Having resorted to public transport for the last week for the first time in a couple of years, I feel the need to add this little nugget about personal space, for the uninitiated.

When standing or sitting on the bus or the subway, someone will invariably at some point invade your private space in a way that generally doesn't happen in the west.

Your initial reaction will be to use what spare space you have to move away. Could be a little step to the left, or a shoulder shrug to the right. DON'T DO THIS.

The Chinese reaction to this will not be to leave that precious couple of inches between you, but to accept your kind invitation of some more room and invade it immediately. This leaves you with even less room than before and a pretty dismal outlook on life.

If this happens to you, retire immediately to the nearest Chuanr restaurant and order 20 of the bad boys with a couple of cold Tsingdao's. China equilibrium is thusly restored.

Also if the bus you are on has a swipey thing by the exit doors. Don't stand in front of it. This will also make you very unhappy.

I never go on organised tours either, trying to order things on languages you don't know is a part of the fun. Now I have been to Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan and barely Hong Kong. Mainland China is comletely different from home, Taiwan and Hong Kong less so, but still just enjoying the chaos in Shanghai and Beijing is fun.

There used to be a saying in Shanghai - better to live in a hovel in Puxi than an apartment in Pudong. Oh, how the city has changed since then.

I still support this stance with strong conviction.

I'm 100% in your camp as far as tourists go but I'd imagine it's quite a different thing for the average Shanghai resident. If I worked in Pudong I'd probably move there just to avoid the commute. Thankfully I could choose the location of our office

Saw some very confused tourists get owned by folks trying to get to the swipey thing.
Cheers
Howie