Which is better? Shanghai or Beijing? Which two cities should I compare next? Also, please check out my new Compared series mug: matt-beat-shop.fourthwall.com/products/compared-series-mug
To understand China in the past 100 years, visit Shanghai To understand China in the past 1000 years visit Beijing To understand China in the past 5000 years visit Xi'An
As the poem goes “若问古今兴废事，请君只看洛阳城。”.Xi'An is much more famous but there is another city that you shouldn't have missed ，LuoYang，if you want to understand China's history。
Clarity on Chongqing for anyone curious: It was separated from Sichuan province to accelerate its growth as it is SURROUNDED by mountainous terrain, with the total administrative population is about 30m. However, according to the Chinese census, only 16m lives in a continuous urbanized area, on par with Guangzhou, which is far richer considering it's advantageous geographical position. Chongqing has made great progress, but has ways to go. The urbanization process is long, with only 9m urbanized as of the last census. The rise of Chongqing as a key Chinese city should be an interesting watch over the coming years.
Chongqing was the home of the American Volunteer Group aka Flying Tigers, from 1940 until USA officially went to war with Japan. As more US forces (mainly air assets) made the airfield outside Chongqing their home, it also became the northern/eastern terminus for the "over the Hump" flights which were crucial in resupplying the Nationalist Army until the Burma Road could be opened again towards the end of WW2. So the city has a past as well as a future. Happy New Year, everbody!
Having been to both Beijing and Shanghai, I must say I enjoyed Shanghai more as a tourist. Shanghai seems friendlier and a more organic city; Beijing feels very structured and systematic, like everyone was in a hurry.
What? If you're a tourist and can only choose one city you should definetly go to Beijing instead of Shanghai. Beijing is the real traditional China and has more than 1000 years of history. Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, the Hutongs, everything is in Beijing, Shanghai is amazing too but it's a modern and business city. More cosmopolitan than Beijing, but if you're a tourist wants to see traditional China you should choose Beijing first.
Shanghai is very cosmopolitan like Paris of the east and Beijing is the political centre with lots of government buildings and institutions and international organisations.
Been to Beijing three years ago, and man, lots of stuff to explore there. Went to Suzhou by bullet train five days later, and visiting the so-called "Oriental Venice" was magical
Great comparison choice Mr. Beat! As a "lao wai" (foreigner) who lived in both cities (BJ from '06-'10, SH from '11-'14), I can tell you you've done a great job. A couple of other insights.... As a foreigner, if you want to learn about China and Chinese culture and how to speak Mandarin, BJ is definitely the place to go. Their Mandarin is much more pure as is their cultural perspective. If you want to have fun and have a great nightlife, SH is a bit better (but BJ still no slouch there either!). Btw, Mr. Beat, in Shanghai it's really only old folks who speak Shanghainese. I'm guessing most people living there are not "original" Shanghai people, hence Mandarin is spoken everywhere in SH. Lastly, while BJ has a lot more history, as you alluded, SH from an architectural standpoint has much more of their more near-term historical architecture preserved, and it's definitely a much prettier city. I think a lot of stuff got ripped up during Mao's various "phases" in the 50's and 60's in BJ. Personally, I enjoyed living in BJ more, but barely more than SH; they both were a blast!
Ironically,most of the traditional architectures in Beijing were swept out after reform and opening up for the economic development,not in cultural revolution. it happened and is happening through whole China,which makes me sad😓
Cool video!! Here are some more possible comparisons for 2022 that come to mind: - Hong Kong vs Singapore - Australia vs New Zealand - India vs Indonesia - Britain vs France - Norway vs Sweden - Belarus vs Ukraine - Baltic’s (Lithuania vs Latvia vs Estonia) - Italy vs Greece - The Guineas (Papua New Guinea vs Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau vs Equatorial Guinea) - Slovakia vs Slovenia
I'll let you in on a little secret: Shanghai is the coldest city in the world. How can that be, you ask? Surely it's quite far south and has a mild, oceanic climate? Well, it can be because Mao. When Mao and the communists decided they needed to equip China with central heating, they were a bit short of cash, so they thought, let's save money by only equipping China NORTH OF THE YANGTZE with central heating. Guess who's just a tiny bit south of the Yangtze? Shanghai. And, being near the ocean, the winters are exceptionally humid and, yes, cold. Not cold in any way that would be a problem if you had proper heating but, yeah, you don't. Inside is basically as cold as outside in Shanghai. People sit in restaurants and libraries in their overcoats. The only place I found mildly tolerable in the Shanghai winter without my overcoat on was in my bed. It was horrible.
Maybe. Wuhan, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Nanjing are usually colder in the winter than Shanghai. Hangzhou is completely south of Yangtze, and the southern sides of Wuhan, Chongqing, and Nanjing were also quite cold.
not true. the division is at the 0 degrees isotherm, or QinLing Mountains-HuaiHe River line. Shanghai isn't the coldest, it is not the most north city of non-central heating and it nears the sea, which are warmer than the cities inland. Also, air conditioning and underfloor heating everywhere.
I enjoyed this video a lot. I spent several weeks in Shanghai in 2003 (as part of a project to build a new data center) and then again in 2007 (to implement a major software upgrade). I had a lot of free time while I was there and spent much of it just wandering around. I never got the chance to go up to Bejing though.
I've lived in Beijing for the last three years. This was interesting to watch, especially with the expat communities from BJ and SH having this friendly "rivalry". Oh, and the sand storms are no joke 🥲
Great video Mr. Beat!!! I suggest you to compare "Belfast" with "Dublin". I love your compared series! It's one of my favorite series alongside Presidential Elections series! Anyways, Happy New Year Mr. Beat and keep up the great content! You are *OUR* Favourite UA-camr.
As someone learning Mandarin you did well with most pronunciations, the only thing is the “ZH” makes a J sound, so the “Zhou Dynasty” is pronounced like “the Joe Dynasty”.
Yep, I had a physics professor in college called Dr. Zhou. On the first day he introduced himself as “Dr. Joe” which profoundly confused me at first until I learned that’s how you pronounce it.
I mean, the high speed rail system isn't intended to be directly profitable. It's more about the social and economic benefits. Like the interstate highway system in the US.
I’ve never been to Beijing. But I traveled to Shanghai in 2018 for 2 weeks with my job, and must say that I was a lot more pleasantly surprised by the experience than I thought I would be. I’m not much of an international traveler, so the idea of going to a place so culturally different from where I’m from seemed quite intimidating. Once I got there however, I liked it a lot. The air quality isn’t great. But as mentioned in the video, is supposedly far better than it was a decade ago. You frequently see a little smog hovering near the tops of tall buildings, especially early in the day. But other than that and getting used to a little bit of a smell outside, you pretty much forget about it. The language barrier can certainly tough for a westerner, as English is not nearly as widely spoken there as one might assume it would be for such a modern, global city (its nothing like it is finding English speakers in European countries). It is definitely doable though if you learn where to look for people who speak/understand it. In my experience, this was the staff at major hotels. Cab drivers…forget it. If you don’t speak Chinese, the only way you’re getting around by cab is to have your hotel make you little cards with your intended destinations on them to hand to drivers. This system works pretty well, albeit a lot easier when you need to go to the same place each day. Overall it was a very cool experience that I would recommend. Yu Garden (aka Yuyuwan Garden) and the Bund are a must-see. The local food scene is also amazing. If nothing else, try the famous local Shanghai soup dumplings (filled with various hot soups). They are sold all over the place there, delicious, and are basically non-existent in the US. The underground black market shops there are another cool thing to try if you want to find some incredibly good knock-off items at extremely cheap prices (I got a large knock-off Swiss Army Suitcase for 75 Renminbi (about $12 US), and an awesome high-powered laser pointer for 180 Renminbi (about $29). “Technically” these shops are illegal. But from what I understand, the government basically just looks the other way because they pull in a massive amount of foreign cash. Just be prepared to be hounded non-stop by sellers from the moment you enter to the moment you leave if you look like a westerner, as they will automatically assume you have a wad of cash to spend.
As a Shanghainese, I'm glad that you kinda enjoy Shanghai. And its true that the air quality is much better than a decade earlier when masks were essential for half of the time of a year due to PM2.5 pollutants(tiny dusts).
@@whoareyou9218 Yeah I’d agree. At least some of the basics. My problem was that even though I knew some of the basic conversational words, my ability to properly pronounce the tones was horrendous.
Here are some ideas to compare next (some of these may have already been done) - Moscow and St. Petersburg - Guangzhou and Chongqing - Wellington and Auckland - Kolkata and Chennai - Karachi and Lahore - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - Laos and Cambodia - Viet Nam and Thailand - Malaysia and Indonesia - Paraguay and Uruguay
Shanghai's climate and topography is very similar to Wilmington, NC. The region Shanghai is in, Jiangnan, has rolling hills, mountains, rivers, and a climate resembling the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Jiangnan was also a cotton and textile center in ancient times, just like North Carolina.
Dust storms get rarer because of the massive anti-desertification effects that China made over 40 years. Effectively eating desert by planting millions of trees. From what I hear the dust storm last year came from Mongolia.
Great video! Couple minor notes: Probably worth mentioning the Grand Canal, which links up to Beijing. This is a huge reason why it had so much population, because being able to ship food in calm waters through multiple regions means you're far less vulnerable to food insecurity. Also while the Great Wall is really impressive, it's really the Grand Canal that sustained much of China's populace. Very underappreciated wonder of the world. The Palace Museum of the Forbidden City is just "Gu Gong" which is the chambers inside the Forbidden City. It is just a subset of the Forbidden City - they're fundamentally the same thing, though the difference exists because you need a separate ticket to get into Gu Gong. Beijing is the cultural hub of the last 700 years or so, but if you want the deeper cultural hub you have to go to Xi'an (formerly Chang'an and a bunch of other names). It was so influential, it was the model city for Kyoto, Japan, which was a 1:1 direct copy of the urban layout. Also probably should mention the universities. Beijing is the university city with the top two universities, Beijing University and Tsinghua University, while Shanghai has the fourth, Fudan University. The third is in Hangzhou (Zhejiang University), and that city is one of the primary reasons why Shanghai was not a popular place to settle until the past 100 years or so.
There are so many cities I haven’t heard before like Chongqing. This world is pretty huge (at least at a human perspective) but Shanghai and Beijing are huge. Definitely wouldn’t want to live in a huge city like that me being a suburbanite lol
@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI yeah, only rich people have houses in Shanghai and they're out in the suburbs and not all of them have a backyard. I know one UA-camr on here, Simon Yu, whose parents have a house with a back yard, they must be rather rich. Almost everyone lives in apartments, including many rich as well. One kid I tutored was in an apartment that was like the presidential suite of some hotel.
@@cbrtdgh4210 Location matters. An 150m² apartment within the inner ring would be worth like 3 million USD, while a 200 m² twonhouse outside the outer ring would be worth only half as much.
@@iammrbeat I will love that!! A quick tip as Kiwis and Aussie love each other to bits but we also hate each other at the same time we both come to each others aid if we need help but when it come to Rugby both aw national sports we fight tooth to nail at each other then after we all just lay back and have a beer with one and other!! Cant wait :D
Did you know Shanghai and the Yangtze delta region, including Zhejiang, used to be the only other location in the world to have alligators other than the US? Don't expect it to be anything like Florida though! You wont see any alligators, nor nice beaches, villas nor is the climate even as nice! Hainan or Fujian are more like China's Florida.
Alligators also exist throughout most of the Americas, also China was the only other country to have paddlefish, sadly the giant Chinese paddle fish went extinct not too long ago.
Feels good learning more about these 2 Chinese cities...... I think u should compare 2 cities in the Caribbean. U haven't touched that region yet.....or countries....notably Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Or probably Cape Town with Johannesburg in South Africa. Compare also Miami with Fort Lauderdale
Wonderful Video, as always! I have been lucky enough to visit both cities ten years ago, and you’re spot-on with the similarities and differences. The rate at which Shanghai has continued to develop astounds me, for example, the Jin Mao and Shanghai towers weren’t even under construction yet when I’d visited. Overall, there is a noticeable shift in influence and culture between the two cities. The closest comparison I can make is that they reminded me of Washington DC and NYC respectively. Beijing did not seem to have a huge nightlife scene, not much was open around midnight, mostly streetlights on late at night; whereas Shanghai seemed to have no shortage of a visible nightlife scene. Lights were on all over the city, it was colorful and lively during the night; an interesting fact I learned on the trip was that the Government covers the electricity used by Shanghai-not personally sure if that meant Party/Government buildings and businesses only, or if it covered all residential use as well, but it was fascinating…I still imagine their electric bill has to be astronomical.
The electricity bill from all city lighting is heavily subsidized by government. (Not government buildings and businesses only). because it promotes local business(at night), improves urban image and attracts tourists. For residential usage, not covered but also subsidized.
@@user-do2gf3re9x Ah, that helps explain it all, thank you for that information; our guide on that leg of the tour didn’t go that far into detail on the subject-which I’d bet was intentional, but not malicious. It sounds like a good incentive for the city’s rapid expansion before I got there and after.
2:20 I would say their metro systems are much more impressive. Shanghai's is the biggest in the world afaik. 2:35 going by metro population, that can't be true since Tokyo is also a capital.
Ilive in China! . We've been to Shanghai. (I would say it's one of my favorite cities in China) We plan on traveling to Beijing this year to see the sights (and to check out the recently opened Universal Studios Beijing park!) I've been to Shanghai Disneyland and was quite impressed! I am an American by the way. But I agree, if you visit China, these two cities are a must to visit but there are so many other incredible places in the country.
Wow this is really amazing! You must have done a lot of researches about the Chinese history. Even as a Chinese I don't know that much about the history of Beijing.
Hooked after the great Dallas-Houston comparison & we Rockets fans will always remember Yao Ming, "The Great Wall of Houston" & remember how ratings were crazy in China who's fans would stay up to watch the Rockets at our local Texas time🚀🤘🏽
Great comparison. Glad you did a Chinese comparison because it seems like all of the Chinese cities all run into each other if you’re not familiar with them.
Been to both cities multiple times. Shanghai is more modern and impressive but beijing has better history and architecture. Xian is also a nice city. Recommended to visit.
Awesome video sir, Beijing was my home for many years and I will never forget that time of my life. I found myself nodding along with everything you said about it. I'm sure others have already submitted similar comments, but for what it's worth, here are some pronunciations (for modern Beijing Mandarin, without tones, and without IPA, unfortunately, so these transliterations are going to be a bit awkward and weird): Zhou -- pronounced more similarly to "Joe" Yan -- rhymes more closely with "ten" or "tan" than "on" Sui -- sounds much more like "sway" Youzhou -- "Yo, Joe" Zhong -- the pinyin "zh" represents an affricate, more similar to the sound represented by English "j" than the "s" in "measure". So, roughly, "jong". Beijing -- similar to the previous "zh" -- closer to (but not exactly the same as) English "j" (but also not quite the same as the pinyin "zh" in "zhong" but that's another story) Yongle -- closer to "yong--luh" Again, none of these are exact, and I'm sure are different in other Sinitic languages and Mandarin dialects, but they are how I say them while speaking English.
“That air of electric tension, of a great city on the edge of an abyss, is more noticeable than ever at the White Russian cabaret called, not inappropriately, "New York." You wouldn't know you were in China. An almond-eyed platinum-blonde has just finished wailing, with a Mott Street accent, "You're gonna lose your gal." ("Jane Brown's Body")” ― Cornell Woolrich,
Thank you for doing this video. It's pretty hard to find videos on Chimes subjects that does not become some form of flame warfare sorts. Thank you for much appreciation of doing this video. Also Happy New Year to you Mr. Beat and your family hope all is well and most of all these days stay safe.
A comparison of Beijing and Shanghai turns into a rush course of Chinese history and culture. Great job! I would say most of your pronunciation is ok, except that Yongle should be separated into Yong(永)-Le(乐), not yon-gle. Also the vowel in Youzhou sounds more like "OH."
Warm wishes on New Year to all of our wonderful and very special friend. ❤ May you have a meaningful and successful year 2022 that brings you many joys and great big smiles! 😁
its a good day when a history teacher uploads this video. i quite like beijing and shanghai because it looks familiar and pretty good place to live in. oh and make a comparison between the Philippines and the Spanish. edit: happy new year mr beat! :))
Tampa and Miami compared. Memphis and Nashville compared. London and Washington DC compared. Atlantic and Pacific Oceans compared Indianapolis and Cincinnati compared.
Thanks for the short Chinese history lesson. I visited Beijing four times total in 07 and 13 and also Xi'an city. It was a great experience and one that should be added to your bucket list for sure. Miss it much and the friends I had there.
Which is better? Shanghai or Beijing? Which two cities should I compare next?
Also, please check out my new Compared series mug: matt-beat-shop.fourthwall.com/products/compared-series-mug
Chicago and New York City
@@migaloo364 have you see seen Singapore? Lol
Duluth MN and Los Angeles
You should compare Cleveland Ohio, Erie Pa, and Buffalo Ny.
@@migaloo364 Well of course. Hong Kong might make a great capital city of the world, the more I think about it.
Moscow and Saint Petersburg next would be cool.
Great suggestion!
Possibly Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen next? (Not sure if three cities at once is too much detail)
I second this
@james oh yes "compere a bull"
You mean stalingrad
To understand China in the past 100 years, visit Shanghai
To understand China in the past 1000 years visit Beijing
To understand China in the past 5000 years visit Xi'An
As the poem goes “若问古今兴废事，请君只看洛阳城。”.Xi'An is much more famous but there is another city that you shouldn't have missed ，LuoYang，if you want to understand China's history。
To understand China in the past 40 years, visit Shenzhen
Clarity on Chongqing for anyone curious:
It was separated from Sichuan province to accelerate its growth as it is SURROUNDED by mountainous terrain, with the total administrative population is about 30m. However, according to the Chinese census, only 16m lives in a continuous urbanized area, on par with Guangzhou, which is far richer considering it's advantageous geographical position. Chongqing has made great progress, but has ways to go. The urbanization process is long, with only 9m urbanized as of the last census. The rise of Chongqing as a key Chinese city should be an interesting watch over the coming years.
Thanks, Hunter!
Chongqing was the home of the American Volunteer Group aka Flying Tigers, from 1940 until USA officially went to war with Japan. As more US forces (mainly air assets) made the airfield outside Chongqing their home, it also became the northern/eastern terminus for the "over the Hump" flights which were crucial in resupplying the Nationalist Army until the Burma Road could be opened again towards the end of WW2. So the city has a past as well as a future.
Happy New Year, everbody!
In addition, Chongqing is about the size of Austria or Ireland.
I may actually visit Chongqing in a few weeks! Thanks for this!
Deng Xiaoping was a product of incest.
Having been to both Beijing and Shanghai, I must say I enjoyed Shanghai more as a tourist. Shanghai seems friendlier and a more organic city; Beijing feels very structured and systematic, like everyone was in a hurry.
country's capital i guess
@@mustafaamiri3277 though, me being in London was pretty fun, with places like the natural history of museum and hamley’s.
What? If you're a tourist and can only choose one city you should definetly go to Beijing instead of Shanghai. Beijing is the real traditional China and has more than 1000 years of history. Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, the Hutongs, everything is in Beijing, Shanghai is amazing too but it's a modern and business city. More cosmopolitan than Beijing, but if you're a tourist wants to see traditional China you should choose Beijing first.
Totally opposite
Shanghai is very cosmopolitan like Paris of the east and Beijing is the political centre with lots of government buildings and institutions and international organisations.
I did Chinese history/geography in school once; personally I find it really fascinating. I should defo recommend this to them!
Every college I went to didn't even offer a Chinese course! All I got was Eastern Civilization. I do hope to make many more. :)
@@iammrbeat sounds great!
I was gonna get to learn about ancient China in my history class but we ran out of time due to changes in scheduling in my middle school 😔
@Josh B true, fitting in China’s rich history in an Eastern Civilization class doesn’t do it justice.
@@iammrbeat Use Metric!
Been to Beijing three years ago, and man, lots of stuff to explore there.
Went to Suzhou by bullet train five days later, and visiting the so-called "Oriental Venice" was magical
Great comparison choice Mr. Beat! As a "lao wai" (foreigner) who lived in both cities (BJ from '06-'10, SH from '11-'14), I can tell you you've done a great job. A couple of other insights.... As a foreigner, if you want to learn about China and Chinese culture and how to speak Mandarin, BJ is definitely the place to go. Their Mandarin is much more pure as is their cultural perspective. If you want to have fun and have a great nightlife, SH is a bit better (but BJ still no slouch there either!). Btw, Mr. Beat, in Shanghai it's really only old folks who speak Shanghainese. I'm guessing most people living there are not "original" Shanghai people, hence Mandarin is spoken everywhere in SH. Lastly, while BJ has a lot more history, as you alluded, SH from an architectural standpoint has much more of their more near-term historical architecture preserved, and it's definitely a much prettier city. I think a lot of stuff got ripped up during Mao's various "phases" in the 50's and 60's in BJ. Personally, I enjoyed living in BJ more, but barely more than SH; they both were a blast!
Thanks for sharing all that. I loved reading it about your perspective and experiences. :)
Ironically,most of the traditional architectures in Beijing were swept out after reform and opening up for the economic development,not in cultural revolution. it happened and is happening through whole China,which makes me sad😓
Love this series. Would be cool to see Buenos Aires and Santiago!
Great suggestion and thank you!
Cool video!! Here are some more possible comparisons for 2022 that come to mind:
- Hong Kong vs Singapore
- Australia vs New Zealand
- India vs Indonesia
- Britain vs France
- Norway vs Sweden
- Belarus vs Ukraine
- Baltic’s (Lithuania vs Latvia vs Estonia)
- Italy vs Greece
- The Guineas (Papua New Guinea vs Guinea vs Guinea-Bissau vs Equatorial Guinea)
- Slovakia vs Slovenia
I'll let you in on a little secret: Shanghai is the coldest city in the world.
How can that be, you ask? Surely it's quite far south and has a mild, oceanic climate? Well, it can be because Mao. When Mao and the communists decided they needed to equip China with central heating, they were a bit short of cash, so they thought, let's save money by only equipping China NORTH OF THE YANGTZE with central heating. Guess who's just a tiny bit south of the Yangtze? Shanghai. And, being near the ocean, the winters are exceptionally humid and, yes, cold. Not cold in any way that would be a problem if you had proper heating but, yeah, you don't. Inside is basically as cold as outside in Shanghai. People sit in restaurants and libraries in their overcoats. The only place I found mildly tolerable in the Shanghai winter without my overcoat on was in my bed. It was horrible.
Great comment, thanks for sharing that
Maybe. Wuhan, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Nanjing are usually colder in the winter than Shanghai. Hangzhou is completely south of Yangtze, and the southern sides of Wuhan, Chongqing, and Nanjing were also quite cold.
not true. the division is at the 0 degrees isotherm, or QinLing Mountains-HuaiHe River line. Shanghai isn't the coldest, it is not the most north city of non-central heating and it nears the sea, which are warmer than the cities inland. Also, air conditioning and underfloor heating everywhere.
I enjoyed this video a lot. I spent several weeks in Shanghai in 2003 (as part of a project to build a new data center) and then again in 2007 (to implement a major software upgrade). I had a lot of free time while I was there and spent much of it just wandering around. I never got the chance to go up to Bejing though.
Very cool that you spent some time there!
I've lived in Beijing for the last three years. This was interesting to watch, especially with the expat communities from BJ and SH having this friendly "rivalry". Oh, and the sand storms are no joke 🥲
Great video Mr. Beat!!!
I suggest you to compare "Belfast" with "Dublin". I love your compared series!
It's one of my favorite series alongside Presidential Elections series!
Anyways, Happy New Year Mr. Beat and keep up the great content!
You are *OUR* Favourite UA-camr.
Wait "our?" :) Happy New Year to you, too, and thanks always for the kind comments.
@@iammrbeat Yup buddy, *OUR* .
Thank you and same to you!
Keep up the great content :)
@@iammrbeat in a way, the Mr. Beat UA-cam channel is OUR channel lol it’s very interactive and fun channel 👍
@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI As it should be interactive! :)
@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI Yeah :D
I’m Chinese and I grew up in Shanghai, so I’m happy to see you cover this :)
Cool
@Kitchen Dungeon bro not all Chinese people live in China
@@Dark-vg9nw chill you ever consider that he might be a kid
@Kitchen Dungeon and yes
@@masupildula Did I insult him? No. Was I mean to him? No. Did I say anything about being rude towards him? No. So? What’s your point?
As someone learning Mandarin you did well with most pronunciations, the only thing is the “ZH” makes a J sound, so the “Zhou Dynasty” is pronounced like “the Joe Dynasty”.
Thank you, and I should have remembered the ZH pronunciation
Hey peter, I have a…dynasty it turns out
@@iammrbeat by the way, its like a j but without the d before it, so like in vision or asia
Isn’t it more at the front of the mouth with a s and t sound like tsow
Yep, I had a physics professor in college called Dr. Zhou. On the first day he introduced himself as “Dr. Joe” which profoundly confused me at first until I learned that’s how you pronounce it.
can't believe you didnt mention train ride time because the high speed rail from beijing to shanghai was like the only one profitable last i heard
I mean, the high speed rail system isn't intended to be directly profitable. It's more about the social and economic benefits. Like the interstate highway system in the US.
HOLY CRAP. I originally meant to but totally forgot. This comment needs more likes. lol
@@icewink7100 fair enough
I’ve never been to Beijing. But I traveled to Shanghai in 2018 for 2 weeks with my job, and must say that I was a lot more pleasantly surprised by the experience than I thought I would be. I’m not much of an international traveler, so the idea of going to a place so culturally different from where I’m from seemed quite intimidating. Once I got there however, I liked it a lot. The air quality isn’t great. But as mentioned in the video, is supposedly far better than it was a decade ago. You frequently see a little smog hovering near the tops of tall buildings, especially early in the day. But other than that and getting used to a little bit of a smell outside, you pretty much forget about it.
The language barrier can certainly tough for a westerner, as English is not nearly as widely spoken there as one might assume it would be for such a modern, global city (its nothing like it is finding English speakers in European countries). It is definitely doable though if you learn where to look for people who speak/understand it. In my experience, this was the staff at major hotels. Cab drivers…forget it. If you don’t speak Chinese, the only way you’re getting around by cab is to have your hotel make you little cards with your intended destinations on them to hand to drivers. This system works pretty well, albeit a lot easier when you need to go to the same place each day.
Overall it was a very cool experience that I would recommend. Yu Garden (aka Yuyuwan Garden) and the Bund are a must-see. The local food scene is also amazing. If nothing else, try the famous local Shanghai soup dumplings (filled with various hot soups). They are sold all over the place there, delicious, and are basically non-existent in the US. The underground black market shops there are another cool thing to try if you want to find some incredibly good knock-off items at extremely cheap prices (I got a large knock-off Swiss Army Suitcase for 75 Renminbi (about $12 US), and an awesome high-powered laser pointer for 180 Renminbi (about $29). “Technically” these shops are illegal. But from what I understand, the government basically just looks the other way because they pull in a massive amount of foreign cash. Just be prepared to be hounded non-stop by sellers from the moment you enter to the moment you leave if you look like a westerner, as they will automatically assume you have a wad of cash to spend.
I truly appreciate you sharing about your experiences there, Ryan.
Ngl that one famous dumping restaurant is a bit overrated and overpriced. Should've tried out the other ones nearby that looked better for cheaper
As a Shanghainese, I'm glad that you kinda enjoy Shanghai. And its true that the air quality is much better than a decade earlier when masks were essential for half of the time of a year due to PM2.5 pollutants(tiny dusts).
it should be a good idea to learn Chinese
@@whoareyou9218 Yeah I’d agree. At least some of the basics. My problem was that even though I knew some of the basic conversational words, my ability to properly pronounce the tones was horrendous.
Here are some ideas to compare next (some of these may have already been done)
- Moscow and St. Petersburg
- Guangzhou and Chongqing
- Wellington and Auckland
- Kolkata and Chennai
- Karachi and Lahore
- Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
- Laos and Cambodia
- Viet Nam and Thailand
- Malaysia and Indonesia
- Paraguay and Uruguay
Yeah I've already done Paraguay and Uruguay!
Beijing is a beautiful city, I’ve always wanted to visit. Great video as always too!
Shanghai's climate and topography is very similar to Wilmington, NC. The region Shanghai is in, Jiangnan, has rolling hills, mountains, rivers, and a climate resembling the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Jiangnan was also a cotton and textile center in ancient times, just like North Carolina.
your pronunciation of "yongle" 😂🤣 oh my god that absolutely floored me
dust storms are very very rare. The last one was the only one in a decade. they used to be common when i was young though
Dust storms get rarer because of the massive anti-desertification effects that China made over 40 years. Effectively eating desert by planting millions of trees. From what I hear the dust storm last year came from Mongolia.
Great video! Couple minor notes:
Probably worth mentioning the Grand Canal, which links up to Beijing. This is a huge reason why it had so much population, because being able to ship food in calm waters through multiple regions means you're far less vulnerable to food insecurity. Also while the Great Wall is really impressive, it's really the Grand Canal that sustained much of China's populace. Very underappreciated wonder of the world.
The Palace Museum of the Forbidden City is just "Gu Gong" which is the chambers inside the Forbidden City. It is just a subset of the Forbidden City - they're fundamentally the same thing, though the difference exists because you need a separate ticket to get into Gu Gong.
Beijing is the cultural hub of the last 700 years or so, but if you want the deeper cultural hub you have to go to Xi'an (formerly Chang'an and a bunch of other names). It was so influential, it was the model city for Kyoto, Japan, which was a 1:1 direct copy of the urban layout.
Also probably should mention the universities. Beijing is the university city with the top two universities, Beijing University and Tsinghua University, while Shanghai has the fourth, Fudan University. The third is in Hangzhou (Zhejiang University), and that city is one of the primary reasons why Shanghai was not a popular place to settle until the past 100 years or so.
There are so many cities I haven’t heard before like Chongqing. This world is pretty huge (at least at a human perspective) but Shanghai and Beijing are huge. Definitely wouldn’t want to live in a huge city like that me being a suburbanite lol
To be honest, it's not as different as you'd think than living in a typical suburb. :)
@@iammrbeat true but it is nice having your own backyard and the population is a bit more spread out.
@@PremierCCGuyMMXVI yeah, only rich people have houses in Shanghai and they're out in the suburbs and not all of them have a backyard. I know one UA-camr on here, Simon Yu, whose parents have a house with a back yard, they must be rather rich. Almost everyone lives in apartments, including many rich as well. One kid I tutored was in an apartment that was like the presidential suite of some hotel.
@@cbrtdgh4210 Location matters. An 150m² apartment within the inner ring would be worth like 3 million USD, while a 200 m² twonhouse outside the outer ring would be worth only half as much.
Happy new years mate im from Australia and its 2022 and i can say for the USA the future hear looks GREAT!!
AWESOME. Oh, and look for Australia and New Zealand Compared in a few weeks!
@@iammrbeat I will love that!!
A quick tip as Kiwis and Aussie love each other to bits but we also hate each other at the same time we both come to each others aid if we need help but when it come to Rugby both aw national sports we fight tooth to nail at each other then after we all just lay back and have a beer with one and other!! Cant wait :D
Did you know Shanghai and the Yangtze delta region, including Zhejiang, used to be the only other location in the world to have alligators other than the US?
Don't expect it to be anything like Florida though! You wont see any alligators, nor nice beaches, villas nor is the climate even as nice!
Hainan or Fujian are more like China's Florida.
Alligators also exist throughout most of the Americas, also China was the only other country to have paddlefish, sadly the giant Chinese paddle fish went extinct not too long ago.
@@zakaryloreto6526 really? I thought they were only found in southern Eastern US? I was fascinated with them on my Florida holidays!
Feels good learning more about these 2 Chinese cities...... I think u should compare 2 cities in the Caribbean. U haven't touched that region yet.....or countries....notably Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Or probably Cape Town with Johannesburg in South Africa. Compare also Miami with Fort Lauderdale
Shanghai has Disney World while Universal Studio China is located in Beijing.
I should have brought that up!
Wonderful Video, as always! I have been lucky enough to visit both cities ten years ago, and you’re spot-on with the similarities and differences. The rate at which Shanghai has continued to develop astounds me, for example, the Jin Mao and Shanghai towers weren’t even under construction yet when I’d visited. Overall, there is a noticeable shift in influence and culture between the two cities. The closest comparison I can make is that they reminded me of Washington DC and NYC respectively. Beijing did not seem to have a huge nightlife scene, not much was open around midnight, mostly streetlights on late at night; whereas Shanghai seemed to have no shortage of a visible nightlife scene. Lights were on all over the city, it was colorful and lively during the night; an interesting fact I learned on the trip was that the Government covers the electricity used by Shanghai-not personally sure if that meant Party/Government buildings and businesses only, or if it covered all residential use as well, but it was fascinating…I still imagine their electric bill has to be astronomical.
Like I said in the video, capitalism never truly left Shanghai. Thanks for the kind words and unique perspective!
The electricity bill from all city lighting is heavily subsidized by government. (Not government buildings and businesses only). because it promotes local business(at night), improves urban image and attracts tourists. For residential usage, not covered but also subsidized.
@@iammrbeat Oh absolutely!! All too happy to share information whenever possible! Big fan of your work!
@@user-do2gf3re9x Ah, that helps explain it all, thank you for that information; our guide on that leg of the tour didn’t go that far into detail on the subject-which I’d bet was intentional, but not malicious. It sounds like a good incentive for the city’s rapid expansion before I got there and after.
Deng Xiaoping was a product of incest.
Seoul vs Busan
Canberra vs Wellington
Helsinki vs Stockholm
Edinburgh vs Dublin
All of them would be very interesting
Stockholm vs Copenhagen though
@@mountainous_port given the long history of the two, that would be vey interesting
Great video!
Jakarta vs Kuala Lumpur should be next! Show southeast asia some love
I like how you interact with comments and also reply. Subbed immediately
I like the way you described both cities' history and culture objectively. Good job!
Thank you for introducing the two cities in MUCH detail!!
Thank you Mr.Beat. Your social credit will increase by 10 000.
Just ignore the part where I said "Tiananmen Square massacre."
@@iammrbeat Theres some funny men at my door with guns. Maybe I should see whats there.
@@iammrbeat oh so you actually buy this stuff….
Also whenever you get around to the Edmonton and Calgary video, you should mention that both cities have Indian mayors.
Wait they do??
@@iammrbeat Yep. Here’s the news story: ua-cam.com/video/rhm_j_oeOE0/v-deo.html
I absolutely loved Beijing Proper but those water towns outside of Shanghai are STUNNING I loved the trip and think everybody should visit China!
Wow! I'm sure you could see that section of the Great Wall covered by trees from space!
Great work though Mr. Beat!
Next you can compare Ankara with Istambul. Great video and happy new year!
Happy New Year and thanks!
2:20 I would say their metro systems are much more impressive. Shanghai's is the biggest in the world afaik.
2:35 going by metro population, that can't be true since Tokyo is also a capital.
A video i’ve wanted to see for years, worth the wait.
Hello, Ulysses S. Grant!
Hello Abe
Good summary video. I am from Beijing and been to Shanghai few times. I found this video very interesting
Ilive in China! . We've been to Shanghai. (I would say it's one of my favorite cities in China) We plan on traveling to Beijing this year to see the sights (and to check out the recently opened Universal Studios Beijing park!) I've been to Shanghai Disneyland and was quite impressed! I am an American by the way. But I agree, if you visit China, these two cities are a must to visit but there are so many other incredible places in the country.
Great video mr beat I also recommend comparing Morocco or Algeria
Or Mexico and Brazil or Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Wow this is really amazing! You must have done a lot of researches about the Chinese history. Even as a Chinese I don't know that much about the history of Beijing.
你是个，他说毛泽东是个独裁者
Happy new year Mr. Beat.
Happy New Year!
Hooked after the great Dallas-Houston comparison & we Rockets fans will always remember Yao Ming, "The Great Wall of Houston" & remember how ratings were crazy in China who's fans would stay up to watch the Rockets at our local Texas time🚀🤘🏽
I loved Yao Ming
My older sister lives in Shanghai so it was nice to learn a little bit about the city she lives in!
Surprised you didn't highlight the intercity rail service. The trains between Shanghai and Beijing are the fastest in the world.
I am a 16th sri lankan boy.I like your videos and i watch your new videos.Good luck mr.beat 👌
Thanks for being here!
Beijing to Shanghai is actually 4 hours train ride.
Happy new year, mr beat
Great comparison. Glad you did a Chinese comparison because it seems like all of the Chinese cities all run into each other if you’re not familiar with them.
Excellent work once again Mr. Beat!
I've been to both cities. Beijing has so much history that it wins my heart. But I love Shanghai too.
Great video. Precise and quick. You can't please everybody too.
Happy New Year Everyone! And amazing video, as always. Will you consider making a St. Petersburg and Moscow comparison in the future?
A native from Shanghai, thanks for doing this video, Mr.Beat!
Been to both cities multiple times. Shanghai is more modern and impressive but beijing has better history and architecture. Xian is also a nice city. Recommended to visit.
Shenzhen and Guangzhou I am curious about
Thank you for making such good content this past year, Mr. Beat! Happy New Year!
Narrative forgot to note high speed train travel Shanghai to Beijing is a bit over 4 hours - at 350kmh !
Love the geography videos
This was a well researched and positive take on these two megalopolises!
Thank you!
This video dropped early. Happy New Year's Mr Beat!
Fastest click in the west
Or in the east
@@birdstudios978 Don't forget the poor Southern Hemisphere.
Or those lol
Yes! I’ve been waiting for this video for a long time! Thanks Mr. Beat!
Great video! I would love to see Budapest and Bucharest compared
I'm from Beijing and I like your tone!
Madrid vs Barcelona please!
These are great videos. Keep doing what you're doing.
Nice video Mr Beat
Thank you lol!
I'd love to see Cape Town vs. Durban and Johannesburg vs. Pretoria if you ever do South African Cities
Taiwan is a country, not a Chinese territory. Despite of China saying otherwise.
would love to see Glasgow vs Edinburgh, also great vid
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia next would be cool
Pennsylvania Forever
Awesome video sir, Beijing was my home for many years and I will never forget that time of my life. I found myself nodding along with everything you said about it.
I'm sure others have already submitted similar comments, but for what it's worth, here are some pronunciations (for modern Beijing Mandarin, without tones, and without IPA, unfortunately, so these transliterations are going to be a bit awkward and weird):
Zhou -- pronounced more similarly to "Joe"
Yan -- rhymes more closely with "ten" or "tan" than "on"
Sui -- sounds much more like "sway"
Youzhou -- "Yo, Joe"
Zhong -- the pinyin "zh" represents an affricate, more similar to the sound represented by English "j" than the "s" in "measure". So, roughly, "jong".
Beijing -- similar to the previous "zh" -- closer to (but not exactly the same as) English "j" (but also not quite the same as the pinyin "zh" in "zhong" but that's another story)
Yongle -- closer to "yong--luh"
Again, none of these are exact, and I'm sure are different in other Sinitic languages and Mandarin dialects, but they are how I say them while speaking English.
“That air of electric tension, of a great city on the edge of an abyss, is more noticeable than ever at the White Russian cabaret called, not inappropriately, "New York." You wouldn't know you were in China. An almond-eyed platinum-blonde has just finished wailing, with a Mott Street accent, "You're gonna lose your gal." ("Jane Brown's Body")”
― Cornell Woolrich,
Fascinating quote there
@@iammrbeat thanks man
Thank you for doing this video. It's pretty hard to find videos on Chimes subjects that does not become some form of flame warfare sorts. Thank you for much appreciation of doing this video. Also Happy New Year to you Mr. Beat and your family hope all is well and most of all these days stay safe.
Happy new year Mr Beat. Could you do a video on Daniel D Tompkins....just cause he has a really cool name...
Happy New Year and thanks for the suggestion!
I just came in from a ThatVeganTeacher video. Mr. Beat, thank you for saving my brain cells
A comparison of Beijing and Shanghai turns into a rush course of Chinese history and culture. Great job!
I would say most of your pronunciation is ok, except that Yongle should be separated into Yong(永)-Le(乐), not yon-gle. Also the vowel in Youzhou sounds more like "OH."
Thank you!
Warm wishes on New Year to all of our wonderful and very special friend. ❤
May you have a meaningful and successful year 2022 that brings you many joys and great big smiles! 😁
Washington DC and Baltimore next would be cool
Maryland Forever
its a good day when a history teacher uploads this video.
i quite like beijing and shanghai because it looks familiar and pretty good place to live in.
oh and make a comparison between the Philippines and the Spanish.
edit: happy new year mr beat! :))
Taiwan should NOT be included in the Chinese territory map!!
先去把你们的版图改了吧，你们的版图还包括蒙古呢！蒙古是不是要找你们算账？
Mr. Beat, you have until 12:00 am to reach 440,000 subscribers!!! Let’s hope you can make it! Right now you are at 439,000 subscribers!!!
You are literally the most open minded president
Tampa and Miami compared.
Memphis and Nashville compared.
London and Washington DC compared.
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans compared
Indianapolis and Cincinnati compared.
Thanks for the suggestions!
@@iammrbeat Happy New Year!
@@Diezel_Mike Columbus and Cincinnati compared.
Thanks for the short Chinese history lesson. I visited Beijing four times total in 07 and 13 and also Xi'an city. It was a great experience and one that should be added to your bucket list for sure. Miss it much and the friends I had there.
Heres an idea (I dont know if you did this one):
Luanda and Maputo (They were both part of portugal so it technically makes sense)
Thanks for the suggestion!
Loving the know-it-all squirrel.
I might keep him around
0:35 chongqing population has literally shrunk by half from 31 million in 2018 to 16 million in 2021 any suspicion perhaps...🤔
Nah
A little sus indeed
@@iammrbeat amongus soundtrack
No, I’m pretty sure that’s not true. I visit Chongqing once every year, and it’s been growling steadily.
Your research is 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰,thank you
3:06 That city was actually Guangzhou
Happy new year Mr beat
Both a great cities!
Mexico City and Monterrey. I love your videos.
i am from Beijing, i do sure Shanghai is more modern !
Great series
Could you please do New Zealand and Australia compared