Tips for Traveling in Shanghai

1. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Even if you have the "walk" sign in your favor, you have to yield to cars making a right hand turn. I don't believe that the cars are gunning for pedestrians or anything, but since there is no liability if the driver runs over a pedestrian, the risk is on the pedestrian.

2. The street lights here are red for stop, yellow for get ready to go and green to go. But most taxi drivers are starting to move on yellow.

3. All traffic rules are suggestions.

4. Do not drink the tap water, use ice or eat any fruit or vegetable that is not cooked or have to be peeled.

5. Taxis are pretty honest here. There is a receipt machine that automatically prints when the taxi drops you off. Even if you don't need the receipt, it is recommended that you take it anyway in case you left something in the taxi and to keep the taxi driver honest. I don't always ask for a receipt but I've never had a problem with any taxi driver trying to rip me off (like pretending to not have enough change in hopes that you will give him the change as a tip). The taxi's company name and number is on the receipt and so is the taxi's employee number. If you ask for the receipt, they will be concerned that you will complain about them. I'm continually impressed that every taxi driver that I have used has known exactly how to get to my destination (except to my office in Zizhu Business Park). They must have all of the streets memorized. I've been frequenting places that are not in the guide books so they are not "hot" tourist spots.

6. There's 2 written forms of Mandarin --- Chinese symbols or pinyin (which is alphabetized form of the language). Pinyin was introduced in the 60s (if I remember correctly). None of the taxi drivers know how to read pinyin, and most places listed in my guide books are in pinyin. Frommers does have a couple of pages listing the Chinese symbols for popular tourist places and hotels. Otherwise, you have to find someone to translate pinyin into Chinese symbols.

7. All of the street signs in Shanghai are in both Chinese symbols and pinyin. The taxi drivers cannot read the pinyin address if you write it down for them or show them in a book or card, but they can understand it if you tell it to them. Unfortunately, my Mandarin is non-existent right now. It is curious to me why they don't have a cheat sheet that allows them to cross refrence the pinyin street names with their equivalent Chinese symbols.

I have 2 solutions for this last problem. The first is that I have started taking pictures of street names and places that I know I will frequent. And then I show it to the taxi driver on my digital camera.

this is the name of my apartment street

this is the name of my apartment complex

Before I left for Shanghai, I had my apartment address printed out in pinyin and Chinese symbols and had it laminated. I just show the taxi driver the card and I get home just fine. But I keep these pictures in my camera in case I forget my address card.

this is the name of the street leading to my office

My office is actually on another street that intersects this street. This street is a major street that everyone seems to know. The problem is that I don't know whether you go North or South on it to get my my office street. My second solution is to call the places to which I am headed as soon as I get into the taxi and give the phone to the taxi driver to find out directions. This works great. Now, you are all prepared to come to Shanghai.......