Well, GPS use is actually fairly widespread now.

And no, I don't think Chinese are any worse in reading maps than others but there is a certain unwillingness to do preparations for any tasks.

Even a Chinese company driver will not check maps or routes beforehand and will rather risk having his/her boss do the navigating. It's a sort of cultural phenomenon, I guess. Might be that Chinese view proper preparations for a job too boring and a waste of time.

This is really insightful. Much more convincing than something resembling race theory.

Another reason I will add is that roads in China is changing on a very fast pace. It isn't easy to keep track of all the new highways and byways.

Ahh, one more datapoint in The China Experience

Yes, the latter is absolutely true. But it's still a reminder of the human aspect of Chinese culture when an local industry tycoon does the map reading for his driver.

So just an update on my return trip to the airport. Ended up taking taxi from Shangri-La Pudong to Maglev station. Doorman said it would take 30 minutes (this was just before 5pm on a Tuesday). I tried to back out and just take the subway but he said he had already called the cab over. Lo and behold it took exactly 30 minutes (based on the receipt). The problem was a handful of verrrryyyy long traffic signals, particularly turning left onto Longyang road.

And apparently the Maglev faster speeds end around 5pm which is kind of silly because that's when one would be more likely to want to take it, after work, to beat rush-hour traffic. I will say the 300km/h speed was quite anticlimactic after the inbound trip. I'm glad I waited for the faster train a few days earlier.

I foolishly took first class (round trip). While it was nice to have the entire cabin practically to myself, the first class car is not conveniently located for travel in either direction. At least Super Class on the Macau ferries lets you off first (and the premium is less and the ride is much longer).

The Maglev attendatns are the normal Chinese farmers kids from the poor provinces, I guess. So they have no interest in custiomer service at all and just work there to make a living & send some money home.

I always take the "VIP" (sic) car and 9/10 times the attendants do not bother to open the "VIP" doors or the special "VIP" entrance. You have to remind them every time, Chinese staff are experts in looking away at the right moment.

That's funny -- on the way from the airport into town, they did open the first class door, but on that train the entire last car was first class. On the return to the airport, I stood there like an idiot at the very front of the train, and then finally went in the next door, where I had to walk through the coach cabin and through the curtains in front of all these people. A little self-conscious to say the least... (And then I had to walk through them again on the way off)

Yeap, the attendants are there to look pretty. Very few buys VIP tickets, so I can see how they forgot to open doors to let you in.

[QUOTE] I once was in a not so obscure town going to a not so obscure address.
The taxi driver was on the cell phone to the people who I was going to see
and still couldn't find the place. He pulled over and asked 4 people on the street and each pointed a different direction. Then a guy on a motorcycle
said he knew where it was and he would charge 20RMB to follow him there.

Most of the drivers are out of town workers, probably just got to PVG few nights before you. Their education level could be low too, so map reading skills is questionable. They either truly don't know where they need to go, or giving you a PVG city tour as the meter clicks!

Once you get outside of PVG, hiring motocycle (poor man's taxi service) wearing a number vest to take you where you need to go is very common in China.

What are the fare differences between standard and VIP? I know there's a discount if you show a same day arriving flight boarding pass for the standard fare, but is there also one for the VIP fare? Also, does a same day ticket discount apply heading from Pudong to the airport? Finally, is there a return fare discount?

Yeah, maybe there's some of that, but how do you explain not being able to read a Chinese language map once I stick it in the driver's hands?

I used to think it was "risky" to ride the subway (like in Beijing) because I thought I would be confused finding my destination on foot once I reached my stop. That hasn't proven to be the case, yet -- I just take a map along, and I'm fine. If it weren't for the fact that Chinese taxis are still astonishingly cheap, and often time-saving, I'd probably avoid them. I do think that any foreigner who has any map skills whatsoever should study the city layout and assume he/she will be pressed into service to get the driver to the destination. It doesn't happen in the majority of instances, but it does happen regularly.

"VIP" is 100RMB while standard is 50RMB. There is a 20% discount with a valid ticket. Don't know about the rest.

The big difference regarding the two cabins is space and privateness. I don't feel comfortable sitting almost in the lap of strangers when jetlagged and neither do I need any additional company when going to the airport after a day's work.

Thanks for the fare information. No issue with your rationale.

There is also a 20% discount for a round trip, which IIRC is valid for 5 days. My r/t VIP class was RMB160.

I took this three times in the past few days, and didn't notice much difference between the 300 km/h and 430 km/h. I tried to sit at the end of the car so that I could look out the back window, but the view is obstructed. The most interesting part is when you pass the train going in the other direction -- that's when the speed becomes most palpable.

Note that the ride take only a minute or two longer with the slower speed. Maybe they do that to reduce the wear and tear on the system at off-peak times? I am just speculating.

I realize that this post is 10 years old, but an update may be helpful.
Summary - I no longer take the Maglev FROM the Airport but try to always take it TO the airport.

I have traveled to Shanghai 6 times over the past 8 years (so knowledgeable but not an expert). I have found that the roads from the airport to the New Pudong district have improved a lot. And taking the train to then find a taxi (or subway) back from Longyang doesn't really save time and is usually be more of a hassle - long walk to the MagLev after a long flight, trying to get a taxi at the station is interesting, and the subway is a bit of a walk from the Maglev and then a long walk from the subway to my hotel. So I find it much easier and faster to just get a taxi and go straight from the airport to my hotel.

On the other hand, I take the train back to the airport every time now. The only time I didn't is when my last meeting was Tangzhen area and it would have taken longer to get to the station than the airport. IT is easy to have a taxi drop you off at Longyang station, buy a ticket, and relax on the train. There is a bit of a walk once you arrive to the airport, but the walk is nice before boarding a 10 hour flight.