Shanghai: Overhyped or Am I Missing Something? #chinatravel
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As someone from Liaoning who's lived in Shanghai for many years, I feel Shanghai's prosperity isn't just about its skyscrapers or the glamorous nightlife. It's something you truly appreciate by living here – like the incredibly convenient food delivery and courier services, the fresh and high-quality food, efficient city management, and constantly improving facilities and architecture. Ordinary people can also easily switch between enjoying the finer things and simple, down-to-earth pleasures.
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That's a really apt description. Perhaps some people just haven't reached that level of cultural understanding, so to them, prosperity is all about the glitz and glamour.
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As a 45-year-old Shanghainese, I feel the same. The city's glamour doesn't concern me; heck, even romance feels irrelevant to my life.
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Then you must feel really hard done by in Shanghai.
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When I was earning 30,000 a month, I didn't think Shanghai was all that vibrant either. Once my income increased, Shanghai became truly awesome.
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Why are you dropping such inconvenient truths? Shanghai belongs to the rich!
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Shanghai is stratified; those without money simply don't experience the same world or see the same sights as the wealthy do.
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That's true for any city, really.
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Just a tad more prosperous than your Liaoning, perhaps.
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Hmm, not so sure about that.
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No need for such blatant sarcasm.
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If you're rich, it's 'Magic City' (Modu). If you're not, it's just Shanghai.
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That's what everyone who hasn't been to Lujiazui says.
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If you don't have money and aren't inclined to seek out fun and entertainment, then even if you live and work in a supposedly great place, its vibrancy will still feel irrelevant to you.
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I didn't find Nanjing particularly fun when I lived there either, not until I quit my job and actually took the time to explore and enjoy it.
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Perhaps you just haven't experienced the truly vibrant parts of it yet.