Mid-Autumn Festivities Greet Arrivals At Shanghai's Airports

Robert Bogers from the Netherlands tries the mooncake toss game with his friends at one of Pudong International Airport's one-stop service stations on Sept 20. [Photo by Xu Feiyi/International Services Shanghai]

International travelers arriving in Shanghai can enjoy Mid-Autumn festivities through Sept 27, as International Services Shanghai's one-stop service stations at Pudong and Hongqiao airports host festive activities for visitors and participants in the 48th WorldSkills Competition.

At a service station at Pudong International Airport's Terminal 2, a display inspired by the Moon Palace from Chinese legend invites travelers to take photos. Visitors can also try a mooncake toss game and win a festival gift.

Robert Bogers from the Netherlands had trouble setting up Alipay after arriving in Shanghai, and staff members at the service station helped him install the app.

Payment assistance is among the services available at the airport service station. Staff members can guide international travelers in using two nearby machines: one for currency exchange, which charges no additional service fee, and another for departure tax refunds. Travelers can also complete the refund process on their phones by scanning an official QR code and entering the required information.

Zhou Dan, the station's head, said staff members previously replenished the currency exchange machine with cash about once a week. As arrivals have increased, they now monitor its cash balance and replenish it whenever the cash level falls below a set threshold.

A visitor interacts with a robot at one of Pudong International Airport's one-stop service stations on Sept 20. [Photo by Xu Feiyi/International Services Shanghai]

The festivities combine traditional culture with interactive experiences. ShareBot robots, developed in Shanghai, greet travelers in several languages, and a robotic arm hands out gifts.

Travelers can make personalized herbal sachets with expert guidance, sample herb-infused mooncakes and tea, and practice baduanjin, a traditional Chinese fitness routine, to stretch after a long flight.

Daniel Mvemeye Mabicka, a Gabonese student at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, received a traditional Chinese medicine massage and an AI-assisted health assessment. He said the assessment provided immediate feedback and advice on managing stress.

Aika Alex from Tanzania, a volunteer with Shuguang Hospital, helped introduce the herbal sachets. She said many travelers enjoyed their scent, and one visitor from Yemen told her it reminded him of home.

The airport stations are part of International Services Shanghai's network of four service stations, which also includes a station at Jing'an Global Connect downtown. The service stations provide assistance with payments, transportation, tourism, and communications. Zhou said the airport service stations have served nearly 1.2 million international travelers.

Samples of herb-infused mooncakes are displayed at one of Pudong International Airport's one-stop service stations on Sept 20. [Photo by Xu Feiyi/International Services Shanghai]