Travel Guides: All Countries / Asia / China
 |  | Fact File : China |
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| | | China | | Did you know?
The whole of this huge country follows Beijing time.
Language
Most people speak Mandarin on mainland China but often not as a first language. There are eight major dialects: Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fuzhou, Hokkien-Taiwanese, Xiang, Gan and Hakka. English is rarely spoken outside major visitor areas.
Visas
You need a visa, easily available from the Chinese Embassy. A standard 30-day single-entry visa can be issued in three to five working days. For a visit of more than 30 days, visas are harder to get, and there are seven kinds of visa so make sure you get the right one. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the expiry date of your visa.
Getting there
London-Beijing from around £400 return. Including Beijing airport there are 115 entry ports on mainland China. It's still easiest and cheapest to fly to Hong Kong and then on to China. Flights from London to Hong Kong return from around £370. There are departure taxes of 90 Yuan for international and 50 Yuan for domestic flights.
Flying time from London
10 hours to Beijing
Getting around
Internal air flights make sense over such huge distances. It is a regulation that visitors will pay 50% above the Chinese resident price. Long-distance buses are a good way of getting around - but get reservations and remember breakdowns are common and accidents not rare. Trains are packed but quicker than buses, can be more comfortable and offer a view of Chinese life close-up (except Tibet). There are many different classes of trains and seats - so check which you want.
Currency
Renminbi (RMB). The basic unit is the yuan, divided into ten jiao, each of which are divided into ten fen.
Costs
Bottle of Chinese beer 10p, can of Coke £1, average meal £5-£15, roll of film £1.50, litre of petrol 30p-40p, short taxi ride £1.
Weather
Beijing has cold, dry winters (below OC/32F) and hot, wet, humid summers (38C/100F). Guilin has a cool winter, pleasant spring and autumn and long, hot, wet summers. Shanghai can be wet and overcast for most of the year with cold winters and boiling summers. China is so big that it has bitter cold and extreme heat within its borders. You will need to check for climate specifics in the regions you intend to visit.
Time difference
Beijing time is eight hours ahead of GMT.
International dialling code from the UK
00 86
Voltage
220V 50 cycles AC. There are five plug designs and adaptor plugs can be bought in Hong Kong easily but are hard to find in China. Expect many power blackouts in summer.
Opening hours
Banks, offices, government departments open Mon-Fri at 8.30am, close for one-two hours midday and then reopen until 5-6pm. Most museums stay open on weekends but close for one or two days midweek. Long-distance bus and train ticket offices open around 5-5.30am.
Health - Before you go
Recommended vaccinations are typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A and B. Japanese B encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease, is present in some rural areas but only consider getting vaccinated if you are heading to one. If you are only going to Hong Kong and Macau you are unlikely to need immunisation, but if for remote areas of China take a full medical travel kit. Ring the FCO advice line on 020 7238 4503/4.
Health - When you are there
Major cities like Beijing and Shanghai have good medical facilities but places like Inner Mongolia, Tibet or Xinjiang do not. Services are generally very cheap but random surcharges may be made for foreigners. In case of accident/medical emergency get in a taxi and go straight to hospital - try to avoid dealing with the authorities as it can be more expensive and terribly bureaucratic. Note that the Chinese do not have Rh-negative blood so their blood banks don't store it.
Warnings
China has poisonous snakes so make sure you can identify them and take evasive action. China is not a place to get involved in politics or even in political conversations involving the words "Tibet" and "freedom". The official attitude to homosexuality ranges from draconian penalties to tacit acceptance. Crime is on the rise so take usual precautions against theft.
Emergency
Police 110, Fire hotline 119, International Assistance 115. British Consulate in Shanghai: Room 301, Shanghai Centre, 1376 Nanjing Xilu Tel 6279-7650
Customs
Expect to be stared at, you're interesting. Make the most of it - you're foreign and you'll probably never seem so interesting to anybody ever again.
Pets
China is not part of the Passport for Pets scheme so leave Fido at home.
Tipping
China is a country where no one expects a tip. Don't give one as you will usually being paying slightly-too-much higher prices anyway.
Tourist office
Chinese National Tourist Office, 4 Glentworth Street, London NW1 5PG. Tel 020 7935 9787.
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