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Useful Information on China
Tourist Information
From China National Tourist Information Center
Accommodation
Luxury hostels are available in major cities. Reservation can be made through traveler agents. These hostels have everything you need, including gropes, hairdressers, toothpaste, shaver, etc In remote areas or small cities, hostels are clean but not luxury. Foreign visitors have to bear with the condition in those small hostels.

LANGUAGES: The national language is Putonghua (the common speech) or Mandarin, which is one of the five working languages at the United Nations. Most of the 55 minority nationalities have their own languages. Cantonese is one of the local dialects of southern China. As a written language, Chinese has been used for 6,000 years.

NATIONALITIES: China is made up of 56 ethnic groups. The Han people make up 91.02 percent of the total population, and the other 55 national minorities 8.98 percent. They are Mongolian, Hui, Tibetan, Uygur, Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Bouyi, Korean, Manchu, Dong, Yao, Bai, Tujia, Hani, Kazak, Dai, Li, Lisu, Wa, She, Gaoshan, Lahu, Shui, Dongxiang, Naxi, Jingpo, Kirgiz, Tu, Daur, Mulam, Qiang, Blang, Salar, Maonan, Gelo, Xibe, Achang, Pumi, Tajik, Nu, Ozbek, Russian, Ewenki, Benglong, Bonan, Yugur, Jing, Tatar, Drung, Oroqen, Hezhen, Moinba, Lhoba and Gelo. All nationalities enjoy equal status according to the Constitution. The State protects their lawful rights and interests and promotes equality, unity and mutual help among all nationalities.

China Airlines
From North America or Europe, all major airlines provide flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guanzhou and Hong Kong and then transit to other cities. Domestic flights can be booked when you arrive in China through local airline offices or the hostels.

Business Center
Most of the hostels have business centers for business travelers. They may have staff to help you to translate, copy, fax or even draft documents. You can also rent computer or computer time for using email.

Currency Regulation

Conversion Rate
You are advised to exchange foreign currency into RMB, in your guesthouse or local banks, for shopping although most of the shops may accept US dollars. Credit cards are accepted in the major shops in the tourist areas but small shops may only accept cash.

Drink
Never drink tap water in China. Stiller water bottles are available in fridge or boiling water from the your guesthouse. On a long ride on private car or bus, take with you some drinks.

Entertainment
Most of the hostels are close to cinemas, opera, music hall, disco and other entertainment. CNN program is also available in China. Gambling, drug and sex-related business are prohibited by law.

Electronic equipment
China uses 220V of European system. Most of the hostels have a socket in the bathroom for using both 110V and 220V. Outside of the bathroom, you should not connect your 110v to the outlet unless your device has a transformer or can be used with 220v.

Food
If you enjoy eating, China offers you many varieties of foods in the styles of Cantonese, Beijing, Szechwan, Shanghai and many others. Drink Chinese tea to help you to digest after a heavy Chinese dinner. Always have food in a big restaurant or in the your guesthouse if you have a sensitive stomach. Western food and fast food, such as Macdonald, Kentucky fry Chicken and pizza, are now available everywhere. For details, see Food Culture.

Visas, Embassies
Most of the foreign embassies are in Beijing. There are also offices in other major cities such as Shanghai, Chonging, Gongzhou and Hong Kong.

Health Concern
Get advice from your family doctors for vaccination required for China visit. Bring with you medical kit that some of the drugs may not be found in China.

Travel Insurance
It is advised to have insurance to cover sickness and other possible traveling accidence. For hospitalization in China, you may have to pay first and then claim it back from your insurance company.

Language Info
There is English speaking staff on duty in hostels of major cities. You find no difficult to go around in major cities too. For visit to remote area, you may find difficult to communicate. Be patient and ask the your guesthouse to find an English interpreter to assist you. To learn some simple English-Chinese phrases, click on the left.

Phone and fax
You are advised to bring with you a calling card, instead of making international call through your guesthouse. You may rent computer, pager or portable phone on short term from or through the business center.

Safety
China has very low crime rate, comparing with a lot of other countries. It is still wise to be cautious with your personal possession in public place. There are pickpockets active in crowded areas such as stations, markets, shopping areas, etc. Do not show off your money in public. Use your safe in the your guesthouse room and don't bring too much cash with you when you don't need it. If there is any problem, report to the your guesthouse or police immediately.

Shopping
Daily use goods are inexpensive in China. CD, electronics and books can be purchased everywhere. For expensive items such as antique, arts, jay, jewelry, etc., unless you are an expert, you will be better off to purchase these goods from government owned shops.

Sport
Book golf and tennis through your hostels. Swimming pool and gyms are available in major hostels. Pool table and bowling are in most of the cities. For horse riding, sailing and other sports, they are available in major centers only.

Taxi
Book your taxi or limousine from the your guesthouse and fix the price before you go. From or to Airport, better use your guesthouse shuttle bus.

Tourist attractions
Museum, temples, historical sites and scenery are the major attractions to foreign visitors. First study the background and it will help you to appreciate the difference in culture and historical events. For details, see Index - China.

Traveling Documents
Visa must be obtained from Chinese Consulates in your country. It will take a couple days to process the application. If you plan to stay in Hong Kong before entering China, you may apply Visa in Hong Kong.

Tourist Package
Book your tour through your own agent or the your guesthouse. It may be more expensive but the quality is guarantied. You may prefer to go on your own if you know how to get around.

Traveling season
The best season for traveling to China is May or late October. The weather is nice and it is not high season too. The worse is after or before Chinese New Year (January and February). The weather is cold and people are too busy in preparing for Chinese New year.

Washroom
Washroom in public or even some of the restaurants are poor managed. Go to hostels or big restaurants if you have to go to washroom.

Weather
China covers regions from Hainan, an island in the South, to extremely cold Inner Mongols in the North. Generally, summer is very warm and humid, winter is bitterly cold in the North. Southern part and coastal area have a better climate than the inland and North.

FAMILY NAMES: Chinese family names came into being some 5,000 years ago. There are more than 5,000 family names, of which 200 to 300 are popular. In Chinese names, family names comes first and given name second. For example, in the case of Deng Xiaoping, Deng is the family name, Xiaoping the given name. The most popular Chinese family names are ZHANG, WANG, LI, ZHAO, LIU, CHEN...

RIVERS: China has 50,000 rivers that cover a catchment area of at least 100 square kilometers, and 1,500 of them cover a catchment area of more than 1,000 square kilometers. Most of the rivers flow from west to east to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The main rivers include the Yangzi (Changjiang), the Yellow River (Huanghe), Heilongjiang, the Pearl River, Liaohe, Haihe, Qiantangjiang and Lancang Rivers. At 6,300 kilometers long, the Yangzi is the longest river in China. The second longest is the Yellow River at 5,464 kilometers. The Grand Canal from Hangzhou to Beijing is a great water project in ancient China. 1,794 kilometers in length, it is the longest canal in the world.

RELIGIONS: China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism and Islam are the three major religions. Catholicism and Protestantism have smaller but substantial followers too. Different ethnic groups usually follow different religions. Islam is followed by the Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Tatar, Dongxiang, Salar and Bonan peoples; Buddhism and Lamaism are followed by the Tibetan, Mongolian, Dai and Yugur nationalities; Christianity is followed by the Miao, Yao and Yi nationalities; Shamanism is followed by the Oroqen, Ewenki and Daur nationalities; and the majority Han nationality believes in Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.

TOPOGRAPHY: With a broad area, China has a very complex topography. The outline descends step by step from the west to the east. Mountains and hilly land take up 65 percent of the total area. There are five main mountain ranges. Seven mountain peaks are higher than 8,000 meters above sea level. The Bohai Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea and South China Sea embrace the east and southeast coast.

MONEY: Chinese Money is called Renminbi (RMB) (means "People's Currency"). The popular unit of RMB is Yuan. The official exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and RMB Yuan currently is about 1 : 8.3 (1.00 Dollar = 8.30 Yuan). 1 Yuan equals 10 Jiao, and 1 Jiao equals 10 Fen. (There are parts of China the Yuan is also known as Kuai, and Jiao is known as Mao.) Chinese currency is issued in the following denominations: one, two, five, ten, fifty and a hundred Yuan; one, two and five Jiao; and one, two and five Fen.

CIVIL ELECTRICAL POWER: AC 220 V, 50 Hz (bathrooms of many luxury and medium-grade hostels may have 110-volt sockets).

TELEVISION SYSTEM: PAL (In addition to Chinese language TV broadcast, English and Japanese TV programs are available in many hostels via satellite relay. China Central Television Station (CCTV) and some local TV stations also provide English news and other programs in English.)

TELEPHONE AREA CODE: Mainland China 86; Hong Kong 852; Taiwan 886. (Special Telephone Numbers: Police 110; Fire 119; Emergency 120.)

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