Reaching Shanghai

As how much you should prepare before reaching Shanghai, there are equivalent amount of tasks that should be done after reaching there. Click on the button below to view the all-in-one checklist that we prepared for all students as a guideline to follow.

1. Transportation

Leaving Airport

There are two airports in Shanghai, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. There are a few main methods that you can consider to reach your destination after reaching Shanghai airport:

  1. Taxi (Accepts both cash and e-wallets)
  2. Bus (Accepts cash, e-wallet and bus card)
  3. Metro (Accepts e-wallet, metro card and ticket)
  4. Magnetic Levitation train (Only available in Shanghai Pudong International Airport)

Click here for more info.

List of official taxi services in Shanghai:

  1. DaZhong:96822
    http://taxi.96822.com/index.asp

  2. QiangSheng:15900686552 / 62580000
    http://www.qiangsheng.com.cn/carorder/czcyd.jsphttp://6240507.shop.liebiao.com/

  3. JinJiang:96961 / 58605227
    http://375365.shanghai.8671.net/

  4. HaiBo:96933 / 02161132878
    http://6408.zhaoshayou.com/homepage-htm-uid-6408.html

You can also book a taxi using DiDi or MeiTuan Taxi Service via their apps.

Transportation in Shanghai

Method Price Payment Method Remarks
Bus
¥1 - 8 / station
Metro Card, e-wallet or cash
Metro Card can be bought and topped up at the metro station with a deposit of ¥20 at the first purchase
Metro
Minimum price ¥3
Metro Card, e-wallet or buying ticket at the station
Metro Card can be bought and topped up at the metro station with a deposit of ¥20 at the first purchase
Taxi
Starting Fare: ¥12 - 14
E-wallet or cash
Sharing Bike
¥1 / hour
Via the app itself (e-wallet)
Your identity has to be verified before using (usually it takes one day)

You can also consider buying a personal bicycle or scooter from local shops or seniors that are leaving Shanghai.

*If you are riding a scooter, you have to apply for a license before buying one. Most scooters in Shanghai are electric based, do be aware of the battery and charge whenever needed.

Transportation to leave Shanghai

Method Boarding Location Document Preparation Methods to Purchase Ticket
Plane

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport





Passport

Student Card





Buying at the respective counters

Using apps (eg. WeChat, Alipay, XieCheng, GaoDe)

High Speed Rail



Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station

Shanghai Long-Distance
Passenger Transport South Station

Train
Long Distance Bus

2. Telecommunication

There are three main telecommunication services in Shanghai, China Mobile, China Telecommunications Corporation, and China Unicom. Most of the telecommunication services will release student packages during enrollment season, along with a few promotion packages which are more worthy for students to choose. It is a wise decision to compare different companies’ packages before purchasing one.

Document Preparation

  1. Passport with visa
  2. Offer letter – original and copy
  3. JW201/JW202 form – original and copy

3. Banking

It is no doubt that creating a bank account is one of the most important things that should be done after reaching Shanghai. Before choosing a bank to create an account, it is significant to confirm with your university if there are any specific bank accounts that they require students to create, as some universities only admit specific bank when it comes to paying tuition fees via bank transfer.

Creating a local bank account also allows you to activate e-wallets like WeChat Pay and Alipay, which makes purchasing and transferring money in China a lot of times more convenient.

Document Preparation

  1. Passport with visa
  2. Offer letter – original and copy
  3. JW201/JW202 form – original and copy
  4. China phone number
  5. Cash ¥100

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