As the Virginia Tech SuperDARN team is about to ship to the City Upon the Sea (上海: Shanghai) to attend the 2012 SuperDARN workshop, here is some useful information for would-be travelers.

Things you should bring along:

• Passport (valid for at least 6 more month including a valid visa): you should have your passport with you at all times
• The printed directions from the airport to the hotel (you can find them here)
• Your health insurance information
• An electric adaptor (see the outlet here)

Things you should know:

• You should probably know and thank the local organizing committee: http://www.superdarnworkshop2012.org/index.aspx?id=12
• You must register with the police within 24 hours of your arrival in the country: if you are staying in a hotel, the staff will automatically register you.
• Currently, 1 Chinese Yuan (¥) is equivalent to $0.16 (see real-time exchange rate here)

This map shows a few key places in Shanghai: http://g.co/maps/5k5mk

Shanghai blog:

For those of you in Shanghai...

Tipping practice in Shanghai: Here it is in a few words: do not tip.
It is actually illegal or offending in some places. It is a bit different at the hotel which is used to catering to western tourists, so they will not be offended if you tip them, neither will they if you do not.

For more information you can read this: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294211-s606/China:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html


Additional workshop and travel information (compiled at Virginia Tech): 2012 SuperDARN workshop information page