Internet Access and VPN in China

Shanghai has two airports one of them is the international airport in Pudong, 35 km from the city centre. From the Pudong Airport, the most enthralling way to travel is on the Maglev (the high-speed magnetic-rail train) to Longyang Road in Pudong. There is an underground station and a taxi rank at Longyang Road for onward travel. Metro Line 2 is available when departing or arriving at Pudong International Airport. Operating Time 6 am 10 pm and leaves every 8.5 minutes. A taxi from Pudong Airport to the city centre takes up to an hour. Make sure you have your destination written in Chinese. The airport has regular shuttle buses to many areas in the city and the major hotels have desks at the airport and will arrange the transfer.

Another airport called Hongqiao Airport, which handles domestic flights, lies 15 km from downtown. Both Metro and buses run from this airport. A taxi from Hongquiao Airport will take 30-45 minutes. Make sure you have your destination written in Chinese. Hongqiao Airport has regular shuttle buses to many areas in the city. The major hotels have desks at the airport and will arrange the transfer.

If you fly into Shanghai’s International Airport in Pudong, be sure to take the Maglev into town rather than a taxi or regular metro. The Maglev is China’s futuristic magnetic levitation train and the fastest ride in its technological repertoire. The journey only lasts a few minutes, but during that time the train can reach a top speed of 430 kilometres per hour (although the average is closer to 300 km/h).

Due to the Internet policy of China, certain websites and applications are not accessible from the mainland, including those very commonly used in the West (Facebook, Instagram, X, Google, Skype and more). Some travellers have been able to gain access to those via a VPN service (installed prior to arrival in China). Make sure you comply with local laws and regulations when deciding on whether or not to employ a VPN, and which one to choose (if you do, only use those explicitly allowed by the Chinese government, and only use them for authorised purposes to avoid any trouble). There have been reports of foreigners in China getting their cell service cut off in response to unauthorised use of VPN being detected; restoring cell service required a trip to the local police station where the contents of the device were investigated and certain apps removed. Given that Google is banned in China, Google Maps might not be the most accurate and reliable source of information. Some local apps such as Baidu Maps and AutoNavi tend to work better than Google Maps.

Country code: +86 Area code: 21

In China, the standard voltage is 220V at a frequency of 50Hz. There are three kinds of sockets widely used in Mainland China: type A, C, and I. Type C, which has two round pins, is the one commonly seen in most European countries.

The main post office in Shanghai is located at 276 Sichuan North Road in the Hongkou District. It is situated near the northern end of the Bund, making it easily accessible from many central locations in Shanghai. The Shanghai General Post Office provides a full range of postal services, including mail and parcel delivery, express services, and various other postal and financial services.

Pharmacies are not hard to find in the city, just look for the green cross. One of the main pharmacy chains in Shanghai is called Yifeng. Besides being a major supermarket chain, Lianhua Supermarket also operates pharmacies within many of its stores, offering a wide range of over-the-counter medications and health products.