Originally Posted by
jiejie
I'd also take a cab (or two cabs, if your party is four adults). Or private car, if your budget and vehicle size/comfort warrant it. It will likely be gridlock and take you at least an hour to get to your hotel, but you won't do any better on public transport and that will be most un-fun at afternoon rush. As they say in China "mei banfa."
Airport train to ring line to Chongwenmen probably rivals taxis during off hours, let alone rush hour. This is another one of those cool race scenarios; I've always wanted to go head to head against a Maglev enthusiast on the #2 bus in Shanghai.