"The list must have been made by a foreigner." This was the common reaction of people on hearing that Shanghai was listed at No. 8 among 23 cities for its "friendliness".

Shanghai Star reporters carried out a small survey on the subject of "friendliness", testing one of the items listed by the American scientist who drew up the list.

Stamped and addressed letters were dropped, as if unintentionally, to see whether people would help to mail them.

Within 20 minutes after dropping one letter, the reporters returned and found, to their great surprise, that the envelope had been opened - and the 60 fen stamp stolen.

Prejudice against people from any other place in China, selfishness, lack of public morality and turning a cold shoulder towards others. Such were the most common complaints among Chinese about Shanghai people.

"A non-local got on the wrong bus. The woman conductor shouted at him loudly," said a woman who has been in the city for nearly three years. "Shanghai locals have this deeply-rooted disdain toward non-locals.

"They treat foreigners with great kindness because they admire everything from foreign countries."

Public fight

It is said that, Shanghainese believe people from any other place but Shanghai are "clod-hoppers", and there is no place as wonderful as Shanghai in all of China - Beijing is just the capital.

Shanghai used to be known for its over-packed public transport system. Officials could not even figure out how so many people could be packed into one bus in the 1980s. Although the situation has greatly improved, Shanghai people still keep the tradition of the "over-packed" era.

"They are good at grabbing seats on the bus," said an immigrant man, "especially middle-aged women." It is difficult to get a seat on the bus or Metro because Shanghainese are very unwilling to give up their seats to others.

A pregnant woman once saw two young people occupying the special seats for "the elderly, sick, weak, pregnant and those holding babies." She challenged them to give up the seat and received a highly surprised look.

"Someone seated beside them gave his seat to me," recalled the woman, "but I still want healthy young people to leave these seats reserved for those in need."

Turning a cold shoulder towards others signifies Shanghai people's emphasis on personal space. But in crowded conditions, they often show no respect for others' personal space. Sometimes fights break out on public transport for this reason.

A woman bumped into another on the subway during the morning rush hours. A quarrel started and became more heated until the younger of the two threw her bag at the older one. The older woman reacted quickly and took off one of her sandals, beating the other heavily with it. Toughness is also a renowned characteristic of Shanghai women besides their beauty and delicacy.

Peggy Lu is an immigrant woman in Shanghai with a local boyfriend. When the two take the subway together, Lu often helps non-locals to use the subway ticket in the correct way. Her boyfriend doesn't approve. "I would tell him: 'You don't understand that a stranger in town will meet with all kinds of difficulties. They need your help'."

Bessie Zhang, a woman visiting Shanghai said that everyone says that his hometown is the most friendly place in the world. "That is because as a local, he is not excluded. Every place has prejudice against non-locals," she said.

Maybe Shanghai built its exclusive reputation partly because the city hosts more immigrants than any other place in China.

(Shanghai Star   October 08, 2003)