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Q: If you had to choose where to live - Beijing or Shanghai?
Just wondering what people's experiences have been with these two cities: which one would you choose to live in and why exactly? What makes life in either of these cities better?
the air is really bad in bejing compared to shanghai, so if you value your health dont live in beijing, but it really depends where you live i guess, im in guangzhou, but i live far from the center no factories around here and the air is much cleaner
I only visited Beijing once and then only for a short stay, but my impression was not a positive one. Of course there is much that is good about the place but I just remember there seemed to be a soldier on every corner. Just felt too tightly controlled. Also got turned away from one hotel for being foreign, and another for not being married to my Chinese girlfriend.
Been to Shanghai a couple of times. On the first occasion I became victim of a major con and was ordered to pay about 1500 yuan for a few cups of tea under an unspoken but obvious threat of violence. Didn't pay jack shit but first impressions last.
So which of these two would I choose? Guilin.
Ok, ok, erm, when I was younger it would have been Shanghai; it has a younger, more reckless spirit. Now i'm getting on I think, forced with the choice, i'd go for Beijing; it's the cultural capital and there's more there that suits the changing pace of my life. Also there's a parachute jump centre to the west of the city and snowboarding up to the north-east.
neither....chaoitic and a bit fast.....................i prefer slow life style..........some big cities got that in china...........Guangzhou is a bit slower than those ones...so i prefer Guangzhou
Beijing as a student and Shanghai after that
Beijing: cheaper options, better universities, but grittier and worse in the winter than Shanghai...Shanghai when I have bit more money after finishing school (hopefully!)
Neither, give me a quiet village in the mountains 'far from the madding crowd'!
mArtiAn:
How about Ben Nevis? I nearly came to a sticky end up there. I'm not talking about some sex thing either, I mean I nearly fell off the bugger.
robinhood:
Never been there. I'm thinking more like somewhere in China. Any suggestions?
mArtiAn:
Not many. Best, most beautiful place i've ever visited is Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan. Otherwise Huangshan in Anhui is pretty darn amazing.
havent been in Beijing yet...Shanghai was ok, too big for me...
Living in Xiamen now...suits me well (not living in the center though)
Wow, that would be a hard choice for me to make!
I guess it would depend on the job I had. I really enjoy my current job in Beijing, I love the atmosphere (but not the air!) and all the benefits that come with living in a big city. i lived in Guilin for four years, and I was really bored out of my mind since , while being a city, it had a "feel" of a country town. I really do not like country nor farms nor the rural lifestyle, it is just not my thing, though if that is what others like, then I hope they can enjoy it.
So, in answer to your question, either one would be fine with me.
giadrosich:
I'm kinda split between the two. When I live in a city, I love it! The people, colors, sounds, excitement, oppurtunity, etc., however, I've lived wayyyyyyy out in the country before and really love it, also. The trees, fresh air, horses, cows, the quiet, etc.
It's hard to have the best of both worlds, lol!
Visited both. Not impressed. Too big, quick, polluted, crowded, expensive... Everybody on a constant run to rip you off. A lot of concrete, yeah, even though I've seen more trees in Beijing. Definitely a smaller city is much more suitable.
wana live a quite peaceful life away from crowd and pollution and these cities don't have this kind of life so a big NO to both cities
Shanghai, even far suburbs.
I visited Beijing few times, spending "extra time" - one or two days - before flight home.
My impression is negative.
This is simply not the same as rest of China, that I like.
Shanghai, apart of its "special personality", is more likely like rest of Middle Kingdom, when the Beijing is mix of "painting grass green" on the front, and mess on the backyard.
I don't know enough about either to make a decision, however my wife and most of her friends (from Nanning) really dislike Shanghai people, they claim they are arrogant, rude and self-centred. Now I am pretty sure that is a generalisation, but from what some of the posters on this site say, perhaps not!
WhiteBear:
frankly... I have not been judging people in my answer, but just City "as all" :)
because I can separate form people that I don't like, but I can't separate from the city
but maybe if I was "more social guy" - then I would take more care about personality of "average citizen"...
Victoria1987:
yeah,cities all the same,people from village complain people from city are agorant,small city complain about big city,poor guys complain rich people are aggorant.So in my opinion,actuallly the same,it just depends on pfeople.well,I am from a rich province,but never feel look down on people from poor province.
Beijing for culture, history, and far more interesting and friendly people (Chinese and expat alike)... in my experience....uhmm...in my limited experience...
Plus, I prefer the abbreviated form of... BJ 
as opposed to... SH 
