Shanghai Local Customs

The yellow tiled sidewalk path sure looks colorful but it also has a practical function. It's supposed to be used by the blind or sight-impaired. They can 'feel' there way along the raised bumps.

I don't think I ever saw any blind people using the yellow path but I was told that's what is was intended for.

Be careful of spit. The Chinese do this a lot, it seems to be a favorite passtime. Putting your bag down on the ground is not a good idea for you may place it in a wad of spit.
Toilets on trains are mostly of the squat variety...if you look in the hole you will see the railroad tracks. Easier for women if they wear a skirt.

Chinese like to greet foreigners verbally with a 'hello', then laugh. Don't take it too personally. They are not accustomed to seeing many tourists in mainland China.

Try to learn a little basic Chinese when traveling, especially the pronounciation.It really will help and the Chinese do respond well if you try ( even if they giggle while you try to speak ,they do appreciate the effort).Once you leave the Hotels people will not understand english. If you need to get somewhere by cab have the conciege write it down for you . Cab drivers Understand the least English, your best bet in an emergency are young people since they are now taught english in school.

WEB RESOURCES:Shanghai Travel Info Service Center: TourInfo.sh.cn.
Shanghai China Travel Service: SCTS.com.cn.
Shanghai Dazhong International Travel Service: DZIT.com.
Shanghai Shihua International Travel: ShihuaITS.com.
Shanghai JC Mandarin Hotel: JCMandarin.com.
Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai: Shangri-La.com.
Grand Hyatt Shanghai: Shanghai.Hyatt.com.
Wuxi China Travel Service: WXCTS.com.cn.

Business Hours --------------------------------------
Banks, offices, government departments, and police stations (known as Public Security Bureaus or PSB) are open Monday-Saturday. Most open between 8 and 9 AM, close for lunch from noon to 2 PM, and reopen until 5 or 6. Many branches of the Bank of China, China International Travel Service (CITS), and stores catering to foreigners are open Sunday morning. Some close on Wednesday afternoon. Museums are open 9 to 4 six days a week. They are usually closed on Monday.
All businesses are closed on Chinese New Year and other major holidays.
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Holidays---------------------------------------------

National holidays include January 1 (New Year's Day); two days in late February-early March (Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival); March 8 (International Working Women's Day); May 1 (International Labor Day); May 4 (Youth Day); June 1 (Children's Day); July 1 (Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China); August 1 (Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese PLA); and October 1 (National Day-founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 1949).

Language---------------------------------------------
The national language of China is Mandarin, known in China as Putonghua. Nearly everyone speaks Mandarin, but many also speak a local dialect that uses the same characters as Mandarin but whose pronunciation can vary greatly.
All Chinese languages are tonal. Each syllable has a different meaning depending on the pitch or musical inflection the speaker gives it. To give an example, in Mandarin the syllable 'ma' can mean mother, horse, curse, or hemp plant or be a particle denoting a question, depending on the tone used. Since 1949, the government has revamped the teaching of Mandarin, introducing a simplified phonetic system known as pinyin, which uses the Roman alphabet to denote the pronunciations of the myriad Chinese characters.

It is difficult for foreigners to speak Chinese, and even harder to be understood. However, the Chinese will appreciate your making the effort to speak a few phrases understood almost everywhere. Try 'Hello'-'Ni hao' (nee how); 'Thank you'-'Xie xie' (hsyeh, hsyeh); and 'Good-bye'-'Tsai jian' (tsigh djyan).

You can usually find someone who speaks English in the major cities. Outside the cities, it is difficult to get around China on your own without speaking the language; and road signs are rarely in English. If you are not planning to go with a tour group, you can go from city to city and hire a local English-speaking guide from the CTS office at each stop.

Arobic and Social dancing are popular activities in local parks. In the photo here is one of the many dancing groups learning Waltz. More photos here

Shanghainese like to eat Dried Salted Pork Leg, they put in in many dishes they cooked especially in soups. You can found Pork Leg hanging out from residential house windows when you enter the back streets.