Shanghai or Mexico City? (lease, crime, hotel)

[saobi]

Which is better for living and career? I feel like Mexico City? Because even though it is poor, it is from a democracy, and I'd rather die in a democracy than live richly in a dictatorship, what do you think?

[Travelling fella]

Mexico city is a very interesting city, with a huge size and different districts.

It's main advantage and disadvantage at the same time is it's huge population, this creates lots of traffic jams and pollution, and at peak hours services like the subway, etc get crowded, but for the same reason, there is a lot of jobs and services available.

Living standards are much better in Mexico than China, the working conditions are fairer and there are plenty of good paying jobs for the well educated.

There are also very interesting places to see and visit in Mexico city, I don't know much about Shangai though

[Jonotastic]

Most Americans don't understand the commercial side of China. People think it's a dictatorship etc...when Hong Kong's lease ended there were people risking their lives (many died) trying to flee to Taiwan, fearing this "dictatorship"...in the end, it's a thriving place and more and more large companies both from China and from overseas are moving there. Their tax system is much more fair (for businesses) than most countries. My friend's family owns part of the Shangri-la hotel in Hong Kong. I dare you to take a vacation to both cities...Shanghai and Mexico City and I can almost guarantee you...you will find Shanghai to be more modern, more educated, more wealthy...than Mexico City. I've been to both cities, so I'm not just talking from nowhere. China years ago yes...was definitely a dictatorship. Take a few courses in international business or global economics and you will see what I mean. By the way the government and corruption is in Mexico...I'd consider that more of a dictatorship. You can call yourself a nice guy, but that doesn't make you one.

[OyCrumbler]

China's communist party has been a lot more hands off, in recent years, in Shanghai than they have been elsewhere. There's a huge inequality problem in Shanghai, but you'll find that a lot of the population is educated and cultured, while a lot of the city is developed. Also, the Bund is gorgeous.

[skrazzle]

Originally Posted by saobi

Which is better for living and career? I feel like Mexico City? Because even though it is poor, it is from a democracy, and I'd rather die in a democracy than live richly in a dictatorship, what do you think?

China is becoming what the US was.... it may be communist, but it's not the same communism as the soviet union was....

I'd choose Shanghai over Mexico City any day...

[AliveandWell]

I just recently got back from a trip to Shanghai and while it is an interesting city with lots of nice architecture and some nice bars and clubs, it is a dirty city and the summer weather is so humid and awful that it would probably make Chicago look like paradise in comparison. China is expected to be the world's next economic power.

I have not been to Mexico City so I cannot comment on that. But as to where it is better for a career, well I don't really know. If it came down to where to live between these two cities, I'd lean towards living in Mexico City for the reason that it is closer to home and I have knowledge of the Spanish language. I love Mexican food and beer as well.

[DrVanNostrand]

Mexico City is notorious for its crime, pollution and corruption. You couldn't pay me to move there based on those three factors alone.

Mexico, as a country, has a lot of problems in general right now.

I'd much rather go to Shanghai, but that's just my opinion. I could live with censorship, but I couldn't live with rampant crime or police corruption.

[ChrisC]

You should also consider which culture you'd feel more comfortable within. And some folks may discount it, but I'd also consider the language. If you are going to live in a given area, you really should have respect enough to learn the language (the average language learner will find Spanish light-years easier than Mandarin). Personally, I'd choose Mexico City on both of these accounts--and any other factors I can think of. But then, I'm a bit biased toward Hispanic culture/language...

[AliveandWell]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

You should also consider which culture you'd feel more comfortable within. And some folks may discount it, but I'd also consider the language. If you are going to live in a given area, you really should have respect enough to learn the language (the average language learner will find Spanish light-years easier than Mandarin). Personally, I'd choose Mexico City on both of these accounts--and any other factors I can think of. But then, I'm a bit biased toward Hispanic culture/language...

All good points made here Chris! Spanish IS easier to learn than Chinese for sure. And in Mexico, soccer is popular. If you have any questions about Mexico, feel free to send me a direct message.

[Ounce]

Shanghai is safer then Mexico City. Mexico City gets major earthquakes while Shanghai can get major Typhoons. Shanghai is at sea level while Mexico City is 2250m or 7400 ft. above sea level so the air is thin.

Photo of Shanghai:
http://www.studylanguages.org/images.../shanghai4.jpg
and this
http://www.indiana.edu/~overseas/pics/shanghai1.jpg

Photo of Mexico City:
http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/fac...exico-city.jpg

and this:
http://i12.tinypic.com/6jb8izs.jpg

And they do speak english in China.

So I would probably go to Shanghai.