The number of outsiders visiting China is
increasing consistently. So, let me share what I have learnt out of travel,
experiments, trial & error, reading and guidance from friends.
This should serve as a quick guide to a
visitor to Shanghai in particular and coastal China in general.
My intention is
to give you information that will save time and sometimes save yourself from
getting lost! This is not a tour guide, and does not talk about places to visit
etc. – you can find plenty of info on that in the internet
General:
1.
The people here are nice, willing to help and generally unbiased and
simple minded.
2.
Not everything you get to know from the outside media about China is
true. You will quickly realise this fact once here.
3.
Most people in China don’t speak or understand English. Only places you
can expect assistance in good English are at major international airports and
high class hotels etc. But this will not be a big issue, read on to learn how
to get around that. Most big and medium level cities have road signs, symbols
and pointers in both Chinese and English.
4.
Chinese people don’t refer to their country as China. They call it
‘Zhongguo’ pronounced something like ‘chong-hua’. They don’t say ‘Yuan’ for the
currency, but ‘Ren-min-bi’ or written in short as ‘RMB’. Price for Grocery etc.
are displayed for 500 grams with a ‘π’ symbol to denote the currency. The language is not called Chinese, but
Zhōngwé
5.
Biggest Chinese holidays fall during the lunar New year (dates keeps
changing with respect to the solar calendar) and in October. Think twice before
travelling during these holidays, on grounds of congestion. Northern half has
pretty cold winters while southern areas remain pleasant or a bit humid most of
the time.
Communication:
Try to carry a digital camera or a mobile
phone with a good cam. Take shots of important places and sign boards since
they can be shown to taxi drivers or co-passengers for guidance. At the arrival
area of airports in major cities, you will probably find take-away tourist maps
of the City. Don’t forget to look for them amidst hurrying for exit. If you
don’t find English maps, still take one in Chinese – better than nothing! Most
hotels and restaurants have visiting cards kept at receptions. These will have
directions for locating the place, including a small map on the back. Make sure
you keep one of those with you – it will save you, should you lose bearing or
have to take a taxi.
Above: A sample card from a hotel.
When seeing Chinese script at first, we
naturally ask ourselves – Goodness! How in the world can these scribbling make
any sense? Well, remember that 1 in every 5person use it. There is a method of
writing Chinese words as such in English alphabets, and this is called
‘Pinyin’.
Now, Pinyin is easy to master with a little
understanding, and it will make things a lot easier. This is because it is
widely used hand-in-hand with the Chinese script. But if you just start reading
Pinyin as you read normal English, no Chinese person will understand much. So
here are a few tips:
‘Q’ is read as ‘Ch’ Eg: ‘Qingdao’ a city in
Shandong province is pronounced as ‘Chingdhao’ as in Cheer
‘X’ is read as ‘Sh’ Eg: ‘Xian’,a historic
city is pronounced as ‘Shi-aan’. ‘Xiamen’ is read as ‘Shiaamen’
‘C’ is read as ‘Ts’ Eg: The name ‘Cao’ is
read as ‘Tsao’ as in Tsunami.
‘D’ is always pronounced as ‘Dh’
‘Zha’ is read as ‘jha’. Eg: The name
‘Zhang’ is read as ‘Jhang’
‘G’ is always pronounced as in ‘Goat’ and
never as in ‘Giraffe’
‘T’ is read as ‘Th’ and not ‘Ta’
‘V’ is read as ‘Wee’
Understanding English spoken with a Chinese
accent: This is important since people in the travel, tourism, education
sectors and those in the industry can talk a little English.
They can’t pronounce ‘r’ (in the French or
Indian style) since it’s not there in Chinese. So if a Chinese tries to tell
you ‘Strawberry’, he/she will actually pronounce it as ‘St-law-bely’ and u
should relate what that means. Had they tried to talk English with a British or
American accent where ‘r’ is pronounced as ‘azh’ they could have done better,
but they invariably follow the oriental style.
If you are told ‘Vely vely nice’, know that they meant ‘Very very nice’!
Keep a pen and piece of paper handy. If you can’t make out what someone is saying,
ask them to spell it or write it down, and that should sort out the problem.
Same way, they may not understand your accent, however much you repeat, and in
such cases easiest way out is to spell or write.
Now comes the most important tip: If you
have a laptop, most hotels have free internet access. Use
translate.google.com to convert phrases
to Chinese, then double check with a reverse translation and take a screen shot
on your camera for use later. If you are in a hurry, find some common words
below:
If you use google chrome browser, it will
detect Chinese websites automatically and translate it to English. If it
doesn’t, you can try by inputting the web address in Google translate.
If you are hunting for some information on
a Chinese website which has an English version, keep in mind that the English
version will not have full information in most cases. You have to use the
Chinese version with a translator, to get full information.
Travel:
East China has excellent road, rail and air
transport networks which are augmented by ferry services in several places.
With a little acquaintance, you shall enjoy travelling.
Let me start off with Shanghai in this
post, as that is where I go most often:
If you have time, have a look at
travelchinaguide.com for other cities - it gives you lot of info and guidance.
Air Travel:
Arriving from abroad, you shall probably
touch down at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It is located on the
eastern outskirts of the City, and about 40 Km from the City Centre (If there
is a centre to this huge metropolis, that is!)
Quick tips on Pudong Airport:
·
Has two terminals – T-1 & T-2, linked by a walk way under 10
minutes’ walk between check-in areas and easy to locate with sign board
directions.
·
Most of the economic (and good !) restaurants and snack bars are located
in between the above walk-way. Restaurants that are located inside
arrival/departure lounges are pretty expensive as usual.
· In the middle of the above walk-way, you
will find directions for two options to go to the city: A – Take the metro
(line-2) which will take about an hour to downtown and costs just about 4 Yuan.
B – Take the Maglev train for a great experience and arrive Longyang road
station which is near downtown in just under 10 minutes [see my video]. (40
Yuan if you have a flight ticket to show, 50 Yuan if not). Remember to have a
look at the Maglev Museum located on the ground floor, before exit. Free entry
if you have a maglev ticket)
· At the arrival area, you can take city shuttle buses to reach various points. Ask the help desk for details (see here for schedules) or hire a cab/taxi by following sign boards to the respective area.
· The airport hotel is located above the
walkway, and offers comfortable and economic overnight stay. Refer to section
on accommodation for details on booking etc.
If you are connecting
to another city on a domestic flight, you may have to transfer to the Shanghai
Hongqiao International Airport (read as Hongchyao ) for which you should
consider a minimum transfer time of 60 minutes. Both Airports are connected by
regular shuttle bus [Minimum travel time
50 min, 30 Yuan] and by directly connected metro line-2 (8 Yuan). A taxi will
also take you there in about an hour at under 200 Yuan.
Some tips on this
airport located to the west of the city:
· The Hongqiao airport also has
Terminals 1 and 2. The second terminal is just open before the Shanghai World
Expo 2010, and is so big that you have to consider upto 15 minutes to reach
your boarding gate from check-in counter, if your plane is docked at the far
end !
· If you are arriving by Taxi, keep a 15
minutes buffer for traffic congestion as you approach the airport entry area.
· Check-in counters are plenty, but so
are passengers, so expect a minimum time of 10~15 minutes in the queue.
· The two terminals are a bit apart, and
served by regular shuttle bus service. Metro line-2 takes you only to T-2, but
this is where most flights operate from.
· Sudden change of Gates cannot be ruled
out, so keep an eye on the displays or listen to announcement.
· After boarding, Air traffic delays are
common, and consider up to 20 minutes from scheduled time for take-off, during
peak hours. All the above timings are precautionary measures and generally this
airport offers a good travel experience.
Above: Check-in rush at Hongqiao T-2
The best place to
search for domestic flights in China and find good deals is ctrip.com
They have a good
English site and an easy interface, excellent customer care support in fluent
English. To book tickets, you need a credit card or can make cash payments in
major cities. Just register with your details for an account.
Getting around in Shanghai:
The fastest, cheapest
and most convenient way to get around in Shanghai is the Metro.
At the moment, there
are 12 interconnected metro lines, parts of which runs underground
and connects every nook and corner of Shanghai with over 250 stations and expanding,
further stretching out into suburban towns in all directions. The metro is the
longest in the world, and in itself is an engineering and management marvel
about which you can read more here.
Before you travel,
make sure you have a copy of the metro map. Since the metro is expanding very
fast, try this official
map or lookout for small hand-out maps at hotels, tourist attraction
areas etc. All you have to do then is look out for the metro symbol
and follow the directions.
You can transfer between many lines without
exiting the station. Automatic ticket vending machines have English service.If
you are not used to metro trains, see this video
clip for a demo on taking a ticket/using a smart card in the wallet,
time for next train etc. You need 1 Yuan coins or small
denomination bank notes. If you shall be using the metro for a few days or
times, then buy a smart card which is called Shanghai Public Transportation
Card (SPTC) or Jiaotong Yikatong (simplified Chinese: 上海公共交通卡; pinyin: Shànghǎi gōnggòng jiāotōng kǎ)
Ask for it at the
metro ticket counter. You have to pay a refundable deposit of 20 Yuan and the
remaining amount to recharge as required. This same card can be used for Taxi,
train, ferry, bus, maglev etc. Read more here.
All station names,
exits, interchanges etc are indicated in English, so it’s very easy.
Above: A typical
exit/entry showing available lines, name of station etc.
Railway:
Use this site for
searching schedules all over China.
You can easily hook on
to the nation-wide railway network from Shanghai. There are four stations. The
biggest one is Shanghai Railway Station. You can take Metro line-3/4/1 and get
down at the Shanghai Railway station stop. The busy Railway station is just
above the subway station.
Some Tips:
· If
you are taking a day train without prior reservation, then consider enough time
before your intended departure for purchasing a ticket. Seats get filled up
fast. For eg: If you are taking a fast train to Wuxi (about 40 Mins travel) at
8 AM on a working-day, then arrive atleast at 6 AM to get a ticket in time.
· To
book tickets before 8 AM, go to south square and use the automatic ticket
vending machines available there from 6 AM. After 8 AM or so, the north square
ones are also open.
· Trains
are classified as D, K, G etc. based on speed, stops etc.
· Train
journey is a nice experience. Railway stations are well equipped; trains are
nice and clean and reach top speeds of up to 350 Kph depending on the
type.
· For
sectors like Beijing-Shanghai etc. compare the fare with flight prices.
Sometimes they are comparable and you can save time if opting for a flight.
Above: A night view of
the Shanghai Railway Station from North Square.
Other railway stations
are the Shanghai West, Shanghai South and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway stations,
all of which are directly accessible from the metro lines. (see metro map)
Taxi:
After getting out of
the metro, best option to get to the right place (if it’s not walking distance)
is to opt for a taxi. Current minimum fare is 13 Yuan. If you are lucky, you
may get a driver who talks little English. Else, make use of
photos/maps/Chinese texts etc to get to your place. If you have a phone with
you, Call Shanghai help line for live assistance (No: 962288). This number can
be used for any other information in Shanghai also. They talk good English.
Road Transport:
I admire the road
infrastructure that they have built all over China. Several express ways
connect most parts of the Country.
Above: A Typical interchange.
Finding out buildings
from their street number is very easy. The street pointers always indicate the
starting and ending building numbers. Also, buildings prominently display their
number. So just lookout for the numbers and directions on the boards like
these:
I haven’t tried out
city buses in Shanghai. It needs some knowledge of routes and directions etc.
This is why metro is more popular among foreigners. None the less, buses are a
fine mode for short distance transport and cheaper than even the metro itself.
Get more info here.
For long distance
buses to cities of adjoining provinces etc, just go to Shanghai Railway
Station. The bus terminus building is in fact at one end of the railway station
building. Regular buses operate from here as well as from the bus station near Shanghai
South Railway station as well. Most inter-city bus stations in china have a
passenger management system similar to airports. You enter a ticket hall to
purchase tickets, pass through baggage screening to enter a departure hall.
There will be boarding gates with numbers indicated on your ticket. About 10
minutes prior departure, you can board your bus through the respective gate.
Normally standing tickets are not permitted.
Important: As far as I
have seen, it is difficult to find buses departing after 6.30 PM (5:30 at
times, esp during winter), if the final destination is not more than a few
hours. First buses may start as early as 5.30 AM.
Accomodation:
The good thing about
Shanghai is that even though it is one of the biggest cities of the world,
decent accommodation at an economic price is very much available. There are
hundreds of hotels in shanghai and the best way to find and/or book one is
using ctrip. They have a great hotel database and search facility. You can
locate the hotel with maps, read reviews and in most cases make a booking
without any advance payment, and pay at check-out. A little research
will give you good command over locations and preferred hotel quality.
Food:
Wherever you come from, you will find your favourite restaurants here in
Shanghai. Until I find time for a separate detailed post on eating out, use the
following links for those which I have tried:
Indian cuisine:
Indian Spices &
Provisions:
Western:
To find Halal food
eateries run by Chinese, look for characteristic hoardings over the shop, with
arabic script and colourful pictures of mosques. They are very common all over
China.
For strict
vegetarians, life in China is tough, especially if there is no self-cooking
facility and you are not in one of the bigger cities. However, you can find
temporary refuge in Pizza Huts which are very common and have a ‘Garden Veggie’
Pizza on their standard Menu. But then how often are you going to eat pizza?!
Tips for people with
food preferences:
· Pork
and Beef are part of staple diet in China, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.
· Fruits
and Veggies are plenty, cheap and readily available in department stores, and
you can find those in a short walk from wherever you are, as they are so
common.
· Chinese
have a practice of mixing meat in bread, and some seemingly veg dishes. So ask
them to confirm before eating. Keep a print out of the translation shared
earlier above, if you have preferences.
· Animal
oil is sometimes used for cooking, although not very common in servings at good
hotels.
· When
buying bread from stores, ask if it has minced or powdered meat inside. If the
answer is ‘Me-yo’, you’re safe! If it is ‘Yo’, that means ‘Yes, it does’!
Faiths and Worship:
As you know, majority
of Chinese either don’t believe in God, or are not really bothered. With the
recent reforms and opening up, religious freedom has improved considerably. Big
cities like Shanghai as well as medium level cities have plenty of facilities
for worship.
Mosques can be tracked
out easily from here.
Islamic prayer timings applicable are available here. China has a sizeable
minority Muslim population, mainly constituting of Uyghurs and Hui
people. They are spread throughout China and can be spotted easily as they wear
white skull caps and run Halal eateries serving spicy noodles and other popular
dishes. (But don’t be surprised to see that they serve beer there! I presume
that’s a sales compromise because not many people will go there otherwise)
Find out about
Churches in Beijing here and
Shanghai here.
I have seen beautiful Churches in Shanghai and there are facilities for
believers in most major cities. I couldn’t find a comprehensive resource or
Church locator in the web, though.
Temples: Plenty of
magnificent Budhist temples with huge adjoining gardens can be seen all around
China. Some of them are major tourist attractions too. However there are no
Hindu temples yet. For Hindu believers, get some guidance from here
Banking and Finance:
If you have a VISA
enabled debit card from abroad, it may work at ICBC ATMs. Just try your luck,
but always keep Forex in case that doesn’t work. Bank of China (BOC) is the
easiest way for a foreigner to open an account in China. Note that if you hold
an account in certain province and withdraw from ATMs in different provinces,
some service fees are involved, albeit minor. Ask for an online account with the
security key generator, as the service is available in English and is at times
very useful.
Partly torn or creased
bank notes will be accepted in most places, so raise an objection only if the
note is so bad. Most merchant outlets accept local debit cards for payment.
Fake notes for 50 and
100 denomination are there in circulation although rare. I am no expert in
detecting that, and was tricked once. But one way is to look at the water mark
area and see if the ‘50’ or ‘100’ imprint is transparent enough or not. Banks
and ATMs always confirm authenticity before issuing cash.
Some banks have a lump
sum charge for exchanging currency in addition to the exchange margin (I am
told this is only in the Airports). For Eg: ICBC charges 50 Yuan for one
transaction.
Internet:
High speed internet is
easily available. However, many sites like you-tube, google groups, facebook,
blogspot, blogger etc. are blocked by the authorities. Indeed, VPNs can help go
around the blockade, but it is not always fool-proof. This is why I have to use
this not-so-user-friendly blog site, and share videos through this pestering
advertisement-packed service. (Hope they change soon). You can use indyarocks,
way2sms.com etc. for sending free SMS to Indian numbers. I am using my airtel
sim card on roaming here. Incoming SMS is free. So that establishes a free two
way communication link as well.
Conclusion:
Please note that the
above are mainly based on my limited experience. Some may be wrong or better
options may exist. Prices, info etc. are up to date to the best of my
knowledge, as on date of posting, and I shall try to keep it updated. I have
taken time and effort to put this in writing, because I always felt the absence
of such guidance for travellers, which would save a lot of trouble. Please
correct me/add useful info through comment / message
Have a nice trip and
Stay!
Suggested reading:
www.shanghaiexpat.com
www.indianassociation.com.cn
http://indiansinshanghai.blogspot.com/
