The Expats

Prologue

PrologueShanghai. A vast sprawling metropolis divided down its centre by the mighty Huangpu river with Pu Dong (River East) and Pu Xi (River West) both dominating the skyline on either side with a myriad of old and new buildings, quite a sight to behold. Pu Dong holds the large housing estates, leafy avenues and industrial zones, all newly forged on recently acquired land, much to the bewilderment of the generations who have watched the skyscrapers rise up where their ancestor's farms once lay in peace and tranquility. On the other side is Pu Xi, another busy hive of activity where old and new buildings sit side by side, each blind to the other's origins and where millions of commuters come bustling every day to try their luck in business, whether it be in the world of high-level commerce or selling cheap souvenirs to the tourists that flock here daily, hoping to catch a glimpse of Shanghai's colourful past.

The Bund (Waterfront) serves as a reminder of the Lao Wai (foreigners) who came here last century, opening banks, setting up trading posts and igniting the flames of the opium wars, turning this city into the Paris of the East, a place where everyone wanted to venture and where virtually anything could be bought, at a price.

Modern day Shanghai is still as enticing as its historical counterpart although stark contrasts exist at every turn. Champagne brunch in each of the top hotels is a weekly occurrence, where free-flow alcohol and every type of food you could imagine can be tried for a set price, whilst listening to classical music by talented musicians and entertained by top-class acrobatic performers, all the time being waited upon by servers who return home to their meagre apartments after spending their working hours observing in wonderment how the other half live.

The Chinese nationals are a curious race, naturally inquisitive to learn about the foreigners who come to live in their land and bemused by their odd habits and customs. One such example is the Chinese attitude towards mealtimes, unable to understand a foreign worker eating as and when he has time or feels hungry, whereas a local will eat at the exact same time every day, believing firmly that a body needs regularity and will suffer dire consequences if it is not sustained by ritual. Also we have, for hundreds of years, cited our unlucky number as thirteen, whereas in China it is the number four, as the sound 'Si' is the same as the word 'Si' meaning death.

Embarking on a relocation to Shanghai was, and still is, far easier than a move to many other Asian cities. Homes are equipped with all mod-cons, in a fashion, and almost anything can be ordered and delivered to your door for a small fee.

However, charges also apply to emergency services whose ambulance drivers will refuse to deliver you safely to a hospital until the requisite amount is paid, no matter how severe the medical need.

Traffic is crazy and foreigners are discouraged from driving for their own safety, although taking a taxi can be a harrowing experience too with drivers frequently taking long routes unless you are sure of your destination and, on occasion, falling asleep at the wheel due to long unmonitored working hours. On the fun side, you are just as likely to see a man cycling down the road with a freezer strapped to his bike as to come up alongside a person on a scooter with a whole pig on the back. Expect the unexpected.

Food is something that should be questioned frequently. Korean and Northern Chinese restaurants in Shanghai serve up roasted dog meat, and open-air markets sell produce which hasn't been refrigerated and are exposed to all the elements. Local dishes are prepared with care and expertise although none taste like those we have come to know at home, where Asian chefs concoct Western versions to suit our less adventurous palates. Sometimes, however, it's the little things that you might really miss. Imagine living in a place where you can buy chocolate bread on every corner but a sugar-free loaf is nowhere to be found and a tin of baked beans costs more than a haircut at the barbers.

There is so much to explore in this place, from the mesmerising acts at 'Circus World', where eight motorcyclists ride perilously together inside a giant dome, to watching parents of single Shanghainese children tout for prospective partners in People's Park, hanging photographs and personal details on the bushes in the hope that a match can be found.

Of course nowadays, the foreign wives or Tai Tai's (mistresses) have it easier. With leading fashion retailers from the West setting up stores in the city it has become less of a struggle to make purchases, unlike the days where shopping for new underwear would involve being groped by the shop assistant as they attempted to guess your measurements and produce items more fitting for your age than to be deemed as sexy. Gone too are the days when you would cross the threshold of a shop to be told they had nothing in your size, such has Shanghai evolved.

Imagine yourself now, embarking on a journey into the unknown, with little grasp of the Mandarin language and the few words that you have managed to remember rendered useless within the realms of the Shanghainese dialect. The city is alive, bursting with inhabitants whose numbers total more than some small countries, a vast and dangerous playground for the very rich and the very poor alike. Shanghai is capable of so many things. It can create fortunes, make or break relationships and implant the deepest of memories. For me, it will always be my second home.