For example, she was just recruited by a firm and they didn't let her talk or meet with her colleagues just with the big boss. In Europe, they would care about if she got well along with her immediate colleagues not because they are generous but they understand that a team where there is mutual fit actually works more productively. Same thing about the work load, instead of trying to see if she can actually last long term in their team because of work load, they just seem to assume she will be fine although someone in Europe would be very clear about heavy work load so she doesn't quit in a few months and they have to redo hiring process. She attended Fudan and her salary is 35 000 yuan per month so we are not talking of "bad" jobs ...
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I am talking about acerbic criticism, not soft ball criticism
I arrived in Shanghai 10 years ago thinking it was spectacular but unfinished; after comparing it with NYC, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, my view has changed: Shanghai may now be the strongest total urban package I know.
The city keeps adding real urban quality: Suzhou Creek regeneration, the 45km Huangpu riverfront, FFC street life, West Bund museums/galleries, Qiantan Taikoo Li, North Bund redevelopment, Shanghai Library East, Museum of Art Pudong, PSA, Fotografiska, Shanghai Museum East ...
The industrial mix is also impressive: Lujiazui finance, Zhangjiang semiconductors and biomedicine, AI firms like MiniMax and SenseTime, consumer internet/media like Xiaohongshu, Bilibili and miHoYo, plus Tesla and advanced manufacturing in Lingang ...
Do other long-term expats who have lived in top-tier cities also feel Shanghai has moved from “impressive Chinese megacity” to one of the world’s best overall urban experiences?