Li Guoxin and his wife have everything - a thriving property business, an apartment in one of the city's nicest residential districts, two cars, a healthy and intelligent son and a wide circle of friends and relatives. What more do they want?
'Things are not stable here,' Mr Li said. 'There are many conflicts below the surface, between rich and poor, between city and rural people, which could burst out. We need another identity.'
So, like many of the mainland's rich, the Lis have been considering immigration alternatives, and have decided on Canada. Ottawa has a category of investor immigrant that does not require the applicant to live there permanently, so Mr Li can continue his business in Shanghai. In addition, Canadians have the easiest access to the United States of any foreigners.
The next decision is where their son should receive his secondary education. It will probably determine where he spends the rest of his life. If it is Canada, then his Putonghua language skills will probably decline, and he will be unlikely to work in China. But a Canadian school would have a more pleasant environment, less pressure, fewer students and a broader curriculum. It is a tough call.
Mary Wu, a 25-year-old accountant, is in a similar position. She and her husband of six months have, thanks to their professional skills, the option of migrating to Singapore, where her brother has lived for six years.
'The public housing there is very affordable. Nothing comparable exists in Shanghai, where apartments are becoming more and more expensive,' she said. 'But Shanghai is more exciting, with more opportunity and potential. This is where our friends and family are.