The 'Shanghai Syndrome': Every Foreign Tourist's WTF Moment

Joseph Thompson

This is the first time I've heard of 'Seoul Sickness'.

Dana Sanford

If they have such negative views about Shanghai, why would they even come here for tourism? It doesn't make sense.

Sally Breitenberg

Usually, people who visit despite having negative opinions are either here to see family or friends, or they're on a business trip and have some spare time for sightseeing after work. If they're purely tourists, their negative views probably aren't that strong.

Tanya Bogisich IV

Then why not call it 'Shanghai Remedy'?

Dana Sanford

That could work too.

Sonja Schroeder

Paris Syndrome, it's so true! I definitely felt that stark contrast between expectations and reality on my first trip to Paris. Thankfully, the city's architecture provided some consolation. Similarly, in my travels a few years before the pandemic, the place where 'Paris Syndrome' hit me hardest was Helsinki, Finland!

Misty Dare

Hopefully, Paris Syndrome can gradually be overcome.

Jeannie Parisian

And then there's 'Bangkok Sickness' – that one's even worse!

Ms. Beatrice Abernathy

I think I might have experienced that.

Karen Zulauf

I think I saw you taking people to a xiaolongbao restaurant.

Sylvia Franecki

The one on Huanghe Road?

Kay Oberbrunner

Borrowing the OP's (Original Poster's) term 'syndrome,' let me share a 'China Syndrome' experienced by a German friend on his trip to China before 2004:

Before his trip, friends advised him to pack medication, warning that the environment would be dirty and the food unsafe. As it turned out, he traveled through most of China without needing any of it.
In a remote and vast area in Xinjiang, far from any city, he suddenly heard his phone ring – a call from his family, a sound he hadn't heard for a long time. He was both surprised and delighted, and immediately shared it with his family over the phone. Back then, many areas in Germany still lacked mobile coverage, yet even in such a remote part of China, there was a signal!
When they came to Shanghai, we took their group on the German-engineered Maglev train. They were absolutely astounded, their jaws practically dropped! They couldn't believe China had commercialized it while Germany hadn't. It was their first time experiencing the speed, smoothness, and comfort of the Maglev.
He joked he had to take this 'China Syndrome' back to 'infect' his friends. And just like that, more than twenty years have passed.

Antoinette Ferry

The Shanghai Revelation.

Carmen Willms

That's a good one.