Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the red Chinese student identity card or
ISIC card. An international youth hostel card
gets a small discount at hostels.
High-end restaurants and hotels add a ten
or fifteen percent service charge (annoyingly
though, it rarely goes to the staff).
Hotel rooms are on the whole secure,
dormitories less so - in the latter case it's
often fellow travellers who are the problem.
Most hotels should have a safe, but it's not
unusual for things to go missing from
these.
On the street, flashy jewellery and
watches will attract the wrong kind of
attention, and try to be discreet when taking
out your cash. Not looking obviously wealthy
also helps if you want to avoid being ripped
off by street traders and taxi drivers, as does
telling them you are a student - the Chinese
have a great respect for education, and
much more sympathy for foreign students
than for tourists.
Crime and personal
safety
The main problem likely to affect tourists
visiting Shanghai is getting scammed (see
box below). In terms of personal safety,
Shanghai is safer than most Western cities
but you do need to take care as tourists are
an obvious target for petty theft. Passports
and money should be kept in a concealed
money belt, and it's a good idea to keep
around US$200 separately from the rest of
your cash, together with your traveller's
cheque receipts, insurance policy details,
and photocopies of your passport and visa.
Be wary on buses, the favoured haunt of
pickpockets.
The police
The police, or PSB (Public Security Bureau)
are recognizable by their dark blue uniforms
and caps, though there are a lot more
around than you might at first think, as plenty
are undercover. They have wider powers
than Western police forces, including estab-
lishing the guilt of criminals - trials are often
used only for deciding the sentence of the
accused, though China is beginning to have
the makings of an independent judiciary.
Laws are harsh, with execution - a bullet in
the back of the head - the penalty for a wide
range of serious crimes, from corruption to
rape, though if the culprit is deemed to show
proper remorse, the result can be a more
lenient sentence.
The police also have the job of looking
after foreigners, and you'll most likely have to
seek them out for visa extensions (see p.36),
to get a loss report, or complain when you've
been scammed in a teahouse. They can be
surprisingly helpful, but are often officious. A
convenient police station is at 499 Nanjing Xi
Lu, beside the Chengdu Bei Lu overpass.
Warning: scam artists
Getting scammed is the biggest
threat to foreign visitors, and there
are so many professional con artists
targeting tourists that you can expect
to be approached many times a day
at places such as Yuyuan Bazaar,
around People's Square and on
Nanjing Dong Lu.
Commonly, a sweet-looking young
couple, a pair of girls, or perhaps a
kindly old man, will ask to practise
their English or offer to show you
round. After befriending you - which
may take hours - they will suggest
some refreshment, and lead you to
a teahouse. Following a traditional-
looking tea ceremony you will be
presented with a bill for thousands
of yuan, your new “friends” will
disappear or pretend to be
shocked, and some large gentlemen
will appear. In another variation, you
will be coaxed into buying a
painting (really a print) for a
ridiculous sum. So remember: never
drink with a stranger if you haven't
seen a price list.
Emergency numbers
Police
T
110
Fire
T
119
Ambulance
T
120
Note though that in an emergency
you are generally better off taking a
taxi (see p.37) to the nearest hospital
than calling for an ambulance.
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