Originally Posted by moondog

I recommend that you sign up for a post-paid SIM card, China Mobile, Unicom, and Shanghai Mobile all offer these.

The new rate plans are all quite attractive. IIRC, I pay ~140 per month and get ~1000 minutes plus free incoming. The really cool thing is that IDD calls are now dirt cheap (~y1/minute to the US and even less to HK and Taiwan).... so I don't need to bother with Skype or IP cards. But, in Shanghai (but not Beijing?), you need to register and pay y10 per month to get the good rates on China Mobile. On the plus side, IIRC Shanghai IDD rates are among the cheapest around if you register.

If you decide to go the prepaid route, avoid Shanghai Mobile (and some Unicom cards) because you won't be able to recharge outside of Shanghai. Unforunately, the prized 138 numbers all appear to be Shanghai Mobile.