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Shanghai or Peking? If you only have time for one city.

flylot74

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Food - Beijing is best
Tourist- Beijing has more
Polution- yup, Beijing wins on having the most polution, worse than Mexico City and worse than Taipei

Well, two out of three ain't bad....
 

greg_atlanta

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I think Beijing is a better choice if you visit AFTER the Olympics are over. Shanghai now, Beijing later.
 

flylot74

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BTW, am leaving for Shanghai in the morning. Will try to check in from over there.

Later...........
 

LabelKing

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Shanghai still has some of that decadent feeling left over from its "glory days" in the '20s and '30s.

Lots of decrepit formerly grand mansions and apartment buildings.
 

sushijerk

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Don't call it Peking unless you're going there in a time machine.

What are you looking to do there? Shanghai is the more international city and probably more foreigner friendly if you're looking for nightlife or shopping. However Beijing is definitely more historical and I feel it is much more "authentic" in terms of being a Chinese city.
 

malloc

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I think most people have broken down the differences between the two cities already. It really depends on what kind of touristy things you want to do. If you want sightseeing (historical stuff, nature etc), you're probably better off with Beijing. The only time I was in Beijing was to go to a sports school there for a few weeks, so I didn't get a chance to live the high life.

Shanghai, in contrast, doesn't seem to have all that much in the way of ancient historical sights. Plenty of early twentieth-century mansions and whatnot, and lots and lots of shopping/clubs/bars. This is not to say that Beijing lacks this, either. Heck, the sports school I went to was right next to one of the more well-known streets lined with bars/clubs.

I think the bottom line is, in my opinion, if you're looking for a more "Chinese" experience, go with Beijing. Shopping and clubbing are fun and all, but if you're not particularly into that scene, any of the other major cities across the world will give you an equivalent experience.
 

Viktri

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Originally Posted by LabelKing
As other Shanghai-nese people will tell you, they are all manipulative money-grubbers.
+1 My girlfriend is from Shanghai & is 1 of my close friends also, clubs in China suck imo I would choose SH because I would have a place to stay & lots of support (won't get lost, will have people to eat dinner with, will have people to help me buy stuff since I don't speak mandarin/shanghainese etc) and would say your experience will vary greatly depending on whether you have support or not. SH also have some exclusive shopping places that you need membership to get into that I want to see (my gf's dad has a card, apparently) because I've never heard of anything so elistist in my life.
 

LabelKing

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Originally Posted by Viktri
SH also have some exclusive shopping places that you need membership to get into that I want to see (my gf's dad has a card, apparently) because I've never heard of anything so elistist in my life.
That's a whole bunch of pointlessness. China, in its attempt to be cosmopolitan, has taken the most ridiculous aspects of Western culture and integrated them into its new money culture. You see these bumpkins in Rolls Royces and smoking cigars, it's all really quite inane.
 

maomao1980

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Originally Posted by LabelKing
That's a whole bunch of pointlessness. China, in its attempt to be cosmopolitan, has taken the most ridiculous aspects of Western culture and integrated them into its new money culture.

You see these bumpkins in Rolls Royces and smoking cigars, it's all really quite inane.


Much like Westerners who adapt some form of Eastern culture in their lives to be preceived as worldly/elite, no? I really don't think it has anything to do with being inane, it's just how some new money Chinese chose to express their eliticism.
 

Bruce9241

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ever been to sams club or costco?
 

gamelan

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after visiting both in the past three weeks, i'd go for Beijing. if you're into history, you'll get more bang for your buck.

but i'll be in Shanghai for another week so we'll see if that changes...

-Jeff
 

JayJay

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Originally Posted by malloc
I think most people have broken down the differences between the two cities already. It really depends on what kind of touristy things you want to do. If you want sightseeing (historical stuff, nature etc), you're probably better off with Beijing. The only time I was in Beijing was to go to a sports school there for a few weeks, so I didn't get a chance to live the high life.

Shanghai, in contrast, doesn't seem to have all that much in the way of ancient historical sights. Plenty of early twentieth-century mansions and whatnot, and lots and lots of shopping/clubs/bars. This is not to say that Beijing lacks this, either. Heck, the sports school I went to was right next to one of the more well-known streets lined with bars/clubs.

I think the bottom line is, in my opinion, if you're looking for a more "Chinese" experience, go with Beijing. Shopping and clubbing are fun and all, but if you're not particularly into that scene, any of the other major cities across the world will give you an equivalent experience.

I've been to Shanghai recently and will visit Beijing this fall. malloc's assessment of Shanghai is very similar to the impression it left on me. The degree of westernization there made adjustment very easy for me.
 

untilted

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havent lived in beijing for 15 years, i can't recommend it highly enough.

plus people in shanghai are mean.
wink.gif
 

modern_leifeng

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Definitely go to Beijing, if you are just coming as a tourist and you must pick only one, Beijing os overwhelmingly the right choice. When it comes to tourist sites, food, shopping, and nightlife, Beijing has everything Shanghai has, and more

Originally Posted by lurker
People in Beijing are more arrogant and insular than the Shanghaiese. Pollution is really bad in Beijing. Food and shopping are better in Shanghai. Shanghai is a really safe city though.

This is funny as I think people from Shanghai are far more arrogant and definitely more insular (that is not a word I've ever seen used about people from Beijing). Saying Shanghai's safe is kind of weird, Beijing is just as safe, and actually, probably safer. The food on offer in Beijing is much better than Shanghai, at least when talking about Chinese food, when it comes to Western food, Beijing still doesn't have a strong enough answer to Laris and Jade on 36, but other than high-end, its pretty equal.

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Shanghai is much better for shopping and colonial architecture--


I don't understand this idea that seem perpetrated in many places that Shanghai has better shopping than Beijing. If comparing brands and boutiques, its a wash. If you go mall-for-mall, I think Beijing wins out easily. Shanghai does have more branches of HK tailors, both good (Chan) and bad (Fit Well), but Beijing also has a few decent tailors of its own.
 

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