CHINA - GENERAL INFORMATION
OVERVIEW
China isn't a country - it's a different world. China is home to around 20 percent of the world's population, including many different ethnic groups. It is the cultural treasure-house of East Asia: its social riches and 5000 years of tumultuous history place it, without doubt, among the world's greatest travel destinations. China's paradoxes are many: Shanghai's skyscrapers contrast with Beijing's historical treasures, while in rural provinces, mechanisation is slow. China's culture is very different to that in the West, particularly the restriction of personal freedoms and the concept of the group being more important than the individual, which governs many aspects of life.
CAPITAL
Beijing
THE PEOPLE
There are 56 ethnic groups in China. The Han people form the largest, numbering 1.1 billion and making up 93.3 percent of the country's population. The other ethnic groups, that is the minority nationalities, total 160 million, only 6.7 percent of the Chinese nation. With just over 1.3 billion people (1,313,974,000 as of mid-2006), China is the world's largest and most populous country
LANGUAGE
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, various minority languages.
RELIGION
China is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, with the first three being more wide spread. Various religions exert different influence on different ethnic groups.
CLIMATE
Great differences in climate are found from region to region owing to China's extensive territory and complex topography. 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.
TIME
GMT/UTC +8
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Passports
Required by all. 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 except:
1. Nationals of Brunei, Japan and Singapore for stays of up to 15 days;
2. Transit passengers (except nationals of the USA, who always require a visa) 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.
CURRENCY
Chinese money is called Renminbi (RMB) which literally means "The People's Currency". The popular unit of RMB is Yuan.
1 Yuan equals 10 Jiao, and 1 Jiao equals 10 Fen. There are parts of China where the Yuan is also known as Kuai and the Jiao is known as Mao. Chinese currency is issued in the following denominations: one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred yuan; one, two and five Jiao; and one, two and five Fen.
CREDIT CARDS AND TRAVELLERS CHEQUES
Credit cards are becoming more widely accepted in China but you can't always depend on being able to pay with them. Certainly at international-standard hotels, upscale restaurants and shops and tourist offices you will be able to use them. In larger cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, there are many ATMs accepting foreign bank cards in major shopping centers and international hotels.
Travellers' cheques are arguably the safest way to carry cash around but not necessarily the most convenient. Supposedly only the Bank of China is allowed to exchange Travellers' cheques and there will be a lengthy process behind it.
BANKING HOURS
Banking hours are usually from 9 am to 4 pm or 5 pm on Mondays to Fridays, but some close for an hour from 12 noon to 1 pm
WATER
The drinking of bottled water is advisable.
EATING IN CHINA
Forget the bland buffets of vegetables stewing in oyster sauce you might know at home, China's cuisine is as varied as its landscape. Each city has its own specialties and styles: Sichuan for hot and spicy food imbued with the red chili pepper, Shanghai for sweeter flavours and famous dumplings and, of course, Hong Kong for the famed dim sum. Chinese cuisine has a very long history and is renowned all over the world. Cantonese (the style the majority of Westerners are most familiar with) is only 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 Zhejian.
SHOPPING
Typical "Chinese" goods such as silk, personalized printing blocks, jade, tea and porcelain are easily found and obtained in all parts of China. There are many choices to keep your shopping intentions occupied. Haggling was never the norm before, but due to the greatly overpriced goods offered nowadays, it would be wise to bargain or compare prices in the free markets. If you're an antique enthusiast, China will be a place after your own heart with so many antiques and curio shops abound. Nevertheless, it is essential to check that the official red seal of the shop is on the product. If not, it will pose a lot of problems buying and exporting antiques without this stamp. Go to smaller towns in China where ethnic minorities live and you will find a wide selection of craft objects for daily use or specially embroidered garments.
SHOPPING HOURS
Mon-Sun 0900-1900
