FNETRAVEL - CHINA INFORMATION
FNETRAVEL - 中国旅游信息


Entry Information - 入进规则信息 | Places to Visit - 中国旅游景点 | Best Time to Visit - 旅游最佳时刻
Must-Know Info - 需知信息 | Good-to-Know Info - 其他信息 | Transportation - 交通工具


Entry Information - 入进规则信息
Visa Required. Foreign visitors can obtain individual or group visas from Chinese embassies and consulates in their country of departure, or China Travel Service offices in Hong Kong, usually within a day or two. For individual travelers, single-entry visas are valid for entry within three months. To apply for visa, the chinese consular office may require you to provide documents of stay in china - here we can assist you to issue hotel voucher as supporting document.

Special Entry Permit. This is needed if you wish to visit Tibet or it's capital city Lhasa. We can assist you to arrange this entry permit - there are some paperworks involved.

Visitors should carry their passports while in China as they are needed to check into hotels, make plane or train reservations, exchange money or establish the holder's identity.

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Places To Visit - 中国旅游景点

Shanghai - 上海 - this is China's most modern metropolis. This city has retained a special appeal to visitors as a sophisticated and modern metropolis - its history is all the more colorful because of its nostalgic associations with its colonial past.  Must see places include:

  • the Bund (the river promenade featuring the new and old Shanghai skyline in neon light),
  • Nanjing Road (most famous shopping avenue in China),
  • Peoples Square (centre of Shanghai),
  • Shanghai Museum (some considered the best in China),
  • Yuyuan Garden (classical Chinese garden),
  • Huai Hai Road (where the old french concession is),
  • others include the Temple of Confucius, former residence of Dr Sun Tat-Sen, old house of Premier Zhou Enlai, residence of Lu Xun, Soong Ching Lin Mausoleum etc

  • Also visit Hangzhou and Suzhou (about 3 hours from Shanghai) - these are the two most ancient cities rich in culture and worth the short trip from shanghai. There is a saying in chinese that : "above there is heaven, below there is Su-Hang (referring to Suzhou and Hangzhou)". The legendary West Lake in Hangzhou is a must-see. We offer day trips to Hangzhou and Suzhou departing from Shanghai in the morning and returning to Shanghai in the evening - ideal for travellers tight on schedule.

Beijing - 北京 - the capital of China, Beijing is an old cultural city. The city has palaces, museums, temples and monuments, and streets filled with imperial pomp and contemporary energy. Must see places include :-

  • The Great Wall,
  • Tiananmen Square (the biggest plaza on earth),
  • Forbidden City (imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties),
  • Others include Beihai Park, Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, Zhoukoudian (home of Peking Man), Fragrant Hills Park, Great Bell Temple, Marco Polo Bridge, Grand View Garden, Ten Ferries, Longqing Gorge, Beijing Observatory (built in 1442), Lamasery Temple of Harmony and Peace, White Cloud Temple, ruins of Yuanmingyuan, Recumbent Buddha Temple, Cloud and Water Cave etc

Xian - 西安 - this is a must-see destination for serious visitors. This city used to be the capital of eleven dynasties in its several thousands years of history. Must see places include :-

  • Terra Cotta Warriors (china's greatest archaeological find)
  • Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (China's first emperor),
  • Remains of Banpo Village (where the primative civilisation lived 6,000 years old),
  • Qianling (tomb of Tang Emperor Gao Zong with Empress Wu Zetian),
  • Wild Goose Pagoda (700 years history dating to Tang dynasty),
  • Bell Tower (ancient time keeping) etc

Guilin - china's most famous scenery. Guilin is a cultural city with a history of more than two thousand years. It has the most beautiful scenery in China due to its unique topography which gives rise to moody mountain height, pinnacles, peaks, caverns and subterranean river. Must see places :-

  • the river cruise along Lijiang River (65 km from Guilin to Yangshuo)
  • here you see the many wonders of natural beauty like Solitary Beauty Peak, Elephant Trunk Peak, Folded Brocade Hill (the summit features a 360-degree panorama from its Catch-Cloud Pavilion), Underground Water Hill, Crescent Moon Hill, Seven-Star Cave (a million year old), Reed Flute Cave etc.

  • Stay overnight in Yangshuo - a delightful township that will please you - you will not find such experience elsewhere ... worth the effort ...

Yangtze River Cruise - here you will travel the Gorgeous 3 gorges from Yichang to Chongqing. With the pending reconstruction for hydro-electricity, the Yangtze River flow will change its course. Many people come to cruise the river before its natural course is changed for good.

Other Places of Interest :-

Sanya - china's sea resort with the most pristine beach. Sanya is situated in the southern tip of Hainan Island. Here the weather is tropical throughout the year, and a perfect resort to relax ... enjoy the sun, sea and tranquility ... (Sanya is known as end of the earth to ancient china due to its most southern geographical position)
. Sanya has daily flights through Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou or Hongkong.

Kunming - the city of spring (best weather condition throughout the year). Here is the ancient cultural crossroads, blending the colors and customs of the 26 different ethnic groups who live harmoniously for generations in Yunnan Province. Also visit Lijiang where the Shangri-la of the world awaits the scenery lovers.

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Best Time to Visit - 旅游最佳时刻

The best time to visit china is during spring season (mar to may) and autumn season (sep to nov). Of course, these are also the most expensive periods to visit. Spread your visit throughout the year (if you do not mind the winter (Dec to Feb), this will save you monies and more importantly, you can enjoy the trip more ...

Temperature (monthly average click here for live weather)

 
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Cities
Guangzhou
12
17
18
21
26
28
30
29
27
24
20
15
Chengdu
5
9
12
17
20
25
25
24
22
15
12
7
Guilin
7
11
13
18
22
26
27
28
25
19
15
10
Harbin
-20
-12
-5
6
15
18
23
20
15
6
-6
-16
Kunming
7
11
14
17
19
21
21
20
14
13
12
9
Lhasa
0
1
5
8
12
15
16
15
13
8
3
-1
Nanjing
1
6
9
15
20
25
27
26
23
17
11
4
Beijing
-4
2
8
14
21
25
26
25
21
13
4
-1
Shanghai
3
7
9
15
19
25
27
27
24
18
13
6
Urumqi
-13
-8
0
9
14
21
23
21
16
7
-5
-12
Wuhan
2
4
10
17
20
27
27
26
24
18
10
6
Xian
-2
4
8
15
17
25
26
24
21
14
6
1

Try to avoid National
Holidays :-
China observes 3 main holidays. They are the spring festival or chinese new year (which normally falls in Jan or Feb), the labour day holiday (may 1 to may 3) and the national day holiday (oct 1 to oct 3). These are the golden holiday weeks in China and many people go on tours within China.

During these holiday periods, the major tourist cities (like Guilin, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Sanya and Haikou) are crowded. Hotel rates are high and prepayment is required. Rooms are allocated on first-come-first-serve basis.

If you need to come during these periods, please book your hotel rooms early to avoid disappointment. Otherwise, avoid such periods

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Must-Know Information - 需知信息

Hotels. In major cities, there are many choices of hotels. Five star hotels provide the most complete range of facilities and room amenities. There are also many hotels in the three and four star category situated throughout the country. The locally managed hotels are equally good as foreign managed ones (except for brandnames). In China, there are also many non-rated hotels - these hotels are built to hotels of similar star category. They are less expensive than rated hotel in similar class.

Bed Type. Please be familar :-

  • single bed (measure 1.2 or 1.3 metres wide by 2 metres long)
  • double bed (measure 1.5 or 1.8 metres wide by 2 metres long)
  • the hotel room can house 1 single bed (known as single room), 2 single beds (known as twin room) or 1 double bed (double room). There are few hotels (in Beijing) that can house 2 double beds in the room. This is ideal for family stay of 4 adults - please check out Beijing Hotel.
  • most hotels in China have more twin rooms than double rooms. This is especially so in the lower room category. The higher category of rooms has more double rooms than twin rooms.
  • Special Request. Hotels will not guarantee bed types as it is subject to daily availability. Request for bed types is confirmed on best effort basis

Service Apartment. When in china, you should also try staying in service apartment - these are like regular hotels but have much larger room space - each apartment include a common living hall + regular bedrooms. In addition, most apartment comes with a small kitchen with amenities like refrigerator, cooking utilities etc. Service apartments are ideal for family stay together and less costly than regular hotels - think about it.

Boutique Hotels. These hotels are unique to China and favorite amongst foreigners :-

  • Nostalgic - Shanghai's Peace Hotel and Beijing's Beijing Hotel
  • Greenery - Shanghai's Ruijin Guesthouse and Shanghai's Hongqiao State Hotel and Suzhou's Suzhou Hotel
  • Classical Chinese Style - Beijing's Grand View Garden Hotel and Guangzhou's Guangdong Guesthouse, Hangzhou's Xihu State Guesthouse, Hangzhou's Zhejiang Xizi Hotel and Suzhou's Nanyuan Guesthouse

Words of Advice - to make your hotel stay in China more memorable

  • Inform FNE Travel of changes as soon as possible. We understand that you may cancel, extend, shorten or change your plan. Do inform FNE Travel to avoid penalty imposed by hotel.
  • Do not double book ie book with more than 1 agent - this will lead to confusion at hotel. Hotel may ignore double booking and guest ended up paying counter rates.
  • Book hotel using guest's passport names and check in using the same passport name. If hotel cannot locate guest's name in their computer system, you will be charged counter rates.
  • Check-in before 6 pm. If your flight arrives after 6 pm, please inform FNE Travel early so that room will be retained for you.
  • Ask for address of hotel in chinese - this will be provided in our confirmation email to you but ask for it if we miss out. This is important as most taxi drivers do not speak english.
  • Be careful of unauthorised "agents" at the airport and railway - these poachers would solicit passengers on pretext of cheaper accommodation for same hotel - only to send guests to different hotel.
  • If you encounter problem during check-in, please ask the hotel staff to call FNE Travel at our Shanghai office. If the day falls on weekend and our office is closed, ask to be checked in first and insist hotel staff call FNE Travel the next working day to settle the problem.
Remember we are here to serve you ! Please call or email us when you have problems in China.


China/Guangzhou Free N Easy Travel - Call Center
TEL: (86-020) 3877 2345
Fax: (86-020) 3891 1002
Toll Free Number: 800-830-2353

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Good-to-Know Information - 其他信息

People
All Chinese people are generally friendly to visitors and most are keen to learn from foreigners. Many students and young people study English or other foreign languages (there are daily television language classes), however few have a chance to practice speaking them. This means that visitors might be approached for impromptu lessons on foreign languages.
In major cities like Shanghai, it is quite easy to move around with a map and some help from friendly locals.

Time
All of China observes Beijing Time, GMT+8 hours that is adjusted to daylight saving time during the summer.
When it's 12 noon in Beijing, it's :-

4.00 pm

Wellington

2.00 pm

Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane

1.00 pm

Tokyo, Seoul

12.00 noon

Hongkong, Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila

11.00 am

Bangkok, Jakarta

9.30 am

New Delhi

7.00 am

Riyadh

5.00 am

Paris

4.00 am

London

11.00 pm

New York

10.00 pm

Chicago

8.00 pm

Los Angeles


Money & Banking (click her for live exchange rate)
The Chinese currency is the renminbi (RMB) or chinese yuan which is divided into fen. There are Y100, Y50, Y10, Y5, Y2, Y1, 50 fen, 20 fen and 10 fen banknotes. The smaller denominations are being replaced with coins, valued at 10 fen, 20 fen, 50 fen, and 1. Travelers cheques and money can be exchanged in all major hotels and banks. American Express offices will provide such services as Emergency Card Replacement and Global Assist. Emergency Cheque Cashing and Travelers Cheque Replacement services are offered by local banks in all major destinations.


Most ATMs in china are able to dispense RMB cash through money links like plus, cirrus, maestro or major credit cards etc. In addition, most hotels in china will accept international credit cards (visa, amex, mastercard) for payment. Hence, you should bring sufficient cash for miscellaneous expenses.

Exchange Control. Do not bring too much RMB cash into China as there is a law that limits the amount of cash you can bring into this country (currently equivalent of US$ 2000).
Note the limit may change over time - check with your local consular office to be sure).

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TAXIS are plentiful in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing etc. In smaller cities, you need to arrange taxis through the hotel as taxi are on-call basis. Fares vary and meters are not always used, however all drivers will give receipts - insist on the receipt.
Take care to aboard only authorised taxi with driver's license displayed prominently at front dashboard - this is especially so in smaller cities where "proaching" at airport or railway station is rampant. In major cities like Shanghai and Beijing, there are designated taxi queue, hence such problem is rare.
Few cabbies speak English so you should have addresses written in Chinese.
In China, the taxis are not so spacious. So avoid big luggages. You can purchase most items cheaply in China.


SUBWAYS are available in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Throughout the country there are also plenty of bus and trolley services, however they are invariably crowded during peak office hours.

TRAIN ride offers an insight into the country and its people. Train ride has been improving in China and there are now some excellent new services. Among them are double-deck expresses between Beijing and Tianjin, and from Shanghai to Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing. Long-distance trains tend to be slow and unpunctual however soft-seat class is quite comfortable (and inexpensive). Example of rate :- a soft-seat class from Shanghai to Suzhou costs US$ 4 (about 100 km ride).
Train tickets cannot be reserved in advance. It is sold at train counter (just like cinema tickets). In large stations, there are some special queue for foreigners to purchase tickets, but it saves a lot of time and confusion to have the hotel's concierge make the purchase for you. The service charge is well worth it.

DOMESTIC AIR travel is much easier than in the past, with several regional airlines providing interlocking networks. However there are still not enough flights to meet the demand, so make reservations as early as possible. Domestic flights are plentiful and you can book seats quite easily through the hotel's conceirge. The domestic rates are controlled by central government, so there are little discount variation to warrant too much time shopping for lowest fares. Hence, book your domestic flight tickets more conveniently at your hotel of stay - through hotel conceirge - 1 to 2 days advance booking is sufficient.

INTERNATIONAL AIR services are shown in the map. The airlines on these routes have offices in gateway cities. In Shanghai, all international flights land in Pudong International Airport (from Oct '02).

NOTE: Departure taxes are charged for all domestic and international flights. They vary from place to place - RMB90 is typical for international, RMB50 for domestic - so be sure to have some Chinese currency handy.

INTERNATIONAL and REGIONAL RAIL AND ROAD access is available at certain border points. The most convenient is the express train service between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. There are four round-trips a day, and the journey takes about two hours. There is also regular bus service between the two cities, via the new Super Highway. They take three and a half hours. Hong Kong's rail system has commuter service to the border at Lowu, where passengers walk across the bridge to Shenzhen. The train takes 40 minutes but the volume of traffic often mean a long wait at immigration on both sides.

For the adventurous, there are trains to Beijing from Moscow, via Mongolia and from Kazakhstan via Urumqi. The very adventurous, who don't mind delays and discomfort, can also take buses from Nepal into Tibet, from Pakistan into Xinjiang and from Vietnam into Yunnan.

ARRIVING BY SEA is possible at various ports. Many people take coastal overnight ferries from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Shantou, Xiamen and Hainan. There are also fast catamaran ferries from Hong Kong to ports throughout the Pear River Delta. In addition several cruise ships on Asian itineraries include calls at Shanghai and Tianjin. Nanjing, Yantai and Dalian are occasional ports of call.

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