China Travel Tips

• A valid passport for at least 3 months after your arrival at China.

• A Chinese visa obtained before you enter China. (If traveling to Tibet you must get your visa 15 days prior to entering China and you can get visa-free access for Hong Kong or Macau.)

• Particular permits and your doctor’s certificate for Tibet travel: a Tibet permit is sufficient if you only go to Lhasa, but an Alien’s Travel Permit issued by the Public Security Bureau of Tibet is required if you go to unopened remote areas; your doctor’s certificate must show that your blood pressure and heart condition are normal and the possible altitude stress has little or no effect on you so that you are fit travel to Tibet.

You should pack as light as possible, except necessary daily used articles, since things can be bought in China conveniently.
 

Here are things recommended to be brought from your home country:
• A backpack or a shoulder bag for carrying your daily items while traveling;
 

• A China guidebook of the places you are going to visit and a map of the places;
 

• Clothes suitable for the season when you are visiting (i.e., a good down coat if you travel in winter especially in north China) and sturdy and comfortable shoes;
 

• Sunglasses, sunhat and sunscreen for summer and moisturizer or skin milk for dry or cold seasons;
 

• Articles of daily use such as tooth-brush, basic toiletries, towel and tissues;
 

• Cold and indigestion medications and any other medications or first-aid items you need;
 

• A converter and adapter plug;
 

• Raincoat or umbrella if traveling in rainy seasons.

It will be much easier and more convenient for you to have a sturdy backpack than a suitcase if you would not carry your luggage in buses or trains.

An internal-frame and frameless pack would be better for storage and to walk with. A shoulder bag or a bum bag would be essential for personal items such as credit cards and cameras.

The pets need to be quarantined for 30 days. They will be kept in the quarantine station for seven days and in their owners’ home for the rest of the time if they pass the inspection tests.

The owners are not allowed to visit their pets when kept in the quarantine station. In addition, they must pay the food and accommodation expenses of about CNY 2,000 for this period of time.

Yes, you can bring prescription medicines with you. But you should make sure that they are kept in your carry-on luggage and marked with pharmacy label and your doctor’s instructions.

The first thing you should always keep in mind is to respect the local customs wherever you visit. Here are some tips for you to make your trip pleasant in China.
 

Do’s:
• Greet the eldest in a family first to show respect;
• Show your appreciation if offered gifts;
• Be punctual;
• Give people things with both of your hands;
• Be calm when coming into contact with police, because anger or yelling will only make things worse;
• Always fill in your companion’s rice bowl or tea cup when it’s empty, especially when he or she is older than you;
• Try to be cooperative if some Chinese people come to you to practice their English;
• Respect the locals’ beliefs;
• Dress yourself properly when visit temples or mosques;
• Try not to be offended if being asked whether you are married or not.
 

Don’ts:
• Don’t eat pork, dog’s, donkey’s or mule’s meat or even talk about them in a Muslin restaurant;
• Don’t beckon people with your finger;
• Do not write in red ink unless you are making corrections on students’ homework;
• Do not make radical or sensitive comments on Chinese politics;
• Don’t give books or clocks as gifts to Chinese people, since book in Chinese sounds like “losing” and sending clocks in Chinese sounds similar to attending someone’s funeral;
• Don’t hold your glass higher than that of the elder one when toasting;
• Don’t wear clothes with words like “Free Tibet” or “Free Taiwan”;
• Don’t give too much attention on other person’s belongs, which will make them feel obliged to give it to you.

Yes, you can bring your laptop, including any items for personal use such as camera, cell phone, video recorder, DPS equipment or any other standard electronic equipment. It is advisable to take your original software along with you since you may install it again because of virus problems and to make copies of the data on the portal hard-disc.

Yes, you should. The AC power standard in mainland China and Hong Kong is 220 volt/50 cycles, so you should bring a converter along with you, although some four or five star hotels provide devices for electrical appliances with 110-volt and two-phase or three-phase socket. Additionally, you are recommended to bring an adapter plug.