Drink
Tap water is not drinkable, but generally OK if boiled, though you may not like the taste. Tap water is also said to contain a high amount of heavy metals. Bottled water is widely available. When buying bottled water you will come along a whole range of mineral water. Of course you could go for the "Evian", "Volvic", but you could also get yourself a bottle of the locally produced Nestle, Coca Cola, or Pepsi varieties. If you intend to stay for a longer period, you may want to buy yourself one of those plastic water dispensers.
Stay safe
Shanghai is a fairly safe city, and violent crimes are very rare even in the poorest neighborhoods. However, the ever-increasing divide between the haves and have-nots has created its fair share of problems and petty crimes like pick pocketing are on the rise, and sexual harassment is common on crowded subway trains and buses. Foreign males often attract unsolicited attention from female sex workers at many nightspots.
Be cautious if you meet a group of overly friendly students or attractive women who insist on dragging you along to an art gallery, tea shop or karaoke parlor, you're unlikely to be physically harmed, but the bill may well be more than you bargained for. Police can help to recover some part of your money. "Students" claiming to be from Beijing are also common as they will try to get you to buy art. These people are especially present around People's Square near the entrances and exits of the museums and art galleries.
Be careful of people who approach and offer to polish your shoes, even if they are obviously a type which doesn’t need polishing. Often when you refuse they'll squirt some hard-to-remove substance on them.
Hawkers are a nuisance, particularly in areas such as the Old Town and the Science Museum in Pudong where there are shops in the subway selling fake designer goods. The most effective way to deal with them is to ignore them and don't reply to them or even look at them. Otherwise they will continue to bark an ever-increasing list of goods at you.
Bargaining
The bargaining is essential in China, especially for English speaker. Sometime, you may be overcharged several times of original price. Therefore, travelers should be very careful when shopping in markets or anywhere else where prices are not indicated. We intensively suggest you to bargain and firmly state your price and just walk away if the one doesn’t agree. Shopkeepers often agree once they realize they’re losing a potential sale.
Tipping
Tipping is not expected in Shanghai. Some restaurants include a service charge on the bill.
Most shops and restaurants have business cards, which are written on in pidgin and Chinese characters. Collect these business cards whenever you go anywhere, just make a note on it what the place was, then all you have to do to return to the place is show the card to the taxi driver.
