Author: life-china

We often hear that we need to get out of Shanghai to mentally detox from the city, but sometimes what you really need is a physical detox, in the city. From air pollution and pesticides (hate them) to oily foods and low quality booze (love them), our bodies are constantly taking in toxins from our environment. How to get it out of our system, then? This five-part, completely Science-approved program should be done in a single 24-hour period to achieve maximum Shanghai flush. Step 1: Fasting The first step to flushing out...

The lines at immigration are a delectable experience — if you enjoy being treated like cattle. If you prefer expediency over a bovine good time, though, here's a five-minute process at Pudong Airport to register for the E-Channel gates at China's airports, saving you literally hours of precious, precious life. Life hacks! Note: This guide was written for Pudong Airport Terminal 2, after an international flight. Registration should be possible at any airport that has E-Channel gates. Ask someone wearing a uniform about E-Channel registration and they should point you to the right desk. Step 1: Check...

Tired of that buffering symbol? Me too. If it had a face, I'd refresh constantly and maybe reboot the router. China's internet speed has gradually been picking up, skyrocketing from "1 Episode Seinfeld/month" to roughly "1 Season Game of Thrones/day." Since the completion of the optical network last year, the Golden Gig has finally become attainable for the average consumer. Shanghai now has more households with speeds over 1000mbps than any other city in China. Upgrade time! But how? Stock photos hoooooo Step 1: Off to China Telecom Head down to your local internet dealership. China Telecom is the...

It’s 7.59am on a Sunday morning. Birds are chirping, a spring breeze is rustling the leaves of the French planes, and there is soft chattering outside the building. A peaceful scene – one which I am blissfully unaware of in my deep, Asahi-induced slumber. And then it starts. The clock ticks over to 8.00am - BRRRRBBDDRTTZBBBBBRZ, BBRRDRTZZBBBRRBBRBRBRZTBBRTBBBBBBBBB, BBBBBBRRRRRRBRBRRRBZTBBRRR. The sound of a pneumatic drill upstairs mercilessly rips me from sleep. A truly bloodcurdling noise vibrates my whole skeleton. It doesn’t matter if it’s three floors up or down. You will hear it. You have heard it. It...