Travel Guides & Tips in this video
- Tip 1Use a ride-hailing app to reach outskirts where themed towns cluster or the German town area; pre-setup the Chinese address in the app for smoother pickup. (14:00)
- Tip 2Consider an eSIM like Olafly before travel to stay connected without a VPN in places with internet restrictions. (19:00)
- Tip 3If visiting German-themed towns, expect a surface resemblance; verify authentic experiences like cuisine and residents to gauge true atmosphere. (31:00)
Ken Abroad visits Anting New Town near Shanghai to see if a German town vibe can ease homesickness. The video follows his day-long quest to find a place that feels authentically German, with hopes of German food, architecture, and a sense of home. He starts in Shanghai, navigates rough public transit and maps, and eventually reaches Anting via a taxi after struggling to locate accurate directions and a taxi. He discovers that Anting New Town is part of a nine towns project meant to resemble different countries, with the German town built around the nearby VW car industry. The town’s architecture is strikingly German on the surface, designed by a German architect, but the experience is mixed in reality. He explores the area, checks for a German restaurant or German beer, and finds that most establishments are ordinary Chinese eateries; German signage and looks exist, yet authentic German food or a lively German scene is largely absent. He records interactions with locals who mostly don
More about the current video:( 33 / 33 )
Ken Abroad begins by explaining his longing for Germany and his plan to visit Anting German Town to see how German it feels and if it can ease his homesickness. He narrates a challenging journey from Shanghai, highlighting the unreliability of Google Maps and the Chinese map app. A key stop is the Shanghai Automobil City station, where he learns about the nine towns concept that recreates different countries. He meets locals who aren’t aware of a dedicated German town, and he struggles to find a genuine German restaurant or beer. He eventually reaches Anting New Town, where the German look is striking but the signs of genuine German life are faint. The architect behind the authentic look is revealed to be German, but in practice the town feels more like a staged scene than a living German community. He has several conversations with locals, one of whom tries to help with a DD taxi booking, and he even tests a self-driving taxi area vibe. Throughout, he reflects on homesickness, missing German food, and the reality that surface-level German aesthetics don’t replace real connection to home. He chats with his mother via WhatsApp, shares advice about traveling with eSIM technology from Olafly, and closes with a sense of gratitude for Southeast Asia as home while acknowledging the lingering pull of Germany. He encourages viewers to check out his Chongqing video next.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: Is Anting New Town a real German town?
- A: It is a German-themed area created as part of the nine towns project near Shanghai, with German architecture and branding, but it mainly feels like a surface recreation rather than a living German town.
