FAQ: Part 2

Today I present to you the second half of the questions I am most frequently asked. Click here for part one.

Should I bother bringing appliances like my espresso machine, Kitchen Aid Mixer, and food processor?
The short answer: No.

For any of the large kitchen appliances, the transformer would be just as large or larger than the appliance itself. You’d be smarter to buy the items here (check Shanghai Craigslist for secondhand options) or you’ll find yourself adapting to life without it (though I still dream about my Kitchen Aid).

What about curling irons, straighteners, blow dryers?
Again, no. General rule of thumb is that if it heats up or has a motor, you are better off leaving it behind.

Can I drink the tap water?
China’s water sources are amongst the most polluted in the world. A World Bank study found that 13 of the 15 major cities (including Shanghai) in China are affected by severely polluted water.

The most common pollutants in Shanghai drinking water are high levels of chlorine, bacteria, lead and toxic heavy metals. According to PureLiving, Shanghai’s water authorities have publicly acknowledged that tap water potability is compromised largely by secondary contamination from old piping. So no, you should not be drinking the tap water in Shanghai.

Can I drink the water if I boil it?
Nope. When heavy metals are the main concern in your water, boiling it will only concentrate the metals. Boiling water works to kill bacteria, but does nothing for removing heavy metals.

So is the water safe in bathe in? Can I rinse my toothbrush?
Other than the water being a hit hard on your hair and skin, it is absolutely fine to bathe with. And yes, I do rinse my toothbrush with tap water in Shanghai. When traveling to other areas of China however, I err on the side of caution and rise with bottled water.

Where can I find books in English to read?
You can buy Kindle books to download here (though you may need to be on a VPN, I’ve never tried without). Also, does your current library allow you to take out ebooks online? I’ve saved a ton of money by simply “checking out” ebooks via my small, hometown library.

There are also some book stores that stock English titles such as Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore (390 Fuzhou Lu) or Garden Books (325 Changle Lu). Additionally, there are a number of spots where you can pick up second hand books. I recommend Apleines Mains, a charity which operates a used book sale on Jiangsu Lu or the small Shanghai Book Traders Used Books shop at 36 Shanxi Nan Lu.

How do I watch my favorite American TV show?
You can watch almost any TV show you want here. You can buy cable/satellite packages but to be honest, your best bet is to visit your neighborhood DVD store. As soon as movies are released in theaters, they will have a copy in the store (no, it’s not exactly legal but it’s what everyone does). For many series, you can watch them online via Youku (it’s like Hulu for China). I wrote an entire post on watching TV that you can read here.

Is there a question that I missed? Anything else you are wondering about? Feel free to shoot me an email or leave a question in the comments. Perhaps I'll even cover your question in a part 3 in the future!

FAQ: Part 1

I receive quite a lot of emails from people who are looking to move to Shanghai or China. Many of these people ask the same questions so I thought I would put together a little FAQ for those people who are feeling a little too shy to email me (you can, really!).

Where should I live?
The housing situation is a bit tricky. Overall, my advice is to live within a reasonable commute to your office. You will be making this trip twice a day so settle on something that works for you. Matthew works in Minhang, which is about 45 minutes away from where we live. There is NOTHING down there and we decided that we would both be happier living closer to "downtown" and having access to Western amenities and the subway. That being said, it is sometimes frustrating for him when his commute balloons to over 2 hours on a rainy, Friday night.

Other things I would consider is your location to public transportation and basic necessities. We have a Western grocery store in our basement, a wet market within five minutes, and a Chinese grocery around the corner. It still takes me 3 hours to grocery shop some days but when I just need milk, it only takes me 5 minutes to get it. My friend lives 25 minutes away from a Western grocery and when she runs out of something while baking, it pretty much ends the process. My subway stop is only 10 minutes from our apartment. Honestly, this is the one thing that really helped to open Shanghai up for me because I was free to initially explore the city without understanding the language or the geography. I simply jumped on the subway and rode around until I became more comfortable.

Is it better to live in Pudong or Puxi?
There are two sides of the city where you can live, Pudong or Puxi. Pudong is the "newer" side of the city where the new skyscrapers are being built, apartments are larger, and there is more green space. Puxi is "older" but is the area most people consider to be downtown.

Everyone will have an opinion on whether Puxi or Pudong is better. I obviously love Puxi since this is where we live, but both sides have merit. I tend to go to bars and restaurants on this side of the river, but there are certainly many in Pudong as well. If you live close to a subway stop, it's not hard to take the train to the other side (taxis aren't as willing to cross the river but will do it when needed). Many families tend to live in Pudong as you have more access to green space and more of the international schools are located there, but you will no doubt find a community no matter where you end up.

Is living in Shanghai expensive? Will xxx amount be enough for housing?
I would say Shanghai is comparable to any big city. As for costs, the answer is that is varies. Anything from 12,000-25,000 rmb is reasonable to pay for a 2-3 bedroom apartment, depending on amenities and location. You'll pay more for amenities like an English speaking receptionist, an oven, or a compound with a pool. Just remember that when negotiating, you can have other things thrown in. For instance, you may want to insist they install an oven (most apartments won't have one), pay your gym membership, or cover your ayi costs. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want.

Food costs also vary. If you want to eat foreign, imported foods, your grocery bill is going to cost more than it does now. If you buy and eat local ingredients, your bills will go down. We buy a blend of local and imported foods so I would say our grocery costs have gone down but our restaurant costs have significantly increased. A meal at a local Chinese restaurant for two people should cost less than 100rmb while you will pay at least double that at a western restaurant.

Is public transport efficient? 
The most efficient I have ever used. Everything is well marked in English on the metro and it's cheap! I use it daily to commute. I am also a fan of using the public bus system as well.

Did you experience a major culture shock when moving there? 
Of course! China is about as far from my previous life as I could have imagined. But as long as you come in with a positive attitude and open mind, you will do fine here. You have to accept that things are simply the way they are, and not try to change them. Sure, the kid peeing on the street is gross but you just have to learn to adapt and not step in puddles!

Is the air consistently bad? Or are there enough good days to still be able to go outside?
If you have a iPhone, you should download the CN Air Quality App. It allows you to see what the air quality is like. The US Consulate also has a Twitter account which they update with information about the air. Most of the time it's ok (today is 78) but it can get high (over 300, I stay inside as much as possible). We bought an air purifier for our apartment and I hope that helps! And yes, I do run outside on the street sometimes and we bike quite often, we just make sure to check the air quality first.

Harbin Packing List

We knew it was going to be cold in Harbin. As we stepped off the plane, the inside of the jet bridge was covered in two inch thick ice and our breath immediately became visible. Thankfully, a little research and smart packing on our part left us feeling toasty. Ok, maybe toasty isn't the right adjective, but we managed to stay warm enough to enjoy ourselves while we ventured outside for a few hours at a time. And we didn't get frostbite (despite the -27F/-33C temperatures).

So what exactly should you pack? Here is a handy list of the items we found useful on our trip.

Packing List for 3 Days in Harbin

2-3 wool/silk/polyester long sleeve shirts

2-3 pairs of wool/silk/polyester long underwear or tights
1 pair of fleece pants
2 wool/fleece/down shirts (preferably with a hood and thumb holes)
1 pair of wind resistant pants (preferably insulated snow pants)
3 pairs of thin wool or synthetic wicking socks
3 pairs of thick wool socks
1 wind and water resistant jacket (preferably with a hood)
1 hat
1 pair of thin or liner gloves
1 pair of heavy gloves or mittens
1 pair of boots
2 face masks (2.5 PM compatible)
Disposable hand warmers

Why do we suggest the items above? Our research taught us that wearing the correct type of clothing can allow you to wear less items while staying warmer. The important thing to understand is the purpose of each layer.

Base Layer
Your base layer is the clothing closest to your body (after your undergarments that is). Because of this, you want to look for clothing that will keep you warm while being comfortable and wicking away moisture. Most people don't realize how much they sweat when bundled up under multiple layers and your base layer is used to regulate this. If you wear something like cotton, which does not wick away moisture, you may end up feeling much colder as your clothing will remain damp after you sweat. There is nothing enjoyable about cold, wet clothing. Instead opt for a base layer made of wool, silk, or polyester. These fabrics are soft on your skin and will keep you warm and dry. Plan to wear one long sleeve shirt and one pair of pants (long underwear/tights/etc) per day.

Insulating Layer

Over your base layer, comes the insulating layer of clothing which keeps you warm by trapping air close to your body. Wool, down, and fleece are all good choices for this layer. Most days, I wore one fleece and was more than warm enough. When temperatures dipped down in the evening, I added a second fleece for extra warmth. On my legs, I wore a pair of fleece pants. Mine happened to also be wind resistant which meant I only had to wear two layers on my legs most of the time.

Matthew and I asked for the Patagonia R1 hoodies for Christmas. I don't want to sound like an advertisement for Patagonia, but these were a lifesaver for us. They have a built in balaclava style hood which covers most of your face when zipped fully. They also have thumb holes to help keep your wrists warm. We would put on a pair of liner gloves, then use the thumb hole to keep our shirts pulled up, allowing us to limit the amount of skin that was exposed.

Outer Layer

The shell or outer layer protects you from wind, rain or snow and can add warmth if lined. You want to look for items that are either waterproof or water resistant but still allow breathability. Many ski jackets come lined with a fleece layer, allowing you to skip the insulating layer on warmer days if you choose. I would highly recommend a jacket with a hood on it.

Footwear

This is going to be controversial to some people, but do not wear more than two pairs of socks. Others who went to Harbin told me to wear 5 or 6 pairs but frankly, that's insane. Not only would my boots not fit, my feet would overheat and become sweaty. I wore a thin pair of wool socks under a thicker pair for our entire trip. I only had an issue when my feet became too hot inside a restaurant and started to sweat. Once my feet were wet, it was hard to keep my toes warm outside. Two pairs of proper socks and a pair of good boots is enough to keep your feet feeling fine.

Accessories

We brought along disposable hand warmers and found them quite useful. Most of the time, correctly layering was able to keep us warm. However, our bulky gloves made it hard to take photos, handle money, or zip jacket pockets. We were forced to remove our thick gloves more often than we wanted and were glad to use the hand warmers to help defrost our fingers. This is also why I would recommend a thinner pair of gloves for under or inside your thicker pair.

You may have noticed I also mentioned bringing face masks. The pollution in Harbin is bad and air quality was poor at various points throughout our trip. The face mask ensured that we were safe to be outside and had the added bonus of keeping our faces warm. I'd recommend two masks as ours often became wet (and icy) from our breath. Alternating between two will allow for the other mask to dry out between wears.

I hope this list helps you plan what to pack for Harbin or other cold climates. With a little research, you can spend your time thinking about ice castles and not your frozen toes.