The Chinese are relaxed and open with children and this makes it, almost, a pleasure to bring them with you to restaurants. While the friendly Chinese attitude may not make your child better behaved, at least you do not have to shoulder ugly sneers and the evil eye. Still, sometimes it’s nice to go where children are not only tolerated, they are catered to. Here are some Western and Chinese restaurants in Shanghai that welcome you and your children and ...
Recently, the Chinese embassies and consulates began requiring invitation letters to accompany a tourist (type L) visa application forms. There are several ways to get an invitation letter and it depends on how you are traveling: independently as a tourist (i.e. not with a tour group), with a tour group, independently for business reasons. Click the links below to determine how to go about getting a letter.Getting a letter for independent tourist travelGetting a letter for travel within a tour ...
OverviewBringing a first aid kit with you to China will save you a headache – literally and figuratively. Many medications, or their equivalents, are available in China but you do not want to be navigating your way through a Chinese pharmacy or sitting in the ER when all you need is some diarrhea meds to help you with that spicy Sichuan food you ate yesterday. Here’s a list of things you should have with you…just in case. First Aid Kit ...
Touring the Bund can be hard work – if you really want to see it, you begin walking on the west side of the Huang Pu River, the historic Bund, and peek into the buildings, re-mark on the architecture and have a coffee at one of the stunning restaurants that are beginning to be housed in these classic buildings. Then, you cross the street and view the Pudong skyline from the Bund promenade. If you are really ambitious, then you ...
Many men come to Shanghai on business trips and while the need for suits, at least in the US, is not as great as it used to be, you still might want to check out a tailor while visiting China. W.W. Chan is a tailor outfit based in Hong Kong with a shop in downtown Shanghai. Known locally as one of the ideal tailors in Shanghai, many men both foreign and local get their suits made at W.W. Chan. Most ...
PackingThe ideal advice I give my friends who come to China is this: pack light! There is so much shopping to do, most travelers have no problem filling up their suitcases on the way home. So do not bring too much with you – you really do not need that much. That said, there are a few essentials you should have along with you. As the saying goes, if you do not want it to rain, bring an umbrella. My ...
May is my favorite month in China. You can pretty much depend on it being warm and balmy but the heat and humidity of the summer have not yet set in. The country has greened up and the flowers are in full bloom. You often get some clear blue skies in the major cities and there is just an overall good feeling in the air. Northern China, such as Beijing, is beautiful. You’ll be relatively dry and the temps are ...
Step into history. Eating at Fu 1039 lets you feel like you are walking back in time.Experience the flavors of authentic Shanghainese cuisine: delicate yet well-defined.Moderate prices do not make you feel like you are spending a fortune.Wonderfully attentive yet unobtrusive staff: your wine glass and tea cup will never be empty.Private dining options perfect for groups or families with tiny ones.Limited wine list and seemingly limited stock.A wee bit hard to find: no signage outside.Fu 1039Lane 1039 Yu Yuan ...
Inside the underground maze of the metro station, this market inhabits a warren of stalls. Here you can purchase just about anything when it comes to junk made in China. This includes fake watches, bags, shirts and viewing material. Just be warned, it IS fake, no matter what they tell you. Vendors here are reasonably honest but they are trying to make as much money as they can and are used to day-stopping tourists ready to drop a load of ...
Travelers arriving from international destinations will land at Pudong International Airport. Pudong (airport code: PVG) is approximately 45 minutes from the city center (downtown Puxi). The Maglev train currently connects the airport to Shanghai’s subway system but if you are not staying in Pudong, it is faster and wiser to take a taxi. Note: Be sure to use the proper (official) taxi line for lifts into the city, the taxi touts that approach you in the airport charge higher rates. ...