Introduction         Information        Travel Tips        Transportation        Money Matters      Tourist Cities
Festivals        Landscapes

China Travel Tips

Public Holidays

In China there are 11 days of national public holiday out of the year :
The New Year's Day-2 days;
The Spring Festival (usually falling in late January or early and mid-February)-3 days;
The May 1st Labor Day-3 days;
The October 1st National Day-3 days.
It is customary for people to "borrow" weekends to make three-day holidays into three week-long holidays.
Offices and agencies in China follow the five-day week system.

Back to the Top 

Quarantine

In accordance with the details for the Implementation of Regulations of the People's Republic of China Concerning Frontier Sanitation and Quarantine, people coming to China from certain countries must produce valid documents showing they have been inoculated against smallpox, cholera, or yellow fever. People from countries newly declared as infected areas must show corresponding vaccination documentation. (Inquiry may be made for details at Chinese embassies abroad or at Chinese public health departments.)

Back to the Top 

Rescue

Back to the Top 

Water

Back to the Top 

Shopping for Souvenirs

Shopping in China is getting more convenient. For those who are staying in the country for more than just a few days, they may need their choice brands of daily necessities which can be found in most of the large department stores and shopping malls which are springing up in the country. Western retail companies have established outlets in major cities in China which carry both domestic and imported goods.

For those who want to shop for souvenirs to take home, they can look around, apart from large department stores and shopping malls, in some of the open markets such as the Xiushui Street and Panjiayuan Antique Market in Beijing. Unlike large department stores where the prices are fixed, these places are where you can and you must bargain. Your local tour guides or hosts are the best help when you go to these places. They will prove essential in finding the real stuff and bringing the prices down!

Back to the Top 

Electricity

Electricity supply in China is 220 volts, but sockets with abaptres are available in the washrooms of many luxury and medium-grade hotels.

Back to the Top 

Toilet Room

Toilets
Charged toilets can be found in the streets and tourist places in large and medium-sized cities; use of such a toilet costs 0.20 or 0.30 yuan per person. Washrooms in airports and large shopping centres are free of charge.

Back to the Top 

Taxi

China enjoys adequate taxi service. In most cities, the taxi tends to be a small local-made car painted in either red or yellow. In large cities, there are luxurious sedans at a higher rate. Taxi fares vary from city to city but they are always clearly marked on the taxi window.

Most taxi drivers do not understand much English, although those in tourist cities are encouraged to learn and speak some simple English. Non-Chinese speaking visitors are advised to have their destinations written down in Chinese and show the address to the cab driver.

Back to the Top 

Telephones and Postal Services

In towns and cities, IDD service is provided at all hotels and post offices. Phone cards are available in post offices inside hotels or in the streets. Even more conveniently, most newsstands in major cities also carry phone cards. Telephone booths in the streets are mostly for local calls.

Tourist hotels provide postal services. If you want to send important items such as antiques and cultural relics that are under customs control, you will have to ask for the help of the local branch of the international post office, instead of the small post office in a hotel.

Back to the Top 

  Information provided by China National Tourism Administration.

Copyright © 2002 Orasia co.,ltd. (Asia-planet.net) All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.