Shanghai, the world’s most populated city, lounges in the sprawling Yangtse Delta. Having shaken off the vestiges of its opium-tinged 1930s heyday, Shanghai has moved at lightning speed to establish itself as China’s commerce, fashion, finance, media, technology and transport hub. Today, it is the busiest container port in the world. The city’s famous Pudong district (a product of intensive construction during the 1990s) is the pounding heart of this economic powerhouse. It houses no fewer than 787 financial institutions, including the Shanghai Stock and Futures Exchanges. With over 30 universities and colleges, and with the country’s highest ranking for academic performance, Shanghai is also a major center for education. Shanghai hasn’t slotted into China’s economic pole position by sheer serendipity; the city has a serious work ethic and long office hours are considered the norm. The high-paced office environment is matched by a "play hard" downtime; the city boasts a fantastic after-hours scene of chic bars and clubs to help you unwind from the office. Shanghai is by far China’s most cosmopolitan city. It offers a banquet of distinct international flavors that can be found throughout the city’s unique districts. However, despite its massive growth and the fact that it is home to more than 400,000 foreigners, very few Shanghainese speak English. To further complicate matters, as with many other regions in China, the local dialect is unique to the area. If you learned Mandarin elsewhere, it will be of limited use to you here. It’s worth taking a crash course in the dialect or, at the very least, keeping a local phrasebook at hand. For what it lacks in language skills, the city makes up for in many other ways. Finding international creature comforts, for example, is considerably easy. The city boasts a growing number of stores, such as City Super, Freshmart and Feidan that stock anything from your daily bread to international premium products. Shanghai’s fast-growing expat community and its plethora of international recreation clubs and international schools will ensure that your integration into Shanghai is remarkably smooth.