Thankfully, I have a trip coming up to Shanghai. It has been a few years since I have been there, so I am looking forward to returning. The people of Shanghai seem to be very nice and friendly, which is what I have found to be the case everywhere I have been in China. See, even their displays are friendly!
The first time I used the subway in Shanghai, I didn’t understand how to pay to enter the subway system. One nice person showed me how to pay (since I didn’t have a monthly card) and away I went. Once on the train, I wanted to confirm my directions, so I asked a person that looked to be in their early 20s if they spoke English. As soon as I had said that, about 3 or 4 people on the subway told me they spoke English and could help me. As a Southerner, I felt right at home with their hospitality!
As a foreigner in China, there seems to be a common theme between Shanghai and Beijing. Both cities are proud of their reputations: so, Beijing wants to make sure everyone knows they are the political capital of China and Shanghai wants everyone to know it is the economic capital of China. It was surprising to me to learn that the population of Shanghai is actually more than Beijing. If you can only visit one of these two cities, it doesn’t matter which one you see… because they are both very impressive and have so much to offer!