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China - The Internet Travel Guide (FAQ) (part 3/3)



 
 
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Old December 27th, 2003, 10:13 AM
http://www.pmgeiser.ch, Peter M. Geiser
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Default China - The Internet Travel Guide (FAQ) (part 3/3)

Archive-name: travel/china-guide/part3
Url: http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china
Posting-Frequency: quarterly


CHINA - Peter M. Geiser's Hotel and Travel Guide


China is a superb tourist destination with a rich history and an
enormous number of sights. Home to numerous different ethnic groups,
it offers a cultural variety that is not found elsewhere. China's
major cities Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Guangzhou are all worth a
trip alone.


Check out these exciting China tour packages at
http://www.chinahighlights.com/cgi-b...ours/index.htm
or plan your own China trip at
http://www.chinahighlights.com/cgi-b...ripplanner.htm


But China is not only a giant of tourism, it is in the middle of an
economic boom that makes China one of the leading nations in the
world.


Places
Beijing
Chang Cheng (Great Wall)
Chang Jiang (Yangtse)
Changzhou
Chengde
Chengdu
Chongqing
Dali
Dalian
Dong Guan
Dunhuang
Emei
Forbidden City
Guangzhou (Canton)
Guilin
Haikou (Hainan Island)
Hangzhou
Hefei
Hekou
Huang Shan
Jinan
Jiuzhaigou
Kashgar
Khotan
Kunming
Lijiang
Luoyang
Nanjing
Qingdao
Shanghai
Shaolin Monastery
Shenzhen
Suzhou
Tianjin
Urumqi
Wuhan
Xian
Xiamen
Yangshuo
Zhengzhou


General Information
Border Crossing
Climate
Embassies
Events
Food
Geographical Information
Health
History
Hotels
Internet Access
Mail
Money
People
Safety
Telephone
Visa


Transportation
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Flying
Train

************************************************** ************************

CHINA - Peter M. Geiser's Hotel and Travel Guide

Copyright (c) 1995 - 2004, Peter M. Geiser

http://www.pmgeiser.ch
http://www.pmgeiser.com
http://www.mineralwaters.org
http://www.dussy.ch

************************************************** ************************

BOOKS

For books, please have a look at the online version at
http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china

************************************************** ************************

HISTORY

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/history.htm


(Thanks to Wuchun for this section)

A brief Chinese chronology

Xia about 2100 b.c. -- 1600 b.c.
*Hua Xia is used today by Chinese referring to China

Shang about 1600 b.c. -- 1100 b.c.
*There is a very famous ancient book (written in Ming)
about the end of Shang _Feng1 Shen2 Yan3 Yi4_
(Yan Yi == historical novel)

Zhou
Western Zhou about 1100 b.c. -- 771 b.c.
Eastern Zhou 770 b.c. -- 226 b.c.
Spring/Autumn 770 b.c. -- 476 b.c.
Warring States 475 b.c. -- 221 b.c.
*Western and eastern Zhou are the same dynasty, ruled by the
same family. The difference was eastern Zhou moved the capital
to an eastern city.
*Spring/Autumn time was one of the most important time in Chinese
history. Most Chinese philosophies developed at this time. Among
them a Confucianism and Taoism.
*_Art of War_ was written at this time by Sun Zi
*Eastern Zhou was very weak, and was divided into lots of smaller
states (and bigger states, such as Jin, was later divided into
several states) fighting with each other.
*The account of this period of history was later written by
Sima Qian of Han dynasty. Shi3 Ji4 is one of the best Chinese
history and literature book. Lots of its section were in the
literature text book. Every Chinese is supposed to read it
*Another book, "Dong Zhou Li Guo Zi" (How Eastern Zhou States
Created), is supposed to be the text book for politicians.

Qin 221 b.c. -- 207 b.c.
*Perhaps the darkest time in Chinese history. Qin was one of the
warring state, but managed to united China again. The worst
thing they did was all the books were ordered to be burned.
*Qin started building the Great Wall, although the one we see now
was rebuilt much later in Ming.

Han
Western Han 206 b.c. -- 24
Eastern Han 25 -- 220
*Again, the two are considered to be the same dynasty. Eastern
Han had its capital in todays Luo-yang (Luo is a river. Yang
refers to the shadow of river bank here, which means north of
river Luo) which is EAST of the old capital, todays Xian.
*The so called Han Chinese used when trying to distinguish other
minorities inside China came from here.
*China became strong at this time, especially after Wu Di.
*Dong Zhongsu advised Wu Di to use Confucianism as the ONLY
philosophy. Other novel ideas developed at eastern Zhou
was only discouraged, but outlawed. I list Dong most worst
only next to Qin Shi Hunag.
*China had many wars with Hun on north. Wu Di started a new way
of solving the problem: sending his daughter as wife of Hun Khan.
[According to Jin, Wu Di stopped the custom of sending his
daughter to the huns. He defeated them after 40 years of battle.]

Three Kingdoms
Wei 220 -- 265
Shu Han 221 -- 263
Wu 222 -- 280
*Once again, the last emperor could and control the kingdom again.
China was divided into three parts fighting to be the Son of
Heaven.
*Three Kingdoms is a very famous historical novel about this period.

Jin 265 -- 420
*The winner of the fighting was the powerful general of Wei whose
son started Jin dynasty.

Northern/Southern Dynasties
*Jin did not have a good contral of China either. China was
divided in all kind of combinations.
Southern Dynasties:
Song 420 -- 479
Qi 479 -- 502
Liang 502 -- 557
Chen 557 -- 589
Northern Dynasties:
Northern Wei 386 -- 534
Eastern Wei 534 -- 550
Northern Qi 550 -- 577
Western Wei 535 -- 556
Northern Zhou 557 -- 581

*Some kings in northern dynasties were not Han.

Sui 581 -- 618
*Like Qin, this is a very short dynasty ruled by very cruel
emperors.
*But bad reader seems like to make big things. The longest channel
was built at this time just like Great Wall was built in Qin.

Tang 618 -- 907
*This is perhaps the best time in Chinese time. The oversea
Chinese in early days like to use Tang Shan referring to their
homeland.
*Many good poems were written in this time. I believe no one
so far has been able to top the great poets at that time.
*Tnag was a very liberal (perhaps most liberal) period in Chinese
history.

Five Dynasties
Later Liang 907 -- 923
Later Tang 923 -- 936
Later Jin 936 -- 946
Later Han 947 -- 950
Later Zhou 951 -- 960
*Can you believe the speed of dynasty change here?

Song
Northern Song 960 -- 1127
Southern Song 1127 -- 1279
*Song is the turning point of Chinese history (More actually,
after Song Shen Zong). The society became conservative from then.
Lots of bad Chinese traditions started from here.
*Zu Xi carried Confucianism forward.
*Ci2, poetry written to certain tunes with strict tonal pattern
and rhyme schemes in fixed number of lines and words, was
fully developed now.
*Song was not a strong dynasty in history. It was consistently
invaded by others from north. Song was in war with Liao and was
later defeated by Jin at north. Song retreated to south of
Yangtze. This was why northern and southern Song was named.
*During southern Song period, north part of China was ruled
by Jin (1115 -- 1234)

Yuan 1271 -- 1368
*Jin had not had the trance to win Song. Mongolian was the
winner after all.
*Chinese culture was preserved under Mongolian ruling. It was
Mongolian who were affected by Chinese culture.
*It was the time Chinese opera developed.
*Beijing was the capital for the first time.

Ming 1368 -- 1644
*The Great Wall was rebuilt. It was what we see today.
*In literature, the novel was fully developed at this time.
Some of the novels, such as Three Kingdoms, were the best ever.
*In late Ming, the so called capitalism buds started in some
developed areas such as lower Yangtze Delta. Some quite big
silk-making shops with one hundred some employee were recorded.

Qing 1644 -- 1911
*China was ruled by non-Han once again.
*Although China started becoming conservative after Song, Qing
made the development stopped.


************************************************** ************************

HOTELS

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/hotels.htm


In China dormitories are widely known and by far the cheapest place.
They are generally ok. It is possible to get reasonable priced single
or double rooms.


There is an ever increasing number of very fine luxury hotels, with
both, the service and facilities as well as the prices being the same
as in Western countries.

Be careful with middle-class hotels. They usually are not exactly
cheap (Westerners pay quite a lot more than local Chinese), and may be
more expensive than the cheaper Western chains. On the other hand,
they are often quite dirty and there is nearly no service. Even
disregarding the price, budget hotels frequented by backpackers are
usually much better.

Reserve your hotel online at
http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/hotels.htm.

************************************************** ************************

MAIL

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/mail.htm


Post offices are efficiently run and very reliable. During the three
months I was in China I mailed 11 parcels and all of them arrived,
their contents complete. One or two things were broken, but from what
I packed I expected much more damage.

First class mail overseas costs CNY 3.60. For a letter within a city
you have to pay 1 jiao, for a letter within China 2 jiao.

Air mail to Switzerland takes about one week, surface mail three to
four weeks.

Air mail to Canada takes about 10 days.

************************************************** ************************

MONEY

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/money.htm


The currency is the Chinese Yuan (ISO code CNY), divided into 10 Jiao
or 100 Fen. However, money within China is called RMB (Ren Min Bi,
people's money), and people normally refer to Yuan as Kuai (piece, the
counting word for money, as in yi kuai qian = one piece of money),
Jiao as Mao and Fen as Sen.

Notes are available in denominations of 100, 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1 yuan,
5, 2 and 1 jiao, and 5, 2, and 1 fen. Coins are 1 yuan, 5, 2 and 1
jiao, and 5, 2 and 1 fen.

Note: As with most currencies, there are counterfeits. Banknotes
printed from 1990 on have a metal thread woven into their fabric.

The exchange rate is about USD 1 = 8.27 CNY (Jan 2003)
(Historical development: very stable 8.28 since 1996, 8.3 Sep 1995,
8.7 Jan 1994, 5.8 in 1993, 5.5 in 1992, 5.3 in 1991, 4.8 in 1990, 3.8
in 1989)

To get a nice small conversion table that you can put in you pocket,
look at the Currency Cheat Sheet at
http://www.oanda.com/convert/cheatsheet?user=pmgitg.

Travellers cheques will give you a better exchange rate. Travellers
cheques denominated in most major currencies are accepted by the Bank
of China. You normally get a better exchange rate than for cash. There
is a 0.75% commission.


Most larger hotels, restaurants and department stores accept credit
cards. Of course, in small shops, or markets, credit cards are not
accepted.


There is an American Express business travel center in the Swissotel
Beijing Hong Kong - Macao Center in Beijing. It is a cooperative
effort between American Express and China International Travel Service
(CITS). American Express has four other travel service offices in
Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Guangzhou and 23 representative offices
throughout China.
American Express has also cash machines where you can get cash
(Chinese Yuan), provided you have a pin. There is one in the Beijing
World Trade Center Shopping Arcade.

Remember to always bargain. Chinese people are very good business
people that can smell money when it's lying around. They consider
Westerners to be living and walking money bags. Even if it is
sometimes a nuisance, they reason that even if you pay several times
the price that a local pays, you still can afford it. Always ask for
the price first, especially in restaurants. Otherwise you could end up
having ordered this 'really special soup' that costs you USD 100 (one
hundred, no typing mistake, it happened to a friend of mine!)

The FEC (Foreign Exchange Certificate) was finally abolished in
January 1994. However, it seems that still a few circulate.

The disappearance of the FEC also caused the black market to virtually
disappear. If you really want to change money on the black market,
make sure you know the exchange rates, the bank notes, and count
carefully the money you get before handing over your own money.
Changing money on the black market is illegal, there are sometimes
secret police changing, the exchange rate may be worse than in banks
and shortchangings are frequent, so it is not really advisable anymore
to change money on the black market unless you know the game quite
well.


************************************************** ************************

PEOPLE

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/people.htm


Population 1247 mio (est. July 1999) (annual growth rate 0.77%)
92% Han Chinese, many minorities including Zhuang, Uygur,
Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean
Life expectancy 68 years
Language The official language within China is the Putonghua
(Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect.) Yue
(Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan
(Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority
languages
Religion Officially, China is atheistic, but religions are (again)
tolerated. Mostly Daoism and Buddhism, often a blend
between the two. 2% - 3% Muslim, 1% Christian


Asian people, and Chinese don't make an exception, like to take
pictures. The most important thing is the person on the picture,
e.g. me in front of the Forbidden City, me on the Great Wall, me next
to ... They also like being photographed together with a white person.
So, if you are a white person, expect to be grabbed by locals that
want to take pictures with you.

************************************************** ************************

SAFETY

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/safety.htm


China is not as safe as it used to be. The number of tourists
reporting beeing robbed, mugged, beaten, knifed and worse is
increasing. For instance, a freind of mine has been robbed in
Guangzhou while travelling with his Chinese girlfriend. So, if you
are not cautious on where you go, or even get lost, it could soon
become a problem.

Crime is worst in the big cities, and in the south.

************************************************** ************************

TELEPHONE

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/telephone.htm


The international direct dial code for China is 86.

The prefix for international phone calls is 00 (e.g. Switzerland is 0041.)

Some area codes (to dial you need the prefix 0):

Anqing 556
Anshan 412
Baicheng 436
Baoan Xian 755
Baoding 312
Baoji 917
Beihai 779
Beijing 10
Bengbu 552
Cangzhou 317
Changchun 431
Changde 736
Changle 5041
Changsha 731
Changzhou 519
Chaoyang 7644
Chaozhou 7681
Chengde 314
Chengdu 28
Chongan 5098
Chongqing 811
Conghua 2092
Dagang 22
Dalian 411
Dandong 415
Daqing 4610
Deyang 8241
Dongguan 7620
Foshan 757
Fuding 5033
Fuxin 418
Fuzhou 591
Gaoming 7650
Gongzhuling 438
Guangzhou 20
Guilin 773
Guiyang 851
Gutian 5037
Haikou 750
Handan 310
Hangu 22
Hangzhou 571
Hankou 27
Harbin 451
Hefei 551
Hengshui 318
Hengyang 734
Hepu 7892
Heshan 7680
Huanggang 713
Huangshi 714
Huaxian 20
Huian 5051
Huizhou 752
Huzhou 572
Jiamusi 454
Jiangmen 7682
Jianou 5094
Jianyang 590
Jiaxing 573
Jilin 432
Jinan 531
Jinhua 579
Jining 537
Jinjiang 595
Jinzhou 416
Kaifeng 378
Kaiping 7658
Kunming 871
Langfang 316
Lanzhou 931
Lianyungang 518
Liaoyang 419
Liaoyuan 437
Lishui 578
Liuzhou 772
Longgang 755
Longhai 5062
Longyan, Fujian 597
Luoyang 379
Luzhou 8400
Maanshan 555
Mawei 591
Meizhou 753
Mianyang 816
Minqing 5046
Mudanjiang 453
Nanan 5053
Nanching 791
Nanchong 817
Nanjing 25
Nanning 771
Nanping 599
Nantong 513
Nantou 755
Nanyang 377
Ningbo 574
Ningde 593
Panjin 4271
Panyu 2096
Pingdingshan 375
Pingtan 5043
Pucheng 5091
Puning 7649
Putian 594
Qingdao 532
Qinhuangdao 335
Qinzhou 777
Quanzhou 595
Quzhou 570
Sanming 598
Sanshui 7652
Shanghai 21
Shangqiu 370
Shantou 754
Shaoguan 751
Shaowu 5096
Shaoxing 575
Shaxian 5081
Shekou 755
Shenyang 24
Shenzhen 755
Shijiazhuang 311
Shishi 595
Shuangcheng 4615
Shunde 7653
Sihui 7663
Siping 434
Suihua 455
Suxian 557
Suzhou 512
Taian 538
Taiwan 6
Taiyuan 351
Taizhou 576
Tanggu 22
Tangshan 315
Tianjin 22
Tianshui 938
Tieling 410
Tongan 5021
Tonghua 435
Urumqi 991
Weifang 536
Wenjiang 815
Wenzhou 577
Wuhan 27
Wuhu 553
Wuxi 510
Xiamen 592
Xian 29
Xiangtan 732
Xiaogan 712
Xiaolan 7654
Xiapu 5034
Xichang 834
Xikou 574
Xingtai 319
Xinhui 7656
Xining 971
Xinxiang 373
Xuchang 374
Xuzhou 516
Yanan 911
Yancheng 515
Yangzhou 514
Yanji 433
Yantai 535
Yibin 831
Yinchuan 951
Yiyang 737
Yongan 5084
Yongzhou 7401
Yueyang 730
Yulin 755
Zhangjiakou 313
Zhangpu 5063
Zhangzhou 596
Zhanjiang 759
Zhaoqing 758
Zhengzhou 371
Zhenjiang 511
Zherong 5032
Zhongshan 7654
Zhuhai 756
Zhuzhou 733
Zibo 533
Zigong 813


Some useful numbers:

Police 110
Domestic Long Distance Operator 113
Local Phone Number Information 114
International Operator 115
Domestic Long Distance Inquiry 116
Time Inquiry 117
Fire Emergency 119
Ambulance 120
Weather forecast 121
Long Distance Business Inquiry 176

In China, telephoning is relatively easy if you adhere to certain
procedures. The best way to place a phone call is to go to the local
post office. At most places it is possible to dial directly, in other
places you have to ask the operator. In many cities there are now
public phone booths where you can make calls with a phonecard. Another
good place is the local police station.

In most hotels it is possible to phone directly either from the
reception desk or from your room. The 'better' hotels with
international standards usually add a hefty surcharge of up to 50%!
Inquire before placing a call.

Rates from China to the overseas (e.g. USA) is CNY 26 per minute.
There is another service apart from the PTT one which lets you phone
for USD 1.40 per minute, with 6 seconds billing.

************************************************** ************************

VISA

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/general/visa.htm


There are visa of various length. I have seen visa for 30, 90 and even
120 days. You normally get a visa from the embassy.

Visa extensions are available in China from any police station, it
costs CNY 110.

Visa are not needed for visitors to Hong Kong staying less than 30
days.

In Hong Kong, go to CITS (China International Travel Service), located
in Peking Street in Tsim Sa Tsui or even better to the China Visa
Issuing Office on the island (Connaught Road, Wanchai). It takes about
24 hours and costs HKD 100 for a single entry and HKD 150 for a double
entry visa, valid for 30 days. Bring a passport photo with you. A
multiple entry business visa, valid 60 days, costs HKD 300.

It seems to be a big hassle to get a Chinese visa in the USA. If you
have enough time in an Asian city (i.e. about 2-3 days), you better
get the visa there. The visa costs USD 30, handling fee is USD 5, and
then you'll have to add for postage.

In Toronto, Canada, you can go to the Chinese consulate. There you'll
have to fill out a 1 page form, give your passport, 2 photographs and
CAD 50. One week later you can pick up your passport with a 60 day
tourist visa.

Have a look at the application form front
and back (only in the web-version, of course.


************************************************** ************************

BICYCLE

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/transport/bicycle.htm


One of the best ways to see a place is by bicycle. Chinese cities seem
to be made for cycling. You can rent a bicycle at your hotel or at one
of the many shops. It is only a couple of yuans per day.

If you want to go beyond the city borders beware of the big roads. The
traffic on major roads between cities is just murderous. Pollution is
extreme and you are bound to become deaf from all that honking by bus
and truck drivers. Road conditions are very bad, and 'stronger'
vehicles don't take care of 'weaker' ones (e.g. you as a bicycle rider
have to move out of the way, if a truck decides that he wants to drive
on his left (your) side!), so accidents are quite usual.

There are many guarded parking lots. Of course, you will have to pay a
modest fee of about one or two miao (CNY 0.1 - 0.2).

************************************************** ************************

BOAT

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/transport/boat.htm


Boat trips are probably the nicest way of travelling through China.

The most important route is on the Chang Jiang (Yangtse) between
Shanghai and Chung Qing.

For travellers coming from Hong Kong and travelling through Guangzhou
(Canton) to Guilin, there is a combined ticket of boat and bus,
costing CNY 77 (buy the ticket directly at the ticket booth where the
boat leaves.) The boat goes to Wuzhou, where you have to change into a
bus.

************************************************** ************************

BUS

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/transport/bus.htm


There are two main type of busses: city busses and overland busses.
Both run frequently and are very cheap, but uncomfortable.

For a city bus you have to pay only some Jiao (less than CNY 1). Since
these busses are extremely crowded, you have to be very careful of
pickpockets. Take your bags in front of you, so that nobody can cut it
open.

The bus net is very extensive and the fares are quite low. There are
no differences between local and foreigner prices.

When going overland, try not to sit in the front of the bus. Within
the cities, I always thought that the horn was very loud, until I
travelled overland. There the honking was almost continual and
deafening.

There is a bus from Golmud to Lhasa which takes about 40 hours on a
bumpy road.

Overnight sleeper busses are more comfortable and, of course, more
expensive. The bus from Yangshuo to Guangzhou takes 18 hours and the
bus from Jinghong to Kunming 22 hours (CNY 160.)

************************************************** ************************

FLYING

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/transport/plane.htm


Flight Times

To give an idea of flight times, here the times from Beijing:

to time (in h:mm)
Chengdu 2:25
Guangzhou 3:00
Kunming 3:20
Nanjing 1:40
Shanghai 1:50
Tianjin 0:50
Urumqi 4:00
Wuhan 1:45
Xian 1:55


Prices

There are different prices for foreigners and local people.

Some plane prices:

Guangzhou Guilin CNY 600
Shanghai Hong Kong CNY 1450
Shanghai Shenzen CNY 1100

Yunnan Airlines has a flight from Kunming to Lijiang is CNY 330, plus
airport tax of CNY 50.

The flight from Dali to Kunming is CNY 300, and the airport tax CNY 50.

Silkair has two flights weekly between Kunming and Singapore. The
international departure tax is CNY 90.

There are several flights a day between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The
flight takes about 40 minutes.

There are four flights daily from Hong Kong to Guilin (HKD 500.)


Safety

The safety of flying within China has greatly improved over the last
couple of years. Still, China's airlines are among the most dangerous
in the world, with one fatality per 100'000 domestic flights (world
average is about 1 to 1'500'000)!


Airlines

When flying, you are covered by an insurance with CNY 200'000.

Most airlines now have modern Boeing and Airbus planes (China is the
second largest market for Airbus, after France). However, not all the
spare parts that are used are original. I do not know, if this is only
true for non-critical parts, like cabin interior, or for everything.

The airlines with the best repute are China Southern Airlines,
Shanghai Airlines, Eastern and Shenzhen.

There are about 50 domestic airlines. Of these, only four are
registered with IATA. They are Air China, China Southern, China
Shanghai, and China Eastern.

Airlines in China:
Air China
China Eastern
China Shanghai
China Southern
Shanghai Airlines
Yunnan Airlines

Planes not always on time, sometimes delaying departure for hours.

************************************************** ************************

TRAIN

http://www.pmgeiser.ch/china/transport/train.htm


With over 52800 km of tracks, the train is one of China's main means
of transportation. However, most of these tracks operate with diesel
or coal, only 5700 km are electrified.

There are four classes available: Soft sleeper, hard sleeper, soft
seater, and hard seater. Soft sleepers are four bed compartments with
nice sheets and generally good comfort. Hard sleepers are open six bed
niches with no door towards the corridor. Only a sheet is provided,
but generally people are much nicer (not being high communist cadres
or successful business people). Soft seaters are very comfortable.
Hard seaters are the lowest class of them all, but also the cheapest.
In contrast to the other classes, there is no limit on how many people
will travel. Even though there are reservations one is supposed to
move together, so that as many people as possible are able to sit.

A good way to spend time on the train is to go to the dining car.
Meals are cheap and usually ok. Especially when you're travelling hard
seat, you'll be happy to have more space.

Trains are usually very punctual and safe.

There seems to be a change in the prices, they have gone up quite a
lot recently (double for hard sleeper, and triple for soft sleeper).
These prices are now valid for both, Chinese and foreigners, so there
is now no difference anymore (since about October 1995.)

At some place there is a black market for Chinese price tickets. The
worst that can happen to you is that the train personnel doesn't
believe you're a foreing student studying Chinese in China.

Tickets are sometimes quite limited, so the best thing is to book your
next ticket at the same day you arrive at some place. If you stay at
one place for a couple of days don't forget to book at least two to
three days before your planned departure.

Many stations, especially the big cities, have special booths for
foreigners. There you don't have to wait as long as at the regular
booths, but prices are more expensive, and they may only have the more
expensive tickets.

(Edmund) When you go to the booth in the train station to buy the
ticket, write down on a piece of paper the train number, time and date
of departure, destination, and number of tickets you want to buy. Show
this paper to the clerk at the booth in order to avoid a
misunderstanding (a common occurence in China).

(Edmund) A special note about the main train station in Beijing. I
wouldn't try to get a train ticket at the regular line up there! The
lineup is very long and moves very slowly. A friend explained to me
why this is so: it seems that many poor peasants come to Beijing to
make money. One way to do this is to line up for tickets at the
station (even though you are not planning to go anywhere). Once they
get near the front of the line, they can offer to buy tickets for
other people who want to buy a ticket but can't afford the time to
wait. This 'service' cost about 10 CNY for a short trip, or about
CNY 200 for a long trip (in addition to the price of the ticket
itself). You understand that this can only happen in a place where
there is large gap in income, such as China is today. Anyway, if you
are a foreigner, go inside the train station (you will have to show
your passport to a guard at the gate to do this), go to the Foreign
guests booking office ('Wai Bing Shou Piao Chu'), and buy your ticket
there. It is best to go 3-4 days in advance of your trip to book the
ticket.

A good idea is to buy a railroad guide at one of the stations.

Timetables

Note: Some fares are only an estimate, and all prices are changing
from time to time, so check once you're there. I try to keep the
prices as accurate as possible, but things do change and I'm not from
the Chinese railway company...

From Beijing To:

DestinationTrain No.Departure TimeArrival Time
GuilinT510:5110:21+1
Hong KongT9710:0613:10+1
Hanoi (Vietnam)T510:5106:50+2
MoscowK307:4014:19+5
MoscowK1922:5017:55+6
NanjingT6520:4008:24+1
ShanghaiT1318:0808:08+1
ShanghaiT2118:0008:00+1
Ulan BatorK307:4013:15+1
Ulan BatorK2307:4013:15+1
UrumqiT6920:2019:59+2
WuhanT3718:5307:00+1
WuhanT7908:1021:02
XianT4117:1206:45+1
XianT5516:1006:16+1



From Xian to Suzhou
192/189 9:05 9:19 (2nd day) 166.00 519.00
108/105 9:40 11:01 (2nd day) 166.00 519.00
178/175 13:25 13:41 (2nd day) 166.00 519.00
140/137 20:30 20:22 (2nd day) 166.00 519.00
54/51 23:18 21:23 (2nd day) 182.00 543.00

From Hangzhou to Guilin
79 21:55 0:57 (3rd day) 182.00 543.00
179 22:49 6:56 (3rd day) 166.00 519.00

From Suzhou to Hangzhou
Hard seat fare Soft seat fare
155/158 2:06 6:26 13.00 21.00
87/90 4:54 9:48 15.00 23.00
105/108 11:01 16:37 13.00 21.00
31 14:44 19:16 15.00 23.00
Tour 5 8:22 12:45 32.00 49.00
Tour 11 15:25 19:56 32.00 49.00
From Kunming to Hekou
Hard seat fare Soft seat fare
14:45 7:00 (2nd day)

The train from Guangzhou to Guilin takes 17 hours.

The train from Wuxi to Beijing takes 22 to 24 hours. Hard sleeper is
CNY 173, and soft sleeper CNY 446.

From Wuxi to Zhangzhou takes only 40 minutes and costs CNY 3.

The train from Hekou to Kunming takes about 16 hours through
magnificent scenery. There are several trains daily; a direct one
leaves at 13:20. Hard sleeper is CNY 80.

Shanghai to Hangzhou takes 3 hours and costs CNY 55 for a soft seat.

Suzhou to Beijing takes 22 hours and costs CNY 170 for a hard sleeper.

Beijing to Xian takes 18 hours and costs CNY 270 for a hard sleeper.

Xian to Chengdu takes 22 hours and costs CNY 170 for a hard sleeper.

Chengdu to Jinjiang takes 17 hours and costs CNY 45 for a hard seat.

Kunming to Guilin takes 33 hours and costs CNY 285 for a soft sleeper.

Guangzhou to Shanghai takes 36 hours.

In Shanghai it is possible to book tickets up to 30 days in advance.

************************************************** ************************

CHINA - Peter M. Geiser's Hotel and Travel Guide

Copyright (c) 1995 - 2004, Peter M. Geiser

http://www.pmgeiser.ch
http://www.pmgeiser.com
http://www.mineralwaters.org
http://www.dussy.ch

************************************************** ************************
 




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