Zhongnanhai

I almost hate bringing this up, because it’s such a cliched question.  But while most people debate it in the confines of a bar over a nice frosty mug of Tsingdao, I’m facing the reality of it.

Let me explain.

I lived in Beijing for nearly two years, made great contacts in the city, and my girlfriend and most of my friends live there.  When a management job opened with Guangzhou Television a year ago, a job that included on-air hosting and input into content, it was too good to pass up (the salary helped a lot, too). Likewise, after a year in Guangzhou, a job opened in Shanghai that was also too good to pass up.  A chance to build an English-language portal website at Jongo.com. I got my hands dirty, hired some staff, brought some columnists on board, and the product began to improve.  Then "Black Monday" came, and we were all let go as the UK investors decided to focus on another project.

The goal has always been to study Mandarin.  I’ve always felt that media, journalism, communications, and PR experience combined with strong Putonghua can open a lot of doors.  I’ve kept putting study off because promising jobs keep popping up.  But now that Jongo has gone bankrupt, perhaps now’s the time.  But where?

I’m based in Shanghai.  I have a beautiful apartment.  I’m making some friends down here.  And say what you will about Shanghai, you Beijingers, it’s a beautiful city.  There’s no doubt in my mind that Shanghai is the nicer, more livable city of the two. And for whatever reason, traffic isn’t even as bad down here! But here’s the catch: I like news, and I want to study Mandarin.  And the damn Olympics are an extra throrn in the proverbial side. Beijing wins on all three fronts.

So… pass up on Shanghai because of Beijing’s potential?  There’s no doubt the world is zeroing in on Beijing at the moment.  It’s the political center of the country, and, well, I love politics.  With the Olympics coming and the city’s top-grade schools, perhaps it’s the place to be.  But it will be awfully sad to say goodbye to Shanghai, a vibrant, compelling, modern mix of East and West. I’ve only been here three months. Far too short.

Making the decision a little more difficult is a job offer I just received from Interfax China, based here in China’s largest city. It comes complete with a foreign journalists visa, which is highly coveted. But I think I’ve put off studying for too long. And, as many people tell me, those jobs should be available later.

What do you think?