Job Discussion Forums

[MDDude]

Greetings,

Has anyone lived in the Songjiang district of Shanghai? I would like to work in a city, but Songjiang seems more suburbany. It does have a train connection into the city, though. I may get an offer from a university in the Songjiang University Town area. The job is normal hours (9-5ish) and only during the week. Would I be able to get into the city conveniently on weeknights and the weekends?

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

i remember this question coming up some time ago. whoever answered it posted some results that came up on google - try search strings like "songjiang" + "transport" or "shanghai" + "metro" + "map" or else something like "songjiang" + "china" and check some of the results that pop up.

traelchinaguide might also have some useful info.

good luck.

[MDDude]

[Mister Al]

MDDude your right about the social scene. Metro Line 9 goes there, about 45 minutes or so from central Shanghai. The last train back might be before 11pm though.

Find a couple of students to keep you amused.

[Lobster]

Here is the current situation in Song Jiang.

Metro line 9 runs from University town to YiShan Rd. Station until about 10 pm. It's crazy crowded during rush hour and pretty vacant at other times. The line has been extended and will terminate at Century Avenue (about 1 hr 15 min). It currently goes all the through through PuXi to Pudong from 9 am-4pm, but it will be in operation during regular hours come March. It's ~45 minutes to YiShan Rd to University Town. At YiShan you can transfer to Lines 3 or 4.

Song Jiang itself has a new town and an old town. The University City is located in New Town. The main street of U City is a pretty happening place with lots of restaurants and people-watching opportunities. New town also has a Lotus, Tesco and RT-Mart.

In Kai Yuan Med, which is kind of a commercial centre, there are tons of restaurants and the preferred ex-pat hangouts; Red Bar and Sugar Nightclub (hip-hop). Starbucks is there too as well as the electronics market.

Song Jiang is older than Shanghai City, and was once called Hua Ting. It's full of parks and green space. New town has wide roads and really resembles some western suburbs. Thames Town is a somewhat tacky reproduction of an English village with a mish-mash of architectural styles.

All in all, Song Jiang is a nice place to live for those who are weary of the downtown scene. It's big, quiet and a bit bucolic. I sure as heck wouldn't want to commute here from the city every day, but perhaps some wouldn't mind. You'll be able to get into PuXi in the evning, but getting to back to SJ late is going to cost you about 150rmb in cab fare.

Nutshell:

Pros
Friendly people
Green and Clean
Fresh and Quiet
Most big-city amenities available
Not too expensive

Cons
Way far out to commute to unless you're already close to Line 9
Not many nightlife choices
Tons of Skeeters in the summer
Drivers who run red lights and do other crazy stunts
Pay typically lower than in Shanghai centre

Anyway, that's my Song Jiang review. I like it here even though I sometimes miss my PuDong haunts. If you want to know anything else, just ask.


RED

[struelle]

That's about the most accurate and detailed rundown of Songjiang you're likely to find anywhere, good info. I lived there last year while commuting to an even further location in the exurbs (beyond suburbs). Where I worked was so remote that it made Songjiang look like New York, so I was grateful for pretty much everything above.

If the subway stops running, they also have express buses in and out of the Shanghai Stadium area, they go until 10:30pm

Steve

[Lobster]

Just and update. Line 9 is now running all the way to Pudong with unrestricted hours. It takes about an hour and a half from end to end.

RED

[struelle]

The transport situation really is getting better and better ... with the connection at Xu Jia Hui to line #1 now (which will continue to be streamlined), you could reach downtown in just over an hour. Before it used to be 1.5 - 2 hrs on the bus networks. Then the long-awaited line #9 opened, only to stop short with a packed shuttle bus at Yishan Rd that made the journey just as long as the old buses.

So now, this is a nice savings of time. There still remains a problem, however, and that is getting to the line 9 start in new town. The bus station is in old town and, arguably, it would be just as fast once they finish that highway.

Basically, once EXPO starts, the traffic situation in Songjiang will see another round of improvements.

Steve

[Sugar & Spice]

Interesting information from 2 people obviously familiar with Songjiang.

I've never been there, but, still think it would take almost 2 hours to get to any popular western bars/restaurants in the city when you factor in getting to the train in Songjiang, waiting, transfering, waiting some more, taking a bus/taxi etc... There are some nice restaurants in Xuijiahui though.

Either way, traveling 1.5 hours or more just for dinner and then 1.5 back doesn't make sense to me. You'd spend more time traveling than in the restaurant!

It's nice to read that Songjiang has everything a foreigner needs during the week. You could still visit downtown on the weekends and stay in a hotel.

[struelle]