Let’s play a game!
Picture this: You overslept for work ( which is not too difficult to imagine, with Shanghai’s 7 day party schedule – one might even oversleep to open own shop at noon ) and you have 5 minutes to pull yourself together and leave the house. What will top 3 items that you will make sure you have on you – any day, any season, any time?
We chose the following 3, without which your wellbeing in China might be in jeopardy.
1.SMARTPHONE
The dark truth is that it has become very hard to find anyone and anything more useful than a smarthphone and especially in China t is an undeniable resource of your efficient existence.
It is your bank card, contacts data base, dating service, shopping mall, taxi, photo album, entertainment, gif collection, QR code scanner and calendar. And trust me – you do want to have it within your reach on daily basis! With Chinese holidays and their everchanging dates due to lunar calendar, your plans could be easily turned upside down if you are not up to date!
Losing your phone means weeks of stress and lost earnings, so be careful!
2.SUBWAY CARD
The Shanghai Metro has hosted some of the most outrageous viral videos and photos on Wechat. It's also the world's largest subway system, and during peak traffic hours on the road it's the fastest way to get around (10 million commuters must know what they are doing). However -if you lose your card ,be ready to face a battle with the old and often broken down pay-per-ticket machines. Beware!
3.YOUR ADDRESS IN CHINESE CHARACTERS
An easy enough thing to forget, but so important. Need a courier? Want to order pizza? Trying to get home from a drinking spree? Without your address written out clearly in Hanzi, you're going to have a bad time. Even if your tones are on point, it gives a great excuse for taxi drivers to 'get lost' and raise your bill by 100 kuai.
And what would be on your list of items that - if lost - would wreak havoc on your sanity?
Let us know!