Beijing or Shanghai?

[yu.yuri]

I'm going to study in Chinese. But I dont know that I should choose Beijing or Shanghai. Can you guys recommend your ideas for me?
Thank you so much ^^

[陳德聰]

I think this has been briefly discussed before here:

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/51692-need-some-general-advice-and-insights/

 

Any particular reason you’ve limited yourself to just Beijing or Shanghai?

[ZhangKaiRong]

Go to a smaller place with no/limited number of foreigners, you'll pick up the language much more easily if you're forced to.

[AaronUK]

These two cities do have a different feel. Beijing seemed to have less foreigners when I visited and perhaps fewer English/non mandarin dialects going on.

 

the clubs and bars in both places are very cool, although when I was in Beijing I felt the clubs were less classy (still very fun) and shanghai was more like NYC rooftops, but that could just be where I visited, certainly lots more foreigners in shanghai bars I visited.

 

I think both have pretty good transport, the subway in both was modern and inexpensive. although I couldn’t use didi (the Chinese Uber) in shanghai as there didn’t seem many around, in Beijing I used it a few times and found it more convenient than taxis since I didn’t need to describe where I was or where I was going.. they did call me before they arrived though which required a small amount of chinese to ignore what they are saying and just reply that I’m here and waiting.

 

I assume you have already decided on a major 1st tier city rather than a major 2nd tier city or other. If you want to enjoy city life you might want to consider rather than just which city, which campus is closer to transport links or the closer to the types of places you like to go. As both shanghai and Beijing have schools that can be further out of the centre.. most Beijing universities are far from the Sanlitun shopping and bar area popular with foreigners.

 

In summary.. what do you want from your visit? More immersion in chinese language? To explore very modern city life? Or to get a feeling for the less western influenced parts of China? I don’t think there is a wrong choice. Large cities cater for most of what people want. 

[DavyJonesLocker]

It really depends on the type of lifestyle you are after. Everyone will have different opinions. I am in Beijing. I have never been fond of Shanghai, it just seems too westernised for me. I think  Tianjin is very nice, Its cleaner, better kept than Beijing and I'd say standards are generally higher. Maybe tell us more information about you and what you are looking for when you come to China

[HuayangAcademy]

Hey, 

If you are ever come down to Yunnan welcome to study with us from 350rmb per week and enjoy the Fresh Air

 

I would say Beijing is better to study than Shanghai as I have been to both, 

Beijing also has the forbidden city and the Great wall but might be cold in the winter

 

Best of luck with your study!!

[yu.yuri]

@陳德聰 北京和上海这两个地方都是我老师的意见，他说在这些地方学汉语比其他的好。我从来也还没想到别的地方^^

[yu.yuri]

Hi @DavyJonesLocker, I'm Vietnamese and I've learned Chinese for 3 years. I have a plan that after graduating I'm going to study for a Hanyu international teaching doctorate. People say that Bejing is better for studying but I'm afraid of its environment in the winter ^^

[DavyJonesLocker]

Beijing gets cold in the winter however most apartments have communal heating so inside is not really a problem. Shanghai can be cold I believe in some apartments due to heating. It rarely rains in Beijing. 

I wouldn't think the weather is an issue when choosing a city unless you go very far north or far south. 

[yu.yuri]

@DavyJonesLocker oh thank you. I mean I'm afraid of the air pollution in the winter 'cause my health is not good ^^

[HuayangAcademy]

If you are Vietnamese, our school is not far from the border. 

 

Regarding pollution our city Kunming, Guilin in Guangxi province and possibly some other less polluted citys

here is an article about it https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/article-cities-best-air-quality.htm

Sadly I don't think Sanya would be great for standard Chinese but if there is a school there it could be an amazing location to learn Chinese

 

I for example lived in Xi'an and couldn't do it again. 

Living in Shanghai is not as polluted but can be bad some days. Also the lack of heating can be bad as the air is very humid and makes you feel colder. 

 

 

[AaronUK]

@yu.yuri if you have not already tried, I recommend watching some YouTube videos, you can then at least see some of the cities in the background. Have a search but these are some of my favourite vloggers from Shenzhen talking about Beijing vs shanghai

 https://youtu.be/F4E7mYW2ukM

 

You can also use this method to look at some other cities and you may get interested in some others you have not considered. I’ve seen people vlogging from Tianjin, recommend you to look up hangzhou.. you might find other Chinese cities that are very nice.