Talk:Shanghai/Archive 2003-2012

Stubs for other Shanghai districts coming up. Please feel free to add/edit all hanzi and pinyin, my Japanese IME isn't really set up for dealing with simplified Chinese...! (WT-en) Jpatokal 14:28, 13 Sep 2004 (EDT)

Metro Map
The metro map is really out of date. Go to exploreshanghai.com for the latest one.

internet cafes
you should have a section on this. They are RARE. > Public library (see my entry in wikipedia article) > east yuyuan road 30th ph 62476808 .. but there are a few more. Oh. and mention to forget about watching youtube videos, youtube is blocked in china... blogspot, too. 218.1.116.125 02:34, 20 July 2009 (EDT) y23

Taxi prices
Wangjianshuo, master of all things Shanghai, says a taxi from PVG to central Shanghai costs 110/130/150 for Pudong/People's Square/Hongqiao respectively. 80 won't get you even to Longyang Rd. (WT-en) Jpatokal 00:23, 23 Jun 2005 (EDT)
 * An anonymous user changed the above text to "Wangjianshuo, master of all things Shanghai, says a taxi from PVG to central Shanghai costs 130/150/170 for Pudong/People's Square/Hongqiao respectively. 80 won't get you even to Longyang Rd. (WT-en) Jpatokal Updated to reflect first Shanghai Taxi meter increase in 7 years. Nov-06(EDT)". I reverted based on the principle that you shouldn't edit other people's comments, but I thought the info might be useful. -- (WT-en) Jonboy 11:25, 6 November 2006 (EST)

Taxi price is not expensive and the Taxi is very clean.

If you are just hopping about, omg taxis are so cheap, in the usa or canada, a 20 dollar cab ride is like 2 usd here in GZ, most of the time its less that 10 rmb

As you make your way towards the airport's exit and towards the sliding glass doors, just inside you will see a sign posted on the wall listing the approximate taxi rates for various parts of town in English and Chinese. The taxi queue is located outside the glass doors. Beware of those offering rides outside of the official line - those vehicles are often illegal and drivers will attempt much higher rates than you would pay in a metered taxi.

Restaurants into districts
Can somebody sort out the following into the correct districts? (WT-en) Jpatokal 06:48, 11 Jul 2005 (EDT)

Good places to eat in downtown are as follows:

1.	Shanghai dish Wu Li Xiang (屋里香食府) Address：164 Nanchang Road, near Sinan Road (卢湾区南昌路164号近思南路) Tel: 53065462

LUWAN DISTRICT.

3.	Thai dish

Coconut Paradise(椰香天堂泰国料理) Address: 38 Fumin Road, near Julu Road( 富民路38号，靠近巨鹿路) Tel: 62481998

JING'AN DISTRICT

4.	Si Chuan dish (famous for its spicy taste **highly recommended**)

Qiao Jiang Nan (俏江南) Address: 28 Taojiang Road, near Baoqing Road 徐汇区桃江路28号-1（近宝庆路） Tel: 021-64452582 64452581

XUHUI DISTRICT

5.	Cantonese dish

Crystal Jade 翡翠酒家 Address: 2nd floor 6-7 Xin Tian Di, 123 Xinye Road(卢湾区兴业路123弄新天地南里6-7号2楼 ) Tel: 021-63858752

LUWAN DISTRICT (this particular Crystal Jade location)

Learn
moved from guide, I dont think it really belongs in "Learn" as is 207.134.56.158 11:51, 25 May 2006 (EDT)

This is unchecked, but Shanghai also has a bustling contemporary art scene. Many of China's most important and up and coming artists are centered in the small galleries around the town. Example: www.shanghartgallery.com

maglev
I'm not sure about the remarks on the maglev train. First, "it's a bit of hike", I disagree as the only problem I see is that at the airport you need to walk a few minutes to get there, but the transfer is flat (no climbing/stairs/elevators) and parts of it have a conveyor. I don't see how that counts again the maglev train, it's a longer "hike" to just get out of, say, Amsterdam Airport; or for example, just transferring terminals at Heathrow requires you to take a 20 minute bus ride. So how is a five minute walk a hike ? At the other end of the line the transfer to the subway is a little more involved as you do need to descend, but at the same time the distance is much shorter (one minute ?). Also, about the "practical means of transport". I think it should be recommended, as it's cheaper and faster to first use maglev to get halfway to the city, and then transfer to a taxi to the final destination; example, northern shanghai <-> airport by taxi is about 150Y; but about 100Y total airport -> maglev -> taxi. If the final destination is within reach from the subway, then it's of course even easier, and price is not a concern as the subway doesn't even reach the airport. All in all I think this is pretty much the same kind of experience as say taking the Keisei line and then jumping on the Yamanote line at Ueno, but much faster :) &mdash; but I don't think anyone regards Keisei as an unpractical tourist ride.

Shopping in Shanghai overview
Shopping in Shanghai is a very enjoyable experience. Big brands are setting up branches and small unique shops mushroom at many corners of the city. With a little patience, sharp observation, ability to endure long walks and bargaining skills, you can buy to your heart's content in the commercial capital of China.

Big shopping malls are convenient to find quality products and supermarkets offer a wide range of products at reasonable prices. Renowned areas offer Shanghai-style souvenirs at unbelievably low prices. To test or improve your bargain skills, there is no better place than Shanghai. Some booth owners even speak good English, Korean and Japanese.

Street shopping

Shanghai has become a shopping paradise for visitors mainly because of its reputed streets, including Nanjing Road, the country's No.1 Commercial Street, Huaihai Road, a street of world-famous brands and latest fashions to attract customers from all over the world, and Xujiahui, a shopping center gathering clothes, shoes, food, cosmetics, digital products and entertainment centers together within a circle.

§ Paying attention to different expressions for discounts. The Chinese sign "7折" means 30 percent off, while "8折" means 20 percent off.

§ Take tissues when going to toilets. Even in some big department stores, tissues are not within reach around the lavatory. Make sure you have them at hand before it’s too late.

§ Some shopping assistants may follow you in some big stores. You can tell them you are just having a look and ask them to leave you alone.

Shopping in supermarkets

The majority of locals shop in supermarkets, because they offer all sorts of products at very reasonable price. Sometime a product can be 20 percent cheaper in a supermarket than in convenient stores.

These supermarkets are run by Chinese retailers as well as foreign companies.

Big supermarkets include Lotus, Carrefour and Lianhua, some of which are offering imported goods (particularly take note of FreshMart, located at exit 2 of Jing An Temple station; they have a particularly good selection of imported goods).

§ Before entering the supermarket, don't forget to put your carrying-on into a locker outside the supermarket and keep a paper with password.

§ Remember to watch out the expiry data for fresh foods, such as yogurt.

Souvenir shopping

For those coming from out-of-town, buying souvenirs for friends and loved ones at home is a mission indispensable. In many cases the success of a trip depends on the quality of the souvenirs.

We will recommend you some good places to get them, one in Yuyuan Garden and another in Duolun Road, which are consisting of varieties of goods.

Book shopping

Fuzhou Road is famous for its book stores. On it there are a Shanghai Book Town, Ancient Book Shop and a store exclusively selling foreign books and foreign-language textbooks, which are listed along the road.

Bargain shopping

Generally, customers can bargain with sales person in small shops in the city. And on some streets, bargain becomes a inevitable way to buy cheap stuff. Click the name of each road on the image above to enter the page.

Shopping for souvenirs

Chinese souvenirs are available in almost every corner of the city. But for quality souvenirs at a good price, we would recommend you two places where a collection of souvenir shops or dealers can be found.

Yuyuan Garden Yuyuan Garden, whose construction started in 1559, is the most obvious choice for buying souvenirs.

Recent years, Yuyuan Garden is also famous for wholesale and retail markets around it. These markets sell varieties of Chinese-style products at a relatively low price, (compared with their price in overseas that will be extremely low,) Wholesalers can get the low price more easily, and ordinary customers may need bargain with seller.

Follow Fuyou Road and go south, on the east side (or the left side, if you follow our direction) is a big market. It is divided into many small stores, selling mirrors, Chinese knots, socks, stuff toys, watches, crystal products, pearl bags and handset decorations. Most goods are displayed on the first floor, while other floors are not as popular as it.

But you should have more patience because roads between lines of stores are quite narrow with crowded people, and you are easily got lost in the busy market, so wandering in order is a smart idea.

Leaving the market and keeping heading south along Fuyou Road, you will find another market selling crystal and agate products, "Shanghai Crystal Street," also on the east side (still the left side) of the road.

In it you can find crystals or agates of different shapes, sparkling and attractive. But all the stores sell similar goods so you need some special knowledge to tell which of them are of better quality and figure out the real price of them. (You may find tips later.)

Opposite to the crystal market is the "Fuyuan Shopping Mall." On the first floor, you can find lace products, which are cute while a little rough, fake hair, pearl bags, personal ornaments, teapot, chopsticks, embroidery, and ancient-Chinese-style dolls. The second floor of the mall sells heath-care products.

At last, when you enter the Yuyuan Garden, you will see "The Show of Special Skill by Folk Craftsmen," which displays folk techniques. You can buy a paper-cutting of your side figure, or a pencil sketch of your appearance, or buy a doll made by china.

On the China Gift & Specialty Street, you can find products combined with China's old customs and current fashions, like chopsticks, walking sticks, instruments, bags, pearls, cups, bowls, chinas, scissors, combs, embroidered shoes, poker cards and chesses with special print, umbrellas and pens. These goods are for appreciation rather than for practical use.

You may have no idea of what you want to buy when wandering into this pedestrian area. But the more stores you look at, the more things you would want to buy.

Duolun Road Duolun Road is a short and quite street gathered with stores selling products passed from old Shanghai and goods with cultural sense. In old Shanghai, many modern literature figures, such as Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Guo Moruo and Ye Shentao, used to live in it. It also regarded as "an epitome of the change of Shanghai."

The stores on the street seem deep and dark, with old but precious products filled the rooms. They sell things as well as purchase valuable products. The street itself is like a museum, and walking on it, you can feel the custom and fashion of old Shanghai.

Pianos, maps, photos, typewriters, printing machine, comic strips, calligraphy and paintings, relics and western craft workers can be found along the road.

Besides these stores, you can also have a great fun in galleries, art halls, churches and coffee shops.

Transport: Take Metro Line No.3 or 8 and get off at Hongkou Football Stadium Station, then walk along Sichuan Rd.N towards South. Duolun Road is connected with Sichuan Rd.N in the north.

You can print out "带我去多伦路"("Take me to Duolun Road" in Chinese) to show to your taxi driver.

Longhua Temple Longhua, located in southwestern Shanghai, is the only ancient town preserved in the city's downtown area. Although it doesn't have as many as department stores as the Xujiahui commercial area, you will be able to find something there that is typically Chinese.

Surrounded by a group of ancient buildings, including the Longhua Temple and Longhua Pagoda, this area's main attraction is in its vendor stands. Fine examples of workmanship are displayed along the pedestrian street near Longhua Pagoda. What is on sale there is certainly in traditional Chinese style. The goods cover a wide range from beautifully wrought jade articles, ancient coins to Chinese knots and ink stones.

The asking prices of most of the goods along the street ranges from 80 yuan to 1,000 yuan. Don't feel stunned when the vendors give you a high price. Because here, bargaining is routine work. You can bargain with the vendors for further reductions and get a reasonable price — sometimes even beyond your expectations.

In Longhua, you can experience a real Chinese atmosphere, buy attractive and original souvenirs and enjoy a large variety of recreational activities. Because everyday is a temple fair!

If you want to buy jade, you can never be too careful because of the risk of buying fake jade. In general, the value of jade is determined according to its color and the intensity of that color, the vivacity and texture, and its clarity and transparency. The opening hours are usually from 7 am to 5 pm. The best time to go there is in April and May when the annual Longhua Temple Fair is held. If you're hungry, there are several restaurants serving local delicacies along the way. Transport: You can print out "带我去龙华寺," ("Take me to Longhua Temple" in Chinese), hail a taxi at Xujiahui or Shanghai Stadium Metro Stations and handle the note to taxi driver.

You can also take Metro Line.3 and get off at Longcao Road, then walk along Longcao Road to the east and turn to West Longhua Road. If you see the Longhua Pagoda, then you are at the right place.

Shanghai Metro overview
Introduction

Five Metro lines operate in Shanghai. Line 1 stretches from Xinzhuang to Gongfu Xincun, Line 2 from Zhongshan Park to Zhangjiang High-Tech District, Line 3 from Jiangwan Town to Shanghai South Railway Station, Line 5 from Xinzhuang to Minhang Development District.

Reaching almost every corner of the city, covering all the prosperous areas, the Metro is the fastest and most convenient way to move about in the downtown area. It takes no more than half an hour from Xinzhuang to People’s Square. Of course, it is much cheaper than taxis.

There are stations where several Metro lines meet. An interchange station is a station where you can change for other lines without meeting a ticket barrier. A transfer station, however, is one where you have to leave the first line through a ticket barrier and then be charged for another line (except for those with subway passes; in that case the second entry will link to the first so that it is treated as one trip).

However, the Metro has its disadvantages. It is extremely crowded in rush hours and Line 1 is crowded in whatever hours. Be wary of thieves, both on the train and on the platform, especially when it is extremely crowded.

Shanghai is going to build 10 new Metro lines from 2005 to 2012, stretching 389 kilometers. Total kilometrage of Shanghai Metro System is expected to reach 510 kilometers by 2012, among which 400 kilometers are going to put in use before 2010 Expo. Construction of four of the lines will start this year.

Beware of the difference between "interchange" and "transfer". At the interchange stations (e.g. People’s Square Station), you don’t have to buy a new ticket for changing to another line, but at the transfer ones (e.g. Shanghai Railway Station), you will have to.

It is strongly advisable to buy tickets from a ticket vending machine which automatically calculates the fare according to the destination station you specifies. However, general knowledge of how the fare is calculated will be helpful. Download from the following table printable PDF files showing fares of all possible journeys.

A transport card holder can get a 10 percent discount on every Metro ride after spending more than 70 yuan on the card in a month.

Deletion
1. Hi. I deleted this review as I could not find any information on it:

Genbao Football Base and Football Hotel invested and established by Mr. Xu Genbao, the famous domestic football coach. It is just next to Shanghai Baodao Resort.

Thanks.--(WT-en) MarinaK 19:39, 14 October 2008 (EDT)MarinaK.

2. hello, added a wrongly deleted tour listing - resulting in the section accidentally vanishing. Sincere apologies to friendly TOUR providers - unfortunately couldn't figure out how to restore the section. Anyone able to offer assistance? 28Jan2011 —The preceding comment was added by (WT-en) 173.244.210.111 (talk • contribs)


 * Please read the tour operator policy. — (WT-en) D. Guillaime 01:42, 28 January 2011 (EST)

Deletion
The writing was poor for the Get Out section of Shanghai, and I deleted this paragraph as it was unnecessary and did not make much sense. Shaoxing is known for its stinky food, and they are really stinky. You may have tried the fried stinky tofu in Shanghai, but that's the least stinky food among the numerous varieties you'll find in Shaoxing.

--(WT-en) MarinaK 20:12, 14 October 2008 (EDT)MarinaK.

Solar Eclipse in Shanghai!!
There will be a (total) solar eclipse in Shanghai next year (22 July 2009, from around 9.30-10am) How I wish I could go there. (WT-en) Chinzh