Terms of Use

By using shanghaijourney.com or booking a service through it, you agree to the terms below. They are written to be read, not to be survived.

1. What this site is

Shanghai Journey publishes practical guides for English-speaking visitors and residents in Shanghai, and offers paid accompaniment services: medical appointment accompaniment, custom itinerary planning, and a short Survival Chinese walking session.

The articles are information, not professional advice. Nothing on this site is medical, legal, financial or immigration advice, and reading it does not create a professional relationship. Prices, opening hours, hospital processes and visa rules change; verify anything you intend to rely on.

2. Medical content, and what we are not

We are not a clinic, a hospital, a doctor or an insurance broker. We do not diagnose, prescribe or treat. We do not recommend one hospital over another for your specific condition, although we will tell you what each one is generally for.

In an emergency, call 120 (ambulance) or go directly to the nearest hospital emergency department. Do not email us first.

3. Medical accompaniment: scope

What we do: help you choose an appropriate provider, book appointments, meet you at the hospital, interpret between you and staff, help with registration, payment and pharmacy collection, and follow up on documents you need for insurance.

What we do not do: make clinical decisions, translate for the purpose of obtaining consent on your behalf, sign anything as your representative unless you have given written authority, or take responsibility for the treatment itself. Clinical responsibility rests with the treating institution.

You are responsible for bringing your passport, insurance card and any prior records, and for telling us in advance about anything relevant to your safety, including pregnancy, allergies and medication.

4. Itineraries

A custom itinerary is a plan, not a tour. We do not escort you through the itinerary unless we have separately agreed a guided day rate. Venues close, sell out and change without notice; we will suggest alternatives but cannot guarantee entry to any specific place.

5. Bookings, payment and cancellation

• Quotes are given in RMB unless stated otherwise, and are valid for 14 days.
• Medical accompaniment and guided days are charged at the published daily rate, with a deposit to confirm the date and the balance on the day.
• Itineraries are charged in full before delivery, because the work is the document.
• Cancel more than 48 hours before a booked day and the deposit is refunded or moved to another date. Cancel inside 48 hours and the deposit is retained, because the day can no longer be sold.
• If we cancel and cannot offer an alternative date, you are refunded in full.
• Hospital fees, medication, transport, tickets and meals are paid by you, directly to the provider. They are never included in our rate.

Payment methods and invoices are confirmed by email before the booking is treated as confirmed. We can issue a Chinese fapiao on request.

6. Accuracy and third-party links

We try to keep articles current and we date the ones where prices matter. We cannot guarantee that a price quoted here is what you will be charged today.

Links to other websites are there because they are useful, not because we control them. We are not responsible for their content, and a link is not an endorsement.

7. Intellectual property

The text and photographs on this site are ours unless credited otherwise. You may quote short excerpts with a link back. You may not republish an article in full, including on another website, without written permission. Itineraries we produce for you are for your own use and not for resale.

8. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, our liability for any claim arising from the use of this site or from a service we provide is limited to the amount you paid us for that service. We are not liable for indirect losses, missed flights, missed appointments caused by traffic or hospital delays, or for the acts and omissions of hospitals, clinics, airlines, hotels or other third parties. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

9. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China, and disputes are subject to the courts of Shanghai. If you are a consumer resident elsewhere, this does not remove any protection you have under mandatory local law.

10. Changes

We may update these terms. The version in force is the one published here when you use the site or book a service.