A-Z - Explore Shanghai - page 300

Qing Ming: 4 or 5 Apr
Labour Day: 1 May
Dragon Boat Festival: June*
Mid-Autumn Festival: Sept/Oct*
National Day: 1 Oct
Note that the Spring Festival (or Chinese New Year) and National Day are week-long holi-
days. Schools and government offices are open the weekend before or after the one-week
holiday. Spring Festival and National Day holidays signal a huge migration of travellers
across China, and trains, airlines and hotels are booked out well in advance, so try to avoid
travelling during these times.
I
ID
Visitors should carry with them a form of photo identification, such as passport, or a photo-
copy of it at all times.
INTERNET FACILITIES
Most hotels have either in-room WiFi or ports for high-speed internet connections. Many
cafés and small restaurants offer free WiFi if you buy a coffee.
L
LANGUAGE
Shanghai's official language is Mandarin (Putonghua) . Local residents also converse in the
Shanghainese dialect. English is increasingly understood by the younger generations in
downtown areas (though not by taxi drivers, so always have your destinations written in char-
acters). Street names, public transport and utilities signage is written in Chinese and Pinyin
(phonetic) or English translation, as are many restaurant menus. For more information, click
here .
LEFT LUGGAGE
Luggage can be left at the airport and the train station.
Pudong International Airport: Arrivals Hall, tel: [phone]; Departures Hall, tel: [phone].
Hongqiao Airport: Arrivals Hall, tel: [phone].