China Travel Info/Travel Facts

¡îHealth

¡îCustoms

¡îTime Difference

¡îElectricity

¡îOperating Hours & Public Holidays

¡îCommunications

¡îMiscellaneous

¡îProper Protocol & Etiquette in China

¡î Insurance

¡îPacking

¡îArrival & Departure

¡îTravel Arrangement

¡îBaggage

¡îTravel Safety & Security

¡îTipping

¡îTourism Directories and Offices

Tourism Administrative Organization Directory
Local Tourism Administration Directory
Institutions of Supervision Over Quality
Tourism Industry Association Directory
National/Regional Tourism Organizations' Beijing offices
Overseas China Tourist Offices
Health

Prevention is the best precaution when traveling. Before you depart, check with your physician and follow his or her recommendations.
Prior to any major trip check to make sure that your vaccinations are up-to-date. Your basic checklist for any trip to Asia should include tetanus, hepatitis A, TB, typhoid and polio. If you are spending a long time in China or visiting more remote areas consider the following - influenza, Hepatitis B, meningitis, Japanese B encephalitis and rabies. Visitors to south and south west China may need to consider a course of anti-malarials.
Before departing check the latest situation for the region in which you will be traveling. A good web site for advisories is the Center for Disease Control.
Some regions in China, including Tibet, Xinjiang, Sichuan and Yunnan are at high altitudes. If traveling to these areas beware of the effect of altitude on health. It can take days or weeks to acclimatize to higher altitudes. It is a good idea to refrain from arduous exercise or trekking until you are acclimatized. It may be helpful to check with you physician prior to leaving, to discuss precautions and preventative measures.
The standard of medical care and medication varies throughout China, but facilities in major cities are generally good. If you take any medication on a regular basis, bring enough to last through your trip. Pack your prescriptions with your medications to avoid any problems at customs. You may wish to consider travel insurance with medical cover.
To avoid illness a few easy precautions can be taken. Wash your hands frequently. Do not drink water that has not been boiled and when in doubt drink bottled water. Freezing does not purify water. Before drinking anything with ice, make sure the ice was made with bottled or boiled water. Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly in purified water, peeled or boiled. Undercooked meat and most shellfish should be avoided.
A major complaint of travelers is traveler's diarrhea. This condition is generally caused by a change in diet or contaminated food or water. You may want to bring an over the counter anti-diarrhea medication, such as Imodium, to deal with the symptoms. For most complaints it is best to seek professional advice as self-diagnosis is risky.
Toilets in China tend to be of the squat variety. They rarely come with paper. Keeping a supply of tissues on you is a good idea.

Customs

Chinese customs are generally straightforward. Visitors to China must fill out a customs form upon arrival. When you enter the country you are asked to declare electrical goods and luxury items such as cameras, computer equipment etc. Keep this form until you exit to avoid paying duty on goods you brought into the country.
You may import 400 cigarettes, 2 liters of alcoholic beverages and 50g (2 ounces) of gold or silver. There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency you bring in to the country. You must, however, declare any cash exceeding US$5,000 or the equivalent. You may only bring in or out of China RMB6,000.
Prohibited imports include: fresh fruit, arms, ammunition, printed matter, films or tapes "detrimental to China's economy, culture and ethics", narcotic drugs, animals and plants.
If you purchase antiques in China, you must obtain a certificate of authenticity. You need this certificate to avoid trouble when departing. Present this form when going through customs to avoid having your antique declared a "cultural relic" and confiscated.

Time Difference

All of China is set to Beijing time.
China is 16 hours ahead of US Pacific Time, 13 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time and 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Below are the time differences from China to some major cities around the world (ignoring daylight savings and summertime adjustments).

Hong Kong

+0

Tokyo

+2

Melbourne

+2

Los Angeles

-15

Toronto

-12

New York

-12

London

-8

Paris

-7

Rome

-7

Frankfurt

-7

Electricity

Electricity in China runs on 220V, 50 cycles AC.
There are at least 5 different types of plugs currently in use in China. The most frequently found types are the 2 pronged American style and the 3 pronged angled Australian style. An adapter with the American and Australian styles should be sufficient and should be bought before entering China.

Operating Hours & Public Holidays

Operating Hours
Offices in China are generally open from 8am-5pm with a 1-2 hour lunch break between. Most offices close during their lunch break so plan accordingly.
Shops are generally open from early and do not close for lunch.
Tourist sites are usually open from 8am-5pm.
Museums are generally open 6 days a week but close during lunch. Many museums are closed on Mondays.
Public Holidays
Offices and museums are generally closed on public holidays. Shops tend to remain open.

Date

Festival

Details

January 1

Western New Year¡¯s Day

Though not celebrated in China, it is a state holiday

January 24-28, 2001*

Lunar New Year (Spring Festival)

China¡¯s most important holiday. Families gather together to eat, exchange gifts and welcome in the new year.

March 8

International Women¡¯s Day

A state holiday.

April 4-5

Qing Ming (Tomb-sweeping) Festival

The traditional day to visit and clean ancestors graves.

May 1

Labor Day

Holiday honoring workers

May 4

International Youth Day

Memorializes the May 4 Movement of 1919.

June 6, 2000 /
June 25, 2001*

Dragon Boat Festival

Festival memorializing the poet and patriot Qu Yuan who drowned himself in political protest.

June 1

Children¡¯s Day

Honors children

July 1

Anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party

A state holiday.

August 1

Anniversary of the founding of the PLA

Honors the armed forces.

September 12, 2000/ October 1, 2001*

Mid-Autumn Festival

A lunar holiday celebrated during the harvest period. Families gather to eat moon cakes and light candles.

October 1

National Day

Commemorates the Communist victory in 1949

* Lunar holidays. Dates of these holidays change yearly dependent on the lunar calender.

Communications

Post
China's international postal service is efficient. It generally takes 5-10 days for airmail letters or postcards to reach their destination. Domestic mail is fast. Post offices are found throughout China.
For faster service Express Mail Service (EMS) allows you to send registered letters and parcels out of China and can be arranged at post offices.
Post Restante services exist in every city and town. In addition, most hotels have branch offices.
It is best to buy envelopes in China as envelopes must be of an approved size. Envelopes purchased abroad will reach their destination, however, they will be given lowest priority and will move at a snails pace.
Post offices are exacting about how you pack a parcel. Take the items you want to post, to the post office and pack them there, as you will have to get customs clearance for your parcel. If you have a receipt for your purchases, enclose it, customs may re-open your packet along the way.
Postal Rates
Domestic letters up to 20g cost RMB0.50, postcards RMB0.30.
International rates for letters up to 20g vary from RMB2.50 to RMB5.40 depending on the province.
Courier
A number of international courier companies have offices in China. United Parcel Service (UPS), DHL, Federal Express, and TNT Skypak all have representatives in China. Inquire at your hotel to find the closest office or to arrange pick up service.
Internet
The Internet is increasingly available throughout China. You should be able find somewhere to access it in most major cities, though at times it can be very slow to download. Business centers in 4 and 5 star hotels usually have Internet access. Cybercafes are popping up in many cities in China. Your best bet for finding one is to look near universities or in tourist areas.
Telephone and Fax
China's phone system works well. You can usually place both international and domestic phone calls from you hotel room or hotel's business center, but there is always a surcharge on long distance calls. Local calls are generally free from your hotel.
Domestic long distance rates are cheap. International calls are very expensive, in the neighborhood of RMB20 per minute. Reverse-charge calls are legal and are generally less expensive than calling overseas from China.
Card phones are fairly widespread in China and can be the simplest and the cheapest way to make calls in China. There are two types of phone cards, the older magnetic cards and the newer "Smartcards". Smartcards are better to purchase. Magnetic phone cards may only be used in the province in which you buy them, Smartcards may be used all over China.
Local and domestic long distance calls, but not international calls can generally be made from phone booths. Both long distance and international calls may be placed from the offices of telecommunications companies. Calls are charged by the minute.
Faxes can be sent from most hotel business centers.

Miscellaneous

Photography
If someone doesn't want his picture taken, respect his wishes. Whatever the purpose your visit may be, never forget to bring along your camera (memorable things happen when least expected). Film developing services are widely available in larger cities but are more expensive (in Lhasa, Tibet, a roll of film is developed at a price of US $10). Slides and Polaroid refills are only available in big cities. Bring ample supplies of film and batteries.
Publications
The English-language China Daily (available daily except Sundays) is readily available free of charge in most hotels, and the Beijing Weekend that comes with Friday issues, features information of interest to visitors and residents.
Most four-and five-star hotels have copies of the quarterly newsletter. Welcome to Beijing in guest rooms. Shops in hotels usually offer a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and books from Hong Kong, Japan, Europe and the USA.
Television
Television programmes are enlivened in recent years with the coming of satellite broadcasts of CNN and other American and Japanese networks. These are found in most major hotels.
Chinese channels, besides a late-evening news reported in English (10:30pm-11:30pm) and lessons in various foreign languages, are all in Chinese, including imported Western programmes. Local radio English broadcasts can be heard on 1251 AM and 91.55 FM.
Shopping
1). Shops are open every day of the week, from 8 or 8.30 am to 7.30 or 8 pm (9 am- 7 pm in winter, 9 am-8. 30 pm in summer). Prices are fixed and a few of them will have an English-speaking staff. Most shopping centres and tourist shops also provide currency exchanging services.
2). The safest shopping places for foreign visitors are designated stores, where one can always be assured of quality and reasonable prices.
3). Antiques: Only items dating earliest from Jia Qing's reign(1797-1820) of the Qing Dynasty can be legally offered for sale and be cleared for export. They should bear a small red seal or have one affixed by the Cultural Relics Bureau in order to pass through customs. Keep all purchase receipts. The bureau has an office in the furniture hall of the Friendship Store which opens on Mondays and Fridays from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm to appraise antiques. Good buys in Beijing are porcelain (especially blue-and-white porcelain), calligraphy, paintings, jewellery and jade, old costumes and furniture.

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