Some lost items can be recovered!

[shuoshuo]

I had a friend who forgot his very pricey laptop with very important documents stored, at the rear seat of a taxi in Shanghai and he was able to retrieve it a day later through the efficiency of taxi companies in Shanghai. I was with him at the time and remembered the colour of the taxi when I had to take him to his hostel. So we called the operator who gave us the number of the white taxis. The company required the location of pick up and drop off. We didn't remember anything else so that's all we had. They used their GPS tracking, and the taxi was identified. The laptop was brought to him the next day.

 

Another friend had her cheap phone stolen (the guy snatched it from her and then ran off with it) and the police eventually caught the guy by using their dogs (the dogs were brought to the exact location where that happened). So despite many of the inefficiencies that are tolerated, there have also been quite a few shockingly awesome stories about the efficiency of local systems in Shanghai.

 

I didn't share this story with a friend of mine who only told me that he lost his phone 3 weeks after he did. He believed that if you lose something in Shanghai, it's gone forever. But had I shared these stories with him, he would have at least tried to get his phone back. So anyway, if you lose something or if you're a victim of robbery: you might be able to get your stuff back if you try.

[Lu]

This is why I always get the 发票 when I take a taxi (and why I always look back before closing the door). Never needed it, but 万一 I do, I know which exact taxi it was.

[Touchstone57]

It's to hear that it's possible. I was even told by some Chinese people "once it's gone, it's gone". Having lost a phone in the back of a taxi myself and never been able to get that back, as there are a lot of taxi in Shanghai of the same colour...but kudos whoever managed it. 

 

I've very rarely (myself) seen petty theft in the street like that, so it's great the police where able to get it back - I didn't know there would normally be able to do that? If you speak to Chinese people the general respect and esteem held for the police force is very very low. They seem mainly to arbitrate petty disputes at car crash sites and to handle small disturbances, sometimes getting involved themselves, so they aren't the most trusted brand of the government.