Passport/Visa Requirements: Citizens of Canada and the U.S. need passports and visas. Reconfirm travel document requirements with your carrier before departure.
Population: 14,503,000.
Languages: Mandarin Chinese, known locally as Putonghua. The locals also speak the Shanghainese dialect, which is distinct from Mandarin. English is increasingly spoken across the city..
Predominant Religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity.
Time Zone: 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+8 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is not observed.
Voltage Requirements: 220 volts.
Telephone Codes: 86, country code; 21,city code;
| Currency Exchange | Top  |
The days of street-side currency conversion are over. Either change cash or traveler's checks at any international or domestic bank, or use the prevalent ATMs around the city that accept Plus, Star and Cirrus system bank cards. The exchange rates are reasonable, and they don't charge a fee. For credit-card advances, go to the Bank of China or ICBC. The Chinese currency, Yuan Renminbi (or RMB), was pegged to the U.S. dollar until mid-2005 and recently has appreciated by about 5% a year against the dollar.
Many banks in Shanghai are open daily, usually Monday-Friday 9 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:30 am-3 pm. Some close 1-3 pm for lunch.
There is a 10% luxury-goods sales tax on upscale items in China, rendering goods such as luxury brands, computers and camera equipment rather expensive. There is usually a 15% accommodations tax added to your hotel bill.
Tipping is not customary and generally not expected. Many hotels and Western-style restaurants add a 15% service charge to your bill, but don't count on the staff seeing any of it. If you're staying at a Western hotel, you may want to tip the staff there, as they're more accustomed to tipping. Don't feel obliged to tip taxi drivers unless they're extraordinary at using the shortest, fastest route—which is rare (and, even then, the tip will most likely be refused. If that's the case, do not insist). Tour guides do now expect a small gratuity, but only 5%-10% of the service price.
A Shanghai resident once claimed that she had never lived in a city where the weather was so rarely perfect. That's a very apt description. In summer it's hot and humid, with temperatures reaching the mid-80s F/upper 20s C. In spring, the rains arrive and continue through summer. There's more rain in winter, and temperatures become uncomfortably cold and damp, sometimes dropping to freezing. (It rarely snows, however.) For much of the year, gray skies can continue for weeks. Fall, especially September and October, sees more sunny skies with cool evenings.
| Weather Forecast | Top  |
Weather forecast not available at this time.
| What to Wear | Top |
Visitors to Shanghai should take lightweight clothes in summer because of the high temperatures and humidity. In winter and spring, warmer clothes are more in order, and during September and October, a combination of light clothes that you can layer, plus a jacket for cool evenings, should suffice. A raincoat or umbrella is necessary at all times of the year.
| Communication | Top |
| Entertainment Guides | Top |
Comprehensive listings of night clubs, sports and upcoming concerts are available in monthly magazines: That's Shanghai, City Weekend and Shanghai Talk, and the weekly SH. All can be found in bars and restaurants that cater to international visitors.
| Internet Access | Top |
There are about 1,000 Internet cafes/bars throughout Shanghai, so you should have no trouble finding one.
The Chinese government has long been wary of uncontrolled information on the Internet, and a deadly fire in a Beijing Internet cafe in 2002 provided an opportunity to crack down with tough new regulations. Since then, proprietors of Internet cafes have been required to have software installed that will keep records of the sites their customers access. If you visit an Internet cafe in China, you may be asked to provide your name and passport number before being shown to a computer terminal. Be aware that the records gathered by this software can be made available to police on request and that the fine for viewing material deemed subversive or harmful is steep—15,000 yuan.
Forbidden Web sites include those of certain foreign news stations, such as the BBC, as well as sites that can be edited by users, such as Wikipedia, offering content related to the Falun Gong spiritual movement, sovereignty for Taiwan, Tibetan independence, Tienanmen Square and pornography.
The good news, however, is that an increasing number of bars and cafes—including Big Bamboo, Citizen, branches of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Arugula, Arch, Ginger Cafe, Whisk and Wagas—offer free Wi-Fi access to customers.
| Mail & Package Services | Top |
The Chinese postal system is incredibly efficient and reliable, offering domestic and international mail and package service, including express delivery.
This is an English-speaking branch of China Post, where you can purchase stamps and mail letters or cards. Monday-Friday 9:30 am-5 pm, Saturday 9 am-1 pm. Shanghai Center, Second Floor (above HSBC Bank, off the Bund), Shanghai. Phone 6722-5888.
| Newspapers & Magazines | Top |
The main dailies are the local Wenhui Bao and the national Renmin Bao (People's Daily). Most of its information comes via the communist propaganda machine, including the English-language national China Daily and local Shanghai Daily newspapers. Most foreigners, however, read the weekly SH and monthly Shanghai Talk, City Weekend and That's Shanghai magazines. Most of the English-language publications are available at large hotels, and at restaurants and bars across the city. A monthly city-guide magazine, Hint List, is distributed in hotel rooms, and the superior twice-yearly (April and October) Shanghai Culture & Shopping Highlights Guide is provided in the rooms of selected luxury five-star hotels.
You'll find public phones all across the city that accept phone cards, which can be bought at the telecom building in People's Square, at most hotels and at the post office. Few people use them, however, given China's widespread obsession with mobile phones—virtually everyone in Shanghai carries and uses one. Most international mobile operators have agreements with China's domestic players, so provided you have a cell phone that can be used overseas, connection will be automatic. Roaming charges can, however, be high, so check first with your home operator. Most hotels take care of international calls.
Alternatively, if you have an international mobile phone, you can get a domestic phone number by purchasing a China Mobile sim card for 210 yuan—ask for a sim ka. That includes a phone number and 100 yuan of talk time. China Mobile cards can be purchased at the telecom building in People's Square or at the China Mobile store on Nanjing West Road (opposite Nanjing Road West subway station), as well as at small mobile-phone shops inside the Shanghai Metro or at department stores throughout town. When your minutes run out, you can purchase a recharging card at your hotel's business center or at a convenience store. Many street vendors also sell the cards, which come in 100-, 200- and 500-yuan increments. Directions are in English. English-speaking customer representatives are also available by dialing 1860. If you need to rent an international cell phone, you can do so at your hotel's business center. Most hotels charge about 200 yuan a day, not including the sim card.
When using your hotel room phone, you can avoid exorbitant International Direct Dial charges by purchasing an "IP" card—ask for an IP ka. You can buy these cards at the telecom building in People's Square, at convenience stores and from street vendors. Instructions come in both Chinese and English. Many toll-free numbers begin with 108.
For Shanghai directory assistance, dial 114. Keep in mind that most operators don't speak English.
| Transportation | Top |
The best way, by far, to get around Shanghai is by taxi. They're plentiful and amazingly cheap (flag fall is 11 yuan for the first 2 mi/3 km). You can save money by taking the subway, but service is still fairly limited. Buses aren't worth the savings: They're crowded, and you'll probably have to transfer a few times to get where you want to go.
Central Shanghai is also a good walking city. The old buildings and small alleys are actually best explored on foot. Just be careful when crossing the street. You may have to cross the street lane by lane. If so, thread your way carefully and steadily among the vehicles.
Getting to and from Shanghai by bus is usually the least attractive way. That said, there is deluxe coach service between Shanghai and Nanjing. The ride takes almost four hours and begins at Qiujiang Lu, west of Henan Bei Lu. Regular buses, most of which lack comfort, run from the Long-Distance Bus Station (58 Laochongqing Nan Lu, phone 6358-8089). These are OK for shorter distances such as to Hangzhou and Suzhou (though journeying by train is much faster and more comfortable).
The city is connected by highways to Suzhou and Nanjing in the west and Hangzhou in the south. These highways make travel by car faster than ever, but you won't be able to drive yourself. You have to hire a car and driver through a hotel transportation service or find a willing taxi driver. It's virtually impossible for foreign visitors to drive in China.
A ferry service connects Puxi to Pudong. It runs from the south end of the Bund and Binjiang Dadao in Pudong. Although most people take the bridge, tunnel or subway across the river, the ferry can be fun on a nice day—and it's cheap (only 2 yuan). The small boat works itself carefully across the Huangpu River through the barges and other boats. There are no seats, just a standing-room lower deck that gets crowded with locals and their bikes and mopeds. Stand at the bow for the best views of the Pudong skyline. Docks are located at Jinling Lu on the Bund and at Binjiang Dadao in Pudong.
| Public Transportation | Top |
Public transportation in Shanghai primarily consists of buses. Four subway (metro) lines are also in service, with at least seven more planned, many of them for completion before the 2010 World Expo. Most foreign visitors avoid public transport: The buses are generally very crowded (unbearably so at rush hour), uncomfortable and inconvenient. The metro system is fast and efficient with signage and ticket machines in English.
Shanghai's bus system covers the entire city and its suburbs and runs 24 hours a day. Stops are clearly marked with signs listing the number of the line and its stops. Most bus maps are comprehensive, but they're printed only in Chinese. You can buy them at almost any bookstore.
Although buses are generally not recommended for visitors, there is an exception: the pleasant No. 911 double-decker buses that run down Huaihai Lu through Luwan (the former French concession). The buses are imported from Hong Kong and have plenty of seats. If you sit on the top deck, you'll get a great view of the beautiful old buildings that line the street.
Much of the Shanghai metro is still under construction, but four lines are open (three underground and one elevated). The No. 1 (red) and No. 2 (green) lines cross each other at People's Square; No. 5 connects with No. 1, stretching from the outer suburb of Xin Zhuang, through the Xujiahui commercial center, and then terminates at the Shanghai Railway Station. No. 2 travels from Zhongshan park across the river to Pudong. No. 3 (also called the Pearl line or
mingzhu xian) cuts across the city from the Shanghai South Railway Station in the southwest to the main Shanghai Railway Station, and then to Jiangwan Town in the north.
The metro is modern and clean, but trains get very crowded during rush hour. Station announcements are in both Chinese and English. Around seven more lines are under construction. The system operates daily, roughly 5:30 am-10:30 pm. Fares are 3 yuan-6 yuan.
The most convenient way to get around Shanghai is by taxi. Cabs are plentiful, cheap and easy to spot. Most are yellow, blue and green Volkswagen Santanas, although you'll see a few in other colors. A cab is available for hire if there's a red For Hire sign in the window on the passenger side. You can also request one by phone. All are metered. Fares start at 11 yuan for the first 2 mi/3 km (14 yuan 11 pm-5 am).
Most cab drivers don't speak English, so it's best to give them a piece of paper with your destination written in Chinese. Hotel doormen can also tell the driver where you're going. It's a good idea to study a map beforehand: Some drivers may try to take you for a ride, literally. You'll usually get where you want to go, but it may cost you more time and more money.
The Shanghai Railway Station is located in the northern part of the city and connects Shanghai to most other cities, villages and towns in China. Several trains run every day to Beijing, Suzhou, Nanjing and other nearby destinations as well as three trains per week to Lhasa, Tibet (journey time is 52 hours). The best train to catch to Beijing is the overnight express. An express train also runs to Hong Kong. 303 Moling Lu. Phone 6317-9090.
You can buy train tickets at CITS, but they charge a service fee. Same-day, next-day and sometimes third-day tickets can also be purchased at the ticket office in the Longmen Hotel (777 Hengfeng Lu, phone 6317-0000). It's next door to the station, on the western side. If you speak Chinese, or are willing to give it a try, there's a ticket office at 77 Wanhangdu Lu, directly behind Jing'an Temple.
The circular and modern Shanghai South Railway Station offers high-speed trains to Hangzhou, Suzhou and some other destinations from the southern district of Xujiahui. Access to the station is via taxi or Line 1 subway.
Despite increasing personal car ownership and subway usage, many locals still get around town by bicycle. However, it's difficult to find rental bikes in Shanghai. It's also not a very safe idea if you're not used to the traffic flow. Shanghai roads and traffic can be unpredictable and dangerous.
| For More Information | Top |
| Additional Reading | Top |
Shanghai by Harriet Sergeant (John Murray Publishers). A history of Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s.
Shanghai 37 by Vicki Baum (Oxford University Press). The city as World War II was beginning there, depicted in a novel originally published in the late 1930s.
Secret War in Shanghai: An Untold Story of Espionage, Intrigue, and Treason in World War II by Bernard Wasserstein (Houghton Mifflin). Stranger than fiction, but true.
Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard (Buccaneer Books). Also available as a movie.
Carl Crow—A Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times and Adventures of an American in Shanghai by Paul French (Hong Kong University Press). How business was conducted early in the 20th century.
In Search of Old Shanghai by Lynn Pan, also called Pan Ling (or anything by same author).
Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui (Simon & Schuster). A contemporary novel of Chinese Gen X-ers.
| Tourist Offices | Top |
The main office is at the south exit of the Shanghai Railway Station. There's also an office at 1699 Nanjing Xi Lu (by Jing'an metro station). Both offices provide a limited range of English-language maps and information and guided city tours (though these are mostly aimed at Chinese tourists). Open Monday-Friday 9 am-5:30 pm. 303 Moling Lu, Shanghai. Phone 5123-4490. http://lyw.sh.gov.cn/en/info/indx.aspx.
