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China

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Yangtze River Gorge

The Yangtze River

See one of the world's natural wonders. Cruise in deluxe comfort for 1400 kilometers through the heart of China - along the most beautiful stretch of the world's third largest river.

For more information visit Goway's Yangtze River Cruises.

PASSPORTS

A valid passport is required for travel in China. Please ensure yours does not expire before or during your holiday. In addition to passports, visitors must hold a valid visa issued by the Chinese authorities prior to entry into China.

VISITOR VISAS

Visas are required for Canadian and U.S. citizens.

Tibet Entry Permission. If you are planning to visit Tibet on your trip to China, you will require a Tibetan Entry Permit. Full passport names, passport photo copy and China Visa Copy is required. The procedure to issue this permit takes at least 10-15 days and due to the political landscape, cannot be guaranteed.

VACCINATIONS

Usually there is no need for evidence of inoculations on entering China, unless you have come from or through an area where an epidemic has broken out recently.

LANGUAGE

The official language is Mandarin, the national tongue. Other widely spoken dialects include Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fujianese and Sichuanese.

English is widely understood in major hotels and the Friendship Stores.

PEOPLE

Chinese womanChina is a multi-racial country with 56 ethnic groups. In the long course of its development, all the nationalities have joined in the effort to create the great culture that China represents. Apart from the principal Han nationality, the other 55 ethnic groups, with a total of more than 96.5 million people, constitute roughly 8% of the total population. Those with more than one million people are: Zhang, Hui, Uyghur, Yi, Miao, Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian, Tujia, Bouyei, Korean, Dong, Yao, Bai and Hani.

China is divided into 22 provinces, 5 Autonomous regions, 4 municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Government and 2 special administrative regions. The 22 provinces are Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Hainan. The 5 autonomous regions are Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Guangxi and Tibet. The 4 municipalities are Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing.

Chinese family names came into being some 5000 years ago. There are more than 5000 family names in China, of which 200/300 are popular. The order of Chinese names is family name first. For example, the family name of a person called Li Ming is Li.

TAXIS

travellers can get a taxi through the local travel agency or hotel service desk. If you speak Chinese, you may call the taxi company directly. Taxi fares are charged according to the cab model and mileage driven. It is not necessary to tip drivers.

TELEPHONES

International Calls: Rooms in hotels are equipped with telephones. There are 2 kinds of international calls: regular and urgent. travellers can make a call by using the hotel room phone and registering the call through the operator. Calls are charged according to the length of the call with a basic unit charge of 3 three minutes. Each additional minute will be charged accordingly.

IDD calls are available at major hotels.

ELECTRICITY

Hotels in China are normally supplied with 220 volt - 50 cycle service. Both the 220 volt (50 cycle, single phase) and 380 volt (three phase) systems are in use throughout China. Visitors who bring hair dryers or electric razors should also bring transformers (110V to 220V) and a three-prong (flat, not round prong) plug.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Use discretion when taking photographs. In principle you can photograph most things except military installations. It is advisable to ask for permission of a subject. It's always wise to avoid having film passed through airport security X-ray equipment. Although Kodak and Fuji films are on sale in China, not all types and sizes are available. It's better to bring your own supply of batteries, flashbulbs, films etc.

TRAVELLERS CHEQUES

Bank of America, Thomas Cook, American Express and 60-odd more travellers' cheques from all over the world are accepted.

CLOTHING

For summer, choose clothes that are light-weight, made of fabrics that breathe in the heat - natural fabrics such as cotton and linen are cooler than synthetics. For spring and fall, dress as you would for these seasons in the temperate latitudes such as Europe and the U.S. Light jackets and sweaters should be adequate, if supplemented by a raincoat.

WHAT NOT TO PACK

Narcotics, pornography, firearms, inflammatory political or evangelical literature, and contraband are all absolutely forbidden.