It’s the first week back after a well-deserved break. Perhaps during Chinese New Year (Spring Festival if you’re cultured) you packed your things and got right out of Shanghai without looking back once. During this time you may have returned home, headed south or explored other parts of China, and it’s likely that some of the comforts that you’ve gotten so used to are just not available outside of our great city.
While living in a city with the population of a small to midsized country can feel a little overwhelming, there’s quite a few reasons to be thankful for living in Shanghai. We’ve created a list of 5 things that might not fly elsewhere in the world but are totally fine to do here.
Emptying any gas and all body fluids wherever you please.
Okay, maybe not all body fluids, but definitely most of them. Farting, belching, spitting, snot rockets, a cheeky pee, you name it because you’ve seen it or done it more than once in public and no one bats an eyelash. You can fart to your heart’s content and it’s very unlikely that anyone will say anything, even if they’re blatantly suffocating from your fumes.
Wearing P.Js in public.
Not just for your friendly neighbourhood aiyi or shushu anymore, rolling out of bed in your jammies and straight onto the streets to go about your day is not only acceptable, it’s pretty cool. It’s warm, cozy and opens you up for attending any slumber party.
Never touching cash.
Yep, it’s a matter of green or blue.
Accidentally bumping into people without having to apologize.
The technical term being Canadian Nightmare. The ghost of you when you first arrived in Shanghai would haunt you for the rest of your life if it could see how you blow past or plough through whoever crosses your path to your train. In a sea of slow walkers and heads buried into their phones, a bit of light elbowing and cold-shouldering are necessary.
The delivery of anything under the smog covered sun.
You go to the gym and yoga class 5 times a week but still wouldn’t dare walk to the shop to buy groceries and actually cook them. Pay someone, pop them on a scooter, tell them to hurry and you’ll have anything delivered in Shanghai. Errands are a thing of the past, muster up the strength to answer the door and your world will change.