Mad About Shanghai

Advice for First-time Visitors to Shanghai

2009-11-12T00:51:17+08:00

A guest article by Viking River Cruises

Shanghai, the largest city in China, is an amazing mix of modern and traditional Chinese features. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its historical landmarks, its modern ever-expanding Pudong skyline and its reputation as a cultural and design center. Nanjing Road is often billed as the #1 shopping street in Asia, Yuyuan Garden is a traditional Chinese garden in the heart of the city and the Oriental Pearl Television Tower offers panoramic views of the city. Whether you are visiting Shanghai on a land tour or on a Yangtze River Cruise, you will find that it is a cultural, prosperous city, offering visitors some of the world’s grandest sights. But, like anyplace, there are things that first-time visitors need to be cautious about.

Shanghai is a fairly safe city; however, the nightclub areas of Mao Ming Road and Ju Le Road can be a bit risky late at night when the establishments close around 2AM. If you want to see these areas, being aware of the surroundings and keeping to well lit areas is the best way to make sure that you return safely to your hotel at the end of the evening. An even bigger issue in Shanghai is pick pocketing. On pedestrian boulevards and in outdoor shopping areas, no pocket or bag is safe. Again, being aware of surroundings is the best policy to protect you and your belongings.

Another important thing for first-time visitors to remember is that Shanghai is a very busy city. When crossing streets, visitors should know that motorists, bicyclists, and motorcyclists will probably not stop for you. Even walking on the sidewalk is challenging when silent motorized bikes whiz by without warning. Just keep in mind that pedestrians are lowest on the food chain in China and you’ll be fine!

Unsuspecting tourists can also become the victim of scams. The majority of these scams happen at tourist spots around People's Square, on Nanjing Pedestrian Street and at the Bund. As a rule, the people of Shanghai are very friendly and are always willing to help if you ask them, but they would seldom approach a foreigner first. Therefore, it is wise to be suspicious if someone speaks to you in English on the street.

Shanghai may be surrounded by huge rivers but it’s plagued with a lack of clean drinking water. The greatest risk to your enjoyment of traveling in Shanghai is stomach problems caused by low hygienic standards. To minimize this risk, wash your hands frequently; eat only fruit that you peel yourself; and only drink bottled water…you should even use bottled water to brush your teeth.

Shanghai is China's largest city and is situated in the centre of the coastline where the Yangtze River flows through its delta into the East China Sea. For first-timers visiting China, a Shanghai holiday is ideal; the city's blend of traditional and modern lifestyle allows tourists to enjoy the best of both worlds. And if travelers are aware of their surroundings and take caution to avoid risky situations, Shanghai is the perfect introduction to China for westerners.

Hongbao for a Chinese Wedding in Shanghai

2009-11-09T13:47:47+08:00

Hongbao, literally meant "red packet". The red envelope, filled with cash , is usually given on auspicious occasions like birthday, weddings and most commonly on Chinese New Year.

Recently, I have been invited to a Chinese wedding in Shanghai. It then occur to be that I have absolutely no idea how much of red packet money to give .

I asked some Shanghaiese. Heres some info I got:

5 star hotel : RMB800 and above

4 star hotel :RMB 400 to 600

casual dinner : RMB 500

If you noticed, the amount seems to increase as the hotel stars increase, this is apparently for the newly wed to help defray the cost of the dinner. This cash gift apparently in a Chinese wedding differs by countries and cities.

Of course these are just recommended figures. For me, I have decided to abandon his "ruling" and give the amount I like cos the bride is a really good friend of mine :)

Public holidays in China

2009-11-04T20:23:12+08:00

Trivia of the Day.

China is ranked 7th in the world for the most number of public holidays with 22 days. They share the position with Iraq and Bangladesh.

Iran has the most public holidays in the world with 30 days.

Pictures of Sofitel Shanghai Hyland

2009-10-30T00:58:32+08:00

Another hotel for you to consider if you are looking for hotels in Shanghai.

Pictures courtesy of Sofitel Shanghai Hyland

How to get an English teaching job in China

2009-10-26T00:31:54+08:00

This is one of the most commonly asked questions for someone from out of town looking for work in China.

Read the interview here.

The interviewee is from Brazil teaching English in Beijing.

Telephony Rantings

2009-10-23T21:21:18+08:00

Have you ever tried calling a particular company in Shanghai, spoke in English and suddenly found yourself transferred to another person or department ? And just as about you are stating the objective of your call, you got transferred to another line. And sometimes, it happens again and again till you eventually give up and hangs up. Sometimes, your call is hung up by the recipient for no reason.

Well,I was just chatting with a friend the other day and she was the first to admit she was one those that transferred the phone calls when she received them from an English speaking caller. Reason being, she felt she could not communicate the caller and quickly sought to pass the hot potato to her colleague-any colleague. And the calls, according to her, are passed to her by her colleagues at the first place. By the time, the call got to her, the poor caller had been transferred two to three times already.

One caller got so irate that he managed to trace her and gave her a good scolding over the phone !

This doesn't happen to just her company but many other companies too. Next time you get your call transferred for no reason, you know why ;)

Chinglish of the Day

2009-10-18T23:55:33+08:00

David Tan

A Re-visit to Caffe Tima Harbour

2009-10-15T01:46:36+08:00

Nothing like some hot latte on a cold day after dinner.

This time, at Caffe Tima Harbour near Rendezvous Hotel in Zhao Hua East Road.

If you are looking for a cosy quiet cafe away from town, this place is recommended.

Check out previous post on the cafe here.

National Day Fireworks at Century Square

2009-10-11T01:40:35+08:00

Pictures of the China National Day fireworks at Century Park taken by Regine:

A Look at China the Past 60 years

2009-10-08T00:42:38+08:00

The People's Republic of China recently celebrated its 60th birthday with a sprawling parade at Tiananmen Square.

Lets take a look at some of the changes to the country through the years:

Population

1949 : 542 million

2008 : 1.32 billion

Foreign Reserves

1952 : US$139 million

2008 : US$2 trillion

Trade Volume

1950 : US$1.1 billion

2008 : US$2.8 trillion

Life Expectancy

1949 : 35 years

2008 : 73 years

Literacy Rate

1949 : Less than 20%

2008 : 93%

No of World Champions in Sports

1959 : 1

2008 : 120

No. of TV per 100 households:

1981 : 0.6

2008: 132

GDP per capita:

1952: 119 RMB

2008: 22698 RMB

Source: National Bureau of Statistics People's Republic of China, Xinhua, People's Daily and The Independent.