Chinese Mandarin - Useful info for foreigners living in China

CHINA / Do You Know

Useful info for foreigners living in China
(ccpit.org)
Updated: 2006-03-13 15:43

I. Accommodation

It would be a best choice to make reservation of rooms early enough.
Foreign travelers are advised to contact hotels through their receivers,
travel agencies or friends or by faxes to make reservation of rooms and
to confirm their special requirements on accommodation before they come
to China.

So far, major hotels in China have been brought in line with
international standards in terms offacilities and services. In
particular, most of the superior hotels are Sino-foreign joint ventures.
Foreigners are engaged in directly managing some hotels. Meanwhile, the
hotels have been graded comprehensively in accordance with the degree of
luxuriousness of their auxiliary facilities and standards of services,
with the five-star being the highest grade.

Hotels in China are classified into the first class (higher class), the
second class (medium class) and the third class (lower class) in line
with the number of stars for their grades. The five-star hotels and most
of the four-star ones are in the first class. The guestrooms in the first
class hotels are all equipped with bathrooms, refrigerators, gradevins,
IDD telephone and TV, which is accessible to programs sent out by all TV
stations in China and by CNN and BBC received through satellite antenna
discs as well as offer closed-circuit TV programs. The temperature in the
guestrooms is automatically adjustable by central air-conditioning
facilities. Other auxiliary facilities include business centers,
conference centers, beauty parlors, sauna bathrooms, foreign exchange
counters, bowling centers, disco ballrooms, swimming pools, gymnasiums,
restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and bars which open 24 hours a day.

The second class hotels are generally three-star hotels and part of the
two-star ones, whose guestroom service facilities are slightly inferior
to those of the first class hotels. Tourist groups normally wish to stay
in second class hotels.

The third class hotels look much like Motels in Western countries in
terms of guestroom service facilities. The hardware facilities in such
hotels are of course inferior to those of the second class ones. But they
offer prices lower than those of the second class hotels by half or even
more. So, many tourists wish to stay in such hotels.

Customers do not have to pay tips for staying in hotels in China.

In China, taxi drivers, hotel attendants, guestroom cleaners, hotel
porters and restaurant waiters are not allowed to accept tips. Where
anyone seeks tips from customers, they may refuse or lodge complaints to
competent authorities.

II. Tarvelling

The net of developed airlines, railways and highways, links most parts of
China, and travel between cities is usually realized by air, rail or
coach, but for the traffic within cities, several ways are available for
choice: bus, underground, taxi, etc.

III. Shopping

In China, there are three types of shops - State-run shops, Sino-foreign
joint-venture shops and privately-run shops. At shops of the former two
types, the prices marked are the final prices, which are non-negotiable.

At privately-run shops, customers may bargain over the prices. If
customers wish to buy quality products of relatively high value made in
China, they had better go to State-run or joint-venture shops. Although
these shops ask for higher prices, their commodities are normally worth
the prices and the quality of goods is absolutely guaranteed.

Shopping in China, foreigners would normally like to buy such
Chinese-made commodities as cloissone products, jade carvings, carpets,
antiques, calligraphic works and paintings, paper-cuts, kites, snuff
bottles and clay figures.

Where foreigners have bought antiques, they are advised to properly keep
them. When leaving China, they shall be required to present the antiques
to customs authorities for examination and approval.

The international credit cards are acceptable in major hotels,
guesthouses, air companies and superior department stores, including the
Master Card, Visa Card, American Express, JCB and Diners Card, etc.

IV. Medical Care and Health Care

There are many hospitals in all parts of China. Normally, large Chinese
hospitals operate the "Clinic for Foreigners," which are particularly
designed to provide services of medical care and health care for
foreigners in China. Once falling ill, foreigners had better directly go
to such hospitals for treatment as the doctors and nurses with clinics
for foreigners can speak English and foreign patients are expected to
receive good treatment there. tional Business" monthly magazine, the
"China Today" bimonthly magazine, the "China Picture" bimonthly magazine,
"Intertrade" and the "International Economic Cooperation." Bookstores at
some large hotels sell newspapers and magazines published by major press
agencies of the world, including the "International Herald Tribune," the
"Asian Wall Street Journal," the "South China Morning Post," the "Time"
magazine, the "Newsweek" magazine, "Der Spiegel" and "Die Ziet."

In China, all the radio and television stations are operated by the
State. The radio and television stations whose broadcasting covers the
wholze of China are the Central People's Broadcasting Station, China
Radio International and the China Central Television (CCTV) station.

China Radio International broadcasts to the whole world 24 hours a daily
in a total of 43 langu- ages, including 38 foreign languages.

At hotels in all large Chinese cities, viewers can watch television
programs sent out by the CNN, BBC and NHK, etc.

II. Foods

Chinese cuisine is an indispensable part of Chinese culture, unique in
style and famous all over the world. After a long-term practice, four
major styles of cooking-Shandong, Huaiyang, Sichuan and Guangdong have
taken shape. In addition, varieties of local delicacies and snacks also
abound. All together there are more than 10 thousand specialty dishes, of
which Beijing roasted duck, Beijing instant-boiled mutton, Guangdong
roasted roaster, Sichuan Zhangcha duck, Huaiyang three-set duck.

Chinese foods are in four major systems the Sichuan Foods System, the
Guangdong Foods System, the Shandong Foods System and the Huaiyang Foods
System. Each of the four systems comprises dozens of branches, and each
of the branches has thousands of famous foods with different flavors,
different workmanship and different styles. The culture of Chinese foods
well enjoys its unique status in the world by presenting a great variety
of nice foods.

There are in all streets throughout China numerous restaurants, big or
small, which offer various foods with different tastes and flavors. In
China, foreigners can have a taste of authentic Chinese foods at any time.

III. Tourism

China is a great and unique country, full of oriental charm. On this land
of 9.60 million square kilometers collects beautiful natural landscape,
countless historic relics and colorful culture.

China is one of the earliest developed and civilized countries, having
undergone so far a history of 4000 years. In the long period of history,
China has formed unique culture, life style and customs, leaving
countless gems, Chinese society, therefore, possesses a special charm.

China signed the "Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage" in 1985. At present, China boasts a total number of up
to 29 world relics, including 21 world cultural relics, 3 world natural
relics and 5world cultural-natural relics. In terms of the number of
world relics, China ranks only after Italy and Spain as the third in the
world.

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