From May 1st to October 31st, over 70 million people are expected to visit the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, which means that all eyes are on China in the coming few months. This year’s Expo is going to be the largest in history. So, what is the best way to go about buying tickets for this historic event? Though, there’s been an abundance of media coverage about the Expo, one aspect that has been less than clear is how to actually go about buying Expo tickets, especially as a non-Chinese speaker living in China or planning to visit from abroad. Below we offer tips and clarity on how best to get hold of Expo 2010 tickets, both from within and outside of China.

• Types of Expo Tickets
• Sale Dates
• How to Buy 2010 Expo Tickets from Within China

- China Mobile
- China Telecom
- Bank of Communications
- China Post

• Official Expo Ticket Outlets
• Ticket Purchasing Tips

Types of Expo Tickets:
Before purchasing Expo tickets, please be aware of the types of tickets available in order to ensure that you buy the ticket that best suits your needs. Tickets are generally divided into individual and group tickets. Individual tickets comprise of one day, three day or one week tickets, and these are further divided into peak and standard day tickets. Meanwhile, there are two types of group tickets; one with no less than 15 people and another ticket especially for students with no less than 30. A comprehensive table explaining the various types of Expo tickets and prices can be found here.

Sale Dates:
Group tickets have been on sale since March 27th, 2009 and individual tickets went on sale on July 1st, 2009. Ticket sales have been allotted into phases; the final presale ticket phase for both individuals and groups is January 1st to April 30th. After the Expo starts, tickets will be available for purchase everyday throughout the event (May 1-Oct 31). Although 67 million tickets are available throughout the event, interested visitors are advised to book their tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment, as peak day tickets are already sold out and standard day tickets are selling fast.

How to Buy 2010 Expo Tickets from Within China:

China Mobile, China Telecom, Bank of Communications and China Post are the four officially designating 2010 Expo ticket selling agents within Mainland China. Below we systematically provide info on how to go about getting tickets from each agent.

China Mobile:
One of the most obvious first steps would be to visit their website on
www.sh.chinamobile.com/en. Although the website provides info in English, one cannot actually buy tickets from this web address and overall the practical information on how to buy tickets through China Mobile is very vague.

Under the column “Service Channel” on the main English page (top right corner), you will see two service numbers 10086 and 12580. The first number has an English language service with English-speaking Chinese operators. According to the operator, there are three methods of buying tickets through China Mobile:

1. 1. Dialing 12580 (which did not have any English speaking operators at the time of calling, and spoke extremely fast Chinese, so not suitable for those with elementary Chinese).
2. 2. Going to China Mobile’s service halls (中国移动营业厅) in person to purchase tickets. Here is the link http://www.expo2010.cn/sbpw/pwgg/yd.htm for a full list of China Mobile service halls around China .The service office for Beijing is located in the Meihui Building (美惠大厦) at 58 Dongzhong Jie (东中街58) by Dongsi Shitiao (东四十条). To get to get there exit at the south-east exit of Dongsi Shitiao subway station or take bus No.115, 701, 858 or 44. However, you will not be able to pick up tickets directly, as this service office only allows you to order presale tickets sent from Shanghai. You will have to provide your address and the sufficient amount of money; the ticket will then be sent to the address provided within 10 days.
3. 3. Log onto the China Mobile ticketing website at www.ticket.chinamobile.com. However, this site only has Chinese and requires you to log in with your China Mobile number and RAM password.

Tip: At the time of writing, all China Mobile 3 day and one week tickets were sold out. Only standard day tickets were available for purchase at 160 RMB.

China Telecom:
First off, China Telecom does not have an English online version on their site (http://expo.118114.cn). Although there is an option for buying tickets online, forget it if you’re not Chinese, because even if you can understand all the instructions, you will need a Chinese name identical to your passport’s in order to create an account to pay. Calling the nationwide hotline on 118114/114 is also useless unless you can speak Chinese or at least get yourself transferred to an English speaking operator.

However, tickets can be bought in person by visiting a China Telecom service hall (中国电信营业厅). In Beijing the following five service halls sell Expo tickets:

1) Chaoyangmen 朝阳门, Add: 21Chaoyangmen Beidajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing地址:北京市东城区朝阳门北大街21号
2) Sanyuanqiao 三元桥, 10, 1F, 2Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing地址:朝阳区东三环北路丙2号－1层10号
3) Guangqumen广渠门, Add: 39 Quangqumen Neidajie, Chongwen District, Beijing 地址:北京市崇文区广渠门内大街39号
4) Xizhimen 西直门, Add: 3, 118 Xizhimen Neidajie, Xicheng District, Beijing地址:西城区西直门内大街118号-3
5) Xuezhiqiao学知桥, Add: 42 Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District, Beijing 地址:海淀区学院路42号

A comprehensive list of China Telecom service halls in other cities around China can be found here: http://www.expo2010.cn/sbpw/pwgg/dx.htm (in Chinese only).

Bank of Communications:
The same rule applies to Bank of Communications as the channels above: avoid giving yourself an unnecessary headache by trying to tackle their online ticket service. Bank of Communications has hundreds of Shanghai Expo ticket pre-sale halls scattered all over the country. Of course, the list of addresses provided on the official Expo website are in Chinese only to make it that much more difficult for the non-Chinese speaking community to smoothly get tickets (Here is the link for the list: http://www.expo2010.cn/sbpw/pwgg/jtyh.htm). So, below you’ll find the details of major service halls in both Shanghai and Beijing in English.

Beijing Bank of Communications Service Hall:

1) Chaoyang District
Add: 21 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
地址:北京市朝阳区广渠路21号
Tel: 010-58202953

More Branches >>

Shanghai Bank of Communications Service Hall:

1) Xuhui District:
Add: 20 Hengshan Lu, Xuhui District, Shanghai
地址:上海市徐汇区衡山路20号
Tel: 021-64665549

More Branches >>

China Post:
Tickets for the 2010 Shanghai Expo are also available at China Post branches nationwide. For a full list of China Post locations throughout the country see here: http://www.expo2010.cn/sbpw/pwgg/yz.htm (in Chinese only). Below are some of the major branches for Shanghai and Beijing:

Beijing China Post Branches:

1) Hepingmen Branch和平门邮电局
Add: 12 Qianmen Xidajie, Beijing
地址:北京市前门西大街12号楼

More Branches >>

Shanghai China Post Branches:

1) Xuhui Branch徐汇邮政支局
Add: 105 Tianyaoqiao Lu, Shanghai
地址:上海市天钥桥路105号

More Branches >>

Official Expo Ticket Outlets:
Tickets are available from local and overseas outlets authorized by the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, and include walk-in outlets, websites and hotlines. There are a total of 3,200 officially appointed sales outlets in China and a number of overseas outlets in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, the United States, Canada and the Oceania region. A list of both local and overseas ticket agencies can be found here. Below is a list of more overseas agents not mentioned in the above list. For further queries don’t forget to call the official Expo hotline on (+86) 21 962010.

- France (authorized agent):
Agence Chine Tourisme
Website: www.agencechinetourisme.fr

- Thailand (authorized agent):
1) G.M.Tour &Travel Co.,Ltd
Website:www.gmtour.com
2) IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd.
Website:www.totalreservation.com

- Other Countries (UK):
Peregrine Travel Group, the only authorized travel agent appointed to serve as the “Designated Distributor of World Expo Tickets” in the United States, sells Expo tour packages and tickets to destinations all over the world. The official website of the UK Pavilion also cites their website as a ticket purchasing outlet. Visit their website for more information on Expo tickets and tour packages. (It’s best to call them directly as their email communication is unreliable).

Website: www.worldexpochina.net

Ticket Purchasing Tips:

- For further queries on how to purchase Expo tickets from your own country, look for contact details on your country’s Expo Pavilion website for further information, or contact your foreign embassy in China for advice.

- There is no limit to the number of tickets individuals can purchase at any one time. While this has its advantages, there is also a downside – ticket scalpers. Ticket scalpers are extremely common in China; wherever there’s a huge demand for tickets you will find a scalper. However, please avoid buying tickets from any source other than the official outlets, as with ticket scalpers also comes the risk of counterfeit tickets. The sale of counterfeit goods is an ongoing problem here in China, but the Chinese government and Expo organizers have pledged to crack down on fake tickets.

- Standard day tickets are not bound to designated dates and are valid for one entry per person for any one standard day. Only peak day tickets are bound to a designated date. If peak day tickets are not used on the designated day, then they can be used for one standard day instead.

- Presale evening tickets are not available for purchase via outlets. Evening tickets are only sold on-site during the session.

- Children under 1.2 metres will be admitted for free, but must be accompanied by a supervising adult.

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Related links:

Shanghai Expo 2010 Tickets
Six Types of Expo Tickets Are Sold in Beijing
The Official Shanghai World Expo Hotel Booking Website Launched

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