💳 Payments 支付
Shanghai runs on QR-code mobile payment. Cash works almost nowhere except taxis and the airport. Foreign cards work at most hotels and high-end restaurants but not at street stalls, small shops, or in apps like Didi.
上海几乎全部 QR 码支付。现金只在出租车和机场基本能用。外卡能刷酒店和大餐厅，街边店和打车 App 都不接受。
Set up Alipay Tour Pass / 支付宝 Tour Pass
- Download Alipay from your home App Store before you fly. The Chinese name is 支付宝.
- Inside the app: search for "Tour Pass" or "国际版" — register with your passport, link Visa / Mastercard / Amex / JCB.
- Tour Pass works as a prepaid wallet (top up from your card; ¥100–2 000 increments). 90-day validity per top-up.
- Pay anywhere by either: (a) scanning the merchant's QR; or (b) showing your own paycode under "付款码 / Pay" — vendor scans it.
WeChat Pay alternative / 微信支付
WeChat (微信) accepts foreign Visa/Mastercard since 2023. Enable in Me → Services → Wallet → Add card. Same flow as Alipay. Carry both — some merchants only accept one.
Card-decline tip: Some merchants reject foreign cards unannounced. Just switch to the other app (Alipay ↔ WeChat). If both fail, ¥100 of cash buys you out of any standoff.
外卡偶尔被拒，换另一个 App 试就行。两个都不行就掏现金 — 100 元基本能脱身。
🚇 Metro 地铁
20 lines, 5:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. roughly. Single-ride ¥3–10 by distance. Cleanest, fastest way to move within the city.
20 条线，约 5:30–22:30 运营，单程 3–10 元。最快最干净的市内交通。
Three ways to ride
- Alipay Metro QR (easiest): in Alipay search "Shanghai Metro" or "上海地铁" → Activate Transport Code → scan at gate's QR reader (top-left of every gate).
- Metro Daduhui app (上海地铁 Metro 大都会): standalone app, English UI, same QR mechanism.
- Single-ride paper ticket: kiosk at every station, English supported. Useful as a fallback.
Useful lines for visitors
- Line 2 — PVG ↔ City ↔ Hongqiao: the main artery. Stops at People's Sq, Nanjing Rd, Lujiazui.
- Line 10 — Yu Garden ↔ Xintiandi ↔ Tianzifang ↔ Wukang Rd. Tourist greatest hits.
- Line 1 — People's Sq ↔ South Shanghai Railway. Crosses Line 2 at People's Sq.
- Maglev — PVG ↔ Longyang Rd, 30 km in 7 min. ¥50 single, ¥40 with same-day flight ticket. Top speed 300 km/h (430 km/h pre-2024).
🚕 Taxi & Didi 出租 / 打车
Didi (滴滴) is the Uber-equivalent. Hailing a regular taxi on the street still works but drivers rarely speak English.
Didi setup
- Inside Alipay: search "Didi" → use the mini-program (no separate app needed). English mode under settings.
- Or download DiDi (China) Rider from your home App Store — supports international phone numbers.
- Pay automatically through the linked card.
Typical fares
- Short trip (3–5 km): ¥18–35
- Cross-town (15 km): ¥50–80
- Pudong Airport ↔ downtown: ¥180–220 / 45–60 min
- Hongqiao ↔ downtown: ¥80–120 / 30 min
Street-hail tip: Show the driver your destination address in Chinese characters (screenshot in advance). "Pinyin only" addresses get blank stares.
街头打车把目的地中文截图给师傅看 — 拼音地址容易看不懂。
📶 Connectivity 网络
eSIM (recommended for short trips)
- Airalo / Holafly / Nomad — buy China eSIM before you fly, activate on landing. ~$10–20 for 5 GB / 7 days.
- China Unicom HK — most plans include built-in VPN routing through Hong Kong, so Google / Instagram / WhatsApp work without a separate VPN. Worth the slight premium.
Physical SIM at airport
- China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom kiosks in PVG and SHA arrival halls.
- ~¥100–150 for 7 days, 10 GB data + local minutes. Bring passport.
- SIMs from these carriers do not bypass China's firewall — pair with a VPN if you need Google/WhatsApp/Insta.
🌐 VPN / Blocked services VPN / 翻墙
The following are blocked on mainland China connections: Google (Search, Gmail, Maps, Drive), YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, X / Twitter, Reddit, Slack, most Western news sites, ChatGPT, Notion.
Setup before you fly
- Install a paid VPN at home, before flying. The websites of all major VPNs are themselves blocked from inside China — you cannot download one once you've landed.
- Reliable picks (as of 2025): Astrill, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, LetsVPN. ~$10–15/month.
- Test it works before your flight.
Hotel + roaming workaround: International roaming SIMs and most 4-/5-star hotel WiFi route through outside the firewall and don't need a VPN at all. If your phone is roaming on its home plan, Google works fine.
国际漫游和大酒店 WiFi 大多走境外路由，不需要 VPN，Google 直接能用。
✈️ Getting in from PVG / SHA 机场到市区
Pudong (PVG) → city
- Maglev + Metro: ¥50 + ¥3–6, total ~50 min. Fastest by clock if your hotel is near Line 2.
- Metro Line 2 direct: ¥8, total ~70–90 min. Cheapest. Note: must transfer at Guanglan Rd outside peak.
- Didi / taxi: ¥180–220, 45–60 min off peak, can be 90 min in rush hour.
- Hotel limousine: ¥280+ but English driver and door service.
Hongqiao (SHA) → city
- Metro Line 2 / 10: ¥4–6, 30–40 min. Hongqiao is closer than PVG.
- Didi / taxi: ¥80–120, 30 min.
Heading back to airport
For early morning flights, allow 2.5 hours door-to-gate (45 min ride + 60 min security/check-in + 45 min buffer). Shanghai security is faster than US norms but international check-in queues can be long.
🆘 Emergency numbers 紧急电话
- 110 Police 公安 / 报警
- 119 Fire 火警
- 120 Ambulance 急救
- 122 Traffic accident 交通事故
- 12345 Government hotline (consumer rights, English support) 市民服务热线，外语支持
US Consulate General Shanghai
- Westgate Mall area, 1469 Huaihai Middle Rd 淮海中路 1469 号
- Phone: +86 21 8011 2400 (24h emergency line for US citizens)
- For lost passports / medical evac / arrest: call first, then visit during office hours.
24-hour pharmacies / hospitals
- Lao Bai Xing (老百姓大药房) — pharmacy chain, multiple 24h locations. Pharmacist on duty all night.
- Shanghai United Family Hospital (和睦家) — Western-style, English-speaking, accepts most international insurance. +86 21 2216 3999.
- Huashan Hospital (华山医院) Worldwide Medical Center — Chinese hospital with international wing, top neurology and ER.
- Shanghai East International Medical Center — Pudong, 24h, English-speaking.
If you lose your passport: file a police report at the nearest 派出所 (police station) within 24h, get the report stub, then go to the US Consulate with the stub + a photo + ¥100s in fees. Replacement is same-day for emergency travel docs.
护照丢了：先去最近派出所报案拿回执，再去领事馆办应急旅行证。当天能办。
🎭 Etiquette quick rules 基本礼节
- No tipping. Not at restaurants, taxis, hotels, or salons. The bill is the final price. Forcing a tip can be seen as awkward or even rude.不需要小费 — 强行给反而尴尬。
- Shoes on indoors at restaurants and shops. Many private homes ask you to take shoes off — host will offer slippers.餐厅 / 店铺穿鞋进。私宅一般要换室内拖鞋。
- Drinking culture: at meals, never refill your own cup — refill others' first, they'll do yours. "Gan bei" = bottoms-up.敬酒先给别人倒，别人会回敬你。"干杯" = 一饮而尽。
- Bill splitting: most younger people split via WeChat. Older / formal hosts insist on paying — let them.年轻人微信 AA。长辈 / 正式场合让他们买单。
- Photos of strangers: ask first, especially older people in public spaces (e.g. People's Sq marriage market).拍人之前问一句，尤其老年人。
- Queue jumping at metro / elevator: gentle but firm — Shanghai is the most queue-disciplined Chinese city, you don't need to elbow.上海排队文化好，不用挤。
- The bill arrives only when you ask: "Mai dan / 买单" or wave at the server.叫"买单"才结账，不会自动上。
Handy phrases
- Ni hao / 你好 — Hello
- Xie xie / 谢谢 — Thank you
- Mai dan / 买单 — The bill, please
- Bu yao xiang cai / 不要香菜 — No cilantro
- Bu la / 不辣 — Not spicy
- Wei sheng jian zai na li / 卫生间在哪里 — Where's the bathroom
- Wo ting bu dong / 我听不懂 — I don't understand (works as a polite escape)
Translation app: Pleco for offline dictionary, Google Translate with English↔Chinese pack downloaded for offline OCR. Both work without VPN once installed.
Pleco 离线词典 + Google Translate 离线包，下好后断网也能用。
🌡️ Weather & seasonality 天气
Best windows
- Mar–May: 15–22°C, cherry blossom mid-Mar, magnolia early Apr. Some rain.
- Sep–Nov: 18–25°C, dry, ginkgo gold late Nov. Hairy crab season Oct–Dec.
Tougher windows
- Jun–Aug: 28–38°C + 80% humidity. Plum-rain mid-June. Typhoons Jul–Sep.
- Dec–Feb: 0–8°C, damp cold. No central heating — bring layers.