China Travel Guide


The latest travel Information on China, includes ideas on Things to See and Do, Local Events, Consulate & Embassy Contact Addresses and much more, all from a first-time visitors point of view.

China Information

Overview

China is the cultural treasure-house of East Asia: its social riches and 5,000 years of tumultuous history place it among the world’s greatest travel destinations. The Great Wall, X’ian’s Terracotta Army, the Forbidden Palace and Tiananmen Square: the very names reverberate with history and legend.

China’s paradoxes are many: Shanghai’s skyscrapers contrast with Beijing’s historical treasures, while in rural provinces, mechanisation is slow. Its history is one of turmoil in between periods of stability.

The civil war in 1945 defined the China of today. Defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan, while victorious Communists founded the People’s Republic of China. Prior to that, China endured eight years of brutal occupation by the Japanese imperial army from 1937, souring relations between the two countries to this day. 

The convulsions of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s preceded major economic reforms but little political liberalisation prompted widespread protest. In 1989, thousands occupied Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the army clearing the square with great loss of life and the government reasserting political control.

History and politics aside, China is a land of superlatives, encompassing the Yangtze River, the Silk Road, the bamboo forests of the giant panda and misty peaks immortalised in traditional ink paintings. China has 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Chinese food ranks among the world’s great cuisines. From acrobatics to martial arts, calligraphy to Chinese opera, the vibrant, distinctive culture of this great land is everywhere to be seen.

Spectacular Tibet (Xihang) has been open to tourists since 1980. Occupied by China since 1950, the Cultural Revolution seriously damaged its cultural identity, yet Tibet’s way of life and historically important Buddhism traditions have endured. Now linked by train to the rest of China, Tibet’s unique culture faces renewed threats, from hordes of immigrant Han Chinese settlers and tourists.

China is set to become the world’s major economic power within 20 years. Growth has come at great environmental cost. However, it has also spurred on China’s rapidly improving tourism infrastructure. Beijing is currently undergoing a huge investment programme for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Flexibility and patience are still required to travel around China but, in return, China rewards visitors with memories to treasure for a lifetime.


Top Things To See

Visit Beijing’s crowning glory, the Forbidden City (website: www.dpm.org.cn), officially the Palace Museum. The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing emperors for 500 years, it is China’s greatest surviving historical site with fabulous halls, palaces and gardens. 

Take in other Beijing sites including Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public square; circular 15th-century Temple of Heaven; the Summer Palace imperial resort (website: www.summerpalace-china.com); the old city wall gates; traditional hutong alleys and courtyards; and beautiful Beihai Park. 

Stop off on a day trip from Beijing to the Great Wall to see the Ming Tombs (website: www.mingtombs.com.cn), where most of the Ming emperors were buried. They lie just outside Beijing.

Marvel at the Great Wall, built over 2,000 years and stretching over 5,400km (3,375 miles). The restored stone and brick Badaling section stands 8m (26ft) high and 6m (20ft) wide, and is the closest to Beijing, 70km (44 miles) away. 

Wonder at Xi’an’s Terracotta Army - 6,000 life-sized warriors and horses buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, who first united China in 200 BC. Also visit the Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas and the old city walls. 

See the monumental carved Buddhist effigies of Yungang Caves, near Datong, or carved effigies and monuments in Luoyang’s fifth-century Longmen Buddhist Caves. Visit the 34 early Buddhist caves at Bingling Lamasery, near Lanzhou. Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves have some of China’s oldest Buddhist shrines. 

From Chengdu, visit the holy Buddhist mountain of Emei Shan and the spectacular Grand Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a cliff. At 71m (225ft) high, it is so enormous that 100 people can fit on its instep.

Explore China’s oldest wooden pagoda, the Yingxian Pagoda, Kaifeng’s Iron Pagoda and Fan Bo Pagoda (AD 1049 and c. AD 977), Jinan’s Square Four Gate Pagoda (China’s oldest stone pagoda) and Guangzhou’s Huaisheng Mosque (built by Arab merchants in AD 650).

Pay homage in Qufu at Confucius’ Tomb, Temple and Mansion. Shenyang’s North Imperial Tomb is where the Qing Dynasty’s founding father is buried. Nanjing possesses the Xiaoling Tomb of Ming Dynasty founder Zhu Yuanzhang, and the mausoleum of China’s first president, Dr Sun Yat-sen.

Soak up the cosmopolitan atmosphere of economic powerhouse Shanghai, where soaring skyscrapers contrast the European-style Bund waterfront and traditional delights like tiny Yuyuan Gardens and the Yuyuan Gardens Bazaar, a touristy warren of lanes and stalls housing the Temple of the City God.

Shop for silk and tea in ancient China capital Hangzhou, described by celebrated traveller Marco Polo as ‘the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world’. Popular with Chinese and foreign tourists, its main attraction is the beautiful West Lake scenic area. 

See China’s own Venice, 2,500-year-old Suzhou. Its streets lining the Grand Canal and famous water gardens are a delight. Gardens include the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Garden of the Master of the Nets. Buy exquisite Suzhou silk fabrics and embroidery. 

Spot unique wildlife. Sichuan province’s ancient parks and bamboo forests are among the last strongholds of the endangered giant panda. View them close up in Chengdu’s panda breeding and research centre and on a day trip to a mountain sanctuary at Wolong.

Touch the sky at Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, which stands at 3,700m (12,000ft). The iconic seventh-century Potala Palace, home to successive Dalai Lamas, houses exhibits include frescoes and gigantic bejewelled Buddhas. Also visit the Norbulingka (Summer Palace) and Jokhang Temple, with its golden Buddhas.

Trace the ancient Silk Road trading route, which ran from Xi’an through deserts and mountains to the Caspian and Mediterranean seas, bringing Buddhism and Islam into China. The main sights include Dunhuang’s Buddhist grottoes at Dunhuang, the ruins of Jiaohe city near Turpan and Kashgar’s lively Sunday market.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.


Top Things To Do

Get on your bike to enjoy China’s great outdoors. Some 300 million Chinese use bicycles to get around. Hire shops are everywhere. Popular cycling routes include alongside sections of the Great Wall and Guilin and Yangshuo, in Guanxi province.

Enjoy China’s scenic natural wonders. They include Tibet’s Qomolangma Nature Reserve around Everest and UNESCO World Heritage Sites (website: http://whc.unesco.org) including Mount Taishan mountain park, Huangshan Mountain’s fog-shrouded rocky precipices, Buddhist mountain Emei Shan and Jiuzhaigou Valley’s lakes and waterfalls.

Hike or trek amid spectacular scenery. Everest Base Camp is Tibet’s most popular trekking destination. There’s also great hiking in other areas of the mountainous Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yunnan’s threatened Tiger Leaping Gorge and along the Great Wall.

Conquer the world’s highest mountains. Mighty Himalayan peaks form Tibet’s southern border, among them Mount Everest (or Qomolangma), at 8,848m (29,021ft), and Namcha Barwa, at 7,756m (25,445ft), around which the Brahmaputra River carves a fantastic gorge to enter India.

Go rock climbing, a fast-growing sport in China. The sheer-faced limestone karst mountains around Yangshuo in Guangxi province have become a climbing Mecca, offering many marked routes for everyone from novice to expert climbers. Some bars even have practice walls.

Go river cruising. The Three Gorges Dam will raise levels of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) by 175m (574ft) by 2009, although the spectacular gorges will still tower high above. See striking limestone formations on a Li River cruise from Guilin.

Explore caves. Head underground to Zhangjiajie’s Yellow Dragon Cave, Asia’s largest, or more popular caverns including Guilin’s Reed Flute and Crown caves and Yangshuo’s Silver Cave - their stalactites and stalagmites lit by garish multi-coloured neon. 

See forests of stone. Take a day trip from Yunnan capital Kunming to see one of southwest China’s most celebrated natural attractions. The Shilin Stone Forest’s limestone rock columns resemble petrified trees (website: www.chinastoneforest.com). 

Relax on a tropical beach. Sanya, on the southern coast of China’s most southerly province, Hainan Island, is one of China’s newest holiday areas and has international resort hotels, fine sand beaches, golf courses, coconut palms and watersports (website: www.sanyatour.com).

Try the ancient ‘shadow art’ of tai chi, a series of linked, slow movements using the entire body while focusing the mind. Traditionally practised early in the morning throughout China, good places to see it include Beijing’s Beihai Park.

Enjoy festivities surrounding the Spring Festival, the Chinese calendar’s most important date. Families get together to celebrate Chinese New Year, festooning homes with banners and pictures to bring good fortune. Festival activities often include parades, lantern shows and lion dances.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.


Going Out

Food and Drink

Chinese cuisine has a very long history and is renowned all over the world. Cantonese (the style most Westerners are most familiar with) is just one regional style of Chinese cooking. There are eight major schools of Chinese cuisine, named after the places where they were conceived: Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang. China’s cuisine breaks down into four major regional categories:

Northern cuisine:
Beijing food has developed from the Shandong school of cuisine.
Specialities:
• Peking duck (roasted and eaten in a thin pancake with cucumber and a sweet plum sauce).
• Mongolian Hotpot (a Chinese version of fondue; it is eaten in a communal style and consists of simmering soup in a special large round pot into which is dipped a variety of uncooked meats and vegetables, which are cooked on the spot).
• Shuijiao (pasta-like dough wrapped round pork meat, chives and onions, similar in idea to Italian ravioli; these can be bought by the jin (pound) in street markets and small eating houses, and make a good snack).

Southern cuisine
Guangdong (Cantonese) food is the most exotic in China. The food markets in Guangzhou are a testimony to this, and the Western visitor is often shocked by the enormous variety of rare and exotic animals that are used in the cuisine, including snake, dog, turtle and wildcat.
Specialities:
• Dim sum served at lunch.
• Shrimp wonton noodle soup.

Eastern cuisine
Shanghai and Zhejiang cooking is rich and sweet, often pickled. Noted for seafood, hot and sour soup, noodles and vegetables.
Specialities:
• La Mian (pulled noodles) served with curry beef soup.
• Xiao Long Bao (pan fried pork buns eaten dipped in vinegar).

Western cuisine
Sichuan and Hunan food is spicy, often sour and peppery, with specialities such as diced chicken stirred with soy sauce and peanuts, and spicy doufu (beancurd).
Specialities:
• Sweet and sour chicken.
• Orange beef.

National drinks:
• One of the best-known national drinks is Maotai, a fiery spirit distilled from rice wine.
• Local beers are of good quality, notably Tsingdao, which is similar to German lager.
• There are now some decent wines, which are produced mainly for tourists and export, such as Great Wall and Dynasty red wines and Qingdao white wine.

Legal drinking age: Although China has no minimum legal drinking age, a ban on the sale of alcohol to under-18s was introduced in January 2006.

Tipping: Still not officially approved of, tipping is becoming more commonplace in China. It is usual in tourist hotels and restaurants, and with tour guides and drivers. A service charge is often added by restaurants in large hotels.

Nightlife

Visitors generally sample the nightlife of the larger cities with prearranged restaurant meals and visits to Chinese opera, Chinese state circus, ballet and theatre. Local Chinese tend to only drink socially with a formal meal so bars and nightclubs are usually only found in the more cosmopolitan cities and major towns. 

Karaoke (written OK+ on Chinese signs) is a popular form of evening entertainment. Traditional local music and dancing is often found in areas where there are strong ethnic minority groups, notably in provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Sichuan.

Shopping

Prices in Friendship Stores, set up by the government, are fixed and there is generally no bargaining in most shops and department stores. However, haggling is all part of the buying process in outdoor markets (of which there are many) for items such as jade, antique ceramics, local hand-crafted items and silk garments. All antiques over 100 years old are marked with a red wax seal by the authorities, and require an export customs certificate. Beijing’s fascinating Panjiayuan antiques and bric-a-brac market was once only open at weekends. It now opens every day, although it is still best at weekends. 

China’s booming economy has led to an explosion of shops in towns and cities. Once fairly uninspired places where you might buy inexpensive souvenirs, Chinese work clothes, posters and books, you can now find shops selling everything from chic fashion to high-tech electronics. Shopping is easier if accompanied by an interpreter, although in big cities and tourist towns English is often spoken by shop assistants. You can usually make yourself understood by pointing, otherwise someone nearby will generally speak a little English. 

In Beijing, Shanghai and many other large cities, there are big department stores with several floors, selling a wide range of products. The best shopping is in the major shopping streets like Shanghai’s Nanjing Road or Beijing’s Wanfujing, in shopping centres and in markets. You can also get handicrafts direct from shops at local factories, or from shops specialising in the sale of handicrafts. Arts and crafts department stores also offer local handicrafts. Special purchases include jade jewellery, embroidery, calligraphy, paintings and carvings in wood, stone and bamboo. 

Shop personnel often pack and arrange shipping for bulky items. Keep receipts, as visitors may be asked to produce them at customs prior to departure. Hotel shops are more expensive than local shops. 

Shopping hours : Mon-Sun 0900-1900, although times vary across the country.


Climate

China has a great diversity of climates. The northeast experiences hot and dry summers and bitterly cold winters. The north and central region has almost continual rainfall, hot summers and cold winters. The southeast region has substantial rainfall, with semi-tropical summers and cool winters. Central, southern and western China are also susceptible to flooding, China is also periodically subject to seismic activity.

Required Clothing

North – heavyweight clothing with boots for the harsh northern winters. Lightweight clothing for summer. South – mediumweight clothing for winter and lightweight for summer.


Public Holidays

Below are listed the Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2008 period.

2008
1 Jan New Year. 
7-9 Feb Spring Festival, Chinese New Year.
1-3 May Labour Day.
1-3 Oct National Day.

2009
1 Jan New Year. 
26-28 Jan Spring Festival, Chinese New Year*.
1-3 May Labour Day.
1-3 Oct National Day.

*Tbc.

Note

In addition to the above, other holidays may be observed locally and certain groups have official Public Holidays on the following dates:

8 Mar International Women’s Day.
4 May National Youth Day.
23 May Tibet Liberation Day.
1 Jun International Children’s Day.
1 Aug Army Day.


Health

Diphtheria

Special Precaution: Yes

Hepatitis A

Special Precaution: Yes

Malaria

Special Precaution: Sometimes

Rabies

Special Precaution: Yes

Tetanus

Special Precaution: Yes

Typhoid

Special Precaution: Yes

Yellow Fever

Special Precaution: No*

Health Care

Medical costs are low. Many medicines common to Western countries are unavailable in China. Medical facilities in international hospitals are excellent. There are many traditional forms of medicine used in China, the most notable being acupuncture. Medical insurance is strongly advised.

Note

* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers arriving from infected areas.

Further Health Information

We advise you to check health requirements for the country you are traveling to with your GP, practice nurse or travel health clinic as health requirements and vaccinations can change at short notice.

Money

Currency

1 Renminbi Yuan (CNY; symbol ¥) = 10 chiao/jiao or 100 fen. Notes are in denominations of ¥100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1, and 5 and 1 chiao/jiao. Coins are in denominations of ¥1, 5 and 1 chiao/jiao and 5, 2 and 1 fen. Counterfeit ¥50 and ¥100 notes are commonplace.

Currency Exchange

CNY is not traded outside China. Foreign banknotes and traveller’s cheques can be exchanged at branches of The Bank of China. In hotels and Friendship Stores for tourists, imported luxury items such as spirits may be bought with Western currency. Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes cannot be exchanged.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in major provincial cities in designated establishments. However, the availability of ATMs is often limited to airports, large tourist hotels and major shopping centres, and credit cards are often unlikely to be accepted away from the major cities.

Traveller's Cheques

To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in US Dollars.

Currency Restrictions

Restrictions apply.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 0900-1600/1700. Some banks close for lunch from 1200-1300.


Passport/Visa

British

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes/1/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Australian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Canadian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

USA

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Other EU

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes/2
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Note

Those wishing to visit Tibet are strongly advised to join a travel group. Individual travellers need an Alien’s Travel Permit issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau (see Contact Addresses). Applicants will need to show their Chinese Visa also.

Passport Note

(a) China does not recognise dual nationality.
(b) HIV-positive travellers are not permitted to enter the country.

Passports

Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above. Passport must be valid for at least six months for a single or double entry within three months of the date of visa issue; at least nine months for multiple entries within six months.

Visas

Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except:
(a) 1. nationals of the UK travelling to Hong Kong only for stays of up to 180 days.
(b) 2. all nationals referred to in the chart above travelling only to Macao for stays of up to 90 days (except nationals of the USA for stays up to 30 days; and nationals of the UK for stays up to six months).  
(a) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting plane to another country within 24 hours who hold valid onward documentation and do not leave the airport.
(b) some passengers (not including nationals of the USA or UK) who transit through Pudong or Hongqiao airports only, with all necessary documentation, within 48 hours.

Visa Note

Journalists now need to apply for accreditation from the press department of the Chinese embassy before applying for a visa.

Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Types of Visa and Cost

Tourist/Business/Transit UK nationals: £30 (single-entry); £45 (double-entry); £60 (multiple-entry for business visas only; six months); £90 (multiple-entry for business visas only; 12 months and two to five years). Group (at least five people): £24 per person. US nationals: £50 (single-, double- and multiple-entry). Group (at least five people): US$80 per person. Visa charges for other nationals vary; check with embassy for further information.

Validity

Tourist, Business and Group visas are normally valid for three months from the date of issue (single- and double-entry). Multiple-entry visas are normally valid for six months, 12 months or two to five years. The validity of Business visas varies. Transit visas are generally valid for up to seven days.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy); see Contact Addresses. Group visas will usually be obtained by the tour operator or travel agent.

Working Days Required

Four. Two weeks for Group visas. Applications should be made one month in advance. The express service (£15 fee) requires one day. Same-day service visas, which must be submitted before 11am, are available for a cost of £20. Visas, however, cannot be issued on the same day unless the same-day airline ticket or itinerary is presented.


Contact Addresses

China Tibet Tourism Bureau

3 Norbulingka Road, Lhasa, Tibet, People’s Republic of China
Tel: (891) 683 4315.
Website: www.xzta.gov.cn/yww

China Tibet Tourism Bureau Beijing Office

Room A28F Oriental Kenzo Plaza, Dongzhimen, Beijing 100027, People’s Republic of China
Tel: (10) 8447 7899.
Website: www.xzta.gov.cn/yww

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the UK

49-51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL, UK
Tel: (020) 7299 4049.
Website: www.chinese-embassy.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1230 and 1400-1700.
Consular and visa section: 31 Portland Place, London W1B 1QD, UK
Tel: (020) 7631 1430 (telephone enquiries: Mon-Fri 1400-1600 only) or 09001 880 808 (recorded visa and general information; calls cost 60p per minute).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200.

China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in the UK

71 Warwick Road, London SW5 9HB, UK
Tel: (020) 7373 0888 or 09001 600 188 (brochure request and general information; calls cost 60p per minute).
Website: www.cnto.org.uk

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the USA

2300 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 328 2500.
Website: www.china-embassy.org  
Visa section: Room 110, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Tel: (202) 338 6688.

China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in the USA

Suite 6413, 350 Fifth Avenue, Empire State Building, New York, NY 10118, USA
Tel: 1 888 760 8218.
Website: www.cnto.org


Travel Advice

Warning

Most visits to China are trouble-free but you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate international terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Lengthy delays are expected due to large-scale domestic travel ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, from 7 to 9 February 2008. These delays are expected to be compounded by continued severe snowstorms and energy shortages.

There have been outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) in poultry in China. Since November 2005, this has led to a small number of human fatalities in rural areas of Liaoning, Guangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Hunan and Guangdong provinces, believed to have arisen through close contact with infected poultry. The risk to humans from avian influenza is believed to be low. However, as a precaution, travellers should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds could occur; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the possibility that the avian ifluenza outbreaks could lead at some point to a human flu pandemic, if the virus mutates to a form which is easily transmissible between people.

Since June 2006, a number of people in Beijing have been hospitalised and diagnosed as suffering from meningitis caused by a parasite after eating raw or undercooked Amazonian snails at Beijing restaurants. The Chinese authorities are advising people not to eat raw seafood or snails. No deaths have been reported.

Since August 2006, there have been reports of a number of deaths related to Japanese Encephalitis in the Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces in northern China.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel




Disclaimer
We've tried to make the information on this page as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information with the relevant authorities before you travel.