At the end of August 2024, after spending the summer in Slovenia, I returned to China. This time not directly to Shanghai, but first to Chengdu, where I worked for twelve days as a model at an automobile exhibition. I represented a major Chinese automotive group that owns several brands and vehicle types, ranging from the smallest to the largest.
After the show in Chengdu, I continued on to Shanghai, where I currently live. When I landed at Hongqiao Airport at noon on September 9, I was greeted by a brutally hot late-summer day. The heavy luggage and the heat were still manageable, but what worried me more was the thought that I did not yet have accommodation arranged in the city.
I had arranged three apartment viewings with an agent I had worked with before, all in the Longbai Xincun area along Metro Line 10. Although the neighborhood is somewhat farther from the city center, the transport connections are excellent, and you can reach downtown in less than half an hour. The first viewing was on the opposite side of the main Yan’an arterial road, near the Shanghai Zoo and the metro station of the same name.
The zoo is only three metro stops from the airport, so I arrived at the agreed location quickly. Since I was early, I decided to walk to the residential complex. After about fifteen minutes, drenched in sweat and pausing briefly in the shade of the many trees, I reached a small residential compound with low five-story buildings. As the agent had not yet arrived, I left my luggage with the security guard at the entrance and went to buy some much-needed water. If the apartment search had failed, my backup plan was to rent a hotel room.
When the agent arrived, he recognized me immediately and we set off to view the first apartment. I liked the complex right away: green, quiet, with a pleasant park and a pavilion at its center. Along the outer wall, decorated with various murals, there was even a short running track.
The apartment was on the ground floor—small but perfectly sized, very bright, and with a terrace that instantly won me over. At the entrance I noticed a dead cockroach, but having grown used to them in Shanghai, I didn’t think much of it. Despite its modest size, the apartment felt spacious, uncluttered, and fully equipped with everything I needed: a bed, refrigerator, small kitchen, bathroom, air conditioning, and a washing machine. Instead of traditional windows, it had a full glass wall with sliding doors that opened onto the terrace.
First days in the apartment, summer 2024
The terrace had a sunny orientation, and I could already picture myself drinking tea there in the morning sunlight—my favorite morning ritual. I was almost decided when the agent suggested viewing another apartment in a neighboring complex. That one was on the fifth floor and offered a nice view, but it couldn’t compare to the first.
The decision was easy. I chose the first apartment, agreed on the price, and called my friend Ken to let him know I was coming to pick up my belongings, which I had stored at his place during my two-month absence.
Now, after more than a year of living there, I am extremely happy with my choice. The apartment is quiet, and the neighbors—mostly elderly—are kind and close-knit; we exchange gifts during festivals, and they even water my plants when I’m away. Although ground-floor apartments are often prone to insects, I haven’t had any issues here. I will certainly stay for a few more months, but despite being very content, I will probably feel the urge to move on again.
A few captured moments from my apartment and alas, an injured bird that accidentally fell right on my patio.
Konec avgusta 2024 sem se po poletju, preživetem v Sloveniji, vrnil na Kitajsko. Tokrat ne neposredno v Šanghaj, temveč najprej v Chengdu, kjer sem dvanajst dni delal kot maneken na avtomobilskem sejmu. Zastopal sem veliko kitajsko avtomobilsko skupino, ki ima v lasti več znamk in tipov vozil – od najmanjših do največjih.
Po končanem sejmu v Chengduju je sledila pot v Šanghaj, kjer trenutno živim. Ko sem 9. septembra opoldne pristal na letališču Hongqiao, me je pričakal peklensko vroč poznoletni dan. Težka prtljaga in vročina sta bili še znosni, več skrbi pa mi je povzročala misel, da v mestu še nimam urejenega bivališča.
Z agentom, s katerim sem že sodeloval, sem bil dogovorjen za tri oglede stanovanj v predelu Longbai Xincun, ob liniji metroja 10. Čeprav je območje nekoliko bolj oddaljeno od središča mesta, je povezava odlična in do centra prideš v manj kot pol ure. Prvi ogled je bil na drugi strani glavne mestne vpadnice Yan’an, nasproti predela Longbai Xincun, v bližini šanghajskega živalskega vrta in istoimenske metro postaje.
Živalski vrt je od letališča oddaljen le tri postaje, zato sem hitro prispel na dogovorjeno lokacijo. Ker sem bil prezgoden, sem se do stanovanjskega kompleksa odpravil peš. Po približno petnajstih minutah hoje, premočen od znoja in s kratkimi postanki v senci dreves, sem prispel do manjšega stanovanjskega naselja z nizkimi petnadstropnimi stavbami. Ker agenta še ni bilo, sem prtljago pustil pri varnostniku na vhodu in si šel kupit prepotrebno vodo. Če bi se iskanje nove nastanitve izjalovilo, je bil rezervni načrt najem hotelske sobe.
Agent me je ob prihodu takoj prepoznal in skupaj sva se odpravila na ogled prvega stanovanja. Kompleks mi je bil takoj všeč: zelen, umirjen in s prijetnim parkom s paviljonom v središču. Ob zunanjem zidu, okrašenem z različnimi poslikavami, je bila celo kratka tekaška steza.
Stanovanje je bilo pritlično, majhno, a ravno prav veliko in zelo svetlo, s teraso, ki me je takoj navdušila. Ob vstopu sem sicer opazil mrtvega ščurka, a ker sem jih v Šanghaju že vajen, se nisem posebej vznemiril. Kljub skromni velikosti je bilo stanovanje prostorno, brez odvečne navlake in opremljeno z vsem, kar sem potreboval: posteljo, hladilnikom, majhno kuhinjo, kopalnico, klimo in pralnim strojem. Klasičnih oken ni imelo, temveč stekleno steno z drsnimi vrati, ki so vodila na teraso.
Terasa je imela sončno lego, zato sem se že videl, kako zjutraj ob sončnih žarkih pijem čaj – moj najljubši jutranji ritual. Bil sem skoraj že odločen, ko je agent predlagal še ogled drugega stanovanja v sosednjem kompleksu. To je bilo v petem nadstropju in je ponujalo lep razgled, a se s prvim ni moglo primerjati.
Odločitev je bila hitra: izbral sem prvo stanovanje, se dogovoril za ceno in poklical prijatelja Kena, da sem šel po svoje stvari, ki sem jih med odsotnostjo hranil pri njem.
Zdaj, po več kot enem letu bivanja, sem z izbiro izjemno zadovoljen. Stanovanje je mirno, sosedje – večinoma starejši – pa prijazni in povezani; ob praznikih si izmenjujemo darila, v moji odsotnosti pa mi celo zalivajo rože. Čeprav so pritlična stanovanja pogosto polna žuželk, tukaj s tem nimam težav. V stanovanju bom zagotovo ostal še nekaj mesecev, nato pa me bo, kljub zadovoljstvu, verjetno spet zaneslo drugam.