Jerome Eger has been living in Shanghai for three years. As the co-founder of a German financial technological company, he is now working as its managing director in China. Having double Master degrees in both Investment Management and Chinese, Eger can speak and read Putonghua as fluently as he can financial charts.

Every morning, Eger starts his day with a cup of coffee. Sometimes he cooks up some breakfast for himself too. He works out of his apartment in Pudong New Area, and prefers sitting in a hammock on the balcony with his laptop than at a desk.

Jerome Eger likes making coffee for himself in the morning. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Eger believes that the traditional concept of "office" is weakening due to the advent of teleconferencing technology. "Society is more transparent than ever now, so people do not need to hide behind suit and ties when doing business."

Occasionally, Eger has to go in to his office for meetings or to meet colleagues and clients at a cafe. Public transportation is his first choice in most situations, as he feels that Shanghai's notorious traffic congestion and dangerous drivers are not suitable.

Eger meets a client in a cafe in Xuhui district. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Eger's father is German and his mother is French. His family lives in Germany except for his younger brother, who works in London. He said that he gets homesick now and then, but he is quite content with expatriate life in Shanghai. The major downside, he said, is the city's continuously rising housing market.

On the metro, he uses his phone to deal with business. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

"Living downtown would be, of course, the most ideal choice for me, as it's convenient for commuting. But prices are far too expensive," Eger said. "But I still chose to live and work in Shanghai, simply because I really like this city".

Eger is on the way to his office. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Eager sits in front of his computer at office. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

He is quite familiar with using chopsticks. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Chinese character Fu (happiness) on the door of his apartment. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

His balcony hammock is his office. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

The article was written by Qu Xinyi


Newspaper headline: Day in the life