Things to Know About Shanghai

GENERAL INFORMATION ON SHANGHAI

Shanghai is the largest city in China with a population of over 24million and is known as the gateway to China due to it's location on the estuary of the Yangtze river. and is home to the busiest container port in the world.

It is a city rich in history, has great economic and cultural importance and stands as a 'showpiece' of China's booming economy. The city is a blend of old and new with the spectacular Lujizai skyline on one side of the river and Yu Garden, City God Temple, China Pavilion and the historic Bund on the other side of the river and is visited by millions of tourists every year who want to experience this vibrant ancient city.

The earliest settlements date back to between 5000-3300 BCE, fishing communities which thrived in the estuary created by the Song River (now known as the Suzhou Creek or Hu Creek) the name of which is used as an abbreviation for Shanghai to this day (the symbol for Hu is used on Shanghai number plates.)

From fishing villages to garrisons in the Tang Dynasty showed the importance of the area both politically and geographically and the town began to flourish. Because of it's location to Hangzhou (the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty) Shanghai became a military and naval base and officially became a city in 1291 during the Yuan dynasty with a population of around 300,000 people. During the Ming Dynasty engineers began dredging the Huangpu River and a city wall was built to stop the invasion by Japanese Pirates. However it was during the Qing dynasty (1636-1912) that Shanghai blossomed and took over the markets of Suzhou.

In 1832 the British East India Company tried to establish a trading center here but it wasn't until 1845 and an Opium War which resulted in the Treaty of Nanjing which opened up the area to trade with the British and other countries soon followed.

The 1911 Xinhai Revolution, led to the establishment of the Republic of China. During that time, Shanghai became the focal point of many activities that would eventually shape modern China. 1927 saw the Shanghai Massacre which was a violent surpression of the Communist Party by Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalist Party (who later fled to Taiwan after the communist revolution)

By the late 1920s Shanghai was a city with nearly 3 million people, called the 'Paris of the East and New York of the West' with only about 50,000 non Chinese who controlled a lot of the city (of which there wasan increasing number of White Russians who had escaped the Russian Revolution.)The city was roughly divided between East and West, with the Europeans and Americans occupying the Bund area of Shanghai, and parts of this area where forbidden to the Chinese which caused resentment and tensions.

In the 1930s Japan occupied Chinese-controlled Shanghai and again more tensions led to the assassination of Chinese collaborators by the Chinese resistance. During this time there was an influx of Jewish refugees to the Foreign Concessons who had escaped Nazi Germany. When Japan entered World War 2 the concessions fell under their control and slowly all the foreigners (except the French) lost their privileges and their concessions. Like many countries under Japanese rule life was harsh and there was a sense of freedom after the fall of Japan which was short-lived as the communists fought to gain control of the city, massacring thousands of counter-revolutionaries in their 'peaceful' take over of the city.

By 1949 Shanghai was under communist control and many foreign businessses moved to Hong Kong and during the Maoist era lost a lot of it's economic power.

It wasn't until the 1990s under Jiang Zemin's rule that Shanghai began to prosper once more as the tax burden was decreased and foreign investment was encouraged and now Shanghai is China's largest city and a world financial power.

Shanghai is a ideal place for tourists to visit as there is a wonderful mixture of traditional and modern, with surprises around every corner. It is a city that is constantly changing so another trip to Shanghai will give you completely different adventures.

Food

Food can be as cheap or as expensive as you wish it to be- there are many cheap options there are amazing market stall, sublime dim sum. Michelin star restaurants, whatever you fancy. Be prepared to take risks because an English menu is hard to find-but it's fun and you may be surprised with the best meal ever and if it's not then that is all part of the travel experience.

Language

The official language is Mandarin but Shanghainese (a dialect of Wu Chinese is spoken) and even though the train stations have signs and announcements in English (and on many street signs) don't expect to hear English except from ex-pats, business people and those working with tourists so make sure you have a few basic phrases in Mandarin to help you get by. However you may find people willing to try out the few words they know to help you out if you need it.

Currency

The currency is the Chinese Renmimbi or Yuan (currently exchanging at around Y 4.8 to $1 Australian) and has coins of Y1 Y0.5 Y).1 with notes of Y100, Y50, Y20, Y10. Y5, Y1, Y0.5 Y0.1

Credit cards are accepted (but American Express and Diners are unlikely to be, )but like most places in the world may not be accepted in smaller places so make sure you have enough cash on you.

ATM machines can be found on nearly every corner but check before you use them as they are not always foreign friendly (they will have signs on them for the use of Visa and Mastercard) so make sure when you come across one you can use make sure you take enough money out in case you have trouble finding another one.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SHANGHAI

There are many options when traveling from Shanghai Pudong International Airport into the city, the most expensive being taxis, the cheapest being metros but the quickest is on the Maglev (magnetic levitation train) which is an 8minute trip hurtling at nearly 300kms an hour which Y80 (Aus $17) return and takes you into downtown Shanghai.

From here there are buses, taxis and a subway consisting of 16 lines and very efficient and easy to use (signs are in both Mandarin and English as are the announcements and there are apps to download to help you find your way around. If you are planning on spending a lot of time traveling the metro in Shanghai consider getting a Shanghai Public Transportation Card which costs up front Y100 (20 for a deposit and 80 for transportation which you can top up at any time in many locations. There are also one (Y18) and three day travel passes (Y45) for tourists which gives unlimited travel on trains for 24-72hours after the first train trip.

3/ ELECTRICITY

This can be a little confusing because there are three types of plugs that are used here, ones similar to Australia, the US and ones used in Europe so just make sure you have a converter (just in case) so you can recharge all your batteries/chargers

WHILE IN SHANGHAI

1/BE POLITE AND RESPECTFUL OF CUSTOMS

Bowing is not required in Shanghai however you may find people nodding at you.

Something that is very difficult for me is the fact that the Chinese don't 'speak with their hands' and find it annoying so try hard not to.

DON'T point, if you need to use an open hand to gesture.

When giving or receiving money or business cards use two hands as a sign of respect.

Tipping on a whole is frowned upon unless you are doing a tour designed for foreign tourists so allow for a small tip when you are doing your budget.

TOILETS

There are Western toilets and squat toilets in most public toilets within cities (outside of them Western toilets are not as common so use the opportunity to improve your core and thigh muscles because when nature calls there's not much you can do about it.)Make sure you carry tissues and wipes because toilet paper may not always be available. Be prepared though, because in a lot of the toilets you don't put the paper in, you put it in the bin next to the toilet and that can be a bit confronting, just get another piece and wrap it!!!

MOST IMPORTANTLY WHEN YOU ARE IN SHANGHAI HAVE FUN AND SOAK UP EVERY EXPERIENCE THERE AND YOU WILL BE A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE OF IT!!!!

#sHanGhaI #cHinA #tRavEltIps