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Emma and Dominic, a UK couple who had traveled for 12 years, decided to move to Shanghai after a visit to China earlier in the year. They discuss using WeChat and Alipay for everyday transactions, ordering from QR-code menus, and seeing Pudong from Mana Coffee. Their account also covers electric cars, ride-hailing, public transport, a historic garden beside Shanghai Tower, Western food and supermarket products, affordable groceries, and regional Chinese cuisine. They describe their own experience of safety and cleanliness and say they want to share an authentic view of life in China with people in the West.
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Why Emma and Dominic moved to Shanghai
Emma and Dominic are a UK couple who had been traveling the world for 12 years when a visit to China earlier in the year changed their plans. They were impressed enough to decide to move to Shanghai. They now share their experiences with the aim of helping people in the West understand what they have found, while distinguishing their own experience from wider assumptions.
Technology is a major part of their daily routine. They use WeChat and Alipay for transactions, including ordering coffee and food and paying for goods and services. At Mana Coffee, they use an app to order drinks and enjoy a view of the futuristic Pudong skyline, including Shanghai Tower. They explain that QR codes in cafes and restaurants can open menus, which makes ordering easier even when language is a barrier. They also mention ride-hailing services such as DiDi for affordable and efficient taxi travel and say that deliveries and other tasks are streamlined.
Transport, safety, and city life
Emma and Dominic describe China as clean and say they often see electric cars. They note cheaper number plates as an incentive and connect electric vehicles with quieter streets and cleaner air. They also discuss CCTV with facial recognition and say that the sense of safety lets them walk alone at night, unlike their experience in London. These comments are their own perspective and do not claim that everyone will have the same experience.
They praise the public transport network, especially trains, as clean, affordable, and extensive. Trains connect cities and can make travel to other parts of China and Southeast Asia convenient. They recommend booking ahead during holidays such as Golden Week because trains are popular. In Shanghai, they see a 500-year-old garden beside the modern Shanghai Tower, a contrast that brings history and contemporary development together. Festivals and holidays also form part of the country's cultural life.
Food, familiar products, and cost
The couple are surprised that familiar Western comforts are available. Shanghai has a Guinness bar serving English food, and Aldi supermarkets carry familiar brands and products. They have also found Yorkshire tea bags and baked beans online. At the same time, they explore regional food, including Yunnan dishes and Shanghai crab roe noodles, and note that Chinese food in China differs from versions commonly found in the West.
Affordability is one reason they chose to move. They compare Aldi prices favorably with the UK and mention chicken breast, tomatoes, and milk as groceries that cost less for them. They also describe transportation and daily expenses as manageable. Beyond Shanghai, they look forward to exploring China's deserts, mountains, and beaches using the country's infrastructure. Their stated goal is to share their own experiences and encourage a better understanding of China, rather than to present a single account as universal.
Planning life across the country
Emma and Dominic connect the practical details of city life with their decision to settle in Shanghai. They see technology as useful for routine tasks, from checking a menu to paying, arranging a car, or receiving a delivery. The apps make common errands easier for them, although the experience is still shaped by language and the systems they learn to use. Their comments about safety also remain personal: they describe walking alone at night and feeling secure, while recognizing that surveillance technology can raise privacy questions.
They talk about infrastructure as a reason they can imagine traveling beyond Shanghai. The train network links places across China and provides routes onward to Southeast Asia, while they note the importance of booking before high-demand holidays. They are interested in seeing landscapes from deserts and mountains to beaches. Back in Shanghai, the contrast between a 500-year-old garden and Shanghai Tower gives them a clear example of how historic sites and contemporary construction can exist side by side. The city's festivals and holidays also add to the cultural range they hope to explore.
Their comments on food and shopping reflect both curiosity and familiarity. They enjoy trying regional dishes such as Yunnan food and Shanghai crab roe noodles while explaining that Chinese cuisine in China differs from the versions often served in the West. They also appreciate being able to find English food at a Guinness bar and familiar products at Aldi. The Yorkshire tea bags and baked beans they found online address specific comforts they missed. When comparing costs, they focus on groceries they know from the UK, including chicken breast, tomatoes, and milk, and say those items cost less at Aldi. They present these comparisons as part of their reason for moving, alongside transport and day-to-day expenses. The couple's stated aim is to document what they experience and help viewers consider a fuller picture of life in China.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What surprised Emma and Dominic most about moving to China?
- A: They were struck by how convenient technology is in everyday life, including WeChat, and by how safe and clean the country felt to them.
- Q: How easy is it for foreigners to get around China?
- A: They find ride-hailing services such as DiDi and the extensive train network affordable and efficient, even when travelers do not speak Chinese.
- Q: Can people find Western food and products in China?
- A: Yes. They mention familiar supermarket brands and products, a Guinness bar serving English food, and online access to Yorkshire tea bags and baked beans, particularly in Shanghai.
- Q: What makes living in China affordable for them?
- A: They compare grocery prices at Aldi with the UK and find items such as chicken breast, tomatoes, and milk less expensive. They also describe transport and daily expenses as manageable.
- Q: What contributes to their sense of safety?
- A: They mention electric cars contributing to cleaner air, quieter streets, and CCTV with facial recognition. They also say they have encountered little petty crime such as phone theft and feel secure walking alone at night. These are their personal observations.
