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China Travel Guide

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Arriving and departing

By air Most visitors begin their trip to China in either Beijing or Hong Kong. There are direct flights from all over the world both on Air China (formerly CAAC) and other major national carriers to Beijing. All China's major cities are served by direct flights from Hong Kong either on Air China or via the Hong Kong carrier Dragonair. Some cities, for example Shanghai, Guangzhou,..Kunming, Xiamen, Dalian, and Uriimqi, are served by direct flights from other countries.

By train You can also enter China by train either via Siberia and Mongolia, or through Hong Kong. The former is time-consuming (about six days from Moscow to Beijing) but fascinating (although there have been reports of theft on the Trans-Siberian Express);  while thejourneyfrom f-iong Kong to Guangzhou takes under three hours. There is also a newly opened train link between Alma Ata (Kazakhstan) and Oriimqi, in Xinjiang. There is also service from Vietnam.

By boat There is a comfortable ship service between Hong Kong and Shanghai (journey time is under three days), leaving at least every five days. There are also services to most of China's major ports, including Hainan, Jiangmen (near Macao), Shantou, Shenzhen, Wuzhou, Xiamen, Zhaoqing, and Zhongshan. Catamaran, ferry, and hovercraft services link Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Some cruise ship companies stop at China's coastal cities.

Customs

Two liters of liquor and 600 cigarettes are permitted, plus limitless cash or securities. Pornographic items are forbidden although there is no hard and fast rule about literature or magazines. Travelers are recommended to take no more than one Bible into China.

Departing

A departure tax is payable when you leave. X-ray machines are widespread but are advertised as film-safe.

Entry requirements

Entering the country is straightforward providing visas are obtained in advance. Upon arrival in China a simple health form and a landing card (unnecessary for people traveling on group visas) will have to be completed. Currency declaration forms are no longer required. In most ports of entry there will be a red ind green customs chiiii-iel, but usually only a few luggage carts. Taxis are freely available but there are few tourist information facilities except at Beijing airport.

Travel insurance

You are strongly advised to obtain travel insurance sufficiently comprehensive to cover repatriation in the event of serious illness and, ideally, to cover delays.

Visas

If you are traveling in a group, you will probably travel on a group visa organized on your behalf by the tour company and held by the group leader. An individual visa is easily obtained and usually valid for 30 days' travel in China, but easily extended it public security offices in China. To obtain a Chinese visa, contact the consular section of your nearest Chinese embassy; the procedui-e requires completion of a simple form, a full passport (which must have at least two blank pages and six months' validity) and one recent passport-size photograph. Three working days to process the visa are usually required, although visas can be rushed for an extra fee and on the production of airline tickets. Theoretically, it is possible to obtain a visa upon arrival at Beijing airport, but this can be very difficult and should be considered oi)ly as a last resort. Hong Kong, though now part of China, does not require a Chinese visa. Visas for the mainland can be easily obtained eithei- from CITS (6/F Tower 2, South Seas Center, 75 Mody Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon) oidirectly from the visa office of the Foreign Ministry of the People's Republic of China, China Resources Building, Wanchai.

Visitors often ask if they can have their Passports stamped upon entering or leavii)g China, but the immigration officers will exhibit a marked reluctance to do so unless the passport contains an individual visa.

Individual tourists wishing to visit Tibet must contact the Tibet Tourism Office (10 Renmin Beilu, Chengdu; fax. 028 333526) or China Tibet Qomolangma Travelways Ltd. (37/F, Times Tower, 393 Jaffe Road, Hong Kong; fax. 834 1535). A special permit is no longer required (just a valid visa for China). However, the government occasionally closes Tibet to individual visitors (because of political disturbances), usually only for a short time. Check with the ei-nbassy before setting off.

National holidays

China has nine national holidays: New Year's Day (January 1); Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (the first day of the lunar calendar, usually February), which lasts between three days and a week, when everything closes (,in added irritation is the popular pastime of exploding terrifyitigly loud firecrackers, although this has been banned in major cities); International Working Womeii's Day (March 8); International l,abor Dav (May 1); Youth Day (May 4); Childreii's Day (June 1); Communist Party Anniversary Day (July 1); People's Liberation Army Day (August 1); National Day (October 1, usually with an additional day).

Other traditional festivals include the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the I st lunar month; the Dragon Boat Festiva I on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month; and the Mid-Autumn Festival on the ]5th day of the 8th lunar month.

Time differences

China is 8 hours ahead of GMT and thus 13 hours ahead of New York, and 2 hours behind Melbourne. China adopts summer-time (forward one hour) in mid-April and wintertime (back one hour) in midSeptember. Clocks throughout China are set according to Beijing time, which means, given the size of the country, that sunrise and sunset ciii occur at peculiar hours.

Money matters

Until recently there were two types of money one for locals, called Renminbi, and another for foreigners which came in the form of Foreign Fxchange Certificites or FECS. Thankfully this system has been done away with and everybody now uses the national currency, the yiiati, divided into 100fc . Tenfcri are called a nitio orjiao. Exchai-ige rates varv from day to day but little, if at all, from place to place. When you buy yiia , keep the receipts in case you need to reexchaiige when you leave China (although you are allowed to return no more than 50 percent of what you have bought). Tr,iveler's checks and all major currencies are acceptable, and many larger stores are happy to accept U.S. dollars directly. Credit cards can be used in all major hotels and in some stores. Foreigners usually pay more than locals on planes, trains, and some buses, for hospital care, hotels, and museums.