Shanghai -- A Place to Explore, Dream and Discover

"Even though we're Chinese by race, you're going to find the culture to be extremely different in China."

That was an advice from a close friend. When I was considering a MBA in China, and choosing between Shanghai and Beijing, a suggestion I received was to go for the one that is easier to adapt to. As a result, I went for the more metropolitan city, and picked Fudan University for school. I have never stayed abroad for an extended period. I have never even been to mainland China. Moving to China for 2 years is thus a major leap of faith, both in terms of giving up my job to pursue academic furtherance and of leaving my comfortable homeland for a drastically foreign environment. I left Singapore with a heavy heart, full of uncertainty and worries.

It has been 8 months now and to my pleasant surprise, it has been a cruise. I adapted to the great city quickly. Not having a language barrier definitely helped, as I'm bilingual in Mandarin and English. Being an optimistic and easy-going character made adapting much easier too. But there were also features more specific to Shanghai that contributed significantly.

International Population

It is always useful to have friends for company. Leaving my homeland meant leaving my relatives and friends, so I had to make new friends. And it's not been too difficult in Shanghai.

According to statistics as at the end of 2012, there were more than 173,000 foreign citizens (which excludes tourists) in Shanghai. This accounts for a quarter of all foreign citizens in China, and the number is rising every year. The largest nationalities are Japan and Korea. Out of these, there are an estimated 7000 Singaporeans. Compared to the city's population of over 24 million, this might seem small. But in reality, it is much more sizable than you can imagine. I have met more Singaporeans than I thought I would, on the streets, in the school, in events, etc. I never knew that a "Singaporean accent" existed until I came to Shanghai. There is something distinctive about the way we speak that I had never noticed. Now I could recognise a Singaporean the moment he or she talks.

That familiarity has been, in a way, fun:

"I knew you are Singaporean from the moment I heard you!"

"Same for me! I was thinking you must be Singaporean!"

I've gotten connected with quite a few Singaporeans this way. This never happened in the homeland, of course.

It wasn't difficult for me to get in touch with fellow Singaporeans here anyway. First of all, I registered myself on the Overseas Singaporean Unit. This is an initiative by the Singapore government to maintain a connection with Singaporeans living overseas. Preventing a brain drain is the most important objective for the government in supporting this initiative. From this platform, I receive notifications about events; and they have something regularly every few months, bringing together Singaporeans in Shanghai. Other countries probably created similar platforms too. Next, get connected with a club related to your country. I have gotten myself acquainted to the Fudan University Singapore Student Association (FUSSA), through which I quickly got to know a group of fellow schoolmates. Finally, tap your friend base to get references to Singaporeans living in the city. Friends' friends, relatives' friends, friends' relatives…you get the hint. There's something about being foreigners in an unfamiliar land. Somehow, it creates a common bond due to familiarity and a distinct association. Making new friends is made easier because of this.

Being bilingual, I had the easier deal. But if you're a really bad speaker of the Chinese language, or just really westernized, you'll also easily meet an abundance of English speakers from all over the world. When trying to adapt to a new country, it certainly helps when you can find moments of familiarity regularly. On the other hand, I was told that Beijing is much more "Chinese" with a much smaller base of foreign citizens; it being the capital city certainly has a big part to do with this.

International Cuisine

When adapting to a new country, food is one of the most defining factors. After all, it is a basic need and, for the affluent, it even defines the lifestyle. For this, I've had great experiences in Shanghai.

There are great Chinese food, of course. Over the last 8 months, I have visited Hai Di Lao at least 6 times already. Best hot pot ever! Other amazing restaurants include Shanghainese at Lao Ke Le and Xin Yuan, Beijing food at Da Dong, Sichuan at Xin Xiang Hui, Northern Chinese at Zhang Gui De Dan and Xi Bei, just to name a few.

I've also had amazing international food. It speaks volume to Shanghai as a metropolitan city and to the fast rising affluence of its population that an extremely diverse range of high quality international cuisines can be found here. Look up the San Pellegrino top 50 Asian restaurants and you'll find 5 from Shanghai. There are none from Beijing. Off the list, I've also had fantastic Italian at Mercato, French at Cuiver, American at Goga, etc. Other Asian cuisines from India, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore are widely available too. There's no lack of choices, only lack of time to try it all. Most importantly, majority of foreign visitors are sure to find familiar tastes here.

Great food, wide variety. For me, the best part of the deal is getting such high quality food at much lower price than in Singapore!

Architecture and Art

 There's one aspect of Shanghai that I particularly adore -- the architectural landscape. The concessionary period originating from the Qing era is a humiliating chapter in the history of China. If there's any bright side of it, it is the architectural heritage that was left behind by the inhabitants of the different concession areas. The 2 biggest influence were from the British and from the French. British buildings define Shanghai's most famous site -- the Bund. While the French left their mark throughout the cities in the form of London planes, a kind of tree brought in by the French that lines the roads of Shanghai. These trees are known in Shanghai as "Wutong". In addition, houses of classic European architecture built during the concessionary period can be found across the city. Avid photographers would have a great time strolling down the streets in the French concession, such as Wukang Road, Huaihai Road and Hengshan Road.

International culture and China might not come to mind together easily, especially given China's history in the resistance towards Western influence. In this respect, Shanghai is truly unique in China; it is a cultural hotpot. Not just because of its sizable foreign population which in itself brings different cultural element together, but also because of the wide availability of foreign musical acts, dance performances, plays, art exhibition, etc. If you have a thirst for art, it will be quenched. For example, in the coming months, renowned international performances that are happening include a concert by Bach Choir, a concert by Andre Rieu the King of Waltz, Swan Lake by Russian State Ballet, Romeo & Juliet by TNT Theatre, Opera Turandot by Verona Opera House. The list goes on.

Exciting Opportunities

Nonetheless, unless for retirement, nobody moves to a foreign country for the food, architecture or art. The key driving factor is the prospect for personal growth.

The Chinese economy is slowing down. Still fast compared to most other economies, but much slower than its own the last few years have led to a need to slow investments. Its old economic model is wrecked. Recognising the change in global dynamics, it is now attempting a transition towards a new economic model based more on historical growth over the last 2 decades. Recessions in the developed economies hit its export industry hard and excess investments over free markets and built on the foundation of domestic consumption. As the financial centre of China, Shanghai is in a unique position of being the pioneer and test bed for impending financial reforms. The setting up of China's first free trade zone exemplifies this. The free trade zone serves to liberalize trade, currency, lending and capital movements. If successful, there could be unprecedented opportunities, especially in cross-border investments by foreign companies into China or Chinese companies into foreign markets. More foreign companies across different industries are setting up offices in Shanghai. And this will speed up, increasing the need for talents. Those who possess international experience and are bilingual in Mandarin and English will have an advantage.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

While I have been surprised by my quick adaptation, it is not without challenges. There are cultural divides that are hard to bridge, especially coming from a "prim and proper" nation like Singapore. Some of these include rampant spitting, smoking in restaurants, having to watch out for cars when crossing the road during green light for pedestrians (traffic rules are almost non-existent), having to push and shove for space in the subway during peak hours, and the lack of respect for queues. Then there are the lifestyle aspects that irks some -- pollution, food safety, excessive use of oil in the cooking. Make no mistake, while China is already the 2nd largest economy in the world, it is still seen as a developing country. As the term implies, there are much to be developed. For China, with its advanced infrastructure and fast urbanization, most of the necessary developments are in the intangibles - law, etiquette and wellness living - rather than in the tangibles. But I knew I was leaving a developed country for a developing country. I was ready. And the positives have more than outweighed the negatives.

It has been a great experience to leave my comfort zone for this incredible adventure. China has widened my horizon tremendously. I feel myself growing leaps and bounds in terms of tenacity, ability to manage cross-cultural communication and appetite for exploration. I am taking every opportunity given by my school to push myself higher. I have won an inter-school soccer competition, taken part in a stock pitch competition against students from across Asia, participated in a real consulting project where I worked with students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, even gave a lecture on financial accounting using the Chinese language (for the uninitiated, English is Singapore's common language)! None of these would have happened, if I have not chosen to take a leap of faith. And I would encourage everyone to explore, dream and discover.

"20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

 

(By NG Xin Yao, IMBA Class of 2015 – 2)