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Relocating to Shanghai
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•
Shanghai, here we go
- Climate
Shanghai
experiences a wide range of temperatures. Spring
temperatures vary between 4'C/40'F and 13'C/55'F. Summer months tend to
be extremely hot and muggy. Autumn is usually sunny and dry. Winter
months are often cold and rainy, with January being the coldest month of
the year.
|
Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
'C |
3.3 |
4.3 |
8.2 |
13.8 |
18.9 |
23.2 |
27.4 |
27.5 |
23.2 |
17.7 |
11.7 |
5.9 |
|
'F |
37.5 |
39.7 |
46.9 |
56.8 |
66.0 |
73.8 |
81.3 |
81.4 |
73.8 |
63.9 |
53.1 |
42.6 |
- Security
The crime rate in China is low in
relation to
the US and Europe. Shanghai is a very safe city, and crimes against to
foreigners are uncommon, but bag snatching and burglaries are still
happened sometimes, you should make sure that your houses or apartment
has good security. It is time consuming to replace passports, identity
papers, driver's licenses and other important documents, so keep them
well protected. Identification should be carried at all times. We
encourage you to register at your consulate soon after you move to
Shanghai so the consulate will have a copy of your passport on file and
can replace it if necessary. The consulate will also assist registered
citizens, in case of emergency evacuation.
- Tipping
Although tipping
is becoming more common in places frequented by foreigners, small change
is usually sufficient. A 15% surcharge is normally added to the bill in
expatriate and hotel restaurants. It is not usual to tip in purely
Chinese settings.
- Electricity
The standard
electrical current is 220 volts and 50 cycles. The configuration of the
plugs differs from one location to the next and often even within the
apartment or villa. Local stores sell adapters.
- Drinking Water
The water from the tap directly is not drinkable in Shanghai so
Landlords generally provide one water fountain (use barreled water).
- Local Time
China
has one time zone. Shanghai is 8 hours ahead of GMT (London) and 13
hours of EST (New York).
- Language
Shanghainese generally speak Mandarin (Putonghua) Chinese (the official
language of the government) and Shanghai dialect. While there are many
different spoken dialects in China, there is only one written language.
A beginners course in Mandarin, will certainly be useful.
- Chinese
Currency
The Chinese currency is called Renminbi (meaning People's Currency) and
it is abbreviated as RMB. It is denominated in yuan, referred
as "kuai" in every speech.
- Simple conversions
Convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade: Subtract 32, multiply by 5, divided by
9.
Convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit: multiply by 9, divided by 5, and add
32
25g = 1 OZ, 454g = 16 OZ (1 Pound) |
