Life Hub @ Jinqiao, located conveniently across from the NYU Shanghai Residence, is a great one-stop destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Strategically located within the affluent, foreigner-filled Jinqiao area, Life Hub enjoys a monthly average of 1.25 million visitors. It is Shanghai’s second mixed-use development project, which incorporates commercial areas with green spaces. The mall’s design is based on LOHAS; Love, Originality, Health, Art, and Style. These components come to play in Life Hub’s design of a “mall within a park”. It’s a unique alternative to the average shopping malls in Shanghai, which are typically enclosed areas. The mall’s developers are the masterminds behind Life Hub @ Daning, Shanghai’s first mixed-use development project. The hugely successful Life Hub @ Daning was famous for completely revitalizing a neglected area of Shanghai. Life Hub @ Jinqiao is modeled after this, and is based on a similar concept. Life Hub @ Jinqiao aims to fulfill customer’s every whim; they offer everything from food, fashion, to education. There is a good mix of international and local retailers. Among the international establishments, popular names like Dairy Queen’s (US), Costa Coffee (UK), and Chez Choux (Hong Kong). They even have Paris Baguette, an internationally renowned bakery chain from South Korea. Also, there is UNIQLO, Nike, Adidas, and Mercedes-Benz. And of course, Wagas for those who, like myself, miss casual western style food. An extraordinary new addition to the mall is Hemaxiansheng, casually referred to as the “Alipay Grocery Store” by NYU students. It opened in early 2016, as part of the new development in Life Hub @ Jinqiao. It offers a wide array of fresh produce, pantry staples, meat, and international specialty goods. They also have organic goods such as fruits and grains. It is not unusual for Chinese grocery stores to have a “Western specialty goods” section, but the range of options at Hemaxiansheng is truly extraordinary. For instance, they have a surprisingly large selection of Korean food, including Korean instant noodles, pre-packaged Kimchi, Gochujang (fermented Korean condiment made from red chili) and Ddeokbokki (spicy Korean ricecakes). There are classic Japanese goods like Mochi, Hachi curry, and Japanese seasonings like Miso, Soba, Viniger, and Mirin. In the frozen goods section, there is Okonomiyaki (a type of Japanese pancake) and Takoyaki as well. Much to my delight, there were Indonesian goods like Mi Goreng noodles, Bumbu Nasi Kuning (a type of seasoning), and Sambal Chili Sauce. Unfortunately, I was unable to find Western baking staples like Vanilla Extract, probably owing to the fact that most families in China do not own an oven. Hemaxiansheng is convenient for NYU Shanghai students and study away students, as it is a mere five-minute stroll from the residence. Many of their goods are geared towards solo dwellers and smaller families. They offer pre-packaged salad, sandwiches, and breakfast foods in individual portions. Also, it is exceptionally clean and well-managed, compared to some of the older grocery stores in Shanghai. In the Meat section, chicken parts are neatly packaged, ready to be cooked. It is a stark contrast from the outdoor market, where vendors slaughter chicken right in front of the customers and sell it in thin plastic bags, often dripping in blood.Still, it has its disadvantages. Compared to prices at other grocery stores, the fresh produce are more expensive. The outdoor vendors are still the cheaper alternative. Also, the fact that they only accept Alipay (rather than cash) makes it impossible for those who do not have Alipay. However, it is not completely impossible. From my experience (and several others), the employees have a “wink wink nod nod” system in which the customer can discreetly hand over cash to the cashier, who will then pay with their own Alipay account. As of November 2015, Alipay updated their app with an English language version for foreigners. Now, getting Alipay is a pretty straightforward process. If going through the inconvenience just for the Supermarket seems excessive, there are other reasons why you should seriously consider getting Alipay. It’s the easiest way to order McDonalds online (excellent for curing hangovers). You can also pay on cabs; it’s simply a matter of scanning the QR code. Last but not least, it allows you to shop your tuition money away on Taobao. And of course, you can finally shop at Hemaxiansheng, the grocery store across the street. Here’s how you get Alipay:http://www.smartshanghai.com/articles/smsh/yes-foreigners-can-use-alipay-this-is-howThis article was written by Joanne Chun. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Gabriella Namnik