The following are some aspects that you often encounter when traveling in Shanghai. I will elaborate on it with the personal experience of a Shanghainese. I hope I can help you.
1. Take the bus: A foreigner who just came to Shanghai once complained to me that no one ever gave up his seat on the bus or subway in Shanghai, and he was deeply moved. Shanghai is a big city with a long route. As working young people, they sometimes take the retrograde route to the terminal to find a seat by bus or subway, just to find a vacant seat. It's a hard day's work, and no one wants to go home standing.
Buses in Shanghai are quite humanized. At the terminal, there are often two waiting platforms for passengers to choose from. "Stand in a row" and "Sit in a row". When the bus comes, it is generally allowed to queue up first and then queue up, under the supervision of the administrator. If you want to have a seat, just stand in the queue, which will ensure that you have a seat. The disadvantage is that only about 30 people are allowed to queue at a time, which means waiting for the next bus. Then, if an elderly or pregnant woman doesn't want to wait for the bus, but also has seats, she will queue up and someone will give way after getting on the bus, which violates the "rules of the game". Such people are generally despised by Shanghai locals. Therefore, if outsiders understand this situation, they can understand the problem of bus seats.
2. Asking for directions: The roads in Shanghai are really winding. Unlike the cities in the north, the roads are all straight. It often takes a lot of time to find a place, not to mention outsiders, even Shanghai locals often ask for directions. It can be said that Shanghainese will encounter the situation of asking and being asked for directions every day.
Some friends also complained to me that Shanghainese are unreasonable and often ignore people who ask for directions from other places. There are actually many reasons for this phenomenon.
Once I met a stranger who asked for directions. I ignored him and hurried by. Let me describe it. When I was walking on the road that day, suddenly a big face appeared in front of me, but I didn't react. Then I shouted, "Hey, how can I get to the Cao Bao Road subway?" To be honest, it really scared me at that time. So get out of here. So, why should I tell you? That man will definitely think I am arrogant, but I don't know if he has considered whether his behavior will scare me.
Asking for directions is actually a science. Who to ask and how to ask are really worth studying. Due to special reasons, Shanghai has its particularity compared with other cities. I'll talk about this later. Let me explain why he was not answered.
In fact, the reason is very simple. First, his attitude is too arrogant. Second, he scares me. So I can't bear to talk to him. There are too many foreigners in Shanghai, and there are all kinds of people. Who knows if you are robbing or what, but I usually get the right answer when I ask the way, because I will pay attention to the following points.
When asking for directions, you'd better keep a certain distance from the person being asked. At least you should give the other person a feeling that you are not a bad person. Keeping a certain distance is a good indication that you are not malicious, just asking for directions. Secondly, before asking, it is better to add some polite expressions such as "excuse me", "excuse me" and "host". All these can make the other person recognize your behavior. Third, we must be clear about the location so as not to cause trouble.
What kind of people are more effective? For example, just getting off the train station will definitely make people dizzy and at a loss. Then ask who? People are running around in the square, which is obviously incorrect. People have just arrived in Shanghai or are ready to get on the bus. Who wants to talk to you? I usually ask the traffic coordinator and the square police. This is the most effective. If you are still wandering around the railway station, the best questioner is the ticket inspector who checks in when leaving the station. If you are in the subway, the staff in the subway are also good questioners. Some platform exits of Shanghai Metro exceed 10 (such as People's Square). Asking the subway staff is the best choice.
The correct way to ask for directions. Many newcomers to Shanghai don't know the habits of Shanghainese. Always ask for directions and report directly to a place, such as "How to get to Hengshan Building?" Few people can answer this question. Because it is impossible for Shanghainese to know which building it is. Because there are really too many buildings in Shanghai.
The correct way to ask is this: give me an intersection, such as how to get to Guilin Road on Yishan Road, or how to get to Yan 'an West Road and Wanping Road. Shanghai is a roundabout place. Yan 'an West Road is quite long, but there is a road with abscissa. Tell two Ma Lukou of longitude and latitude, and someone will tell you the correct method. This method is also effective when taking a taxi, which can avoid detours.
Say thank you to those who have helped you. This usually happens at the subway ticket office. Many subways in Shanghai do not sell tickets by hand, but by machine. Many foreigners, who can't use it, stand at the ticket booth and worry. I have encountered this situation many times, and I usually take the initiative to help him buy tickets. Sometimes I am really anxious to wait (a foreigner has been tossing 12 minutes). But to be honest, China people really seldom say "thank you" to me, while foreigners say "thank you" almost 100%. Actually, it's normal not to know how to operate the machine. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not tiring to say thank you when others help you. This is the minimum quality. I hope everyone will say thank you to those who have helped you or given you help. Shanghainese pay more attention to this.
Shanghai is a place that pays attention to order, and queuing has become a habit. People who have lived in Shanghai for a long time will feel this way. Even if you buy a steamed stuffed bun in the morning, you have to queue up. I can't help it There are too many people. Therefore, when you do anything, you must not be blocked, wait in line honestly, and don't break the good habits that have been formed. If it is blocked, even Shanghainese will be scolded, let alone foreigners.
5. Have an inclusive heart. As many people say, Shanghai is already overcrowded, but 60% of the people are foreigners, or even more. Let's put ourselves in others' shoes. If your hometown, or your hometown, one day you open the door, people walking in the street and cars running on the road are all from other places. what do you think? Will you accept it? What's more, many people are not of high quality. Will you have no resentment? So Shanghainese are a little disgusted, so we should be tolerant. After all, the shortage of urban resources will lead to conflicts between locals and outsiders, which is also the law of urban development. Have an inclusive heart.
6. In fact, many people who look down on foreigners are foreigners themselves. This is a bit of a detour. Tell me. Once I went to the Chenghuang Temple and saw a hand warmer in front of a shop. I am curious. There are many foreigners doing business in Chenghuang Temple, so I said "What is this" to the little girl in the shop in Mandarin. The little girl said it was xx. When I picked it up, she suddenly stopped me and said in Shanghai, "Don't move until you buy it." Obviously, she treated me like a foreigner and pretended to be from Shanghai. As a result, I scolded her in Shanghai dialect. A foreigner looks down on you, how can you expect Shanghainese to respect you? This also shows that "the people who speak Shanghai dialect are probably foreigners, and maybe your hometown people look down on you."