Shanghai - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Nothing overt, just this undercurrent that's always there. Men and women get along OK. The women are way more together than the men who seem to spend every waking moment playing video games. - Nov 2020
Not that I am aware of. - Oct 2016
More racial than anything. Religion doesn't come up. Gender isn't so much of an issue unless you are strongly against traditional stereotypes. Race is huge for the Chinese. The darker the skin, the worse it is. That said, you do find more sophisticated opinions here than in many (read: most) Chinese cities. - Dec 2014
Shanghai is pretty cosmopolitan and has a lot of foreigners, so people are much more accustomed to seeing people of different races and backgrounds, though if you leave the big city, expect a lot of staring and unsolicited photo-taking if you don't look Asian. I've heard that black people can face job discrimination and sometimes unkind/insensitive comments, but those comments tend to be out of ignorance/curiosity rather than malice. China is a bit more conservative than the West when it comes to gender roles (women are expected to live at home with their parents until marriage), but there are quite a lot of female CEOs and working women, and I've met a lot of Chinese women who proudly identify as feminists, so you shouldn't have too many problems if you're a woman. Though if you go to the countryside, be ready to be asked about your marital status and nosy questions about why you're still single, especially if you're older than 18 or so. - Aug 2014
Yes, Shanghai-nese have the reputation for looking down on anyone who is not from Shanghai. It is hard to meet and befriend locals, because most of them are just not interested. - Aug 2011
None that I am aware of. - Dec 2010
No. - Jul 2010
People from the countryside are looked down upon as uncouth, and some don't like the "lao wai" (westerners/outsiders). But by and large, Shanghai is a pretty cosmopolitan place that is pretty accepting. Religious tolerance is a trickier issue. There are many churches in Shanghai open to Westerners, but there are controls on local practice of religion, and of Western prosthelytization. - Feb 2009
Some people might stare, but nothing too abrasive. - Jun 2008
