China Travel Guide

Car rental

It is possible to rent a car in Shanghai and Beijing but not in any other location as yet, although foreigners, usually those resident for one reason or another, are permitted to drive in China. Cars with drivers may be rented (at a price) on a daily or weekly basis in major cities addresses Of Such companies can be obtained through CITS. In Beijing, telephone 6863661 or the Beijing Car Company at 6594441.

Traffic tips

Driving in China presents special problems that also affect foreign pedestrians and cyclists. Generally roads and traffic regulations tend to favor pedestrians and bicycles. Traffic in towns moves very slowly, and learning to negotiate it involves the acquisition of special skills. Patience is vital and so is the ability to feel your way thi,ougli streams of bicycles, haiidc@irts, and dori keys.

On the whole peopleire lawabiding road-users, although country-dwellers, who now visit cities like Beijing in considerable numbers, are quite unused to cars and busy roads.

Horns are honked all the time, which, while very annoying, is necess,iry since if there is no beep, the car in front takes this to mean that the coast is clear.

The use of headlights is curious, too: night drivers often dispense with them altogetliei@, merely using full-beam from time to time to warn oncoming vehicles, a rather uniierving habit; drivers seem to think it is easier on the eyes.

Drive on the right-hand side of the road. In most cities it is permissible to turn right on red.

Public transportation

Domestic flights China's size and the virtual absence of a highway system mean that the principal methods of getting from place to place are train and plane. Although it has improved over the last few years, Air China does not enjoy a favorable reputation, despite being broken up into a series of regional carriers, a process supposed to increase efficiency. The main fault is delay, made all the more frustrating because of the absence of explan@ition or apology. However, delays are much less frequent than in the past, the aircraft fleet is made up of modern planes from the U.S., Britain and Russia, and airports in i-najor cities have been modernized.

Tickets for domestic flights are reasonably priced but are beginning to skyrocket. Main routes are very busy and neeci to be reserved well in advance either through CITS or a similar agent, or direct from Air China offices. Airport tax, variable from place to place, is payable for domestic flights, usually at a special desk before you check in. All flights are no-smoking. Hand luggage is limited to one item and check-in luggage must be locked. You will be expected to present your passport and visa, with boarding-pass, and to go through X-ray checks. Flights are usually announced in English as well as Chinese, but surrounding noise can render these incomprehensible.

Trains The train system, on the other hand, is verv good. Tickets, obtainable through CITS and other agents, or directly from stations, are reasonably priced (though prices for foreigners are higher than for loca Is), and the trains generally dependable. There are two classes, so-called "soft" and "hard," both of which are rnaiiiied by attendants. Pullman cars exist (crowded wooden benches in hard class, upholstered seats in soft) but, because of the distances involved, most rolling stock is made up of sleeping cars. A hard-class sleeping car (yiiig i)oclie) has a series of alcoves filled with ti-iple-tiered woodeii-slat bunks with thin mattresses and no bedding. There will be a basic bathroom at one end. A soft-class sleeping car (rii nivoclic) is divided into compartments, each containing four bunks with bedding and flasks filled with hot water. There will be a bathroom at each end of the car, one Western, one Eastern. Very few cars on certain routes are air-conditioned; most are cooled in the summer by fans. Long-distance trains have dining cars, often serving meals of surprisingly high quality.

Trains are graded according to speed: tekuai is very fast, zliikuai is fast and kuaikc reasonably fast.

Buses Buses are widely used within towns and cities and between towns. The cheapest form of travel, they are also the least comfortable. Urban buses, while offering a coiiiprehensive service, are frequently impossibly crowded, and long-distance buses are rather old-fashioned, even though there are now nonstop services on some longer routes. However, to travel by bus is to travel as most Chinese do. Buy tickets for urban buses on board; for longdistance buses, buy in advance from the bus station. Inside, there is little room for luggage-it will often go on the roof. Governmentrun bus services may be safer than the privateers.

Taxis Taxis are easy to rent in most cities and can generally be hailed on the street. Most drivers use the meter but sometimes a reminder to use it is greeted with disdain, in which case it is wise to agree to a price before you start. There are several categories of taxi, both state-owned and private. Basically, the smaller the taxi the cheaper the fare. (See also page 79).

Bicycles

Bicycles (zixi gche) are widely used and can be rented at little cost in most cities from hotels or from specialist outlets. Observe how the traffic functions in China-joining it unprepared can be an unnerving experience. Wayside repairs can often easily be effected by mechanics who ply their trade on the sidewalks.

Student and youth travel

The China Youth Travel Service (23-B Dongjiaominxiang, Beijing 100006; tax. 512 0571) is the branch of CITS that specializes in travel arrangements for students. Tour operators that specialize in travel to China can often make arrangements for younger people according to need, especially for groups of children or students, and it is often possible to make arrangements in advance to visit institutions that may be of particular interest. Bear in mind that few concessions are made to youth, particularly when it comes to money.

Etiquefte and local customs

Getting along with the Chinese One of the purposes of i visit to China is to seeind try to understand a culture that is, at least superficially, contrary to everything taken for granted at home. The Chinese people are a vital, fascinating part of the experience. The word often used to describe the Chinese is "inscrutable," and while it is certainly true that the Chinese give few emotional messages, this is not to say that they are unfathomable or that foreigners cannot empathize with them.

The Chinese do not display emotion and feelings in public and find plain-speaking unnerving. Often, therefore, decisions that would be made instantly elsewhere are accompanied by long preambles and detailed, if futile, consultations. This demands patience and politeness from those on the outside, for anger is seen as weakness.

The Chinese have an excellent sense of humor, but it usually avoids sexual or political subjects. Skimpy clothing, while sometimes worn by the more daring among the nation's youth, is frowned upon on the whole.

The lack of information or the thoughtless omission of relevant facts that may be obvious to the Chinese host but not to his visitor can be particularly irritating to the foreigner. It is important, therefore, to check on arrangements as unobtrusively as possible.

People tend to stare, especially in the country, which can be unsettling but is nothing more than harmless curiosity. Privacy, it must be remembered, is an alien notion to the Chinese.

Tipping Despite official disapproval, tipping is no longer an offense; indeed it is now expected by tourist guides, who prefer money-preferably American dollars-to any wellintentioned gift. Hotel porters will usually happily accept a tip, and so will taxi drivers although it is not necessarily expected. Tips are not usually expected in restaurants, except in some of the top establishments.