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lived in Shanghai for 5 years, and now live in NYC. NYC feels really third world compared to Shanghai
Infrastructure, safety, public transit, education, health care, Shanghai all wins by a lot
If you think NYC feels 3rd world you haven't visited a 3rd world city yet.
If China is so great then why did you move to the U.S.?
Hong Kong ok, Singapore ok, Taipei ok, Seoul ok, Tokyo ok.
But Shanghai?! It's in a de facto communist country. Enough to be discarded.
Even in Spain you hear that NY is the capital of the world...
Taipei is the furthest thing from cosmopolitan. The diversity is zero and it's an economic backwater with everything being horrible except for the metro system.
Their is also Giuangzhou, Shenzhen and Tianjin as well as an assortment of other massive cities throughout China.
GZ is still thoroughly Chinese; there are pockets of expats, but aside from some parts of the Tianhe district, there's really very little integration and it's only skin deep. It's difficult to become a permanent resident and impossible to become a citizen in China, meaning that even people like me who are "permanently settled" (a permanent resident, married to a Chinese national, with a Chinese-born child and a registered Chinese business) are ultimately considered to be transient.
The treatment of African, Middle Eastern, and South or Central Asian nationals in GZ, as the rest of China, has gone through many ups and downs. There was a large settled community of Africans in Xiaobei, a neighborhood in the Yuexiu district, but the authorities dispersed it and about 2/3rds of the community has left over the last couple years. Just when people were becoming comfortable and thought that they were being accepted, the gov't stopped renewing their visas...
lived in Shanghai for 5 years, and now live in NYC. NYC feels really third world compared to Shanghai
Infrastructure, safety, public transit, education, health care, Shanghai all wins by a lot
Healthcare? LOL, healthcare in China is about as third-world as it gets!! Walk in with a broken rib and they'll tell you to hold still, drink lots of hot water, and not stay up so late... why do you think all of the wealthy people in Shanghai (to say nothing else of the rest of China) go abroad for medical treatments?
Education is another matter... Chinese clamor over themselves to attend NYU or Columbia, how many international students are trying to get into Jiao Tong or East China Normal? Well, I mean, China has to get its sub-par, superstitious doctors from somewhere, right?
Infrastructure and public transit? Yes, they're superior; the administration of Shanghai basically has the ability to knock down whatever it wants, dig tunnels wherever it wants, and no one can do anything about it... so, it gets things done. The whole city has been more or less totally gutted and rebuilt over the last couple decades, which is an impressive feat, especially considering that it was basically third-world at the onset of the 90's. Its subway system is newer so it had better be nicer. One way or the other, the definition of "cosmopolitan" doesn't have anything to do with how new a metro system is, it has to do with how internationally-minded and multicultural a place is, and on this level, there is absolutely no comparison. You may not care about or for immigration or presence of other cultures, but that's what we are talking about.
Even beyond the small business owners and permanently-settled and integrated average, everyday folks who make NYC cosmopolitan, world elites - titans of commerce, world leaders, celebrities, etc - clamor over themselves to purchase property in NYC, go there for business and leisure, etc. Shanghai is an impressive city, for sure, but it's simply not in the same league as NYC. The closest thing in China would be the Hong Kong SAR, which is sort-of/kind-of in China, at least till 2047, and still overall not as cosmopolitan as London or NYC.
I just went to a clinic in NYC for a check on my bleeding nose. The doctor spent about 5 minutes and everything is fine. Then I got a bill for 1500 dollars. This is the top notch health care in New York.
The first world price with the third world service
Have you ever taken a subway or train in New York? It is probably worse than in Africa.
Public education in New York? is it a joke? parents are constantly worrying about the safety of their kids.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 415_s2k
Healthcare? LOL, healthcare in China is about as third-world as it gets!! Walk in with a broken rib and they'll tell you to hold still, drink lots of hot water, and not stay up so late... why do you think all of the wealthy people in Shanghai (to say nothing else of the rest of China) go abroad for medical treatments?
Education is another matter... Chinese clamor over themselves to attend NYU or Columbia, how many international students are trying to get into Jiao Tong or East China Normal? Well, I mean, China has to get its sub-par, superstitious doctors from somewhere, right?
Infrastructure and public transit? Yes, they're superior; the administration of Shanghai basically has the ability to knock down whatever it wants, dig tunnels wherever it wants, and no one can do anything about it... so, it gets things done. The whole city has been more or less totally gutted and rebuilt over the last couple decades, which is an impressive feat, especially considering that it was basically third-world at the onset of the 90's. Its subway system is newer so it had better be nicer. One way or the other, the definition of "cosmopolitan" doesn't have anything to do with how new a metro system is, it has to do with how internationally-minded and multicultural a place is, and on this level, there is absolutely no comparison. You may not care about or for immigration or presence of other cultures, but that's what we are talking about.
Even beyond the small business owners and permanently-settled and integrated average, everyday folks who make NYC cosmopolitan, world elites - titans of commerce, world leaders, celebrities, etc - clamor over themselves to purchase property in NYC, go there for business and leisure, etc. Shanghai is an impressive city, for sure, but it's simply not in the same league as NYC. The closest thing in China would be the Hong Kong SAR, which is sort-of/kind-of in China, at least till 2047, and still overall not as cosmopolitan as London or NYC.
Kind of a silly poll. While NYC might be lacking in some areas compared to Shanghai, there's no doubt that it is one of, if not the most, cosmopolitan place on Earth. Few cities are as diverse and worldly as NY.
In the US, NYC is definitely not my top choice if I need to pick a city to live in. Even among major east coast cities, I'd prefer Boston, or DC.
In China, however, Shanghai is in my top three. In China bigger cities offer much more opportunities.
I just went to a clinic in NYC for a check on my bleeding nose. The doctor spent about 5 minutes and everything is fine. Then I got a bill for 1500 dollars. This is the top notch health care in New York.
The first world price with the third world service
Have you ever taken a subway or train in New York? It is probably worse than in Africa.
Public education in New York? is it a joke? parents are constantly worrying about the safety of their kids.
Going to the doctor for a bleeding nose? Lol @ the delusion. Even worse than Irene tbh. Take your meds.
Quote:
In China, however, Shanghai is in my top three. In China bigger cities offer much more opportunities.
Whereas in other countries the small villages in the middle of nowhere have all the 6 figures job offers and wide selection of things to do.
Going to the doctor for a bleeding nose? Lol @ the delusion. Even worse than Irene tbh. Take your meds.
$1500, i can't even...
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