[top photo: Low Yong Kiang, Owner's representative with a Singapore-based shipping firm]
By Low Yong Kiang
WORKING in the transport and logistics company gives me plenty of opportunities to travel the world and meet people from different lands. In my five years in the industry, after working in cities from Copenhagen to Qingdao, none fascinates me as much as Shanghai.
The largest city in China, and as cosmopolitan, modern and fast-paced as any modern Western city, Shanghai is a place where you will never run out of exciting and new things to do, places to eat, or bars to try the latest drinks with your best buddies.
I arrived in Shanghai in October 2006 and my first impression of the city was that it was full of excitement and adventure. With one of the busiest ports in the world, and as the main gateway to China, Shanghai is one of the most exciting cities in the transport and logistics sector. As it is still a maturing market in these two areas, there are many opportunities for individuals to install new business strategies, working procedures and ideas.
However, Shanghai's cultural environment is totally different, and as a foreigner and outsider, one must adapt quickly to the different practices and working attitudes of the Shanghainese. To me, this is the most challenging part of my work and life here. Fortunately, being able to speak Mandarin helps in the communication and work flow.
With fast trains linking Shanghai to sleepy towns and stunning landscapes, it is easy to travel to other cities. Places I have visited include Suzhou, with its breathtaking gardens that were built centuries ago; Nanjing with its hot springs; and of course, Beijing, with the Great Wall and towering Olympic structures.
Coming from tropical Singapore, I also find it refreshing to experience the different seasons, including the freezing winters.
As a bachelor in the city, my favourite past-time is to go down to the pubs and bars with a couple of good friends. There you can enjoy the cheap beers, and engage in meaningless but nonetheless interesting conversations with the adorable Chinese waitresses. Add to these outings the weekly soccer games with fellow expatriates from Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and I can say I have spent almost zero time alone.
When my Singapore friends visit, some of the must-dos and must-sees include the bars and pubs here, the Shanghainese sweet food, and visits to nearby Suzhou and Hangzhou. There's an old Chinese saying - shang you tian tang, xia you su hang (There are heavens above, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth). Thus, you can imagine how important it is to arrange a trip to these cities for first-time visitors.
Visitors gather on Shanghai's famous Bund to look at the skyline of the Pudong financial district across the Huangpu River.
Shanghai is a fascinating mix of the old and new, and this is most apparent in the architecture along the world-famous Bund. It ranges from the space-age Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Centre, which is the tallest building in China, to the neo-classical HSBC Building. My favourite is definitely the World Financial Centre. Advanced, clean, and hi-tech, there is also a viewing floor where you can (if you wake up early enough) spend a romantic morning with your loved one watching the sun rise and shine upon the vast city of Shanghai.
Shanghainese are characterised by their frankness, outspoken nature, high intelligence and 'flexibility'. This makes working with them extremely challenging in the initial stages. I was, for instance, quite taken aback by their disregard for following procedures, and by local staff openly voicing their points of view. However, I soon came to realise that these are simply other - and just as effective - ways of getting things done.
Shanghai is a fantastic place to live in, but in a few years' time, I will be quite happy to pack my bags and return once more to Singapore, my home.
We invite Singaporeans living overseas or posted abroad to write about life, culture and doing business where you are.
Send your dispatch to btletter@sph.com.sg along with a photo of yourself, as well as any other relevant images.
