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How to get in
China
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WHEN TO GO
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Spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October)
are the best times to visit China.
Daytime temperatures range from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius in these seasons,
but nights can be bitterly cold and it can be wet and miserable. Major
public holidays, in particular Chinese New Year, are best avoided as
it's difficult to get around and/or find accommodation.
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PASSEPORT AND VISAS
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According to
the Law of the People's Republic of China Concerning the Administration of
Foreigners Entering and Leaving the Country, All citizens, infants included,
need a valid passport with a tourist visa stamped in it to enter China for
stays of up to 90 days.
Foreign tourists must apply for visas at China's foreign affairs
offices, consulates or other organizations authorized by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
A group of five tourists or more
can apply for a group tourist visa. This is usually handled by a travel
agency organizing groups.
People coming to China from countries which have visa
agreements with China
(such as agreements which exempt tourist groups from visas) are treated in
accordance with these agreements. Visas are required by most foreigners
entering mainland China
although, at this stage, visas are not required by Western nationals
visiting Hong Kong and Macau. Visas are available
from Chinese embassies and consulates in most countries.
If anyone wants to go to Tibet for a visit you can apply
for a visa only with the consent of the Tourism Administration of the Tibet
Autonomous Region or any one of its foreign representative offices. A
passport is required for visa application, the
passport shall be valid for at least 6 months beyond the duration of
the tour.
- Application of a tourist
visa requires travel information including return airline ticket,
hotel booking and itinerary in China.
- A single or double entry
visa is usually valid for entry within 3 months from the date of
issue.
- Multi-entry
visas are normally valid for 6 months and only issued according to
official invitation letters for business visitors.
Important Notes:
According to the relevant international law,
any sovereign state has the exclusive rights to decide whether or not to
allow the foreigners to enter its territory, and accordingly to issue visa,
reject visa application and cancel an issued visa according to its national
law without providing the reasons
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Visa to Hongkong : Click here
Visa to Macau
: Click here
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Getting There
& Away
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Despite over
115 ports of entry and exit, most visitors to China
travel via Hong Kong or Shanghai.
The national carrier is the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC,
known on international routes as Air China), which also operates a company
called Dragonair as a joint venture with the Hong Kong airline Cathay
Pacific (bookable through Cathay Pacific worldwide). If you are leaving
China by air, there's a departure tax of 90.00, payable only in
local currency, so be sure you have enough yuan to avoid a last-minute
scramble at the airport moneychanging booth.
You can travel to China
and back from Europe or Asia without
having to leave the ground. Exotic routes include Vietnam-China, the
Trans-Siberian railway, Tibet-Nepal, Xinjiang-Pakistan and
Xinjiang-Kazakstan - but don't even think about bringing your own car, as
foreigners are rarely allowed to drive in China. Other entry points
include Zhuhai-Macau, Kashgar-Islamabad (Pakistan)
via the Karakoram Highway,
Ürümqi-Almaty (Kazakstan), Kashgar-Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan),
Beijing-Pyongyang (North Korea)
and Pinxiang/Hekou-Dong Dang/Lao Cai (Vietnam). You can take a slow
boat to China from Japan or South Korea. Popular places to
sail to and from include Shanghai, Xiamen (opposite Taiwan),
Tanggu (near Tianjin), Macau and - of course
- Hong Kong.
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MAIN PORTS OF ENTRY
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By Air
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Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hohhot, Hong
Kong, Kunming, Qingdao,
Shanghai, Shenyang,
Tianjin, Urumqi,
Xiamen and Xi'an.
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By
Land
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Alataw,
Baketu, Erenhot, Friendship Pass, Hunchun, Ji'an, Kunjirap, Manzhouli,
Mohe, Nyalam (Zhangmu), Pingxiang, Ruili, Suifenhe, Tumen, Wanding, Xunke
and Yadong.
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By Water
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Beihai, Dalian, Dandong, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hankou, Huangpu,
Jiujiang, Lianyungang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Sanya,
Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Weihai, Yangzhou, Yantai, Zhanjiang
and Zhenjiang.
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Train transport
to/from outside China The Trans-Manchurian and Trans-Mongolian lines run
from Beijing to Vladivostok and Ulan Ude, respectively.
Both cities lie along the Trans-Siberian line, which then runs on to Moscow. Direct trains
connect Beijing with Moscow,
Ulanbaatar, and Irkutsk
along a combination of these lines. Contact a travel agent for information
on booking an epic journey such as this.
Rail services link Alma
Ata, in Kazakhstan, with
Urumqi, in
Xinjiang province. It's not quite so easy to do this through an agent, though
you might find a local who can help you at the station. Just show up at the
rail station to get your ticket, but plan on buying a few days before you
want to depart. You do need a Kazakh visa, however, which can be obtained
through a travel agent or the nearest Kazakh or Russian embassy.
Nanning, in Guangxi province, and Kunming,
in Yunnan, are the Chinese termini for
daily direct trains to Hanoi, in Vietnam.
Tickets can be purchased at Nanning's main
station and at either of Kunming's stations,
although the train from Kunming
leaves from the city's north station. You will need to grab a Vietnamese
visa ahead of time. You can't obtain these anywhere in China except Beijing
and Hong Kong (through the Vietnamese
diplomatic missions), so plan accordingly.
Trains connect Shanghai and Beijing,
and points in between, with Hong Kong.
Tickets can be purchased at any train station along the lines (at least
where the trains stop) and at any KCR station in Hong
Kong.
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Bus transport
to/from outside China Long-distance buses link Rawalpindi,
in Pakistan,
and Kashgar via the Karakoram Highway. The
route is open only during the summer (May to October), however, as the pass
is generally closed by snow and ice during the remainder of the season. Nepal and Tibet
are also linked by bus, a service that can be booked through an agent in
Kathmandu or Lhasa.
This route is pretty touch and go though, as it's
nearly impossible to travel in the winter and summer rains too, often make
the passes impassable.
Two border crossings link Vietnam and China,
while one connects Laos
and the PRC. Pingxiang, in Guangxi, and Hekou, in Yunnan, are the Chinese towns abutting
the Vietnamese border. Minibuses run from these towns straight to the
crossings, and from there you can proceed on foot, then
grab the minibus on the other side. Pingxiang has bus and train links to Nanning, and Hekou has both bus and train links to Kunming. On the
Vietnamese side, there are frequent buses into Hanoi.
Mengla, in the south of Yunnan's
Xishuangbanna administrative region, is the jumping off point for crossing
into Laos, or for
arriving in China
from the Southeast Asian nation. Buses run between Mengla and the border
town of Mo Han,
from where frequent minibuses can take you to the Lao border. Entering Laos by this route requires a visa, which
can be obtained from the consulate in Kunming
(which only gives out transit visas valid for a week) or from the nearest
Lao embassy. Reaching the Lao border from Vientiane,
or reaching Vientiane
from the Lao border, involves a number of different bus and river journeys.
Consult a travel guide for more info.
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