes) at China Sichuan Food.

Don’t forget to try:

Hand stretched noodles —  Part of the fun is watching them be stretched to amazing lengths and tossed around with incredible talent. There’s also no comparison with taste, they’re just outstanding. Restaurants can be recognised easily as they’ll usually have steel tables out front with buckets of greased dough balls ready to be stretched in front of you.

An obscene amount of street food — From fried Xi’anese potatoes in a cup to everything you can possibly imagine barbecued on a skewer (plenty of options for vegetarians here) this is a culture known for its particularly rich street food so eat as much as you can!

If you like this then you might enjoy:

China in Ten Words

Moganshan: Where stressed out Shanghai dwellers can find peace

Many of us have to work. But for all of the new, there’s always at least some old, some home comforts, that we often crave. These are different for everyone, but here I’ve compiled a list of home comforts that can be found in Shanghai for any expat considering a move to the Chinese capital of industry.

Check out our complete guide to living and walking in China.

Shanghai is the city most popular amongst Western immigrants, and the Chinese government typically makes it very easy for foreigners to open a business there from scratch. During my time in Shanghai, there were two non-food places owned by foreigners that I loved :

Doc Guthries:  a barber shop in Jing’an, with classic men’s styles and shaves offered, whiskey to drink while you’re being seen to, and some great Victorian aesthetics and décor.

A tiny hole in the wall near People’s Square: owned by an Italian guy who served traditional Italian juices and smoothies.

These foreigners just up and landed in Shanghai, opened the kind of business that would have failed in Europe, and lived the life of Riley. And I loved them for it.

Where to Find Western Food in Shanghai

Some similar stories that also managed to quench an expat’s hunger for home cooking are:

Co. Cheese

Owned by a very chill American dude, and located just east of Jing’an Temple, Co. Cheese is a tiny bar that sells nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches. With a menu that keeps on growing, Co. Cheese offers sandwiches filled with a great range of meats, vegetables, and sauces, but all with a healthy amount of cheese.

Chinese people typically hate cheese, so it can be very hard to come by. In this instance, Co. Cheese has you covered. The guys in there are lovely; you get some very eccentric customers; and no. 10 on the menu, what I called the Christmas Sandwich is to die for.

Munchies

Opened by a couple from the US and typically run by local Chinese employees, Munchies is a proper greasy, tasty, wonderful burger place. It serves burgers of every kind, including veggie options, as well as burritos, hot dogs, fries, and the single best milkshake I’ve had to this day: the peanut butter chocolate shake. Munchies is cheap, convenient, and very easy to become reliant on if you begin to miss home food more and more. There are currently two locations: one in Jing’an, and the other in People’s Square.

Mr. Harry

As a Brit with zero national pride, I happily concede that British food is rubbish. This is why our national dish is Indian curry. However, after six months in Shanghai I can’t deny my glee at finding Mr. Harry, a British gastropub located above American Eagle Outfitters on West Nanjing Road.

This place does traditional Sunday roasts, and offers a good range of beers and ales in pint form. And it’s good, too. Like, when you would argue with your mates at school about whose mum made the best Yorkshire puddings or toad-in-the-hole. Well, we were all wrong. Mr. Harry does it best.

English Books in Shanghai

Since Mao’s Cultural Revolution, China’s relationship with literature (especially foreign) has been both fascinating and heart-breaking. Only fifty years ago were people exclusively carrying around copies of Mao’s Little Red Book and owned not a single other book save for occupational requirements, such as medical texts.

Today China’s doors are open to literature, with a few exceptions. One interesting exception is that the sale of science fiction novels depicting, or themed around, time travel, are strictly forbidden. Perhaps this is to steer people’s thoughts away from the idea that the past can be altered.

Foreign Languages Bookstore: This multi-floored shop can be found on Fuzhou Lu (Road), which starts across the road from Exit 3 of People’s Square Station. The bookstore is a five-minute walk down this road, and contains a very disorganised hodgepodge of books in English, from old fantasy novels, to classical literature, to business guides, and even a few comic books.

Read our full review of the Foreign Languages Bookstore.

The store does a fairly decent job of stocking the latest bestsellers, so long as they are government-approved. Just make sure you go in there with an hour to spare, since alphabetising is certainly not a concept they are familiar with; and though the books are separated into genres, they have taken a few liberties with how these genres are defined.

Think of it as a treasure hunt, though, and you’ll come away with some gems you weren’t expecting to find. They also do a good job of mixing the UK and US covers.

I can’t deny taking covers quite personally (I always insist on getting the UK covers of Murakami novels if possible, but beamed when I saw how many US-published Bantam Classics the store had available). So when you get to the door, take a deep breath and dive in.

Related: Books to Read Before you Head to China.

DVDs/Blu-rays in Shanghai

It’s well-known that China’s laws when it comes to making political statements and trying to use YouTube are strict and impenetrable. But when it comes to literally anything else, China makes life very easy. Want to start your own business with only a penny to your name?

You’ll find a way to do it in China. Want to buy genuine Blu-ray copy movies in believable fake packaging for the equivalent of $2? You’ll find those in every district of Shanghai.

Big Movie

This chain of DVD and Blu-ray stores is everywhere in Shanghai. I had my own local one in Jing’an, but I’d also often take a taxi somewhere out in the wilderness of Pudong and spy another one. Big Movie stocks the latest films that have only just been released in cinemas, already presented in quality packaging.

They also, depending on which one you pop into, occasionally sell CDs and even vinyl. To this day I’m not sure if they were genuine or fake. And, if you can’t tell, it hardly matters. Here are a few Big Movie locations:

• Xinle Lu, Xuhui (Closest subway station: Shaanxi South Rd, Line 1)
• Jiaozhou Lu, Jing’an (Closest subway station: Jing’an Temple, Line 2)
• Hongmei Lu (Closest subway station: Longxi Rd, Line 10)

Video Games in Shanghai

As an avid gamer my whole life, I love video games as much as I love travel. In fact, when I moved to Shanghai, and then to Tokyo, I took my PS4 with me.

Buying games in Shanghai proved to be a challenge; they were in fact banned from being sold within mainland China until 2014. Fortunately, Shanghai’s world of industry transforms in the blink of an eye, and when a gap appears in the market a million stores open to fill it.

Beijing Lu (Behind Jing’an Temple): The heart of Shanghai is cut open by Nanjing Lu (Road) which runs from the Bund in the east of Puxi, through People’s Square, and west beyond Jing’an Temple.

Running parallel to West Nanjing Lu, and tucked just behind the golden Jing’an Temple, is Beijing Lu. And smack in the middle of Beijing Lu, directly behind Jing’an Temple, is a modest video game store with a not-so-modest sign that reads ‘PLAYSTATION’.

In there you will find games for every console, accessories, limited edition copies, and Amiibo; plus, the games are available in English, Mandarin, and Japanese.

The owners are an ageing Chinese couple, clearly not game-lovers themselves, but nonetheless very friendly and approachable, and they never pull the marketplace trick of trying to rip customers off and force you to barter when you simply want to pay a reasonable price for a thing and leave.

Larger-sized Clothes

By this I mean two things: western brands, and large clothes for large people.

For the former, you’ll want to visit West Nanjing Road (or Nanjing Xi Lu). Here you’ll find western brands galore. West Nanjing Road is a long and busy neon-lit stretch of road between People’s Square to the east and Jing’an Temple to the west.

Along here you’ll find classic stores, three+ storey high, such as: H&M, American Eagle Outfitters, UNIQLO, Zara, Forever 21, Sephora, and (for the Brits) M&S. While I have found these stores to all be more expensive in Seoul, Shanghai’s stores’ prices remain exactly in line with what you’d expect going in.

The Underground Market at Shanghai Science and Technology Museum

This space was originally going to discuss the Fake Market also found on Nanjing Xi Lu, but unfortunately it has been closed down (RIP). But the next best thing (and better in some respects) is the underground market found beneath Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (subway line 2).

The highlight of this market for me were the tailors. Several stalls and shops down there have incredible tailors who will custom design and make you a suit of genuinely excellent quality for a quarter of the price you’d pay in Europe or the US. Scepticism is to be expected, but trust me. Many tourists make sure they drop by here to grab a new suit before flying home.

Other fantastic things on offer here are: larger shoes for men and women (my partner is a tall woman with EU size 43 feet, and China is not kind to feet of this caliber), as well as some excellent quality jewellery that make for great gifts, and a great range of suitcases and luggage (again, at far cheaper prices than you’d find back West). Much like the bookstore on Fuzhou Lu, here you must take an afternoon, and just wander.

Haggling works, and you can even pull a dramatic walk-away-angry-and-watch-them-chase-you.

This is, by no means, a definitive list of the home comforts which expats can find in Shanghai, but if you’re someone like me, someone who wants to uproot, see the world, embed themselves in a different culture than that you grew up in, but you also want to bring your PlayStation with you, and be able to easily grab an HD copy of the latest Marvel film, then this list should help you get started.

Living in Shanghai and need a break from the city. Visit:

• Moganshan: where Shanghai dwellers can find peace
• Suzhou: A beautiful water town near Shanghai

Or check out our guide of things to do around Shanghai.

Nanjing’s History

The city (also called “Nanking”) was the capital of multiple ruling dynasties, beginning with the Liu Song in the year 420. But the “south capital” (Nán= south; jīng = capital) reached the height of its prominence during the early years of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when it was believed to be the largest city in the known world.

Art, literature, and a system of orderly government thrived in Nanjing under the Ming, even though that dynasty eventually moved the imperial capital to Beijing (“north capital”) in 1421.

Five centuries later Nanjing was declared the capital city of the new Republic of China under the Nationalist Party leader General Chiang Kai-Shek. Over the next 10 years (“the Nanjing decade”) the city prospered, before descending into a period of stark human misery.

The Rape of Nanking

After the Imperial Japanese Army invaded China, Nanjing became the location of one of the largest mass killing events in human history. The invasion, destruction and murder of approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians by Japanese military forces is to this day a scar on the national psyche.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which documents those eight weeks of atrocities in 1937 and memorializes the victims, is a top tourist attraction that is literally overflowing with visitors during peak hours.The long path to the museum’s entrance is lined by statues depicting scenes of civilian suffering under the Japanese occupation.

Entering the Museum

Touring the museum is a heavy experience that visitors may need to mentally prepare for. The names of the victims are etched into a gigantic wall; photos of the victims — from headshots to newspaper photographs from the period — make up the bulk of the exhibit, which thoroughly details events of rape and mass murder. “They rob and rape, they set fire and burn people alive, they even kill my three-month old little grandson.”

I saw a surprisingly large exhibit space dedicated to the American, British and German expatriates who offered shelter and protection to hundreds of thousands of Nanjing residents. The most prominent figure in this section was John Rabe, a German businessman and Nazi Party member who spearheaded the creation of the International Safety Zone.

Rabe kept a prolific diary of the Nanjing atrocities he witnessed, a key source in Iris Chang’s 1997 non-fiction book “The Rape of Nanking.”

Rabe’s connection to the Nazi Party (remember, Germany and Japan were allies) offered him a level of protection against the Japanese — one anecdote says there were several occasions where Rabe chased soldiers away from women they were raping or intended to rape, an action that would have usually led to a swift death — that allowed him to publicly resist and condemn the Japanese military’s brutal treatment of Chinese civilians. According to Chang, “the swastika probably saved his life.”

Now that I’ve outlined a thoroughly depressing part of China’s modern history, let me go back to its past, when the country was the planet’s leading maritime power.

Visiting the Zheng He Memorial Park

I was excited to visit the Zheng He Memorial Park after listening to some podcasts on the subject and reading the controversial  book “1421: The Year China Discovered the World.” The book focuses on the very real voyages that Admiral Zheng He led across the known world during the early fifteenth century, China’s age of exploration.

The author, however, argues that some Chinese fleets discovered North and South America before the European explorers did, a thesis that most professional historians say hasn’t been proven with any hard evidence.

What historians do agree on is that, between 1405-1433, Zheng He led seven naval expeditions to modern southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian peninsula and the eastern coast of Africa.

The fleets were comprised of huge, sturdy,  flat-bottomed wooden treasure ships escorted by smaller water tankers, supply ships (supplies back then included plenty of concubines) and patrol boats.

The ships were loaded with precious silk, stones and Ming blue and white porcelain to be traded in exchange for spices, pearls, fabrics, incense and exotic animals. Zheng He presented the imperial court with lions, “celestial horses” (zebras), “camel-birds” (ostriches) and, perhaps most famously, giraffes.

I was able to see a replica of the treasure ship and the tools needed to navigate it —  like the giant rudder and an anchor the size of the small house — as well as artifacts from the era (rope, pottery, clothing, weapons, documents, porcelain, etc.) The memorial hall and park is actually built on land that used to contain Zheng He’s house and garden, but nothing from the original structure remains.

While the treasure ship explorations were intended to expand Chinese trade, historians also believe the Yongle Emperor sponsored them to create a strong Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean and establish a tributary system from foreign leaders.

But China’s age of exploration ended just as Europe’s was beginning. After the Yongle Emperor’s death in 1424 his son, the Hongxi Emperor, permanently suspended overseas naval expeditions and burned the fleet of treasure ships.

Zheng He died at the age of 62 near the end of his seventh voyage. Before that, when he was 60, he erected two granite tablets in modern Liuhe and Changle (in Fujian Province) memorializing his naval expeditions. The Changle inscription, in addition to reiterating his devotion to the sea goddess Tianfei, details some of the countries and sights witnessed by the Admiral and his men:

“We traversed more than one hundred thousand li of immense water spaces and have beheld in the ocean huge waves like mountains rising sky-high, and we have set eyes on barbarian regions far away hidden in a blue transparency of light vapours … When we arrived in the distant countries we captured alive those of the native kings who were not respectful and exterminated those barbarian robbers who were engaged in piracy, so that consequently the sea route was cleansed and pacified and the natives put their trust in it. All this is due to the favours of the goddess.”

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