Verizon 4S doesn't connect to GSM in an environment with GSM

Question

I just bought the 4S before going to China this Tuesday.  I arrived in Shanghai and my phone wasn't connecting to any 3G service, however i could place calls and send SMS's. I called up Verizon to ask for help and they in turn called up Apple.  As it turns out, apparantly the 4S software is unable to connect to GSM when you are in a country that has CDMA and GSM (e.g. China, US, Israel).  B/C of this, my iphone has virtually become a glorified ipod touch, that i can only connect to the internet during wireless connections. 
In the 'About' section, the carrier listed on my phone says 'Verizon 11.1' and it doesn't give me the option to update it.  I have tried to reset my network settings in hopes that it will drop the Verizon and pick up a local provider (China Mobile or China Unicom).  As i will not be back in the US for 3 weeks, i cannot do a '*228' update or anything like that. 
I am utterly dissapointed in the fact that Apple would release an Iphone with a oversight like this.  Now i am stuck in china with no access to email or internet on my phone for 3 weeks.  If the fix doesn't come through in some sort of software update soon, i will be returning my iphone (first one) and switching back to what works. 
Any help would be appreciated!
David

Answer 1

You'll probably have to try restoring your phone (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414).  You can back it up first, which will save your applications data.  You can then resotre to this backup to return the application data to the phone.
Prior to restoring, do the following:
Sync with iTunes to transfer your purchases to your iTunes library and back up your phone.
Confirm that your phone it backed up by going to iTunes preferences and check the Devices tab to confirm that the backup is listed
Import your photos and videos to your computer (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4083)
Back up your contacts (by, for example, syncing them with iCloud: Settings>iCloud>Contacts>On)