Living in Jinqiao: A Student Guide

Aug 13 2018

From where to buy bedding to the best places to eat, discover the area around the Jinqiao Residence Hall with NYU Shanghai students Lauren, Ariel, Daria and Frederick.

Settling In
By Lauren Benedict

On the day I moved into the Residence Hall my freshman year, I was so worried and scared of living in a new country. However, as soon as I stepped off the elevator and saw my RA, I knew everything was going to be fine!

Every floor has an RA, or Resident Advisor, to help you settle in and get to know other people on your floor. Your Resident Advisor will organize floor events throughout the school year, which are a great way to get to know who else lives on your floor. Floor events can be anything from mid-finals pizza parties to making DIY vegan cake-in-a-mug. Your RA will also have meetings with you throughout the year to address any issues you may have while living in the halls, such as missing food or disagreements with your roommate. If you have any questions or concerns, make sure to reach out to your RA. They are here to help you.

Additionally, a great way to make your new room feel like a home is to decorate! Miniso is a popular store here in China that has everything from lamps to makeup to flatware. Literally anything you could ever need for your dorm room could be found at Miniso, and for a very low cost. Most items there are under 100 RMB. The store is located on Zhangyang Road, directly behind the dorms. For other things you may need, try Carrefour, a giant department store about a 20 minute bike ride away.

For more information on what is located around the Residence Hall, join us on the Neighborhood Tour which explores both new and old Jinqiao, from Jiujin Mall to Jinyang Road

—where you will discover plenty of small shops, restaurants and a wet market behind the residential hall.

Dining Out
By Ariel Wang

There are two big shopping malls near the Residential Hall where you can get international as well as local cuisine. The first is Jiujin Plaza, which is only 15 meters away and is open from 9:00am to 10:00pm. There you can get tea at Happy Lemon, coffee at Starbucks or Zoo Coffee, try Hong Kong Egg Waffle, Ichido Bakery, and shop for necessities at Watsons. There is also a Sichuan fish hot pot and Korean BBQ restaurant, as well as a movie theater.

The other is Jinqiao International Plaza, which is bigger and has more shops than Jiujin Plaza, with a Yang’s Dumplings, Burger King, Subway, sushi, crepes and more. If you want to discover some of China’s amazing regional cuisines, here are some of my favorite restaurants I recommend you try in these two plazas:

1.和府捞面 He Fu Noodles

Why I like it: The atmosphere and decor at He Fu Noodles takes you back to ancient China, and you can choose your own combinations of different noodle types and toppings!

Dishes I recommend: 猪软骨面 braised pork rib noodles, 酸汤雪花肥牛面 Chinese sauerkraut and beef noodles

Address: Jinqiao International Plaza, 3-301

2.暗恋桃花源 Love Peach Garden

Why I like it: Zhejiang cuisine is no doubt worth a try when you arrive Shanghai. This restaurant is very creative in improving the look and taste of traditional Zhejiang cuisine. Many of the dishes have interesting names and people are waiting in line everyday.

My favorite dishes: 红烧肉 stewed pork with brown sauce, 石锅豆腐鱼 tofu and fish, 礼遇酱鸭 duck seasoned with soy sauce

Address: Jinqiao International Plaza Building 1, B1 floor

3.西贝莜面村 XiBei Oat Noodles

Why I like it: The dishes there are from Western China and very different from Shanghai cuisine

—they have one hundred ways to cook lamb and beef. Try it if you want to have a taste of Western China!

My favorite dishes: 烧羊棒 grilled lamb leg, 烤羊排 lamb chop, 西贝面筋 cold rice noodles

Address: Jinqiao International Plaza, Building 3, 3rd floor

4.乐乐茶LELECHA

Why I like it: Bubble tea is extremely popular in China, especially among young people, so you may want to try it! There are hundreds of different brands, but LELECHA is my favorite. They do not have as many options as some places—just bubble milk tea with brown sugar, but the mix is amazing! I recommend trying this place for your first taste of bubble tea.

My favorites：脏脏包 Dirty Bread, 脏脏茶 Dirty Bubble Tea

Address: Jinqiao International Plaza, Building 3, 1st floor

Grocery Shopping
By Daria Khaimenok ‘20

You can eat all your meals in the canteen at the academic building or in local restaurants, but I like to cook some of mine at the dorms as it is more convenient and can save you some money. Each floor has a shared kitchen with a built in stove top, microwave, refrigerator, and rice cooker.

Take a virtual tour of the residence halls

Carrefour is an amazing place for shopping. Located a 15-minute bus ride from the dorms, it offers an enormous selection of everything you might need: food, home equipment, etc. Also, Carrefour has a huge section of imported products, where you might find some of your favorites from home.

I buy some of my foods at Carrefour, but usually prefer He Ma, a supermarket located in the Jinqiao Mall (5 minutes walk from the dorms). They have a wide and affordable selection of fresh produce. My usual shopping list includes chicken breasts, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, cabbage, eggs, sugar-free yogurt, and greens. Sometimes I include other seasonal vegetables or fruit. He Ma also delivers to the Residence Hall without a delivery fee

—make sure to download their App.

Read more about food options in the Living in Jinqiao brochure.

Here are 10 must-have apps for NYU Shanghai students.

Working Out in Jinqiao
By Daria Khaimenok ‘20

The university has a gym on campus (see opening hours and class schedule here), but I prefer to run outdoors when the weather permits--usually in the late spring, summer and early fall. I often wake up around 5am to go for a run in the Green Center Towers territory where our Residence Hall is located. At that time, the sun has just risen, so it’s not yet too hot, and it’s really nice to run and hear birds singing.

After finishing my morning run, I still have plenty of time to cook, eat breakfast, and catch the first bus to school which leaves at 7am. On the weekends, I sometimes go to Bitian Sports Park, which is a 15-minute jog from the Residence Hall. It’s very nice to run there along the river.

The neighborhood of Bitian Sports Park also has a Decathlon sports store. Here you can buy everything from workout attire to fitness equipment and sports nutrition. They also have an online store on Taobao, which is convenient to order from.

More about athletics at NYU Shanghai

Getting Around Jinqiao and Beyond
By Frederick Qian

There is a free shuttle bus that runs between the dorms and campus every day. See the timetable here. You can also get to campus--and anywhere else in the city--by metro.

Shanghai has 16 metro lines (with more being added every year) that connect every part of the city together. Jinqiao Station is right across the street from the residence hall, and is six stops to campus (nearest station: Century Avenue) taking Line 6 which runs from about 6:00 to 23:00 every day.

You can also get to Lujiazui, the financial center of Shanghai, in about 40 minutes and other popular destinations in west Shanghai (Puxi), like People’s Square, in under an hour.

Hopping on a bus is also a good choice. There are multiple bus stations near Jinqiao residence hall, most within 5 to 10 minutes walking distance.

Bus 785: Catch the 785 at the corner of Jinqiao Road and Jinyang Road, and a roughly 40 minute ride will take you to the intersection of Weifang Rd and Songlin Rd, close to the NYU Shanghai campus.

Bus Pudong35: The Pudong35 will take you to the Jinqiao Carrefour and surrounding area, a cheaper option than a taxi and easier than walking. Catch the Pudong35 at the corner of Jinqiao Road and Jinyang Road, and get off at the Yunshan Rd/Biyun Rd.

If you’re in a hurry, you can always hail a taxi or use the Didi taxi app on your phone (a local version of Uber) to call a driver. Prices for taxi journeys in Shanghai start at around 14 RMB. A ride from Jinqiao to Century Avenue and the NYU Shanghai campus is about a 20 minute cab ride (depending on traffic) and might cost about 20-30 RMB one way.

Another useful app to have is for one of the many bike sharing services in Shanghai, such as Ofo (the yellow bikes) or Mobike (the orange ones).

Learn about taxi safety in Shanghai [YouTube]