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I was born and grew up in Shanghai, and working in Boston now. Lots of Chinese family who was well-educated became loving suburb life, they are considering more about kids education, living cost, etc, so more and more moved to western countries. The same thing happened in Shanghai as well, the city life brings high living cost, the area is just for work and fun (for weekend maybe). Sometimes you could not go there on holidays because of too many people.
Shanghai is just similar with NYC on outlook, but there is large difference between Shanghainese and New Yorker. Most of Shanghainese love home and they are not willing to move to the other place. Even employer offers a better position in the other city. I just know that very well.
I was born and grew up in Shanghai, and working in Boston now. Lots of Chinese family who was well-educated became loving suburb life, they are considering more about kids education, living cost, etc, so more and more moved to western countries. The same thing happened in Shanghai as well, the city life brings high living cost, the area is just for work and fun (for weekend maybe). Sometimes you could not go there on holidays because of too many people.
Shanghai is just similar with NYC on outlook, but there is large difference between Shanghainese and New Yorker. Most of Shanghainese love home and they are not willing to move to the other place. Even employer offers a better position in the other city. I just know that very well.
Shanghai downtown is only a place to work and have fun? Maybe because those people can't afford to live downtown, where condos are worth more than $1000/sf? Most of those people would not hestate for a second to move to the Inner Ring Shanghai if they could afford it - unlike American cities, cetral Shanghai is still the most attractive place to live for the vast majority.
As to your second point, most New Yorkers won't consider leaving new York too. China has many vibrant cities similar to Shanghai, some as large and some moderately smaller. But NYC is so unque in the US and hardly anything is remotely comparable. A person wanting an ultra-urban life only has NYC as an option in the US, in China, there are many cities to go to. Many Shanghainese refuse to leave no matter what is more out of stupidity and ignorance than about how superior their city is.
I'll offer up New Orleans as a possible equivalent to Chengdu/Chongqing. Not by size or population of course, but New Orleans has a very distinctive cuisine in the US that enjoys a status much like that of Sichuan food in China. Plus, Chengdu people are renowned for their love of leisure and relaxed approach to life. The nickname for New Orleans is the Big Easy, and its unofficial motto is 'laissez les bon temps rouler' (let the good times roll), so I think it might be a good match. Climate is similar, as well. Both New Orleans and Chongqing are river towns.
I'll offer up New Orleans as a possible equivalent to Chengdu/Chongqing. Not by size or population of course, but New Orleans has a very distinctive cuisine in the US that enjoys a status much like that of Sichuan food in China. Plus, Chengdu people are renowned for their love of leisure and relaxed approach to life. The nickname for New Orleans is the Big Easy, and its unofficial motto is 'laissez les bon temps rouler' (let the good times roll), so I think it might be a good match. Climate is similar, as well. Both New Orleans and Chongqing are river towns.
that sounds fair!
But Chengdu definitely doesn't have NO's crimes.
Middle class Chinese all live in concrete apartment buildings, no matter in big cities or smaller towns. Only rural farmers or very rich people live in isolated houses. Therefore Chinese cities are all like Manhattan for this reason.
Chinese cities have some "villages in the city", but there are no big ghetto neighborhoods. For the most part, the schools have students of mixed family backgrounds.
Other than some similarities in geography, there seems to be nothing in common between them. HK is a hell lot denser than SF, more in line with NYC than with a small city like SF.
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