Around Town

Your news round-up for the month of December

Wi-Fi On The Go


The Shanghai Metro is currently trialling free public Wi-Fi, with a connection speed of 100 megabytes per second, to passengers travelling on Line 13. Guests can connect to the Wi-Fi by entering their phone number and verification code. Let’s hope this is a project that will be extended to other lines in the future.

Ten-Year Visa


Thanks to an agreement that was announced during the APEC Summit in Beijing last month, the US Consulate General in Shanghai and Chinese Embassies in the US are issuing ten-year visas. This new visa policy is part of a long-term reciprocal commitment between China and the US. It will see the majority of travellers granted ten-year visas. Although the holder cannot stay in the country for ten years consecutively, they can travel between the two, multiple times, on the single visa for a period of up to ten years. The permitted length of stay is still determined by the visa category.

Harmonious Hospitals

Good news for Shanghai residents, according to a ranking list complied by Fudan University, three of the city’s hospitals feature amongst the top ten hospitals in China. Ruijin, Huashan and Zhongshan ranked fourth, sixth and seventh respectively for overall capability. We can rest easy knowing that our health and safety will be taken care of in times of need.
 

Return Of The Airpocalypse?


Bad news, once again, for the city. After a recent spate of positive pollution stories, where we have seen fines being implemented for heavy polluters, it seems that we have fallen back into bad habits. Last month, Shanghai saw air pollution levels reach eight times the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum. Let’s hope this is not a trend set to stay this winter.