Travel Tips
Spring and autumn are the best months to visit Shanghai. The peak summer months (July and August) can be searingly hot with temperatures above 95F (35C) and 80 percent humidity. Most of Shanghai's rain also falls during this time. September and October can be windy, with the odd typhoon. In winter, evening temperatures often drop below zero (32F).
Autumn is the ideal time for visiting Shanghai with mild temperature and little rain. Shanghai' rain season is from mid-June to early July with an average daily rainfall of 259 mm. During July and September, strong storms with torrential rain become frequent. However, it seldom snows in Shanghai. Shanghai summers are hot and humid. July and August are Shanghai's hottest months with average highs of 27.4 degrees centigrade. In winter, January is the coldest month, with a temperature average of 3 degrees centigrade. All in all, it is a good idea to be prepared with light clothing in summer and warm, heavy clothing in winter. Also, always prepare for rain by having an umbrella.
Mandarin is commonly used in the modern China. It is one of the five working languages designated by the United Nations. The majority of the 55 other ethnic groups have their own languages. There are also many dialects around the country. As a written language, Chinese has been used for 6,000 years.
The language of the streets is Shanghainese, part of the Wu group of Chinese dialects, which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin, Cantonese, Minnan (Taiwanese/Hokkien) or other Chinese dialects. However, with Shanghai having been the commercial centre of China since the 1920's, Mandarin is understood and spoken fluently by almost everybody, including most of the elderly.
While you are more likely to encounter an English speaker in Shanghai than in any other mainland Chinese city, they are by no means common so it would be wise to have your destinations and hotel address written in Chinese so that taxi drivers can take you to your intended destination. Likewise, if planning to bargain at shops, a calculator would be useful.
The Chinese currency is officially called the yuan (Y) or (CNY), and is also known as renminbi (RMB), or "People's Money." You may also hear it called kuai, an informal expression like "buck." It's pegged to the dollar at around Y8.
Both old and new styles of bills circulate simultaneously in China, and many denominations have both coins and bills. The Bank of China issues bills in denominations of 1 (burgundy), 2 (green), 5 (brown or purple), 10 (turquoise), 20 (brown), 50 (blue or occasionally yellow), and 100 (red). There are 1-yuan coins, too. The yuan subdivides into 10-cent units called jiaoor mao; these come in bills and coins of 1, 2, and 5. The smallest denomination is the fen, which comes in coins (and occasionally tiny notes) of 1, 2, and 5. Counterfeiting is rife in China, and even small stores inspect notes with ultraviolet lamps. Change can be a problem—don't expect much success paying for a Y13 purchase with a Y100 note, for example.
Exchange rates in China are fixed by the government daily, so it's equally good at branches of the Bank of China, at big department stores, or at your hotel's exchange desk, which have the added advantage of often being open 24 hours a day. Any lower rates are illegal, so you're exposing yourself to scams. A passport is required to change money. Hold on to your exchange receipt, which you need to convert your extra yuan back into dollars.
There are currency exchange services at Shanghai Pudongl International Airport and top-end (Normally 4 stars to 5 stars) hotels. All branches of Bank of China and other large banks offers currency exchange services. Look for a sign when you walk into a bank outlet.
Landmass:
total: 9,596,961 sq km
land: 9,569,901 sq km
water: 27,060 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 22,117 km
border countries:
Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
Coastline: 14,500 km
lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Population:
1,338,612,968 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.8% (male 140,877,745/female 124,290,090)
15-64 years: 72.1% (male 495,724,889/female 469,182,087)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 51,774,115/female 56,764,042) (2009 est.)
Ethnic groups:
Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)
Religions:
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%
note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Although China being among the biggest countries in the world remarkably the country still has only one zime zone.
UTC/GMT +8 hours
New York -13 hours
Paris -7 hours
Moscow -5 hours
Tokyo +1 hour
Los Angeles -16 hours
The electrical current in China is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC) so most American appliances can't be used without a transformer. A universal adapter is especially useful in China as wall outlets come in a bewildering variety of configurations: two- and three-pronged round plugs, as well as two-pronged flat sockets.
Tipping is a tricky issue in China. It's officially forbidden by the government, and locals simply don't do it. In general, follow their lead without qualms. Nevertheless, the practice is beginning to catch on, especially among tour guides, who often expect Y10 a day. Official China Travel Service representatives aren't allowed to accept tips, but you can give them candy, T-shirts, and other small gifts. You don't need to tip in restaurants or in taxis — many drivers insist on handing over your change, however small. Note that we have a non tipping policy AtYourSide.
110 for Police
113 for Long Distance Operator
115 for International Operator
116 for Long Distance Inquiries
119 for Fire
120 for Emergency
New Year's Day, January 1 (1 day off)
Chinese New Year, Late January or Early February (3 days off)
International Labor Day, May 1-3 (3 days off)
National Day, October 1-3 (3 days off)
There are direct flights to many international cities from Shanghai. Shanghai is the only city in China to have two international airports. Pudong is the new international airport and most international airlines now fly in and out of here, and it is located 55 km from the city center. For detailed information about buses to and from Pudong Airport.
Most hotels also supply transport to the airport. A taxi should cost approximately CNY150. And why not try the magnetic train since it is the first one in the world and the fastest means to reach the International Airport! The train leaves the airport from 08:28 to 17:28 and leaves Longyang Rd Stop from 08:30 to 17:30. The prices range from CNY160 to CNY50.
The airport for most domestic flights is Hongqiao which is older, and located in the west of Shanghai, 15 km from the city center. A taxi to Hongqiao airport from CBD should cost approximately CNY30-50.
Public bus No.925 runs to the airport from People's Square. Most domestic destinations can be reached from Shanghai.
Shanghai is at the center of an important rail network and there are daily trains to Xi'an (17 hours), Beijing (14 hours), Kunming (36 hours), Guilin (26 hours), Qingdao (16-20 hours) and almost all provincial capitals from which travelers can choose further transportation to their destination. There is also a train to Kowloon in Hong Kong (26 hours).
There are also regular services to Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Wuxi. For foreigners, train tickets can be bought at the ticket booking office in the soft seat waiting room. Most hotels will also reserve seats for you although they will make a small charge for this service. The main train station (Xinkezhan) is in the north of the city.
The easiest way to reach the station is to take the subway to Shanghai Railway Station stop. A taxi from the station to the center of town should cost approximately CNY20-30.
Shanghai boasts the most established highway system in China. Express ways has been constructed to link all the nearby provinces.
The main long distance bus station is near the train station on Qiujiang Road. Buses from here head to Nanjing (4 hours), Wuxi, Suzhou and Hangzhou and other destinations. There is also a new bus station servicing Shaoxing, Ningbo, Yangzhou and Hangzhou.
Boat is a nice way to arrive or leave the city. Some of the Three Gorges boat trip ends here and there are good services by boat to Chongqing, Nanjing, Putuoshan and Wuhan. The main passenger port-Shiliupu Passenger Port is on Zhongshan Nan Road. 1 km south of the Bund, there are also several other passenger ports in Shanghai, which are usually far away from the city center.
For boats from these ports, travelers usually still have to go to Shiliupu Port first for bus transfer to those ports. As a general rule, for long distance destination this is a cheap but slow way to travel. For destination closer to the city however the train is more efficient.
Nowadays, Shanghai has 9 Metro lines. The main city scenery and shopping centers of Shanghai are along metro lines, so metro is a very convenient way for you to visit Shanghai.
There are more than 1,100 bus lines in Shanghai. Buses are often packed to the hilt and at times, impossible to board. The closest thing to revolutionary fervor in Shanghai today is the rush-hour bus ambushes. Once on board, keep your valuables tucked away since pick pocketing is easy under such conditions, and foreigners make juicy targets.
Contrary to popular belief, buses are not color coded-the bus number is. Routes 1 to 30 are for trolley buses (now supplemented by regular buses). Buses 1 to 199 operate from 5 am to 11pm. Buses in the 200 and 400 series are peak-hour buses, and 300 series buses provide all-night service. Suburban and long-distance buses don't carry numbers-the destination is in characters.
The ticket prices are divided into several kinds which are according to the length of the routes and the condition of the bus, CNY1 for the routes less than 13 km long, CNY1.5 for the over-13 km long routes, CNY2 for air-con buses.
But we do not recommend you to use bus since it is crowded and often gets caught in jam. Taxi and metro are your first choices.
There are 50,000 taxies running in Shanghai City. They are reasonably cheap and easy to flag down, but try to avoid the peak hours of 8 to 10 am and 5 to 7 pm. The start price is CNY12 for 3 km and CNY2.4 for following each 1 km( in 10km), if more than 10km, it is CNY3.6 for each 1km. At night (23:00-5:00) the start price is CNY16 for 3 km and CNY3.1 for following each 1 km, once exceeding 10 kilometers' journey, it would be CNY4.7 for each kilometer, and the bargain is not permitted, also, you could take the taxi to travel in a group.
There are more than 20 ferry lines between Pudong and Puxi. Ticket price is CNY0.5/person, CNY1.3/bike, CNY1.5/auxiliary bike, CNY2/motorbike; freight train and truck go across the Dongtan Road-Nanjing Road, Mingshen Road-Dandong Road, CNY10-20 for each one.
Consulting telephone number: 86-21-63175522
In general, most travelers to China need visas, including infants and children. Your passport must have at least 6 months validation period left to be able to apply for a visa. Chinese Visas can be applied through travel agencies or individually through local Chinese embassies or consulates. Rules are often changing, so you will probably need to go to the office at least twice to get all your papers in order.
