Courier Something: SF Express 顺丰快递

Couriers are the white blood cells of the city. They're actually more like cholesterol in that they seem to clog up the streets, and they'll probably kill us all eventually, but that's doing a disservice to how goddamn convenient they make life in the short term. There are plenty of options out there, like YTO Express or ZTO Express, but if you want to play it safe, we'd always recommend SF Express. They're faster and more reliable, though a bit pricier.

Here are two screenshots showing what it looks like after you download the app. Just log in with your phone number and click the first icon in the top row to start sending out your packages.

Move Stuff: Lan Xi Niu Ban Jia 蓝犀牛搬家

Lan Xi Niu is basically Didi for moving your stuff. It's formal, profesh, and easy to use, protecting you from fraud (ish), overspending—and even better—having to communicate verbally with people. Once you've managed to hail a van, a driver close by will come to collect your stuff and take them to the new place. You can ride with them or you'll receive a call when they've arrived. That's pretty much it.

Huolala is another option, but personally, I've only used Lan Xi Niu for moving—about four times in Shanghai—and I've had great experiences each time. They don't add any extra hidden fees. You don't have to carry a thing yourself. All you need to do is pack everything up and wait for the Shifus to come to your door. But if you're too lazy to even do that, they offer a service that will pack and unpack everything for you—obviously much more expensive.

Some posts online say that Huolala drivers sometimes charge extra during the move, and honestly, if they've already loaded your stuff into the van, there's not much you can do except pay, which is why I've never used it. But if you've used it and had a good experience, I guess you can stick with it since it's also a popular choice for moving.

Here are two screenshots showing what Lan Xi Niu looks like. You can choose from moving services and the size of the van. You'll need to input the moving addresses, the time, your specific floor, and if you have an elevator. The price will vary depending on all these factors.

Order Food, Groceries, Flowers, Medicines: Ele.Me 饿了么

Ele.me and Meituan are the two big delivery companies that have survived the battle of delivery companies. Meituan is basically dominating the F&B industry in China (they also own Dianping) so we prefer to feature the slightly less evil one, Ela.me. Ele.me is quick, easy and you don't always need fantastic Chinese reading skills to navigate it. Of course, it helps to have basic knowledge, but for your go-to options, it's not always necessary.

Here are two screenshots of what the app looks like. At the top, you'll see several different categories. For meals, you usually select the first one, but you can also choose from other categories if you want to buy things like medicine, flowers, drinks, etc.

Book a Cleaner: Tian E Dao Jia 天鹅到家

Ever been too busy to clean your apartment? This app has well-trained ayis to help you without breaking the bank. They offer a wide range of cleaning services, so you can find exactly what you need. A standard cleaning package of three 3-hour sessions costs about 396rmb, which works out to roughly 44rmb per hour. Not bad at all. They also offer cleaning services for windows, curtains, air conditioners, kitchen hoods, and other home appliances. They also provide nannies, yuesaos, cooking services, disinfection, pest control, pet household cleaning and many more.

Here are two screenshots showing what the app looks like. You can choose the type of service you want to book and pay for it directly in the app. I found my ayi through this app, and now I pay her directly so the platform doesn't take a cut of her hard-earned money.

Call A Ride: Didi 滴滴

Didi is the Uber of China (they actually purchased the Chinese Uber version and then shut it down). There are others of course, but Didi is the only one (that we know) that has a decent English interface. And it's available directly in the SmartShanghai app.

Since the interface is already in English, it should be really easy to use. But just in case, here are two screenshots to give you an idea of what it looks like. You just need to enter the addresses, and you can choose from different types of cars.

Outcall Tech Repair: Shan Xiu Xia 闪修侠

Whether you cracked the screen or dropped it in the toilet, the WiFi just suddenly doesn't work, the fingerprint scanner's broken, or you tried to drill a headphone jack in the top, broken tech is a fact of life. Normally, you'd have to go to a service center and hand it over to some total tech-savvy stranger. What if that tech-savvy stranger came to your house to fix it in front of you, instead?

Here are two screenshots showing what the app looks like. They offer repairs for phones, iPads, laptops, home appliances, and more. Simply select the item you want to repair, choose the specific model of your device and the issue type, and you'll see the total cost for the repair.

Find Apartments & Serviced Apartments

SmartShanghai runs the best English-language online platform for finding apartments, shared apartments, serviced apartments, event spaces, and office spaces. Despite what some people say, listings on our site are not more expensive than on our local sites, actually quite the opposite.

You can find the Housing section in our SmartShanghai app. Here's a more detailed explanation.

Buy Concert Tickets: SmartTicket

SmartTicket is a ticketing service provided by SmartShanghai, offering a convenient way to buy and sell tickets for events in Shanghai. As part of the longest-running English-language online magazine in the city, SmartTicket connects residents and visitors with the best cultural and entertainment experiences in Shanghai. Whether you're attending a concert, show, or special event, SmartTicket makes it easy to secure your spot with just a few clicks.

SmartTicket doesn't have a separate app, but you can use it directly through our SmartShanghai app. Just find the event you want to attend, and you can buy tickets right there – it's super convenient.

Maps: Baidu/Gaode Maps 百度/高德地图

These two are the most commonly used map apps in China (Google Maps doesn't work here, but Apple Maps is available). Personally, I always use Gaode Map. It's very clear and efficient for me.

Here are two screenshots from Gaode Maps. Just like with other map apps, you can type in your destination, and it will show you multiple route options, including driving, public transport, or walking.

Donate Cloth: Fei Ma Yi 飞蚂蚁

Looking to clean out your closet and donate some clothes to charity? There are a bunch of different app platforms you can use to do just that, depending on your exact situation and the items you're trying to get rid of. Feimayi is pretty much the main one that everyone uses to donate unwanted clothes to charity.

To donate, the clothes you want to give away need to be clean and well-packaged. There is no delivery fee but each clothing donation must weigh at least 3kg. This platform also offers targeted donations, where you can choose to donate things to impoverished students in specific areas among other options. After donating, you get feedback to confirm that your donation has reached those in need.

Here are two screenshots showing what the app looks like. You can select the items you want to donate—besides clothes, you can also donate books and furniture. You can also sell them your second-hand electronics that you no longer use.