Shanghai is Unstoppable — ✈️ The Urban Experience Transformed by Easy Go

The changes in Shanghai are no longer reflected in the height of skyscrapers or the glamour of consumption. The key is "how little you have to stop." The city is attempting to systematically eliminate the three frictions foreigners often face: filling out forms before entry, waiting at the airport, and getting lost for information after arrival. By digitizing entry cards, expanding 24-hour operations at Pudong International Airport, and enhancing "Easy Go," a new axis of competition emerges: the "smoothness of movement" that Shanghai is pushing forward.

✈️ Shanghai's Reform of Entry Flow

What wears out business travelers and short-term visitors abroad is not major institutional changes, but a series of small snags. Being held up at the airport, unable to move on to the next destination when arriving on a late-night flight, or not knowing where to start despite the many services available—Shanghai views these minor frictions as weaknesses of an international city and has begun to eliminate them one by one.

When you line up the measures launched in 2025, the intention becomes clear. In May of that year, domestic departure security checks at Pudong Airport became 24-hour operations, and from July 1, customs, immigration, and security checks for international, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan departures were also expanded to 24-hour operations. Furthermore, on the 2nd of the following month, the integrated service for foreigners, "Easy Go," was officially released. Subsequently, from November 20, convenience was improved by allowing foreigners to pre-declare entry card information online. Connecting these dots reveals a design that seamlessly integrates "pre-entry, inside the airport, and post-arrival."

The Essence of Airport Reform is "Reducing the Number of Stops"

Of Shanghai's two major international airports, Shanghai Pudong International Airport has now become a "sleepless airport" that operates even in the middle of the night. Trial operations began at Terminal 1 just before the 2025 May Day holiday, and on May 11, it was expanded to Terminal 2, establishing a 24-hour system for domestic departure security checks. By adopting a "same-day flight, same-day transit inspection" method, transit passengers arriving late at night and early morning flight users can now enter the departure gate area at any time once they have finished check-in and baggage drop-off.

On July 1, customs, immigration, and security channels for international, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan departure areas also became 24-hour operations. Tax refund procedures at departure, automatic check-in machines, and automatic baggage drop-off machines are also available 24 hours a day.

The minimum connection time for transfers has also been clearly stated. The guideline is 60 minutes for domestic transfers within the same terminal, and 75 minutes for transfers between domestic and international flights (75 minutes and 90 minutes respectively for different terminals). The airport has begun to present not just "where you can fly," but "how many minutes it takes to connect" as a product. The axis of competition for massive hub airports is shifting from flight frequency to time efficiency.

Easy Go is Urban Infrastructure to Reduce Post-Arrival Friction

The device that emerged to reduce post-arrival friction is "Easy Go (入境通)," officially announced on July 2, 2025. It is an English-based integrated platform that runs on Alipay and supports real-time translation in 14 languages. In the first phase, 24 companies and 30 mini-programs participated. It provides unified access to functions foreigners need, such as food delivery, transportation and ride-hailing, tourism information and reservations, shopping, and instant tax refunds.

What is important here is not that the number of services has increased, but that the entry point has been organized. For foreigners, inconvenience is more likely to arise from "not knowing which one to use" than from "not having the service." Easy Go is designed as urban infrastructure to reduce that initial hesitation.

Moreover, this is not a one-off tourism measure. The Shanghai Municipal 2026 Business Environment Action Plan specifies, in addition to the functional expansion of Easy Go, the strengthening of information dissemination on the Shanghai International Service Portal, the expansion of electronic port visas, and the deepening of the use of permanent residence ID cards for foreigners. In other words, Shanghai has begun to institutionalize as an administrative goal not just "attracting" foreigners, but transforming into a "city that is usable after entry."

Friction Starts "Before Entry"

Although often overlooked, the digitization of entry cards is part of the same trend. From November 20, 2025, the National Immigration Administration has allowed foreigners to pre-enter entry information before arriving in China through the official website, the government service platform, National Immigration Administration (NIA) website, the "12367" app, and mini-programs (Alipay, WeChat). This reduces the hassle of rushing to fill out paper forms on the plane or lining up at desks after arrival.

What this measure shows is that the friction Shanghai and China are trying to eliminate is not just after arriving at the airport. Travel begins before departure. That is precisely why policies are beginning to align in the direction of reducing the total number of "stops" in the itinerary, rather than optimizing filling out forms, inspections, movement, payments, and information acquisition separately.

Note that the online entry card does not replace the "temporary accommodation registration (reporting to a police station, etc., within 24 hours of arrival)" required when staying somewhere other than a hotel. Since the institutional purposes are different, the two must be understood separately.

Inter-city Competition "After Entry Relaxation"

Behind the various measures in Shanghai is the relaxation of entry conditions for all of China. According to the National Immigration Administration, as of February 17, 2026, China's unilateral visa-free policy applies to 50 countries, and the 240-hour transit visa exemption applies to 55 countries. With the entrance opened this wide, the competition is shifting from "whether you can enter China" to "which city allows for the smoothest movement after entry."

Shanghai is quite consciously committed to this competition and has an advantage. While challenges such as the difficulty of understanding the system, payment habits, and variations in language support remain, the response is quite practical in that it attempts to improve the three points of pre-entry, inside the airport, and post-arrival together. It is not flashy, but it is effective on the ground. Especially for business travelers and short-term visitors, this "lack of small stress" significantly influences the evaluation of the city.

For business travelers, the metric to watch isn't flight frequency, but the 'total amount of friction'

When evaluating Shanghai, the criteria for judgment are shifting. Can you complete your arrival card before departure? Can you proceed with your plans even if you arrive late at night? Can you access necessary services after arrival without getting lost? Even without knowing the regulations in detail, can you avoid major stumbling blocks?

Shanghai's competitiveness is shifting away from the sheer scale of the city toward how stress-free it is to navigate that scale. The digitization of arrival cards, the 24-hour operation of Pudong Airport, and the expansion of Easy Go—when you connect these dots, you see a new urban image that goes beyond the traditional 'city that never sleeps' concept. What Shanghai is selling now is a city that keeps moving without pause, and the experience of that very fluidity.

Reference Links

• Shanghai Municipal People's Government: 'Action Plan for Shanghai to Accelerate the Creation of a World-Class Business Environment (2026)'
  https://www.shanghai.gov.cn/202602bgtwj/20260122/fe024f0b607543d891531262e7e35472.html

• Shanghai Municipal People's Government Japanese Portal: 'Action Plan for Shanghai to Accelerate the Creation of a World-Class Business Environment (2026)'
  https://japanese.shanghai.gov.cn/ja-PolicyInsights/20260104/77705aa30d2d4a1e87076536d7b118da.html

• english.shanghai.gov.cn: 'A guide to using "Easy Go"'
  https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-ExpatServices-Videos-WhatsNew/20250702/104ac119548743968fe343bb14d14bdd.html

• english.shanghai.gov.cn: 'Achievements under Shanghai's "Action Plan 8.0"'
  https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-BusinessEnvironmentHighlights/20260104/c550f702d87c4b68917f28327727abc1.html

• State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Shanghai: 'Better Service for Passengers: Pudong Airport Launches 24-Hour Security Service for Domestic Departures'
  https://www.gzw.sh.gov.cn/shgzw_zxzx_gqdt/20250515/56c3e1811c9940fe8e23d50afbe20dad.html

• Shanghai Airport Official English Page: 'Pudong airport starts 24-hour security for domestic departures'
  https://www.shairport.com/ensh/xwg/info_itemid_41977.html

• Shanghai Port Service Office: 'Shanghai Air Port Pudong International Airport to Launch Eight Services Including "Minimum Connection Time" and "24-Hour Customs Clearance" Starting July 1'
  https://kab.sww.sh.gov.cn/xwzx/001001/20250701/968203c8-348d-437d-956a-30dac6dc8ece.html

• Pudong New Area English Portal: 'Pudong airport unveils updated services to enhance transit experience'
  https://english.pudong.gov.cn/2025-07/02/c_1107618.htm

• National Immigration Administration: 'NIA Launches 10 New Measures to Support Expansion of Opening-up and Serve High-quality Development of China'
  https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c188188/content.html

• National Immigration Administration: 'List of Countries Covered by Unilateral Visa Exemption Policies'
  https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html

• english.shanghai.gov.cn: '240-Hour Visa-Free Transit'
  https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-240HourVisaFreeTransit/index.html

🏷️Tags:
#Shanghai #ChinaBusiness #ShanghaiBusinessTrip #PudongAirport #HongqiaoAirport #EasyGo #EntryPass #ArrivalCard #ChinaImmigration #BusinessEnvironment #OverseasBusinessTrip #ChinaMarket