It is a means of representing all the sounds of Mandarin Chinese and helps foreigners pronounce Chinese words. Although it is part of the normal curriculum most people at this point don't have a knowledge of English so much non-verbal communication goes on between visitors and the local people. Shopping One can buy everything in Shanghai from upscale international brand name clothing to fine antiques and jade and pearls, silk scarves, tea pots in all shapes and sizes, spices and medicinal herbs. Traditional silk jackets and contemporary suits, trousers and dresses can be custom made sometimes in twenty-four hours. The tailor might even come to your hotel for the final stitches.
Bargaining is part of the buying experience.
Offer half of the asking price and work from there. Things to See The architecture in Shanghai is a wonder from the beautiful colonial buildings of the old French and British concessions along the bund to the award-winning Shanghai Museum and the Oriental Pearl Peace Tower. There are the buildings of old Shanghai juxtaposed with avant garde skyscrapers. There is Remin Park where early in the morning people gather to exercise by walking backwards, practicing taichee, or ballroom dancing in the open air. There is Old City with its myriad of markets selling everything from crabs and birds to crickets and herbs.