Things to note when going to Shanghai.

Shanghai people have their own moral standards. In other words, you must abide by some rules when you come to Shanghai. This will avoid some unpleasantness and allow you to integrate into the locals as much as possible.

The following points are some aspects that are often encountered when traveling in Shanghai. Let me elaborate on this in detail based on my personal experience as a Shanghainese. Hope it can give you some help.

1. Taking the bus: A foreigner who just came to Shanghai once complained to me that no one ever gave up his seat on buses and subways in Shanghai. Shanghai is a relatively large city with relatively long routes. As young people who work, sometimes in order to get a seat, they often take a reverse route to the terminal station to take a bus or subway, just to find an empty seat. It’s a hard day’s work, and no one cares. Willing to go home standing.

Shanghai’s buses are quite user-friendly. At the terminal, there are often two waiting platforms for passengers to choose from. "Stand in line", "Sit in line". When a bus arrives, people in line are usually asked to get on the bus first, and then stand in line to get on the bus, under the supervision of an administrator. If you want to get a seat, just stand in the queue. This will ensure you have a seat. The disadvantage is that only about 30 people can be allowed in the queue at one time, which means you have to wait for the next bus. So if there are elderly people or pregnant women who don’t want to wait for the bus, but also need to have a seat, stand in line, and someone has to give up their seat after getting on the bus, this is against the “rules of the game”. This kind of person will generally be despised by Shanghai locals. Therefore, if outsiders understand this situation, they can understand the problem of giving up seats on buses.

2. Ask for directions: The roads in Shanghai are indeed very winding, unlike northern cities where the roads are straight. Finding a place often takes a lot of time. Not to mention outsiders, even Shanghai locals will often ask for directions. It can be said that Shanghainese encounter situations where they ask for directions and are asked for directions every day.

Some friends also complained to me that Shanghainese people are very unreasonable and often do not pay attention to people who ask for directions from outside the city. There are actually many reasons for this phenomenon.

I once met a stranger asking for directions, but I ignored him and walked past him in a hurry. Let me describe it. I was walking on the road that day when a big face suddenly appeared in front of me. Before I could react, there was a loud shout: "Hey, how do I get to the Caobao Road subway?" To be honest, I was really shocked at the time. So walk away in a hurry. So outrageous, why should I tell you? That person would definitely think that I was arrogant, but I wonder if he had considered whether his behavior would scare me.

Asking for directions is actually a science. Who to ask and how to ask are really worth studying. Due to special reasons, Shanghai is unique compared to other cities. I’ll talk about this later. Let me first explain why I didn’t answer him above.

In fact, the reason is very simple. First, his attitude is too arrogant, and second, he scares me. So I didn't even bother to talk to him. There are too many foreigners in Shanghai, and there are all kinds of people. Who knows if you are a robber or something else, but I usually get the right answer when I ask for directions, because I pay attention to the following points.

When asking for directions, it is best to keep a certain distance from the person being asked. At least you have to give the other person the feeling that you are not a bad person. Keeping some distance is a good way to show that you mean no harm and are just asking for directions. Second, before asking, it is best to add a few polite words such as "Excuse me", "Please ask", "Master" and so on. This will allow the other person to recognize your politeness. Third, be sure to state the location clearly to avoid causing trouble.

Asking what kind of people is more effective? For example, just getting off the train station will definitely make people feel dizzy and disoriented. So who to ask? The flow of people hurriedly walking around the square is obviously not correct. They have just arrived in Shanghai or are preparing to board the train. Who wants to talk to you? What I usually ask is the traffic controller and the square police. This is the most effective. If you are still wandering around the train station, the best person to ask is the ticket inspector who checks your tickets when you exit the station. If you are in the subway, the staff in the subway are also good guides. Some Shanghai Metro stations have more than 10 exits (such as People's Square). Asking the subway staff is the best option.

The correct way to ask for directions. Many people who come to Shanghai for the first time don’t know the habits of Shanghainese. Often when asking for directions, you just give a place, such as "How to get to Hengshan Building?" Almost no one can answer this kind of question. Because it is impossible for Shanghainese to know where a specific building is. Because there are really too many buildings in Shanghai.

The correct way to ask is this: tell me an intersection, such as how to get from Yishan Road to Guilin Road, or how to get to Yan'an West Road or Wanping Road. Shanghai is a very winding place. Yan'an West Road is quite long, but there is a road with horizontal coordinates. If you tell the intersection of the two roads along the longitude and latitude lines, someone will tell you the correct way to go. This method is also effective when taking a taxi to prevent detours.

3. Say thank you to those who help you. This usually occurs at the subway ticket office. Many Shanghai subways do not have manual ticket sales, but machine ticket sales. Many out-of-towners don't know how to use it and stand anxiously at the ticket gate. I have encountered this situation many times, and usually I will take the initiative to buy a ticket for him. Sometimes I was really anxious to wait (one out-of-towner waited for 12 minutes).

But to be honest, Chinese people really rarely say "thank you" to me. Foreigners say "thank you" almost 100% of the time. In fact, it's normal to not know how to operate a machine. There's nothing to be ashamed of. If someone helps you, you don't have to worry about saying thank you. This is the minimum quality. I hope everyone will say thank you to those who take the initiative to help you or give you help. Shanghainese value this more.

4. Shanghai is a place that pays attention to order, and queuing has become a habit. Anyone who has lived in Shanghai for a long time will have this feeling. Even if I buy steamed buns in the morning, there will always be a queue. There is no way there are too many people. Therefore, when doing anything, be sure not to rush in, queue up honestly, and do not break the good habits that have been formed. If it is blocked, even Shanghainese will be scolded, let alone outsiders.

5. Have a tolerant heart. As many people have said, Shanghai is already overcrowded, but 60% of the people are foreigners, or even more. Let’s put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. If you open the door one day in your hometown or your hometown, the people walking on the street and the cars running on the road are all from other places. What would you think? Will you accept it calmly? What's more, many people are not of high quality. Wouldn't you feel resentful? So people in Shanghai are a little resentful, and everyone should be more tolerant. After all, urban resources are too tight, which will lead to conflicts between locals and outsiders. This is also the law of urban development. You must have an inclusive heart.

6. In fact, many people who look down on outsiders are themselves outsiders. This is a bit convoluted. Tell me something. Once I went to the Chenghuang Temple and saw a hand warmer in front of a shop. I was very curious. There were many outsiders doing business in the Chenghuang Temple, so I asked the little girl in the shop "What is this" in Mandarin. The little girl said it was xx. When I picked it up, she suddenly stopped me and said, "If you don't buy it, don't touch it" in Shanghainese. It was obvious that she mistook me for a foreigner and pretended to be a Shanghainese. As a result, I scolded her in Shanghainese. If a foreigner looks down on foreigners, how can you expect Shanghainese to look down on you? This also illustrates the point: "Those who speak Shanghainese are most likely outsiders, and maybe the people who look down on you are your fellow countrymen.

”