I'll be in Shanghai on a business trip for three months or so, starting around the middle of March. This will be my first real visit to the country, and I have a ton of questions about climbing options during my stay.
I'd expect to have weekends free, plus that national holiday around May 1st or so. What can realistically be done given these constraints from Shanghai, especially for someone who speaks no Mandarin beyond "Hello"?
I expect to spend a number of weekends doing the usual touristy stuff: Huang Shan, Beijing (Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City/Great Wall), Mt. Taishan, Mt. Huashan. I'd like to make it to Jiuzhaigou and Zhang Jia Jie, too. Beyond that, I prefer climbing peaks vs. cragging (I'm not a sport climber), and most enjoy 4th/easy-moderate 5th class climbs, up to about 5.8 or so... I love class 4ish scrambles in particular. (More background: Most of my climbing to date has been in California's Sierra, so I've been spoiled with good rock, good weather, and easy access. Just started ice climbing this winter. Haven't done any glacier climbs yet). Are there any such options doable over a weekend from Shanghai? And what would be feasible over a week in May? (For the latter, I've stumbled across Siguniang Mountain, as well as a couple of the "lower" peaks posted on here--Camel, Banji Feng--all of which look spectacular).
Are there decent options for renting gear around Shanghai? I'm planning on bringing my rock shoes, harness/belay device, and that's about it... is it worth bringing my axe, crampons, ice tools, etc? I'd rather avoid hauling this stuff over if possible.
Finally, I understand there are two climbing gyms in the city. Is there bouldering here, or if not, is it easy to just show up and find partners? Are they comparable to US gyms, i.e. decent selection of routes, opportunites to practice crack climbing, etc?
That was a bunch of questions... any insights would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!