Korean Job Discussion Forums

[vallillo]

Have any of you worked in Shanghai? How does life there compare to life in Seoul? Which do you prefer? Pros and cons would be great.

[poeticjustice]

[typo]

Bah. I was thinking about studyign at university in Shanghai. Is it really that bad, PJ? Oy.

[bobbyhanlon]

for the short term, shanghai, and for the long term, seoul.
i've lived in both... and shanghai is crazy fun. it lacks real culture, is a giant building site and is extremely materialistic, but there's so much energy there.

unlike poeticjustice, i had a great time there without spending too much. but the trouble with the place is that there's this huge ex-pat scene, places like xintiandi which are full of westerners paying western prices for entertainment. if you just do as the locals do, you'll pay a fraction of the price and also have a more interesting time of it.
i spent 4 months there.. the first 2 months was up there among the best times of my life. i was partying virtually non-stop, meeting people, etc., but i got burned out and ended up hating the last 2 months.

this is the thing about shanghai- it has no soul. seoul does, and thats why i'd rather live there in the long term. one year should be more than enough for shanghai.

[Old Gil]

I've only been to Shanghai on vacation for a grand total of two weeks, but I'd have to echo what people have said. There's no real 'street' nightlife, but there is a 24 mart near Logo's that tolerates the Family-Mart style drinking. Shanghai struck me as being very expensive for doing Western style hanging out, but still was a great time, especially if you're looking to study there (either in Uni or just Mandarin academies).

[mimis]

I've lived in Shanghai for about 1,5 year and about the same amount of time in Seoul. I do miss Shanghai! Granted, the situation was very different from the one I am in now, so that influences my feelings quite a bit. I went to Uni there on a scholarship and it was VERY relaxed, school was useless but fun, received more than enough money and I had a couple of friends there from my old college.

I don't know what some of the previous posters mean by 'expensive', I've never lived anywhere so cheap!! I ate the most delicious original Italian pizza close by my Uni for 50 kuai (roughly 5 euro), whereas I have to pay 15,000 won (double euro!) for the same pizza here. The food is SO divers and SO cheap (beats identical Korean food every day), shopping is heavenly and (again) SO cheap and even clubbing should be a bit cheaper than here (obviously you shouldn't go to Xintiandi, but why would anyone want to go there?!). Go to the normal places, don't drink to get wasted and you should be fine.
Sure, there aren't a whole lot of things to see in Shanghai, it's def. a bit more western, but really, how often do you visit the Palaces or Korean Folk Village here??! It's about day-to-day conveniences and Shanghai tops Seoul imo. Also, I don't enjoy the conservativeness of Korea, I'm always worried I'm doing something wrong, wearing too revealing clothes (and I dress quite conservatively already!), afraid of walking around with my bf, etc, etc. I hate feeling my freedom limited like that.

Seoul does have more soul and I always feel it's a big city with a small town feel. It's more charming, there's more nature, it's more quirky and more developed. One BIG pro here is that the people are much more 'westernized'. Even in Shanghai, you can't go a day without dozens and dozens of Chinese people staring/pointing at you and yelling hello or ohhhh foreigner (or worse). I really really HATED it. It was such a huge relief and a calming and positive experience to come here and not be made to feel like an animal for display in a zoo.

I could go on and on and on.... Overall, there are pros and cons to both cities, but for pure convenience I'd probably choose Shanghai.

[vallillo]

MIMIS - if you liked Shanghai so much where did you go to Korea? Would u consider moving back to SH? How long have u been in KOREA?

Thanks

[djsmnc]

I refuse to vote here because both are similar in their reputatons and development. Both can be considered livable and somewhat affordable. Both have experienced rapid modernisation and have a lot of fun things to do. There is no "VS." when comparing two somewhat similar locales that are a one-hour plane ride apart.

Try something more stark, like Ankara VS. Seoul. Or Bangalore VS. Lexington, Kentucky.

[mimis]

[Bloopity Bloop]

Shanghai expensive? Give me a break. I was there for 8 months and have no idea what some of you are talking about. Compared to Seoul, at least.

One thing I will say is the food in Shanghai >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the food in Seoul. Well, pretty much anywhere in China or Japan or any other Asian country (except the Philippines) > the food in Seoul.

Like djmsnc, I won't vote. I enjoy both places equally and are both great places to live.

[Mr. Pink]

I will agree with: short term Shanghai and long term Seoul.

The two things that I can't really accept enough to live in Shanghai would be the weather (cold damp winters and hot humid summers) and the size of the city.

[D.D.]

[craash]

[shapeshifter]

[poeticjustice]