- Cab drivers that have more then 4 stars in the cab, will be able to speak English… this is coming about in every Chinese city

- Phone number in Shanghai for English police is 6357 6666

- Ambulance is 120

- Fire is 119

- Police is 110

- International SOS is 6295 0099

- UK embassy and web address in Shanghai, 6279 7650

- Jaywalking can be issued on the spot by street marshals… upto 50 元

- Within 24 hours of arriving you must register with the Police (or PSB Public Security Bureau) for a Temporary Residence

Permit, if you are staying with a hotel they will sort it out for you.

What you will need to do is to find your local police station (Not any old one they are very particular about this! Must be the closest one to you ! ) fill out a form when you arrived, when you will go etc… and then hold onto your pink copy… should you ever need this. If you don’t register and you get into trouble with police, or have VISA problems, then you will be fined… it’s unknown how much is the real amount.

And you will need to do this every time you leave and enter the country!

If you happen to be caught out with an out of date temp residence permit, then you can cheat by going to a cheap hostel or hotel, and they re-register you for that night… and then you can register again… for the address you stay at full time.

In Chinese this is called… lin shi zhusu dengji biao 临时住宿登记表 which is Registration form of Temporary Residence.

- It’s a good idea to Photocopy your passport and VISA several times over, keep a copy on your person should you have trouble for ID or you encounter a service, e.g. temp residence permit where they will require a photocopy of your passport and VISA.

- Should you wish to extend your VISA it’s best to find a VISA agency, normally most language schools will know one and can sort it out for you… but the rule is you must leave China once every year on any permit.

- Should you accidentally overstay your VISA, each day fine is 500 元。Max is 5000 元 (10 days) and if you don’t register with the police (PSB) for your Residence permit this will also result in another mystery fine too