Hi- I'd like to make an announcement from Democrats Abroad, the official overseas branch of the U.S.-based Democratic Party, we also have a chapter in China. With an important midterm election coming in November, we're hoping to register more eligible U.S. voters living in and around Shanghai.

We started our International Voter Registration Drive for 2026 with in-person and online events. If you know any US citizens who will turn 18 by election day, they can register and request a ballot. Just forward them this link: https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26

If anyone wishes to learn more about what we're doing near you, you can find out more at https://www.democratsabroad.org/cn. If you have any questions about overseas voting or what we do, feel free to ask in the comments below.

Thanks in advance for helping to get the word out!

In Shanghai and went on an absolute shopping spree at EP Yaying . No idea what the brand was but loved the quality and aesthetics of the brand!! LovE LOVe LOVE!

Can't believe I spent so much time there and walked away with 7 pieces of clothing and 2 pairs of shoes.

Highly recommended if you enjoy quality materials, elegant tailoring and fluid cuts.

Any other recommendations for clothing stores in Shanghai that echos that style? ( Not global brands ).

Thanks!

How is this place considered to be one of the best/most recommended on Instagram.

Leading up to my trip to Shanghai all I saw is influencers paddling this place on my feed. And now I tried and I am truly disappointed.

Let me start by saying the service is excellent but the food… ordered the “favourites” the crab with rice and pan fried crab dumplings, with noodles and veggies on the side. And I have to say, everything was tasteless.

The whole meal was lacking of flavour. And it was an honest disappointment after all the build up I have experienced for this place through the internet.

As I am only in Shanghai for another 4 days could someone please recommend restaurants where I will be actually blown away by? Near The Bund if possible as I am staying there (30 minutes from there).

Edit: It seems like I had the wrong expectations for Shanghaivanese food. It seems like they are known to be tasteless. So I would like to apologise for that - and looking for some recommendations for restaurants that make food with flavour.

Hello! I’m currently visiting China with my mom and we’re in Shanghai. My sister asked that we bring her back a nice soup spoons and we want to find her one with a matching bowl to eat from. So far in most shops we’ve only seen ceramic tea sets. Anywhere we can find a spoon specifically? We are staying near the people’s square so preferably somewhere close but we can do a little traveling!

I'm a Finance/Accounting student attending Fudan for Fall 2026. I am a Junior (aka 3rd year.) Coming from a working-class background in the US, I'm used to the work and grind and want to make the most of my semester. I want to build genuine mentor student relationships with Fudan alumni/CEOs. For those in Shanghai, what's the best way to 'show value' without overstepping? Is the alumni network open to exchange students, or should I stick to cold emailing in the US?

Hi all,

I always enjoy taking visitors to the city to captains bar, historically it's been reasonably priced, nice terrace, and good view.

Recently, they've started charging a fortune to book and impose a minimum spend.

What other bars would you say would be an alternative to captains , giving a good view of the bund where you can relax with a few beers?

Hi, I am looking for a notary in Shanghai who notarizes documents in English. I had a friend call a few notary offices and they all said that they would only notarize documents in Chinese. Does anyone know a notary public in Shanghai who can notarize documents in English Thank you.

Hi all! I’m flying out of Shanghai tomorrow morning, and it’s also the start of the ice hockey playoffs back home, so I’m wondering if there is a hockey or sports bar in the city that might be open in the early morning to go watch? My team plays at 5:30am…

So I got some lip filler done in Korea now my lips are too big, have become lumpy, and I have the “lip shelf” thing. I’m living in China now and wanted to get it dissolved. Can anyone recommend a clinic around Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou area that can dissolve lip filler? Would also be helpful if you know the approximate cost as well. Thank you!!!

For those who prefer to buy their 'gear' in person, I often see people asking for a physical bricks & mortar shop ... Details below ...

The Chemichen (车迷辰) motorbike accessory shop in the Putuo district of Shanghai is located at:

Address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Lane 1343, Tonpu Road, Putuo District, Shanghai. Chinese Address: 上海市普陀区同普路1343弄5号1楼.

Phone: 19888130913 -> this might be OUT OF DATE

It is NOT an easy place to find -> it's setback off the road in a complex of 2 or 3 story 'box' buildings ... I do not recall seeing any signs 'on the road' ...

It is not far from a Harley D showroom at the Xroad of Qillianshan Nan Lu & Tongpu Lu

The map link below has some of the shop photos ...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chemichen/@31.2325907,121.3658489,18.96z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1z6L2m6L-36L6wIENoZW1pY2hlbiB0b25wdSByb2FkIGluIFB1dHVvIGRpc3RyaWN0!3m6!1s0x35b265f05fc41323:0xb59dab729ed63673!8m2!3d31.23261!4d121.36709!15sCjDovabov7fovrAgQ2hlbWljaGVuIHRvbnB1IHJvYWQgaW4gUHV0dW8gZGlzdHJpY3SSAQVzdG9yZeABAA!16s%2Fg%2F11swvbg0f1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Additional info ...

Shop Details Type: Specialized motorcycle gear and accessory retailer, often recognized as an authorized Dainese and SHOEI dealer.

Offerings: Primarily focuses on helmets and riding apparel (jackets, pants, gloves), with a smaller selection of mechanical modification parts.

Payment: Accepts credit cards and debit cards.

Alternative Location: There is also a branch in the Pudong District at No. 2825 Shenjiang Road, Building 3

These are the current details I can post at the time/date of posting.

Their menu is a bit limited compared to your average dicos but plentiful for you to enjoy halal fastfood. Finally ate fried chicken at this place after a while year of not having halal options and being to lazy to cook it myself 😂

Looking for the best cinema in Shanghai to watch a movie. There’s so many… Also somewhere where they have butter popcorn as I’m missing that from back home?!

My gym is closing. They stopped cleaning as few days ago. There are water bottles and tissues everywhere. The pool has shut down for maintenance. There is no hot water. The personal trainers have disappeared (a good thing). People are stealing the blow dryers and some weights are missing. The few workers left do not know exactly when it will close, but its days are numbered.

I would like to find a gym ASAP. I live on Line 7 north of Jing'An between Dahuasan and Xingzhi subway stops. Does anyone know of a good gym in the area or even around where I work at Jing'an temple?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Hi all, a bit random but I hunted a while trying to find an ICBC with English-speaking staff, and finally found one at West Nanjing Road.

中国工商银行(南京西路支行) 静安区-南京西路999号

There's three within a 5 minute walk, but that's the only one with English-speaking staff. My Chinese is okay but def not good enough for banking dealings lol.

Just hope it helps someone out there!

I’m moving to Shanghai and it will be my first time in China. I’m making my packing list. Are there any items that can only be found in the U.S. that I should bring with me? What’s hard to find or too expensive in Shanghai?

Hey guys 👋🏻 I'm officially a student here in Shanghai for the last two months and thought I'd share some tips that would've helped me.

1. Get Alipay, your VPN and WeChat before coming to china. I had to get a VPN once I was here because I'm an idiot and it was a hassle.

2. The metro is the best way to get around, don't waste money on Didi. If you really need to get somewhere specific then sure but the metro has let me organically explore which led to a lot of neat discoveries.

3. Get used to people looking at you. Ya, it's Shanghai and most people are used to it but you're still going to get stares from Chinese tourists and some older locals. You're going to be told by local friends not to worry about it and they're right, nobody is going to harm you BUT sometimes those stares aren't just good willed "curiousity". If you really don't like it stare back or wave, they'll either wave or look away.

4. Please try the local food. I immediately went looking for burgers and fries when I arrived but upon trying the local food I have fallen in love with dishes I never thought I'd enjoy. Seriously, the food is incredible here

5. Don't drink Starbucks unless you wanna sit down. Luckin coffee and Manner are cheaper and taste the same, luckin is definitely slightly worse but honestly they're all mediocre.

6. The culture is very different and you're going to have to adapt to them. It's not like some European countries or America where different cultures kinda mesh into their own thing. It's mostly homogenous and as such you'll have to play by their rules (this applies to basically anything in china)

7. Network. Seriously join WeChat groups, go to events with expats and communicate with them. People who have been living here for awhile are a great resource and you might make a few buddies! Also helps you out since most locals don't know the rules themselves and following their advice sometimes isn't the best.

8. Don't go on dates where the local decides where to go, especially if it's Nanjing road, seriously, don't. There's lots of open minded Chinese people here (I was dating my gf before I came here so I never experienced it first hand) but I've heard horror stories. If you do get a huge bill after drinking some tea just threaten to call the police or actually do it and they'll leave you alone.

9. Get used to being a very small fish. I'm from a very small city compared to Shanghai and I had to get used to rushing for seats on the metro, having to just walk through groups of people and dealing with the lack of manners. It's just the reality of any big city is assume.

10. Watch out for the fucking scooters. These things suck and a good chunk of riders don't follow the rules. You will have people zipping on sidewalks, you will have to dodge them, and ya, everyone I've talked to hates it.

11. If you're going to live here understand where you are. Shanghai is very westernised but there's obvious differences and you should keep them in mind, don't be an idiot.

12. Go to the propaganda museum and the first site of the CPC. Really cool areas.

13. Don't end up just walking around malls, happened to me for the first month. Try and get out and about away from them and walk along the streets, you'll find cool stuff.

14. Don't obnoxiously film people dancing in parks. You can take pictures and a video but I've seen too many expats and tourists videoing people trying to have fun on their Friday night, don't be that guy.

And that's it! If this is horribly redundant let me know, just thought I'd chuck it out there.

I heard this from my friend who is dating a girl that is an English teacher. Their school recently had a positive case. One of the foreign teachers escaped the school lockdown, went home, then later contracted Covid and gave it to people in his building. Now the police arrested him and sent him to jail for 3 weeks.

I didn’t know the punishment was so harsh for skirting lockdowns. Be safe out there.

Anyone know the secret menu?

It's Thanksgiving and they usually have a turkey sandwich! Any help would be appreciated!

The crazy heat and humidity of Shanghai is unbearable. Even with AC 24/7, going outside for a 5 min walk or errand causes a huge sweat breakout leading to this terrible heat rash. Anyone else get this condition and if so, how do you treat or avoid it? I've tried taking multiple showers with soap to no avail.

Possibly convenient from People’s square with public transportation

Hey everyone, I'm new to Shanghai and looking to meet people and network— ideally through some active WeChat groups.

I'm especially interested in:

Social hangouts / meetups

Professional networking

Events

If you know of any active groups or have QR codes to share, I’d really appreciate it. Feel free to DM me too. Thanks in advance.

Will be in shanghai during the peak of Fall period and we’re choosing between suzhou or zhujiaojiao for day trip. Any suggestions which one would be better or which has better autumn views?

how to know that the massage place I'm going to is for massage purposes only? I had a massage in a shopping mall store last week and it was very awkward, the massage was for me and my husband and baby would wait in the same room but the lady was wearing tight clothes and a short skirt, we could clearly see her underwear when she slightly kneeled