Beijing or shanghai? pros and cons?

About Shanghai, it is said that it is much more lively and open-minded than the "conservative" and political Beijing. However, you choose between two of the most expensive Chinese cities, and I guess that Shanghai ranks first in terms of living costs.

Shanghai seems much more exciting to me and I consider the almost Southern climate as pleasant, it rarely sinks below 0 degrees centigrade in wintertime.

Maybe you can jump positions at a certain interval if your company offers you both locations?

Best!

actually both cities have quite a lot of expats now, though SH seems to be more the party town or the San Francisco of China.

Shanghaiette is right about the weather though, BJ can be very very cold during winter. As regards to standard of living, if you work for a big company and well remunerated, then Shanghai shouldnt scare you. Just be careful of the scammers though, they seem to prey on the expat quite a lot.

Hello,
As you said both cities are very nice. If you are interested in art and enjoys cultural events, I think Beijing offers more.
If you are a night person and like to party, Shanghai is the place to be.
Anyway, whatever is your choice, I am sure you will have a great time.

Ill chose Sh over BJ. JW.

Hey there,

That' ll depends on your preferences.....as you mentioned you been to both cities and you loved both.... Should be easy for you to decide !....difficult when you haven't been to one or neither.

Consider the weather, the ambiance...what you like to do during your weekends...that can help you atleast!

Whatever you decide, you'll know best!.........

Wish you goodluck! make your smart choice, we're just here to lighten you up!

From my experiences (I lived in Shanghai and visited Beijing):
Shanghai - Energetic city, great nightlife, expensive, ENORMOUS, easy to find expat communities, cold cold cold winters with little heating, humid weather, near other great "2nd tier cities", best shopping, not great for historical and cultural sites

Beijing - More self expressive city, politics more pervasive, spread out, best nightlife, biggest expat community, great cultural and historical sites, cold winter but with heating, farther away from beautiful south China, worst traffic

Definitely visit or live in both to see for yourself!  Don't limit yourself to these 2 places, as the rest of China is very, very different from these well developed areas.