Traveling to Shanghai China

[Quadrupled]

It looks like I'm likely heading west of Shanghai (to Suzhou) in a few weeks for work. Any travel advice, places to visit or avoid from those who've been? I expect to only have about one day to be a tourist.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

It's been 3 years since I've been there, but I posted a review of Boxing Cat Brewery a few years ago. Highly recommend this one.

http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2014/12/12/brads-beer-review-boxing-cat-brewery-shanghai-china/

I also visited a place called The BREW which was in a hotel in the PuDong region, but found it to be just average. Granted, "average" is better that most beer/breweries in Asia, so take that FWIW.I'd definitely recommend Boxing Cat over this.

In the Bund, I went to a restaurant called Lost Heaven which IMHO was really cool as well. This is of course not a beer-related recommendation, but rather if you want good food and a cool cultural experience.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...Reviews-Lost_Heaven_on_the_Bund-Shanghai.html

Beyond that, I can't offer too much, as I've only been through Shanghai a couple of times, and usually it was VERY short visits (a weekend was the longest). But if you haven't been to China before, all I can tell you is to soak it up. I've been to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Taipei (which of course isn't "China" exactly), and loved it every time. In fact, your post makes me wish I still had the position at my company that afforded me travel to the Far East...

 

[lslbrew]

Also in the Bund is a restaurant I think is called M on the Bund. It is on the roof of one of the buildings. I remember going to an elevator in the back of a building lobby. Seemed odd at the time but once you get out on the roof it is a great view across the river to the skyline of Shanghai.
I liked old town Shanghai if you can get over there. The buildings are original so you have hundreds year old buildings retrofitted with things like Starbucks. Is very touristy but neat to see the old buildings.

I have been to Shanghai several times but am working and usually did not have much free time so that is about all I can think of.

If you get anywhere near Quindao, go to the brewery there. Being from St. Louis, I found it interesting how the timing and history of German migration was very similar and the brewery could have been AB. Strange being in the middle of China and going into a very German feeling place.

 

[beernutz]

I last visited Shanghai in 1987 and the only beer I remember drinking there was 5 star served in cans so it is good to hear that progress has been made.

 

[Quadrupled]

Thank you for the suggestions, I'll look to fit in Lost Haven and or M if I can make it to the Bund.

I'm definitely looking forward to experiencing and enjoying the history, culture and similar. I know it's touristy but I'd really like to have been closer to the Terrocatta Army or the Great Wall. However the areas around Suzhou and Shainghai do look beautiful. I'm most excited about the food and sceneries.

 

[Quadrupled]

Travel plans are finalizing. Did anybody bother with reviewing a language program before traveling in China - I’ve previously liked the Pimsleur programs for German and Spanish. Although while working I’ll be with people to translate and will be staying at international hotels I’m wondering about the ability to communicate in the airport or while site seeing.

 

[arturo7]

You'll be surprised at how many people you deal with can communicate in English. It's often pretty basic, but usually effective.

 

[Quaker]

In/near Suzhou are some water villages a la Venice (but still Chinese level of course) and fresh water pearl markets. Whomever you're visiting may be able to help guide you there. For in Shanghai I'll second Boxing Cat. They have multiple pubs now with good food, plus another called Liquid Laundry which is completely the same founders and head brewer (an American from Oregon). The BREW was ok while I lived there, but their original Kiwi Brewer moved on about 2-3 years ago. Not sure who took over or the quality now. Enjoy the trip.

 

[arturo7]

You might want to consider spending an hour or two at the "fake" market. It's amazing what you can find there on the cheap.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Travel plans are finalizing. Did anybody bother with reviewing a language program before traveling in China - I’ve previously liked the Pimsleur programs for German and Spanish. Although while working I’ll be with people to translate and will be staying at international hotels I’m wondering about the ability to communicate in the airport or while site seeing.

You'll be surprised at how many people you deal with can communicate in English. It's often pretty basic, but usually effective.

Agreed. Especially in the airport. You'll find plenty of English speakers there.

The only Mandarin I know:

Hello: Ni Hao
Thank You: xie xie (kinda pronounced "shay shay"--but not exactly--but they'll forgive a Westerner's pronounciation)
Beer: pijiu (kinda pronounced "pee joe", best as I can tell)

What more do you need?

The hardest, quite frankly, is getting around in a taxi without speaking the language. Your best bet is to figure out where you want to go, have the people at the hotel write the address in Chinese and tell the cabbie where you're going. Most of the hotels will have a little card with something that basically says "take me back to this hotel" that you can show to a cabbie on the return. It's easier now with Uber, which is now a thing, at least in Shanghai. Not sure if it's available elsewhere in the more rural areas.

 

[aces-n-eights]

One thing i did before my last international flight was to buy a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones. Wow, what a huge difference! I have some music and podcasts on my phone i could stream or just have them in noise cancelling mode. Very nice for a long flight...

 

[Quadrupled]

In/near Suzhou are some water villages a la Venice (but still Chinese level of course) and fresh water pearl markets.

This is an awesome suggestion! I will most definitely look for this. It seems that silk may be a big thing in Suzhou as well and there appears to be a silk museum or something similar I was thinking to see.

You might want to consider spending an hour or two at the "fake" market. It's amazing what you can find there on the cheap.

One guy going was mentioning this as well. Think it’d be a cool thing to see.

Your best bet is to figure out where you want to go, have the people at the hotel write the address in Chinese and tell the cabbie where you're going. Most of the hotels will have a little card with something that basically says "take me back to this hotel" that you can show to a cabbie on the return.

Having the hotel do this for me was my understanding as well.

Although it appears English will be spoken in the areas where I’ll generally be, I purchased the Pimlseur Mandarin program. Even though I doubt that I will need to use it, practicing the language is giving me a level of comfort knowing that I’ve at least put some effort into learning how to relay some basic information.

 

[Quadrupled]

Trip to Shanghai was pretty cool. One thing which perplexed me was that the plane’s flight path showed us having flown over North Korea.

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The city was the most expansive place I have ever been. We were about in the center of the city (around 25 miles from the airport) and no matter which way you looked it was enormous buildings. The short buildings were still something like 5-6 stories.

And the city is absolutely beautiful - here’s an image from a boat cruise on the bund.

Went to the fake market and the knockoff stuff was pretty funny. Lots of STAR WNRS, Batguy, Space Battle toys. Lots of knockoff watches like Rolex which may have even had been spelled with a double L.

Also invested in the Bose noise canceling headphones. This was one of the smartest investments for the flight and am glad you suggested it aces-n-eights.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Trip to Shanghai was pretty cool. One thing which perplexed me was that the plane’s flight path showed us having flown over North Korea.

Do you find that strange because of the route itself, or merely the fact that you would assume commercial airliners don't fly over NK?

Because with great circle flight patterns, the route itself makes sense.

 

[Quadrupled]

Do you find that strange because of the route itself, or merely the fact that you would assume commercial airliners don't fly over NK?

Because with great circle flight patterns, the route itself makes sense.

The flight path makes perfect sense to go over the Korean Peninsula - this I fully agree with. Apparently naively, I figured that United Airlines would avoid North Korean airspace. On the flight back we flew more along the path I anticipated and went out over Japan before heading to Chicago.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I think it's generally agreed that countries won't mess with airlines.

That's why the plane shot down over Ukraine a few years ago was such big news, and even then, it wasn't by an official "state" actor, but by a militia group.

I think there's obviously changes to how they behave when there is a legitimate shooting war going on, but even NK isn't crazy enough to shoot down civilian airliners during peacetime.

Edit: and FYI the difference on the return trip might have been due to the jet stream, which heads west->east, and not anything related to NK.

 

[MaxStout]

Those flight path apps are not entirely accurate. The flight may have passed over NK, or maybe not. Most airlines avoid overflying NK airspace like the plague, though some do pass over. Technically, NK is a signatory state to ICAO, which allows such overflights. But if I was captain, I'd not assume NK would honor that obligation, especially with today's issues. Hostile countries DO mess with airliners. Case in point: KAL 007, which was shot down by Soviet interceptors in 1983.

 

[Quaker]

Did you notice the automatic flushing on urinals happens as you approach instead of as you back away? That’s always baffled me in Asia.

 

[Quadrupled]

Yeah, noticed it at every urinal.

Fortunately the hotel I stayed at had normal toilets. The squatty toilets were not something I wanted to have to use.