Shanghai vs Beijing - advice needed

great_lakes_mom
Wed, 04 Jun 2014 13:39:34 +0000

Can’t you extend your trip and spend a chunk of time in Beijing after the program? Taking the train between the two would be interesting regardless. Learning is the point of these programs, and is a once in a lifetime chance. Hanging out in a nice place is fine (assuming that Tianjin is nice, but it will certainly be sweltering, and may be another faceless rebuilt new city), but what do you really get out of it?

Yes, Beijing is fascinating, but so is Shanghai. I don’t know Tianjin, but have been to Beijing and Shanghai. There is a great deal of cutting edge architecture in Shanghai, but there are also old neighborhoods where life is far different than what you’d see in a western city. Plus, the day trips, or weekend trips to nearby cities like Suzhou, and Hangzhou can be glimpses into smaller cities with an interesting history.