TravelToChina SDC

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1
Index
Introduction
HowtogetaChinesevisa
Touroperatororindependenttravel?
Travelinsurance,vaccinesandmedicines
FlightstoChina(andflightswithin)
TravelingbytraininChina
Travelingbybus,subwayortaxi
BookingahotelroominChina
Internetandtelephone
Currency,ATMsandcreditcards
Whatshouldyoubring?
WhenshouldyouvisitChina?
Commonsenseandculturalissues
Foodanddrink
Shoppinginthemarket
Touristitineraries
Chinese/Englishphrasebook
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Introduction
Firstofall,thankyoufordownloadingoureBook!
ThiseBookisdividedintothreeparts:inthefirstpartwewilldiscussindetailthat
practicalaspectsofplanningyourtripandhowtogetaroundinChina,startingwithhow
togetavisauptoshoppinginthemarkets.
InthesecondpartofthiseBookwewillillustrateatgreatlengthsomethirtytourist
itineraries.Toconclude,thelastpartofthisdocumentisadedicatedChinese/English
phrasebook.
Youcanjumptothesectionthatinterestsyoumostbyclickingthelinkintheindex(see
thepreviouspage).
NotethatinthiseBookwedontgointodetailaboutanytouristdestination.Ifyoudlike
tolearnmoreaboutaparticulardestination,TheGreatWallofChinaatMutianyu,for
example,clickheretoaccessourcollectionoftouristguides.
Lastly,ifyouneedtobookahotel,flightoranythingelse,werecommendyoutakea
lookatthesectionofSaporedicina.comfilledwithdiscountsforreaders,whichyou'llfind
here.
3

How to get a Chinese visa

Inmanycountries,includingtheUK,Australia,CanadaandEUcountries,youmust
applythroughtheCVASC(ChineseVisaApplicationServiceCenter).

However,ifinyourcountrythereisnoCVASC(clickonthelinkabovetoseethe
completelist),youshallapplyattheChineseConsularOfficethatservesyourcity.This
isalsothecaseofpeoplelivinginUSA(youcanclickheretoseewhereyoushould
applyifyouareaUSresident).

Togetavisayoullneedtopresentthefollowingdocuments:

Youroriginalpassportvalidforatleastsixmonthswithtwoblankpages
Ablackandwhitephotocopyofthephotopageofyourpassportandthepages
containinganypreviousChinesevisasobtained(onlyifyouvealreadybeento
China)
Arecentpassportsizephoto(48mmx33mm)withlightbackground
AphotocopyofpreviousChinesepassports(onlyapplicabletoforeigncitizens
whowereonceChinesecitizensandhaveobtainedforeigncitizenship)
Proofoflegalstatusinthecountrywhereyouarerequestingthevisa,suchasfor
examplearesidentpermit(onlyapplicableifyoureapplyingforthevisaoutside
yourcountryofcitizenship)
AnApplicationFormcompletelyfilledin,printedandsigned(clickhereto
downloadtheapplicationformprovidedbytheCVASCofLondonandhereto
downloadtheapplicationformprovidedbytheChineseConsularOfficeintheUS
ifyoupreferyoucandownloadasimilardocumentontheCVASCwebsiteor
fromtheChineseConsularOfficeinthecountrywhereyoureapplyingforthe
VISA)
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TheDeclarationprintedandsigned(onlyneededifyoureapplyingthroughthe
CVASC,clickheretodownloadthedeclarationfortheCVASCofLondon)
Aprintedcopyoftheappointmentreceipt(onlyapplicableifyoureapplying
throughtheCVASCyouwillbeabletomakeanappointmentdirectlyon
CVASCswebsite).
Between30to150USD,dependingonthetypeofvisa.
Choosingthestandardprocedurewillrequirefourbusinessdaysforobtainingyourvisa.
Thisprocesscanbeaccelerated(bypayingmore).NotethatifyoureonlyvisitingHong
Kong,MacauorTaiwan,forpassportholdersofmanycountriesyouwillnotneedavisa
(unlessyoustaymorethanthreemonths).
Ifyoureapplyingforatouristvisa(orLvisa)youwillalsoneed:
Aroundtripairticket
Aninvitationletterorhotelinvoicesforwhereyouintendtostayduringyourtrip.
Notethatifyouwillstayinoneormorehotels,theinvoicemustcontainthefull
namesofallthepeoplethatareapplyingforthevisa.Clickheretolearnmore
aboutthis.
Ingeneral,theinvitationlettershouldcontain:
Theapplicantsinformation:name,surname,sex,dateofbirth,passportnumber,
etc
Informationabouttheintendedtrip:purposeofthevisit,dateofarrivaland
departure,tripitinerary,therelationshipbetweentheapplicantandtheentityor
personthathasofferedtheinvitation,financialsourcefortheexpenses
Informationabouttheentityorpersondoingtheinviting:name,telephone
number,addressinChina,signatureofthepersonorlegalrepresentativeofthe
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invitingcompany(ifyouvebeeninvitedbyacompany)andanofficialstamp(if
youvebeeninvitedbyacompany).
TheinvitationlettercanonlybesentinbyaChinesecitizen,byaforeigncitizenthat
livesinChinaandhasaresidencepermitorbyaChineseentity(suchasaChinese
company).
Ifyouvebeeninvitedbyaperson,thatpersonshouldalsoattachacopyoftheir
ChineseID,oracopyofthepassportandresidencepermit(iftheyrenotaChinese
citizen).
Ifyourelookingforadifferenttypeofvisa,suchasabusinessorworkvisa,you'llfind
ourcompleteguidetoChinesevisashere.
6

Tour operator or independent travel?

ManypeoplewouldliketotraveltoChinabutwouldntfeelcomfortabledoingsowithout
aguide.Thatsunderstandable,especiallywhenyourealizethatyoullbefacedwitha
languageandculturesodifferentthanyourown.

HoweverwefeelweshouldsaythattheChinesearequicktorecognizetouristsneeds,
solongasyouhavethemoney!Moreoverinthelasttwentyyears,Chinahascreated
aninfrastructurethatwecanonlydreamofintheWest(airports,railroads,subway
systems,hotels,etc),sogettingaroundiseasyenoughevenifyoudontspeakthe
language.

ThelastpointinfavorofindependenttravelisthatChinaisoneofthesafestcountry
youllevervisit.

KeepinmindthoughthatweretalkingaboutacountrythatsasbigasEurope.Soif
youreplanningtovisitlotsofprovincesbutonlyhavealimitedamountoftime,atravel
agencywillallowyoutogetaroundmorequickly(plusyoullsavethetimeittakesto
findhotels,stationsandeverythingelse).Lastly,inordertogainpermissiontovisit
Tibet,youmustuseaspecializedtravelagency.

Ifyoureinterestedinatour,hereyou'llfindourguidetotoursinChina.
7

Travel insurance, vaccines and medicines

OuradviceistotakeoutatravelinsurancepolicybeforeleavingforChina.

DespitethefactthatinAsiabasicmedicaltreatmentisrathercheap,ifsomething
relativelyseriousbefallsyou,evenjustfoodpoisoningthatrequiresyoutohaveyour
stomachpumped,youllhavetopayabillof3400USD(ifyouwanttobetreatedinan
internationalhospitalwherethestaffspeaksEnglish).

Moreoverifyoureallygetsickandhavetospendafewnightsinahospital,without
insuranceyoullwindupspendingthousandsofUSD.Hereyou'llfindourguidetotravel
insurancesinChina.

Wealsorecommendthatyougetorrenewifnecessary,vaccinesfordiphtheria,
whoopingcough,tetanus,polio,typhoid,andhepatitisAandB.Ifyouregoingtobe
travelingtoruralareas,wealsorecommendvaccinesforrabiesandJapanese
encephalitis.Ifyouneedmorespecificinformation,youcanfindithere.

Inanyeventyoushouldcontactyourfamilydoctorthatknowsyourmedicalhistory
andcangiveyoufirsthandadvice

Lastly,whentravelinginAsia,wealwaysbringsomemedicine.Therearethree
reasons.Firstofall,communicationcanbedifficultandwhenyouhaveanattackof
dysenteryarguingwithapharmacistinChineseisntthegreatestoption.Considertoo
thatagoodpartofmedicinefoundinAsiaarecounterfeit,andfillingyourstomachwith
counterfeitantibioticsisnotgood,especiallywhenyouneedmedicinethatworks.

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RememberthatourantibodiesaredifferentthanthoseofAsians(formillenniaweve
beenexposedtobacteriaandvirusesofadifferentnature).SoAsianmedicineshave
beentestedandoptimizedtofightbacteriadifferentthanourownandarentagoodfit
forWesterners.
Despiteitallwevehadthegoodfortunetoonlyrarelygetsickandonlybringfrom
homeaspirin,antibiotics,antiinflammatoriesandantidiarrheamedicine.Ifyoualready
knowyoullneedoneormorespecificmedicines,dontforgettopacktheminyour
suitcase!
9
Flights to China (and flights within)
International flights
ItsveryhardtorecommendanairlinewiththebestratestoChinasincepricesvaryby
season,numberofstops,thedeparturecityandthearrivalcityaswell.Hereareour
suggestionsforfindingthebestpossibleprice:

Findingthecheapestpricebyvisitingeachairlinespagescouldtakedays.Our
adviceisalwaystouseoneofvarioussearchengineslikeExpedia,Vayama,
SkyscanneroreDreams.
WerecommendExpediabecauseitstheagencythatusuallyoffersthebest
prices.
Ifyoucan,purchaseyourflightsatleastafewmonthsinadvanceofyour
departuresinceusually,thecloseryougettothatdatethehigherthepricesgo
up.Youshouldalsoavoidbookingoverdatesofmajorholidayperiodssuchas
ChristmasorChineseNewYearaspriceswillcertainlybeinflated.Considertoo
thatattimesthepriceofflightscanchangefromonedaytothenext(inthe
sensethattravelingonMondayismoreexpensivethanflyingonSunday).
CheckoutflightsthatlandinBeijing,ShanghaiandHongKongbecauseprices
canvaryquiteabit.Forexample,inthepastwenoticedthatflightsbetween
ShanghaiMilanandRomeBeijingwerealwayscheaperthanflightsbetween
MilanBeijingandRomeShanghai.
OurtheoryisthatbothMilanandShanghaiarebusinesshubsandsothe
majorityofbusinessmen(orwomen)choosetheseroutes.Thisallowsforbetter
economyofscaleandthereforelowerprices.Butdonttrytoohardtofinda
logicalexplanationbecausetherearetoomanyfactorstokeepinmind.Dont
excludeanyoptionsandyoullbesuretofindthebestpriceonaflight.
Atthesametime,ifyouhavetogotoBeijingitwouldntmakesensetolandin
HongKongsinceyoullfindyourselfa34hourflightaway.
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Flightsthatmakeatleastonestop(perhapsinDubaiorIstanbul,dependingon
theairlinethatyouchoose)areusuallylessexpensivethandirectflights.
Domestic flights
FordomesticflightssuchasShanghaiBeijing,werecommendcTrip,aChineseagency
thatoffersexcellentpricesandhastheadvantageofhavingitswebsiteinEnglishand
acceptspaymentviacertaincredit(ordebit)cardslikeMasterCard,VISAorUnionPay
(Chinesenetwork).
Theonlywebsitesthatweknowofwhereitspossibletofinddomesticflightsforalower
pricethancTripareSpringAirlinesandQunar.
Springisabudgetairline,whichmeansthattheyofferlimitedflightsanditineraries.
Thus,youwillhavelessflexibility.
TheproblemwithQunaristhatthesiteisonlyinChinese.RecentlytheylaunchedQua,
awebsiteinEnglishlanguagethattargetsinternationaltravelers,whereyoucanpay
throughUnionPayorPaypal(noforeigncreditcardsareaccepted).However,theflight
ticketsaremoreexpensivethantheonesoftheChineseversionofthewebsite.
General advice
IfyouchoosetogowithaChineseairlinesuchasAirChinaorChinaEastern,
90%ofthepassengerswillbeChinesenationals.Weprefertravelingwith
ChinesetouristreturningfromEuropeortheUnitedStateswithboxesof
horrendoussouvenirsundertheirarmsoveraseaofmoodyGerman
businessmen.SoweoftenwillinglychooseAirChina.Butiftravelinginthe
companyof1,000Chineseweretalkingaboutenormousplanesmakesyou
uncomfortablethenwerecommendyouchooseanotherairlinethatisntChinese.
11
Weoftenspeakwithotherinternationalcommutersanditwouldseemthatin
general,TurkishAirlinesandEmiratesareastepaboveotherairlinesbothin
termsofpriceandservice.
12
Traveling by train in China
How to reserve and purchase a train ticket in China?

InChina,thetrainsarestillthemostpopularmeansoftransport.Since,unlessyouuse
anagency,youcanonlypurchaseaticket20daysinadvance,duringthehigh
seasonssuchastheSpringFestival(inJanuaryorFebruary),Mayfirst,theNational
holiday(Octoberfirst)orsummervacations(JulyAugust),youshouldbuyyourtickets
assoonaspossiblesoastoavoidriskinggoingwithout.

Forexample,ifyouintendtotravelOctoberfirstthenouradviceistopurchaseyour
ticketbetweenthe1113thofSeptember.Youwontbeabletodosobeforethenandif
youwaittoolong,yourisknotfindinganyavailabletickets.

WhileifyouliveinChinagettingaticketinadvanceisntmuchofaproblem,butifyou
arevisitingChinaasatouristorforabusinesstripthenpurchasingaticket20daysin
advancemaynotbepossibleunless,quitesimply,youarealreadyinChina!Inthiscase
theonlywaytoavoidmissingoutonaticketistouseanagency(keepreadingformore
details).

TopurchaseatrainticketinChinayouhavethreechoices:youcandoitonline,atthe
stationoratoneofthemanyticketofficesthroughoutthecity.
Buying a ticket online

Therearehundredsofwebsiteswhereyoucanbuyyourtraintickets.Herearethebest
ones:
The official site of the Chinese railways
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PurchasingyourticketsontheofficialsiteoftheChineserailwaysistheonlywaytoget
ticketsonlinewithoutpayinganaddedcommission.Thedisadvantagesarethatthesite
isonlyinChineseandmoreoveryoucanonlypurchaseticketsifyoualreadylivein
ChinasinceyouwillneedadebitorcreditcardbelongingtoaChinesenetwork(Union
PayforexampleVISAandMasterCardinsteadarenotaccepted)andaChinese
telephonenumber.Notetoothatyoucanonlybuyyourticketsstartingfrom20days
fromdepartureandthatthesiteworksonandoff.
Choosingthisoptionyoullhavetopickupyourticketsatthestation.Youllhaveto
insertyournameexactlyasitappearsonyourpassport(thatiswithoutspacesorother
symbols)andyoucaninputamaximumoftwentyletters.Ifyournamesismorethan
twentylettersyouseriouslyrisknotbeingabletopickupyourtickets(sinceitmightbe
interpretedasaspellingerror),soinsuchacasewedontrecommendthatyoubuy
yourticketthroughtheofficialrailwaysite.
Insummary,thisoptionispracticalonlyforthoselivinginChinawhopossessaChinese
debitorcreditcardandinaddition,understandMandarin.
China Highlights
UsingChinaHighlights.comiswithoutadoubttheeasistwaytobuyyourticketsonline.
MostofallthesiteisinEnglishandyoucanpaywithbothacreditcardVISAor
MasterCardorwithPaypal.Inadditionyoucanbookyourticketanytime(youdont
havetowaituntil20daysbeforedeparture).
Hereshowitworks:youpaythecostoftheticketplusacommissionthatrangesfrom5
to15USD(thehigherthecostoftheticket,thehigherthecommissionwithamaximum
of15USD)andtheagencytakescareofpurchasingtheticketinyourplaceand
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sendingittoyourhotel(oryourhouseifyouliveinChina).Ifyoudlike,youcanalso
picktheticketsupdirectlyatthestation.
Forusthisisanimportantdistinctionsincewhenwetravel,weprefertohaveacertain
flexibilityandevenchoosethehotelatthelastminute.Thefactthatwecanpickupour
ticketsdirectlyatthestationisabigadvantagesincewedonthavetoworryabout
gettingmyticketsfromtheagency.
Tosumup,thisoptionisrecommendedforalltouriststhatintendtotravelinthehigh
seasonorwanttohavetheassuranceoffindingatrainticket(onlongerroutesyourisk
notfindingaticketeveninthelowseason).
WealsorecommendChinaHighlightsforthosethatliveinChinabutdontwantor
cannotgettothestationandalsodonotspeakMandarinorhaveaChinesedebitor
creditcard.
cTrip
JustlikeChinaHighlights,cTrip.comhasanEnglishwebsiteandyoucanpaywitha
creditcard.Eventhoughthecommissionisalittleless(40ChineseYuan,orabout
6.50USD,plus20Yuanforeachadditionalticket)andcansendyourticketstoyour
hotelorleavethematthestationwhereyoucanpickthemupatamaximumof60days
inadvanceofyourtrip,thereisadisadvantagecomparedtoChinaHighlights.Inthe
eventofaproblemtheirpostsaleserviceispracticallynonexistent.
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Buying tickets at the station
Ifyouwanttopurchaseyourticketsatthestationbepreparedtowaitonline:itisntrare
towaiteven45minutesormoretogetaticket,especiallyinthebusyseasons.If
insteadyoufindyourselfinasmallvillageyoushouldbeabletotakecareofitquickly.
Theonlytimewewouldrecommendthatyoubuyyourticketsatthestationiswhenyou
havetotakeatrainforashortdistancethathasdifferentrunseachdayforexamplefor
BeijingTianjintheresatraineverytwentyminutesorforShanghaiHangzhou
theresatraineveryhalfhour.Inthiscaseyoucanarriveatthestation,buyyourticket
andleaveonthefirstavailabletrain.Keepinmindthoughthatinthiscaseyoualso
havetowaitonlineforatleasttwentyminutesorso.
Buying tickets at a ticket counter

Thegoodnewsisthatyoudonthavetogoallthewaytothestation.Youcanbuyyour
ticketinoneofthedozens(hundreds?)ofticketcounterslocatedinthelargecities.
EveniftheagentdoesntspeakEnglishthishappensinonlyafewticketoutlet
counters,youcanmakeyourselfunderstoodbywritingthenameofthecityonapiece
ofpaperandtheapproximatetimeyouwanttoleave.Normallytheyletyouseethe
screenandyoucanpickwhichtrainyouprefer.
Rememberthoughthatwiththenewregulations,foreignerscanonlypickuptickets
purchasedonlineatthestation.
Which class to choose for long distance trains

High speed trains
PresentlyChinaisthecountrywiththelargestnetworkofhighspeedtrains.Thetrains
aremodern,comfortableandrelativelyconvenient.Nevertheless,youshouldkeepin
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mindthatthesetrainstendtoonlytravelbyday,therearemanyplacesthattheydont
goandinthemajorityofcities,thehighspeedtrainstationsarelocatedfarfromthecity
center.Therearethreetypesofhighspeedtrains:
ClassGtrains(,gaotie):Thesetrainsarethefastest(andmostexpensive).
Theyreachupto300Km/handconnectthemajorChinesecities.Sincethese
ticketsarethemostexpensive,usuallytheresnoproblemgettingthem,even
thoughitsbesttopurchasethematleastaweekinadvance,especiallyonlines
withthemostpassengers(suchastheBeijingShanghaiGuangzhou).
ClassDtrains(,dongche):Thesetrainsareslowerthantheonesmentioned
abovebecausetheyhavemorestopsand,asaresult,onlyreach250Km/h.
TicketsarelessexpensivethanforClassGtrainsandsincetheyhavemore
stopsinmanymorecitiesaresoldmorerapidly.
ClassCtrains(,chengjigaotie):Thesetrainsrunonlytheshort
distancesbetweenurbancenterswhichdoesntletthemreachelevatedspeeds.
Asfarasseatinggoes,youcanchoosefrom(leasttomostexpensive):
SecondClassSeats(,erdengzuo):Theseseatsarethecheapestand
mostrecommended.Theyareverysimilartoeconomyclassaircraftseats.There
arefiveseatsinarow.
FirstClassSeats(,yidengzuo):Theseseatsaremorespacious(thereare
fourtoarow)andmorecomfortable,butcostbetween20%and40%more.
BusinessClassSeats(,shangwuzuo):Theyarenotavailableonalltrains
andtheirpriceisnearlydoublethatofFirstClass.Theseseatsaresimilarto
thoseofbusinessclassonaplaneandtherearethreetoarow.
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Conventional trains
ConventionaltrainshavethegreatadvantageofreachingalmosteverycornerofChina
andarelessexpensivethanhighspeedtrains.Theclassesorseatingforthesetrains
are,fromleasttomostexpensive:
Hardseat(,yingzuo):Thelongeryourtrip,thefasteryoullhavetorunto
grabyourselfaseatarightaftercheckin.Inanycase,youllrarelysucceedand
willoftenspendyourtripinthecorridor,tryingtosleepamongthefarmerswho
smokeandspiteverywhere,studentsplayingcardsandcryingchildrenthatlook
atyouasifyoujustlandedfromPluto.Theworstmomentcoincideswiththe
passingofthegirlsellingfood,drinks,magazinesandmorepassingbyyour
head:youhavetowakeup,standup,andletherpasswhileshetriestogrind
yourshinsunderhercart.Evenifyoumanagetofindaseat,youllusuallyloseit
whenyougetuptousethebathroom.
Softseat(,ruanzuo):Thistimeyouhaveanumberedspot,butplanon
swimmingthroughaseaofpeopleeverytimeyouusethebathroomsincethe
corridorswillbecloggedwiththosewhodonthaveaplace.
Hardcot(,yingwo):Youllhavetosharethecabinwithfivepeopleandthe
bathroomsarecleanenoughconsideringthateachcarholdsonly120people.
Inouropinionthesearetheticketsthathavethebestqualitytopriceratio.
Softcot(,ruanwo):Youllhavetosharethecabinwiththreeotherpeople,
thebedissofterandmorespaciousthanthehardcot.Theproblemisthatthe
ticketsaremuchmoreexpensive.
Togiveyouanidea,ifyouboughtatickettodayforShanghaiGuilin(1600kminabout
20hours)thepriceswouldbe:192Yuanforahardseat,351Yuanforahardcotand
537Yuanforasoftcot.
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How to pick up tickets at the railway station
Ifyoubookedatrainticketonline,youllhavetogototherailwaystationtogetthem.To
doso,youllneedthebookingnumberandyoullhavetoshowyourpassport.Beloware
afewsuggestionsforpickingupyourtickets:
Inmanystationsthelinecanberatherlong,sogoearly.
Usuallyticketscanbepickedupatanyoneofthesalescounters,eventhough
somestationsmighthaveadedicatedcounterforretrievingtickets(Ticketpick
up,or).
Ifyoubookedticketsformultipletrips,youcanpickthemupallatonce(thisis
thebestoption).Nevertheless,ticketsthatarenotdepartingfromthestation
youreinhaveasmallcommissionof5Yuanperticket.
Some final advice

Topurchaseaticketatthestationorataticketcounteryoullneedyour
passport.Moreover,ifyoupurchasedaticketonline,youmustalsoprovidea
scannedcopyofyourpassport.Theresultisthatinordertotravelbytrain,youll
havetobringyourpassportwithyousinceitspossiblethattheyllcheckifthe
numberstampedontheticketisthesameastheoneonyourpassport.
Hangontoyourticketuntiltheexitofyourarrivalstationbecausetheyoften
checkyouattheexits.
Onthetrainyoullnotlackfordistributorsoffreehotwatersoathermoswouldbe
agoodidea.
Longdistancetrainshaveadiningcarthatisusuallyovercrowded,expensive(by
Chinesestandards)andthefoodisnotthatgreat.Youcanalsobuyatray(rice,
vegetablesandalittlebitofmeat)fromtheserversthatgobackandforth
throughthecabinstowardsnoonandsevenatnight.Regardless,forlong
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distancetrainsitsalwaysbesttobuysomethingbeforedeparture.Thatsusually
quiteconvenientsinceChinesetrainstationsoftenappearlikeasupermarket.
Breakfastandluncharethemostdangeroustimesespeciallyifyouresleeping
inthecorridorbecausetheChinesetendtohangoutinthecorridorwithatinof
instantnoodlesfullofboilingwater.
20

Traveling by bus, subway or taxi
Long distance buses

Attimeslongdistancebuses(usuallyovernight)arethebestoption(ortheonlyones
available).

IfyouintendtotraveltoaremoteregionsuchastheAltaiMountainsinnorthXinjiang,
LakeLuguinnorthYunnan,XishuangbannainsouthYunnanoralmostallsectionsof
theGreatWallthebusistheonlyoption.Allyouhavetodoisshowupatthestation
andbuyaticket(itsusuallypossibletodosoevenafewdaysinadvance).Remember
tobringyourpassportwithyoubecauseyoumightneedit.

Asdiscussedinthepreviouschapter,evenifthecityyouintendtovisithasatrain
stationthisdoesntmeanthatyoullfindatrainticket,especiallyduringvacations.
Moreover,insomesituationsthebusisevenfasterthanthetrain.

Heresanexample:ifyoulandatPudongAirport(Shanghai)andyourfinaldestination
isHangzhou(acity200kmfromShanghai),youhavetwooptions:first,takethebus
thatleavesfromPudongAirportanditwillleaveyoudirectlyinthecenterofHangzhou
(ittakesthreehours).Second,takethemetroline2fromPudongtoHongqiaotrain
station(whichislocatedattheextremeoppositeendofShanghai)andthentakeafast
traintoHangzhou.Inthiscaseyoullneedaboutfivehourssolongasyoumanageto
findaspotonthefirsttrainthatdeparts.
The subway in China

AllmajorChinesecitieshaveamodernmetrosystem(theShanghaisubwaysystemis
thelargestontheplanet).Moreovertheticketsarecheapenough,startingfrom23
Yuan.ThemostexpensiveweareawareofwasinShenzhen(fromtheairportonthe
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bordersofHongKong),whereyoumustpay9Yuan.Considerhoweverthatitsatripof
abouttwohours.Forshortertripthepriceis3YuanasloinShenzhen.
Ingeneralthemetroisinservicefrom56inthemorningupuntil1112atnight.I
recommendhoweverthatyoucheckthetimes(youllfindallofthemonWikipedia).
HerearethesubwaymapsforShanghaiandBeijing.
Taxis in China
Chinesetaxisarecheap,safeandfoundpracticallyeverywhere.Theonlyproblemis
thattaxidriversdontspeakEnglish.Alwayswritetheaddressofyourdestinationin
Chinesecharactersandshowittothedriver.
Anotherwaytobesuretoarriveatyourdestinationistowritethetelephonenumberof
theplaceyourelookingtogo(ahotelorrestaurantforexample).Assoonasyouget
intothetaxicallthenumberandpassthetelephonetothetaxidriver.Hellunderstand
yourintentionsandthepersonthatanswersontheothersideofthelinewillexplainhow
togetthere.ThistacticisparticularlyusefulinBeijing,acitybigenoughthateventaxi
driversgetlost.
Donotaccept,foranyreason,arideinacarthatdoesnthaveataxisignormeter.
Theseareblackcabs,andyoullwindupwastingatonoftimeandpayingaridiculous
amountofYuan.
ThemajorityofChinesetaxidriversarehonest:theyllalwaysstartthemeter(unlike
Bangkok,whereeachtimeitsapsychologicalwarbetweenyouandthetaxidriver)and
willbringyoutoyourdestinationbytheshortestpossibleroute.Itishoweverpossible,
especiallyattheairportorneartouristareas,toencounteradishonesttaxidriver.
Hereareafewstoriesthatwehappenedtohear:
22

Taxidriversthattakeoffwithyourbagsinthetrunkassoonasyougetoutofthe
taxi.Thisiswhyyoushallneverpaybeforetakingoutyourbags.
Taxidriversthattrytochangea100Yuanbanknotewithafalseonetothen
protestandmakeyougivethemanotherone.
Taxidriversthatchoosealongerroutethannecessary.
Aneffectivewaytopreventfraudperpetuatedbytaxidriversistoshowthatyourenota
tourist.Youcanachievethiswithafewwordsassoonasyougetintothetaxi.Allyou
havetodoisgreetthedriverwith:
Nihaoshifu,woquXXX(itmeansHellodriver,ImgoingtoXXX)thenindicatethe
intersectionwhereyouintendtogo(Chinesetaxidriverspreferintersectionsbecause
theydontknowresidentialnumbers)orshowhimapieceofpaperwiththeaddress
written.
Iknowthatitmightseemsimplistic.Therealityisthatthistacticworksbecauseso
manyforeignerswholiveinChina,especiallyBeijingandShanghai,dontspeak
Chineseorknowthewordshifu,whichliterallymeansmasterbutineveryday
Chineseitrepresentsapolitewaytorefertodriversandotherworkers.
23
Booking a hotel room in China
Beforemovingforward,keepinmindthatChinesehotelsmustregisterallguestswith
thepolice.Therefore,youmustalwayshandoveryourpassportwhenyouarriveatthe
hotel.

Also,inChina,notallhotelsarelicensedtohostforeigners.Themostriskyhotelsare
thecheapest.Forthisreasonwerecommendthatyoubookinadvance,soastoavoid
tryingdifferenthotelsbeforefindingaplaceyoullbeabletostay.
Which online portals can you use to book a hotel room in

China?
Therearevariousonlineportalsforbookinghotels,butinouropinion,forChinathetop
threeareAgoda,BookingandcTrip.
Why shouldnt you use other comparative sites?

ThereasonisthatalthoughBookingandAgodamaybequotedinthemajorityof
comparativewebsites,suchasTrivago,bothofferexclusiveratesforthosewhobook
directlyfromtheirsite.
Agoda
AgodaisoneofthebestportalsforAsia,bothforthenumberofhotelsandforprice.
Pros:UsuallyAgodaoffersthebestpossibleratesforhotelsinAsia.Inaddition,its
networkofhotelsinChinaisdecidedlysuperiorthanmorewellknowninternationalsites
suchasBooking.
Cons:AgodascoverageforcertainpartsofChinaisstillratherscarce(butifyoure
thinkingaboutstayinginamajorcityortouristregionyoushouldnthaveanyproblems).
24
Booking
Bookingisoneofthemostusedplatformsforbookinghotelroomsintheworld.
Pros:Bookingoffersagoodselectionofhotels,hasinterestingoffersandisoneofthe
bestknownplatformsintheworld.
Cons:TheirselectionofhotelsinChinaisfarlessthanthoseofAgodaandcTrip.
cTrip
cTripisoneofthemaintravelagenciesinChinaandoneofthefewChineseagencies
thathasagoodwebsiteinEnglish(andotherlanguages)andallowspaymentwith
nonChinesecreditcards(suchasVISAorMasterCard).
Pros:cTripoffersacomprehensiveselectionofhotelsthroughoutthecountry.
Cons:Manyofthehotelsonthesitedonothavepermissiontohostforeignguestsand
itlackssomeoftheinternationalhotels.
Comparison of the three platforms

Number of hotels
IfwechecktheAgodasite,weseethatinChinathereareabout17,000possible
hotels,onBookingthereareabout9,000and,lastly,oncTriptheresabout370,000.
IfwetakeBeijingasanexample,Agodaoffers1,243hotels,Booking734andcTrip
5,600.
Inconclusion,whileAgodaandBookingofferagoodassortmentofhotelsinmajor
cities,cTripistheonlyportalthatoffersawideassortmentofoptionsinsecondorthird
classlevelcitiesthathavelittleinthewayoftourism.Nevertheless,keepinmindthat
25
cTripincludesmanyhotelswhereforeignerscannotstay,andthisaccountsforthelarge
differenceinnumbers.
Prices
HeresacomparisonofpricesinUSDofourthreefavoritehotelsinBeijing(forthree
nightsstartingAugust1,2015).Onesabudgethotel(PekingInternationalYouth
Hostel),amidrangehotel(BeijingDoubleHappinessCourtyardHotel)andahighend
hotel(ThePeninsulaBeijing).
PekingInternationalYouthHostel:Aroomwithabedcosts18.22USDper
nightonAgoda,21USDanightonBookingandoncTripitsnotcited.
BeijingDoubleHappinessCourtyardHotel:Thepriceforadoubleroom
withoutanyoffersismoreorlessthesameonAgoda,BookingandcTrip(139
USD),butifweapplythespecialoffersonAgoda,itcosts109.12USDanight,
onBooking118USDanightandoncTrip119USDanight.
ThePeninsulaBeijing:ThepriceforadoubleroomonAgodais206.30USDa
night,onBookingits206.33USDanightandoncTripdi219USDanight.
Asyoucansee,Agodaisusuallytheleastexpensive(evenifpricesarerathersimilar).
What type of hotel should I choose?
IfyoudontspeakChinese,werecommendthatyoubookaroominahotelofatleast
threestars,orinaninternationalhostel.
Intheseplacesyoullusuallyfindatleastsomeoneatthereceptiondeskwhospeaks
English.ItsadifferentstoryinbudgetfriendlyChinesehotels(andnotsofriendlyones)
whenoftennobodywillspeakEnglish.
AnotherimportantfacttokeepinmindisthatifyoudontspeakChinese,organizinga
touronyourown(suchasvisitingtheGreatWallifyoureinBeijing,ortheStoneForest
26
ifyoureinKunming)canbedifficult.Hotelsofacertaincategorywillhelpyouorganize
excursions.Ontheotherhand,internationalhostelsusuallyofferthecheapestdaytrips
(orevenlonger)toallmajortouristdestinations.
Internet Connection
Whilehotelsoffourormorestarsnormallyofferdecentinternetservice,budgethotels
ingeneraldonotofferaninternetconnection(oriftheydo,itsterrible).Although
internationalhostelstendtoofferinternetconnection,attimesitissoslowastobe
useless.
AnotherproblemisthatmanywebsitessuchasGoogle,Facebook,Twitterand
YouTubeareblockedinChina.TheonlywaytoaccessthemistouseapaidVPN
service.
Ifaccesstotheinternetisimportanttoyou,werecommendthatyoureadthereviews
onAgodaorBookingbeforemakingyourbookingtoseeiftheinternetconnection
workswellandifthehoteloffersfreeaccesstoaVPNnetwork(someinternational
hostelshaveittopleasefansofFacebook).
Where to book your hotel
Chinesecitiescanbeenormous.ImnotjusttalkingaboutBeijingandShanghai,butIm
alsoreferringtolittlecitieslikeHangzhou,Tianjin,Suzhou,Kunming,Chengduand
Guangzhou,whichnumberbetweenfiveandtenmillioninhabitants.
EventhoughtaxisinChinaareratherconvenient,werecommendthatyoulookfora
hotelinthecenteroftown,oratleastnearasubwaystation(inChinaalmostallmajor
citieshaveanefficientsubwaysystem).
27
Are Chinese hotels safe?
Aswasalreadymentioned,Chinaisoneofthesafestcountrytowhichweveever
traveled(andwevetraveledalot).Sowedonthaveanyparticularprecautionstowarn
youabout.Justuseyourcommonsense!
Which hotel should you choose?

ClickheretoreadourreviewsonthebesthotelsinmajorChinesecities.
28

Internet and telephone

InChinagettingaccesstoadecentinternetconnectionisquiteanundertaking.
Furthermore,youllhavetomakeduewithaconnectionthatoftenwontallowyoueven
theabilitytomakeacallonSkype.Plus,aswasalreadymentioned,manywebsitesare
blocked.

Youcanstillaccessthem,butyoullneedapaidVPN.Clickheretoreadourreviewson
theoneswecurrentlyrecommend.

YourphoneshouldworkwithoutaprobleminChina(solongasitdoesntdatebackto
thelastcentury).Theproblemisthatifyouuseaforeigntelephonenetworkyoullspend
atonofmoney.ThemostpracticalsolutionistobyaChinesesimcard.

YoucanfindoneinanymagazinestandthathasasignsayingChinaMobile(
inMandarin).Ifthoughyoualsowanttohaveaccesstotheinternetyoullhave
togotoaChinaMobilestore(whichyoullfindeverywhere).ChinaTelecomandChina
Unicomaretheothertwomainoptions.Inanyeventremembertobringyourpassport
sinceyoullhavetoregisterthecardinyourname.

DontforgettocancelyourdatasubscriptionbeforeleavingChinaor,ifyoullbe
returningtoChinainthefuture,youmightfindthattheyhavecontinuedtodebityour
monthlyfeeformonths(oryears).

Pricesforinternetplansvarybetween50and200Yuan.Ifyouonlyintendtousethe
connectiontouseWhatsapp,checkemailsorseenewsheadlinesthenaplanof50
Yuanamonthshouldbeenough.Keepinmindhoweverthatevenifyoubuyamore
expensiveplan,theconnectionmaybesoslowthatitwillnotallowyoutodobigthings.

29
Theprocessofbuyingasimcardissimpleenoughandifyouchargeitwith100Yuan
youcancommunicateforamonthwithoutproblems(solongasyoudontstartcalling
abroad).
Ifyouwanttobeabletocallinternationally,youshouldthenchargethecardwithat
least300Yuan.
30

Currency, ATMs and credit cards

EventhoughChinesecurrencyiscalledRenminbi(RMB,literallythePeoplesmoney)
youllneverhearanyonesay:Itcosts100RMB.

ThemonetaryunitoftheRMBisinfacttheYuan(),dividedintoJiao(0.1Yuan)and
Fen(0.01Yuan).IninformalsituationstheChinesetendtousethetermkuai()
insteadofYuan,whichliterallymeanspiece.

Aswewritethisguide10Yuanareworthabout1.54USD.Tofindouttheexchange
ratebetweenYuanandUSDinrealtimeyoucanuseacurrencyconverter.

Asfaraschangegoes,youllfindcoinsof0.1,0.5and1Yuanandbanknotesof0.1,
0.5,1,5,10,20,50and100Yuan.Thismeansthatthehighestvaluebanknote
correspondstoabout15USD.

WeneverhadaproblemgettingmoneyfromaChineseATMusingourEuropean
MasterCardorVISA.Besides,inChinathereareATMsonpracticallyeverycorner.

JustremembertomakesurethattheATMmachineyouchoosehastheVISAor
MasterCardsymbol.IfyouuseoneoftheATMmachinesofthemajorbanks(Bankof
China,ChinaConstructionBank,IndustrialandCommercialBankofChinaor
AgriculturalBankofChina)youshouldnthaveaproblem.

AfterinsertingyourdebitorcreditcardintotheATMmachinemakesuretopressthe
buttonforEnglishorelseyoullhavetocarryouttherestofyourtransactionin
Chinesecharacters.

31
Shoppingmalls,restaurantsandbarsofacertainlevelusuallyacceptcreditcards.But
dontdaretrytopayusingacardinatavern!
Beforeleaving,werecommendthatyoucontactyourbanktoletthemknowthatyoure
goingtoChina.Attimescreditcardcompanysecurityservicesarealittletoozealousif
theyseesuspicioustransactions(suchaswithdrawalMondayatanATMinAmerica
andanotherinChinaonTuesday)anddonthaveanyproblemsblockingyourcredit
card.
32

What should you bring?

Besidesmedicine,whichwealreadydiscussed,weonlyrecommendthatyoubringa
universalelectricaladaptersinceinChinayouneverknowwhattypeofoutletyoull
needtouse.

IfyoulikereadingbringafewbooksorbuyanAmazonKindlebecausefindingabook
inEnglishinChinaisanalmostimpossibleundertaking(HongKongbeingthe
exception).

ObviouslyifyoudecidetovisitBeijinginJanuaryitwillbebrutallycoldsopackwinter
clothesinyoursuitcase.Conversely,ifyoureheadingtoHainanIslandyouwontneed
them(butremembertobringyourbathingsuit).

ClickhereforacompletelistofthingsweputinourbackpackwhenwetraveltoAsia
(andsomepracticaladviceastohowtopackyourbelongingscomfortably).

33

When should you visit China?

Aswevealreadysaid,Chinaisacontinent.Thebesttimetotraveldependsonwhich
specificplacesyouintendtovisit.Hereareafewgeneralguidelines:

Ifyouplanontravelingaroundinsidethecountry,avoidtheChinesevacations
suchastheSpringFestival(ChineseNewYear)ortheOctobervacations.China
hasmorethanabillioninhabitants(nobodyknowstheexactnumber)andatthe
timeswementionedtheyarealltraveling,whetherastouristsoutandaboutoras
migrantworkersreturningtotheirbirthvillagefortheholidays.Believeuswhen
wetellyouthatwalkingintoaChinesetrainstationbeforetheSpringFestivalis
nottheleastbitenjoyable.
Insummeritshoteverywhere.TheexceptionisYunnanProvince,whereyoull
bewelcomedbyaperennialSpringtime(2025degrees).Moreoverthe
southeasterncoastline(fromShanghaitoHongKong)isaffectedbytyphoons,
whichcanverywellruinyourvacation.
TheChineseSpringisnotexactlythebesttimetogo.Thisistherainyseason
weretalkingentireweeksofdownpoursandBeijingisalsohitwithsandstorms
fromthedesert.
WinterinthenorthofChinaisunforgiving(goingdownto40degrees).In
Shanghaithetemperaturecangetdowntozerodegreesanditcanevensnow
onceortwicebutitisntthatbad.Winteristhebesttimeforvisitingthesouth
whereyoullfindamildclimate.
Autumnoffersdry,temperateweatherandisthereforethebestseasontovisit
China.

34

Common sense and cultural issues

Ifyouwanttokeepyourcameraorcellphone,avoidtakingpicturesofthepolice
orarmedforces(especiallyinTibetandinXinjiang).Besidesthereprimand,they
mayactuallyseizetheincriminatingdevice.

DontarguewiththeChinese.Itdoesntworkespeciallyifyoureintheright.
TheonlyresultfrommakingaChinesepersonlosefaceistomakehimdiginall
themore.Bepatientandsmile.InChina,youllalwaysfindasolutionintheend.
Youjusthavetowait.

Aswasalreadydiscussed,Chinesetaxisarecheap,safeandfoundpractically
everywhere.TheonlyproblemisthatthedriversdontknowawordofEnglish.
AlwayswritetheaddressofyourdestinationinChinesecharactersandshowitto
thedriver.

Anotherwaytobesuretoarriveatyourdestinationistowritedownthe
telephonenumberoftheplaceyouwishtogo(ahotelorrestaurant,for
example).Assoonasyougetintothetaxicallthenumberandpassthephoneto
thedriver.Hellunderstandyourintentionsandrespondtothepersononthe
otherendofthelinewhowillexplainhowtogetthere.Thistacticisparticularly
usefulinBeijing.

Analternativemeansforgettingaroundthecityistousethesubwaysystem.
Chinesesubwaysystemsarecheap,clean,safeandwelldeveloped.The
automatedticketmachinesalsohaveinstructionsinEnglishandarevery
intuitive.Clickingonthefollowinglinksyoullfindinteractivemapsofthesubway
systemsofBeijing,Shanghai,GuangzhouandHongKong.
35

Chinesetrafficistheworstweveeverseen(withtheexceptionofVietnamwhich
isastoryallitsown).Becarefulwhencrossingthestreet.Thefirsttimesyoucan
waituntilaChinesemancrossedsoastousehimasahumanshieldagainst
thecars,trucks,cartsandthefamoussilentelectricscooters(whichyoudont
needalicensetodrive).
DontbesurprisedifaChinesespitsatyourfeet,pointstoyouandshouts
kankanlaowai(look,aforeignerthisoftenhappenswhenyoutravelinareas
notoftenvisitedbywhitedevils),shoutsaninsulttoyouwhiletryingtorunyou
overwithhiselectricscooter,pushesyouwhileyoutrytogetintoasubwaycar,
stealsthetaxithatyoujuststopped(aclassicwhenitsraining)orsmokesin
yourface.Ifyoudontthinkyoucanhandlethesetypesofattitudeshaveanice
triptoSwitzerland.
Atthesametime,dontbesurprisedifaChinesesmilesatyou,startstalkingto
youwhilewaitingforatrainorfollowsyoutogivebackyourwalletthatyoujust
dropped.ThemajorityofChineseareextremelyhonestandfriendly.
36

Food and drink

Donotdrinktapwater.Youdonthavethenecessaryantibodiestosurvivethe
infamousChinesewater.Wearentsayingthatyoulldie,butdontcomplainif
youcomedownwithdysentery.

Eatingstreetfoodisatyourownrisk.IfyouvebeentoAsiainthepastthenyoull
likelynothaveaproblem.IfthoughthisisyourfirstexperienceEastofMoscow,
justlikewiththetapwater,streetfoodcouldbetheharbingerofasurprise.
Thenagainfoodpoisoningcanevenhappentoveteranslikeus.Ifyouwanta
laugh,readHowtopoisonyourselfandsuffocatetodeathinXinjiang.

InChinanobodyleavesatip,sodontfeelobligatedtodoso.ThisisntSan
Francisco.

Chinesecuisineisextremelyvaried.Thegoodthingsisthatyoudonthavetogo
allthewaytoSichuanorGansutotrythelocalfood:thebigcitiesoftheEastlike
Beijing,ShanghaiorGuangzhouareinfacttheprefereddestinationsofmigrants
fromtheWestwhomovetowardthecoastinsearchoftheirfortune.

VisitoneofthefollowinglinkstolearnmoreaboutourfavoriteChinesedishes
andwheretofindthem:foodfromXinjiang,oneoftheMuslimprovincesof
China,foodfromDongbei,inthenortheastofChina,malatangofChongqing.

37

Shopping in the market

DontthinkthatyoucanshowuptoashoppingmallinShanghaiandstarthagglingover
aD&GpursejustbecauseyoureinChina.

IfthoughyouwanttoshopoffthestreetorinafakemarketsuchasYaShoworthe
SilkMarketofBeijing,thenhagglingisnotonlyconvenient,itspracticallyobligatory.
Thereasonforthisisthattheinitialpriceaskedintheseplacesisextremelyinflated.
Theideaisthatyoullalwaysfindsomechumpwhollfallforit.Butitispossibleto
negotiate.OncewewenttoYaShowinBeijingandaskedthepriceofasuitcase.The
salesgirldidntevenlookupatusandsaid:

1,000Yuan.

Welaughedinherfaceandtoldherthatshecouldntripusoffbecausewelivedin
Beijing(ifyoudontspeakChinesethisisthebesttactic,ifinsteadyoureableto
converseinChineseyoudontneedsuchsubtlety).

Intheendweboughtthesuitcasefor150Yuan,or15%oftheoriginalaskingprice.
Dontbeshyorafraidofbargaining.Infactifyoudontchewdownthepricethe
salespeoplewillthinkyoureanidiot!

38
Tourist itineraries
InthischapteryoullfindacollectionofitinerariesforvisitingChina.Keepinmindthat
Chinaisextremelyvastanddiverse,sotryingtovisititallinjustafewweeksmakesno
sense.

Thisiswhywehavedividedtheitinerariesintothreemainsectionssomethingforthose
planningatripof68days,thoseplanningtostay1215daysor,whynot,1821days.

Foreachsection,wehavealsospecifiedifitisahistoricitinerary(ordesignedfor
visitingmainlysitesofarchaeologicalinterest,suchasXianforexample),natural(or
designedforthosewhowanttobeimmersedinnature,suchasJiuzhaigou),or
contemporary(ordesignedforvisitingmodernrealitiessuchasShenzhenorrecurring
festivals,liketheIceandSnowSculptureFestivalofHarbin).

Moreover,foreachitinerarywehavealsoaddedadifficultyratingbasedonthe
necessarymovementstocompleteitandthebesttimetovisiteachzoneorprovince.
39
Itineraries (the complete list)
Clickononeofthelinksinthefirstrowofthetablebelowtogodirectlytoitinerariesfor
thelengthyoureinterestedin:
Itinerariesfrom68days Itinerariesfrom1215 Itinerariesfrom1821

days days
Beijing BeijingLuoyang BeijingLuoyang

DengfengXiAn DengfengXiAn
Shanghai ShanghaiXiamen
ShenzhenHongKong
Macau
BeijingXiAn BeijingPingyaoDatong TheSilkRoad:Beijing

XiAnGuilinYangshuo XiAnDunhuangUrumqi
Kashgar
Tibet:LhasaNamtso BeijingXiAnChengdu Anycombinationofthree

LakeShigatse ChongqingYangtze itinerariesof68daysor
cruiseYichang anitineraryof68days
andanitineraryof1215
days
Yunnan:KunmingDali BeijingZhangjiajie
LijiangShangriLa FenghuangGuilin
Yangshuo
ShanghaiSuzhou BeijingTianjinQingdao
NanjingHangzhou MountTaiQufu
HongKongMacau Tibet:LhasaNamtso
Shenzhen LakeShigatseEverest
BaseCampKathmandu
Guangxi:Guilin Xinjiang:UrumqiKashgar
YangshuoLongsheng TashkurganKanas
Sichuan:ChengduEmei KunmingDaliLijiang
ShanLeshan LuguLakeEmeiShan
LeshanChengdu

40
Sichuan:Chengdu Anyothercombinationof
JiuzhaigouHuanglong twoitinerariesof68days
Henan:LuoyangTempio
ShaolinXiAn
HunanandGuangxi:
ZhangjiajieFenghuang
GuilinYangshuo
Itineraries from 6-8 days

Notethat,evenifthemajorityoftheitinerariesinthissectioncanbecompletedinabout
6days,ifyoureoneofthosepeoplethatlikestotakeoneortwoafternoonsfreejustto
losethemselvesinacityorsitandobservepeoplepassingby,thenwerecommendthat
youfigureonatleast8days.

Beijing Discover the appeal of Imperial China
ItineraryType:Historic.
Movementdifficulty:Verylow,sinceyoucanlanddirectlyinthecity,getaround
mainlybysubwayandleavethecityjusttovisittheGreatWallofChina.
Besttimetotravel:Thebesttimetovisitistheautumnwhentheweatherisdry
andtemperate.Thatsaid,itspossibletovisitBeijingatalmostanytimeofthe
year.
Recommendedhotels:Clickheretoreadourreviewsonthebestluxury&
budgethotelsinBeijing.
Touroperator:Ifyoureinterestedinanorganizedyour,asagrouporinprivate,
clickheretolearnmoreandgetafreeestimate.

41
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinBeijingandvisittheSummerPalaceandtheuniversityareaof
Haidian
Day2:VisittheMingTombsandtheGreatWallatMutianyu,ortheWildGreat
WallatGubeikou
Day3:VisittheTempleofHeavenandtheshoppingareaofWangfujing
Day4:VisitTianAnMenSquare,theForbiddenCityandCoalHill
Day5:VisittotheTempleoftheLama,TempleofConfucius,theBellTower,
DrumTower,intheGulouneighborhoodandthefewHutongleftinthecity
Day6:WalkintheinternationalquartersofSanlitunandDongzhimen.
Otherattractionsthatmightinterestyou:SilkMarketatGuomao,Streetof
Artisans(LiuLiChang),BeijingOpera,OlympicStadium,shoppingareaof
Xidan,BeihaiPark,LakeHouhai,LakeXihai,BeijingZoo.
Visitsoutsidethecity:Ifyouwanttogetourofthecityfor1/2days,I
recommendadaytriptoTianjin,2twodaysofTrekkingontheGreatWallof
SimataiatJinshanling,oravisit,stillfor2days,totheIceandSnowFestivalof
Harbin(whichisonlyopeninlatewinter).
Beijing-XiAn Discovering ancient China
Movementdifficulty:Medium,ifyoudecidetotaketheBeijingXiAnnighttrain
lowifyoudecidetotakeadirectflight.
Besttimetotravel:Thebesttimetovisitistheautumnwhentheweatherisdry
andtemperate.Thatsaid,itspossibletovisitthetwocitiesatalmostanytimeof
theyear.
Hotelconsigliati:Clickonthelinksbelowtoreadourreviewsonthebestluxury
andbudgethotelsinBeijingeXiAn.
42
Touroperators:Ifyoureinterestedinanorganizedtour,asagrouporin
private,clickheretolearnmoreandgetafreeestimate.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinBeijingandvisittheSummerPalaceandtheuniversityareaof
Haidian
WallatGubeikou
Day4:VisitTianAnMenSquare,theForbiddenCityandCoalHillBeijingXiAn
nighttrain
Day5:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsandtheXiAncity
center(Muslimquarterandoldcitywalls)
Day6:ExcursiontoMountHua
Day7:ReturntoBeijingwiththefasttrainandvisittheaGulouneighborhood
Tibet: Lhasa-Lake Namtso-Shigatse Visit to the roof of the world
ItineraryType:Historic/Natural.
Movementdifficulty:High.BesidesgettingtoTibet(whichis45hoursbytrain
or4hoursbyairfromBeijing),unlessyouwanttostayinLhasayoullbeforced
tospendlonghoursonabus,withthegreatestproblemsduetothealtitude.
ClickheretoreadourguideontravelinginTibet.
Besttimetotravel:ThebesttimetovisitTibetistheautumn,whentheweather
isdryandrelativelymild.Avoidthewinter,whenmanypassesarecloseddueto
thesnow.YoushouldalsomakesurethatTibetisopentoforeigntravelers
duringtheperiodyouintendtotravel,sincetheProvinceisoftenclosedto
tourists.
43
RecommendedHotels:Thiswillbehandledbythetouroperatoryougowith
(seebelow).
Touroperators:TovisitTibet,itismandatorytobeaccompaniedbyan
authorizedtouristguide.Clickheretolearnmoreandgetafreeestimate.
Itinerary:
Days1and2:TrainBeijingLhasa.Ifyouhavethetime,Irecommendthatyou
arriveinTibetbytrain.Notjustbecauseitsauniqueexperience,butalsosothat
yourbodycangraduallyacclimatetothechangeinaltitude.Ifyouonlyhavesix
days,thenitsbesttoarrivebyair:itwouldbeasintogoallthewaytoTibetto
stayonly4days!
Day3:VisitPotalaPalace,theJokhangTemple,BarkhorStreetandthehistoric
centerofLhasa
Day4:VisitLakeNamtso
Day5:VisitLakeYamdrok,attheKharolaGlacier,andthecityofShigatse
(stayingthenightinShigatse)
Day6:VisittheMonasteryofTashilhunpo(nearShigatse)andthePalcho
Monastery,situatedinthecityofGyantse,orwaybacktoLhasa.
Day7:VisittheMonasteriesofDrepungandSera,nearLhasa.
Yunnan: Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La Multi-ethnic China at the foot of

the Himalayas
ItineraryType:Natural.
Movementdifficulty:MediumonceyouvearrivedinKunming,whereflights
comingfromallmajorChinesecitiesland,theothercitiesarewellconnected
bothbytrain(exceptfortheStoneForestandShangriLa)andbus.Considering
LijiangspopularityamongChinesetourists,findingtrainticketsisoften
complicatedwhichmeansthatyoumayhavetosettleforthebus.
44
Besttimetotravel:Despitenotbeinganextremelyvastprovince,theclimatein
Yunnanvariesfromsubtropicalinthesouthernareatoalpineintheregionof
ShangriLa.Inmyopinionthereisntonespecifictimetovisitthatsbetterthan
othersbesidesofcoursenotgoingduringChineseholidayswhentheProvince
isinvadedbyChinesetourists.
RecommendedHotels:Clickonthelinksbelowtoreadourreviewsonthebest
luxuryandbudgethotelsinKunming,DaliandLijiang.
Touroperator:Ifyoureinterestedinanorganizedtour,asagrouporinprivate,
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinKunmingandvisitthecity
Day2:GetupveryearlytovisittheStoneForestbeforethehordesofChinese
touristsarrivebusforDali
Day3:VisittheOldCityofDali
Day4:ExcursiontoMountCang(youcangetthereonfootfromtheOldCityof
Dali),andbusforLijiang
Day5:VisittheOldCityofLijiang,thentakeabusforShangriLa
Day6:VisitthevillageofShangriLaandtheTibetanMonasteryofSongzanlin,
nearShangriLa(eventhoughShangriLageographicallyspeakingislocatedin
Yunnan,thelocalpopulationareethnicTibetansandthemonasteryhasno
reasontoenvythosegeographicallyfoundinTibet)
Day7:ReturntoKunming.
Recommendedtrekking:2dayexcursiontoTigerLeapingGorge,located
betweenLijiangandShangriLa.
Shanghai-Suzhou-Nanjing-Hangzhou The Cities on the Yellow River Delta
45
ItineraryType:Historic/Modern
Movementdifficulty:Lowthefourcitiesareconnectedbyfasttrains.
Besttimetotravel:AsisoftenthecaseinChina,thebesttimeisintheautumn,
orthedryandmildseason.Thatsaid,theareacanbevisitedinanytimeofyear.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinShanghai,Hangzhou,SuzhouandNanjing.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinShanghaivisittheYuyuanGardens,theShanghaiMuseum,the
Bund,andNanjingRoad
Day2:VisittheOrientalPearlTVTowerfinancialdistrictofLujiazui(whereyoull
findallofShanghaismajorskyscrapers)
Day3:ArriveinSuzhouandvisitthecityovernightthere
Day4:ArriveinNanjingandtourthecity,overnightthere
Day5:VisitNanjing(morning)thentheNanjingHangzhoutraininlateafternoon
Day6:ArriveinHangzhouandtourthecity(WestLakeisnottobemissed!)
Day7:ReturntoShanghaivisittheOldFrenchConcession.
Recommendedtrekking:2dayexcursiontotheYellowMountain(orHuang
Shan).
Hong Kong-Macau-Shenzhen Modern and Colonial China
ItineraryType:Modern,sinceHongKongandMacauaretworelatively
moderncities(comparedtoBeijingorNanjing),whileShenzhenupuntilafew
decadesagowaslittlemorethanafishingvillage.
46
Movementdifficulty:LowHongKongandShenzhenarelinkedbymetro,while
allyouhavetodogettoMacauistaketheferryfromHongKong(thecrossing
lastsaboutanhour).
Besttimetotravel:ThebestseasonforvisitingGuangdongProvinceandthe
citiesofHongKongandMacauisthewinter,whenthereisnttoomuchheat(itll
beabout1520degreesC)withlittlerainfall.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinHongKong,MacauandShenzhen.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinHongKong,visitCentral,CausewayBayandVictoriaPeak
Day2:VisitLandauIsland(fortheGiantBuddhaandvillageofTaiO)dinnerat
LanKwaiFong(LKF)
Day3:VisitKowloonpeninsuladontmissthefreeshowASymphonyofLights
ontheAvenueofStars,whichtakesplaceataround8everyevening
Day4:VisitMacauondaytrip(youcancatchtheferryfromHongKongIsland)
Day5:ArriveinShenzhenvisittheNanshanDistrict
Day6:VisittheDistrictsofFutianandLuohu,stillinShenzhen
Day7:ReturntoHongKong.
Guangxi: Guilin-Yangshuo-Longsheng The karst hills on the shores of the Li

River
Movementdifficulty:Low,sincealmostallhotelscanhelpyouarrange
transporteitherbybusorboat.
47
Besttimetotravel:ThebesttimetotravelisMayifyouwanttoseethenewly
wateredricepaddiesofLongsheng.Thatsaid,itispossibletovisitGuilinandthe
restofGuangxiProvinceinalmostanytimeoftheyear.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinGuilin,LongshengandYangshou.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinGuilinandtourthecity
Day2:CruiseontheLiRiverandarriveinYangshuovisitthecitycenter
Day3:TakearideontheYulongRiverandreturnbybicyclefishingwith
cormorantsshow
Day4:TransfertoLongsheng(bybus)andvisittheterracedricepaddies
Day5:ReturntoGuilinandvisitReedFluteCaveandElephantTrunkHill.
Sichuan: Chengdu-Emei Shan-Leshan Visit the heart of Sichuan
Movementdifficulty:Low,sincealldestinationscanbeeasilyreachedbybus
fromChengdu.
Besttimetotravel:Summerisveryhotwhilethewinteriscold,sothebest
timesaretheSpringandautumn.
RecommendedHotels:Clickheretoreadourreviewsonthebestluxuryand
budgethotelsinChengdu.
Itinerary:
48
Day1:ArriveinChengduandtourthecitycenter
Day2:VisittheChengduPandaResearchBaseofGiantPandaBreedingand
gettoMountEmei,orEmeiShan,bybus
Day3:ClimbEmeiShanwithanovernightstayinoneofthemanymonasteries
thatcanbefoundalongtheway
Day4:ArriveatthetopofEmeiShananddescend(bybus)arriveinLeshanby
bus
Day5:VisittheGiantBuddhaofLeshanandthesurroundingpark
Day6:ReturntoChengdu.
Sichuan: Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong The most spectacular parks of

China
ItineraryType:Natural
Movementdifficulty:Medium,consideringthatintheJiuzhaigouregion,public
transportisvirtuallynonexistent(whichiswhyitsmuchsimplertovisitthisregion
ofChinawithanorganizedtour).
Besttimetotravel:Theautumn,whenitsnottoohotandtheleavesofthe
treesturnbreathtakingcolors.Thatsaid,Sichuancanbevisitedanytimeofthe
year(butwintersinJiuzhaigouareveryrough).
RecommendedHotels:Clickheretoreadourreviewsonthebestluxuryand
budgethotelsinChengdu.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinChengduandtourthecitycenter
gettoJiuzhaigou(bybusorplane)
49
Days34:VisitJiuzhaigouNationalPark(spendingjustonedaywouldbeasin)
Day5:VisitHuanglongNationalPark
Day6:ReturntoChengduor,directlytoBeijingfromtheairportinHuanglong.
Recommendedtrekking:2dayhorsebackexcursiontoSonpang,near
Jiuzhaigou.
Henan: Luoyang-Tempio Shaolin-XiAn Visit the birthplace of Kung Fu
Movementdifficulty:Medium,becauseunlessyouvisitwithanorganizedtour,
youllhavetogetaroundbytrainand/orbusinHenanProvincewheretheuseof
Englishisnotverywidespread.
Besttimetotravel:Thebesttimeistheautumn,asisthecasewiththemajority
ofChina.
RecommendedHotels:ClickheretoreadourguideonHenanProvince,where
weindicateafewhotelsinallareasofinteresttotouristsandheretoread
reviewsofthebesthotelsinXiAn.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinLuoyang(byairorfasttrainfromBeijing)andvisittheCaveof
Longmen
Day2:VisittheTempleofBaimaandtheLuoyangMuseum
Day3:ArriveinDengfeng,visittheShaolinTempleandtheMountSongNational
Park
Day4:ReturntoLuoyang,andmoveontoXiAnbyfasttrainvisittheXiAn
MuslimQuarter
50
Day5:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsandtheoldcity
wallsofXiAn
Day6:ExcursiontoMountHua.
Recommendedactivity:KungFulessonsinDengfeng.
Hunan and Guangxi: Zhangjiajie-Fenghuang-Guilin-Yangshuo
ItineraryType:Natural
Movementdifficulty:Medium,sinceyouwillalwayshavetotakeabusortrain
toreachvariousdestinations.
Besttimetotravel:Thebesttimeistheautumn,asisthecasewiththemajority
ofChina.
RecommendedHotels:ClickheretoreadourguidetohotelsinChina.
Itinerary:
Days1&2:ArriveinZhangjiajiebyairorfasttrainandvisitZhangjiajieNational
ForestPark(itwouldbeasintospendonlyoneday)
Day3:ExcursiontoMountTianmen,nearZhangjiajie
Days4e5:VisitthecityofFenghuangtrainorbusforGuilin
Day6:CruiseontheLiRiverandarriveinYangshuovisitthecitycenter
Day7:RideontheYulongRiverandreturnbybicyclefishingwithcormorants
show.
Recommendedtrekking:1or2dayexcursiontotheterracedricepaddiesof
Longsheng.
51

Itineraries from 12-15 days

Inthissectionwewillillustratevariousitinerariesfortripsofabouttwoweeks.
Obviously,youcancreateadifferentitinerarybysimplycombiningtwooftheoneweek
itinerarieswelaidoutintheprevioussection.

Beijing-Luoyang-Dengfeng-XiAn-Shanghai
ItineraryType:Historic/Modern.
Movementdifficulty:Medium,consideringthatunlessyoutravelonan
organizedtour,youllhavetogetaroundbytrainand/orbusthroughHenan,or
theLuoyangeDengfengProvince,whereEnglishisnotwidelyspoken.
Besttimetotravel:Autumn,whentheweatherisdryandmild.Howeverthis
itinerarycanbetraveledanytimeofyear.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,XiAnandShanghai.

Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinBeijingandvisittheSummerPalaceandHaidianuniversityarea
WallatGubeikou
52
Day5:VisittheTempleoftheLamas,theTempleofConfucius,theBellTower,
theDrumTower,GulouquarterandthefewremainingHutongsleftinthecity
Day6:WalkthroughtheinternationalquartersofSanlitunandDongzhimen
arriveinLuoyang(byairorfasttrain)
Day7:VisittheCaveofLongmen,visittheBaimaTempleandLuoyang
Museum
Day8:ArriveinDengfeng,visitShaolinTempleandMountSongNationalPark
Day9:ReturntoLuoyang,thentravelontoXiAnbyfasttrainvisittheXiAn
MuslimQuarter
Day10:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsandtheancient
citywallsofXiAn
Day12:ArriveinShanghai(bytrain)visitYuyuanGardens,ShanghaiMuseum,
theBund,andNanjingRoad
Day13:VisittheOrientalPearlTVTowerandLujiazuifinancialdistrict(where
youllfindallofShanghaismajorskyscrapers)
Day14:VisittheOldFrenchConcession.
Beijing-Pingyao-Datong-XiAn-Guilin-Yangshuo
Movementdifficulty:Mediumifyoutravelbytrainsinceyoullhavetocrosshalf
ofChina!Lowerifyoudecidetogetaroundbyair.
Besttimetotravel:Thebestseasonisthefall,whentheweatherisdryand
mild.Youcanhowevervisitthedestinationslistedatanytimeofyear.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,Datong,Pingyao,XiAn,Guilinand
Yangshuo.
53
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
Day3:VisittheTempleofHeavenandtheshoppingdistrictofWangfujing
arriveatDatong(byairorfasttrain)
Day7:VisittheYungangCaveandHangingTemplesofDatong
Day8:ArriveinPingyao(bytrain)visitthewallsoftheOldCity,visitthe
residencesoftheWangandeQiaofamilies
Day9:ArriveinXiAn(bytrain)andtourthecitycenterofXiAn(Muslimquarter
andancientcitywalls)
Day10:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsarriveinGuilin
(byair)
Day11:CruiseintheLiRiverandarriveatYangshuotourthecitycenter
Day12:RideontheYulongRiverandreturnbybikefishingshowwith
cormorants.
Recommendedtrekking:ExcursiontoMountHua(nearXiAn)and/orthe
terracedricepaddiesofLongsheng,nearGuilin.
Beijing-XiAn-Chengdu-Chongqing-Cruise on the Yangtze-Yichang
54
Movementdifficulty:Mediumifyoutravelbytrainsinceyoullhavetocrosshalf
ofChina!Lowerifyoudecidetogetaroundbyair.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,XiAnandChengdu.
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
arriveinXiAn(byairortrain)
Day7:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriors
Day8:VisitthecitycenterofXiAn(Muslimquarterandancientcitywalls)arrive
inChengdu(byairortrain)
thecitycenter
Day10:ArriveinChongqinganddepartonaYangtzeRiverCruise(orBlue
River)
Day11:CruiseontheYangtze
Day12:Arrive,viacruise,inYichang,whereyoullfindtheThreeGorgesDam.
55

Beijing-Zhangjiajie-Fenghuang-Guilin-Yangshuo
Movementdifficulty:MediumsinceyoullbecrossinghalfofChina,and
especiallyintheregionsofZhangjiajieandGuilin,whereyoullhavetoget
aroundbytrain,busorboat.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,GuilinandYangshuo.
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
arriveinZhangjiajie(byairorfasttrain)
Days7and8:VisitZhangjiajieNationalForestPark(itwouldbeasintoonly
spendonedaythere)
56
Day9:ExcursiontoMountTianmen,nearZhangjiajie
Days10and11:VisitthecityofFenghuangtrainorbusforGuilin
Day12:CruiseontheLiRiverandarrivalinYangshuovisitthecitycenter
Day13:RideontheYulongRiverandreturnbybikefishingshowwith
cormorants.
Recommendedtrekking:1or2dayexcursiontotheterracedricepaddiesof
Longsheng.
Beijing-Tianjin-Qingdao-Mount Tai-Qufu
Movementdifficulty:Medium,becauseinShandongProvince(orthesecond
halfofthetrip),youcanonlygetaroundbytrainorbus.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,TianjinandQingdao.
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
57
arriveinTianjin(byfasttrain)
Day7:TourthecitycenterofTianjin
Days89:ArriveinQingdao(bytrain)andtourthecity
Day10:ArriveontheslopesofMountTai(orTaishan,bytrain),climbMountTai
andspendthenightuptop
Day11:DescendMountTaiandarriveinQufu,thebirthcityofConfucius
Day12:VisittheConfuciusFamilyMansion.
Recommendedactivity:BeerFestivalinQingdao,ifyougoinAugust.
Tibet: Lhasa-Namtso Lake-Shigatse-Everest Base Camp-Kathmandu
Movementdifficulty:High.BesideshavingtogettoTibet(whichis45hoursby
trainor4hoursbyairfromBeijing),unlessyoustayinLhasayoullbeforcedto
spendlonghoursonbuses,withthegreatestproblemsduetothealtitude.Click
heretoreadourguidetotravelinginTibet.NotethatbesidesaChinesevisaand
TibetPermit,ifyouintendtoarriveinKathmanduyouwillalsoneedaNepalese
visa.
Besttimetotravel:ThebesttimetovisitTibetisinthefall,whentheweatheris
dryandrelativelymild.Avoidthewinterwhenmanypassesareclosedduetothe
snow.Furthermore,makecertainthatTibetwillbeopentoforeigntouristsinthe
periodyouintendtovisit,sincetheProvinceisoftenclosedtotourists.
Recommendedhotels:Thiswillbehandledbyyourtouroperator(seebelow).
Touroperator:TovisitTibet,youareobligatedtobeaccompaniedbyan
authorizedtourguide.Clickheretolearnmoreandgetafreeestimate.
Itinerary:
58
Days1and2:TrainBeijingLhasa.Ifyouhavethetime,Irecommendthatyou
gettoTibetbytrain.Notonlyisitauniqueexperience,butyoucanalso
acclimateyourbodytothegradualchangeinaltitude.
Day3:VisitPotalaPalace,JokhangTemple,BarkhorStreetandthehistoric
centerofLhasa
Day4:VisitLakeNamtso
Day5:VisittheMonasteriesofDrepungandSera,nearLhasa
Day6:VisitLakeYamdrok,KharolaGlacier,andPalchoMonastery,situatedin
thecityofGyantseearriveinShigatseandovernightthere
Day7:VisittheTashilhunpoMonastery(nearShigatse),visitSakyaMonastery,
arriveinLhatseandovernightthere
Day8:ArriveinRongbukandvisitthehighest,intermsofaltitude,monasteryin
Tibet.TrekkingatEverestBaseCamp(about6Kmandtwohoursofwalking)
overnightinRongbuk,inatent
Day9:AfteradmiringthesunrisefromtheBaseCamp,moveontoZhangmuvia
OldTingriandNyalamovernightthere
Day10:ArriveatKodari,attheborderbetweenTibetandNepalwalktheborder
andarriveatKathmanduovernightthere
Days11and12:VisitKathmandu,inNepal.
Xinjiang: Urumqi-Kashgar-Tashkurgan-Kanas
Movementdifficulty:Highifyougetaroundbytrainorbus,sinceXinjiangisthe
vastestprovinceinChina.Mediumifyoutakeflightsforthelargestsections,
sinceseverallocationscanonlybereachedbybusorinthecaseofKarakorum,
onlywithaprivatecaranddriver(seethedetailsintheitinerary).
Besttimetotravel:Thebesttimeisthefall,whentheweatherisdryandmild
andyoucantastetheseasonalfruits(grapes,figs,melonsandmore).Winteris
59
notrecommendedsincesomepartsoftheitinerarycannotbetraveleddueto
thesnow.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinUrumqiandKashgar.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinUrumqi,capitaloftheprovince,byairmoveontoKashgarby
overnighttrain(about20hoursoftraveling)orbyair
Day2:VisittheMosqueofIdKahandtheOldCityofKashgar
Day3:VisitthetombofAbakhKhojaandthenightmarketofJieFangBeiRoad
Day4:VisittheDesertofDaWaKun(withcamelride)bybus
Days5and6:ExcursionKashgarTashkurganalongtheKarakorumHighway,
thehighestpavedinternationalhighwayintheworldintermsofaltitudewhich
connectsPakistanandCina.NotethattherearenobuslineshereIrecommend
thatyouaskatyourhotelaboutrentingaprivatecaranddriver(cost:about
1,500Yuan)
Day7:ReturntoUrumqithenanightbustoBurjin,acityfoundatthefeetofthe
AltaiMountains,northofUrumqi
Days8and9:BusforHemu,visitthevillage(cowboystyle)andbeautiful
nearbyhillsovernightthere
Days10and11:BusfortheTouristComplexofKanasandavisittothepark
Day12:ReturntoUrumqi.
Recommendedtrekkingandactivities:ExcursiontoLakeTianchi,110Km
fromUrumqivisittheKashgarlivestockmarket(openonlyonSundays)
excursionfromHemutoKanas,intheAltaiMountains.
60

Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Lake Lugu-Emei Shan-Leshan-Chengdu
Movementdifficulty:MediumonceyouarriveinKunming,whereflightsarrive
fromalltehmajorcitiesofChina,theothercitiesarewellconnectedbytrainand
buslines.ConsideringthepopularityofLijiangamongChinesetourists,often
findingtrainticketsinYunnaniscomplicatedandyoullhavetosettleforthebus.
Besttimetotravel:Despitenotbeinganextremelyvastprovince,theclimatein
Yunnanvariesfromsubtropicaleinthesouthtoalpineintheregionof
ShangriLa.Inmyopiniontheresnooneperiodwhenitsbettertovisitthan
anotherwiththeobviousexceptionofnotgoingduringChineseholidayswhen
theProvinceisinvadedbyChinesetourists.ForSichuan,onthesecondpartof
thetrip,thebesttimetovisitiswithoutadoubtthefall.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinKunming,Dali,LijiangandChengdu.
Itinerary:
Day1:ArriveinKunmingandtourthecity
Day2:GetupveryearlytovisittheStoneForestbeforethecrowdsofChinese
touristsbusforDali
Day3:VisittheOldCityofDali
Day4:ExcursiontoMountCang(yougetthereonfootfromtheOldCityofDali),
andbusforLijiang
Day5:VisittheOldCityofLijiangovernightthere
61
Days67:BusforLuguLake,homelandofthealmostmatriarchaltribeofthe
MosuovisitthevariousplacesaroundthelakeovernightintheVillageofLige
Day8:BusfromLugutoXichangnighttrainfromXichangtoEmeiShan
Day9:ClimbEmeiShanwithanovernightinoneofthemanymonasteriesalong
theroute
Day10:ArriveatthetopofEmeiShananddescend(bybus)arriveinLeshan,
bybus
Day11:VisittheGiantBuddhaofLeshanandthesurroundingparkbusfor
Chengdu
thecitycenterofChengdu.

Recommendedtrekking:2dayexcursiontoTigerLeapingGorge.

Itineraries of 18-21 days

Inthissectionwewillillustrateseveralitinerariessuitablefortripsofaboutthreeweeks.
Obviously,youcancreateadifferentitinerarybysimplycombiningitinerariesofoneand
twoweeksfromtheprevioussections.

Beijing-Luoyang-Dengfeng-XiAn-Shanghai-Xiamen-Shenzhen-Hong
Kong-Macau
ItineraryType:Historic/Modern.
Movementdifficulty:Medium,becauseunlessyoutravelwithanorganized
tour,youllhavetogetaroundbytrainand/orbusthroughHenan,ortheProvince
ofLuoyangeDengfeng,whereEnglishisnotwidelyspoken.
62
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,XiAnandShanghai,Xiamen,Shenzhen,
HongKongandMacau.
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
arriveinLuoyang(byairorfasttrain)
Day7:VisitLongmenCaves,BaimaTempleandtheLuoyangMuseum
Day8:ArriveinDengfeng,visitShaolinTempleandMountSongNationalPark
Day9:ReturntoLuoyang,moveontoXiAnbyfasttrainvisittheMuslim
QuarterofXiAn
Day10:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsancientcitywalls
ofXiAn
Day12:ArriveShanghai(bytrain)visittheYuyuanGardens,ShanghaiMuseum,
theBund,andNanjingRoad
Day13:VisittheOrientalPearlTVTowerfinancialdistrictofLujiazui(where
youllfindShanghaismajorskyscrapers)
Day14:VisittheOldFrenchConcessiontrainforXiamen.
Day15:VisitthecitycenterofXiamentrainforShenzhen
63
Day16:ArriveinShenzhenvisittheNanshanDistrict
Day17:VisittheFutianandLuohuDistrictspasstheborderandarriveinHong
Kong
Day18:VisitCentral,CausewayBayandVictoriaPeakinHongKong
Day19:VisitLandauIsland(ortheGiantBuddhaandthevillageofTaiO)
dinneratLanKwaiFong(LKF)
Day20:DaytriptoMacau(youcantaketheferryfromHongKongIsland)
Day21:VisitKowloonpeninsuladontmissthefreeshowASymphonyof
LightsontheAvenueofStars,whichisheldeverydayataroundeightinthe
evening.
The Silk Road: Beijing-XiAn-Dunhuang-Urumqi-Kashgar

Movementdifficulty:Highifyouintendtogetaroundbytrainand/orbus,since
XinjiangisthelargestprovinceinChina.Mediumifyoutakeflightsforthelargest
portions,thoughsomeplacescanonlybereachedbybusorinthecaseof
Karakorum,onlywithaprivatecaranddriver(seedetailsintheitinerary).
mild.Winterisnotrecommendedsincesomepartsoftheitineraryespeciallyin
Xinjiang,cannotbereachedduetothesnow.
luxuryandbudgethotelsinBeijing,XiAn,DunhuangandUrumqieKashgar.
Itinerary:
WallofGubeikou
64
Day4:VisitTianAnMenSquare,theForbiddenCityandCoalHillenighttrain
BeijingXiAn
Day5:VisitthearchaeologicalsiteoftheTerracottaWarriorsandthecitycenter
ofXiAn(theMuslimQuarterandancientcitywalls)
Day7:AirortrainXiAnDunhuang(bytrainittakesabout24hours)
Day8:VisitMogaoCavesandtheDunhuangMuseum
Day9:TrainDunhuangJiayuguan(about6hours)andandvisitthewesternmost
partoftheGreatWallofChina
Day10:TrainJiayuguanUrumqi(about7hours)visittheXinjiangUighur
AutonomousRegionMuseum
Day11:VisitTurpan(orTurfan)andreturntoUrumqi
Day12:TravelbyautofromUrumqitoKorla(about6hours)throughTianshan
mountain
Day13:TravelbyautofromKorlatoKuqa(about3hours)andvisittheruinsof
Subash
Day14:TravelbyautofromKuqatoAksu(about5hours)withastopatthe
CaveoftheThousandBuddhasofKizil
Day15:TravelbyautofromAksutoKashgar(about6hours)
Day16:VisittheMosqueofIdKahandtheOldCityofKashgar
Day17:VisitthetombofAbakhKhojaandthenightmarketofJieFangBei
Road
Day18:VisittheDesertofDaWaKun(withcamelride)bybus
Days19and20:ExcursionKashgarTashkurganalongtheKarakorumHighway,
thehighestpavedinternationalroadintheworldintermsofelevationwhich
connectsPakistanandChina.NotethattherearenobuslinesIrecommendthat
youaskatyourhotelforhelpinarrangingaprivatecaranddriver(cost:about
1,500Yuan)
Day21:ReturntoBeijing(byair).
65
Chinese/English travel phrasebook
Beforebeginning,thebestadvicewecangiveyouforcommunicatinginChinaisto
downloadPleco,afreeChinese/EnglishdictionarythatworkonbothAndroidandiOS
smartphones.Youcanthenwritethewordyouwishtosay(inEnglish)andgetthe
Chinesecharactersandcorrespondingpronunciation.

A brief note about pronunciation

Chineseisatonallanguage.Thisishowtheyareindicatedandhowyoushould
pronouncethevarioustones:

Thefirsttone()ispronouncedasifyouweresingingahighnote.
Thesecondtone()ispronouncedasifyouwereaskingaquestioninEnglish(rising).
Thethirdtone()lowersthenrises(butlessthanthesecondtone).Normallyitsalittle
longerthantheothertones.
Thefourthtone()dropsshortlyasifyousaidNo!inEnglish.

Greetings and useful phrases

English ChineseCharacters Pronunciation(pinyin)
Hello nho
Goodbye zijin
Howareyou? ? nhoma?
Yes shde
No bsh
Thankyou xixi
No,thankyou , byngle,xixi
66
Please bkqi
Excuseme dubuq
Idontunderstand wtngbdng
I,You,Him,Her ,,, w,n,t,t
Asking for help

English Chinesecharacters Pronunciation(pinyin)
Canyouhelpme? ? nkybngwma?
Whereisthehospital? ()? yyunzinli(nr)?
Whereisthepolicestation? ? jngjzinli?
Whereisthebathroom? ? csuzinli?
Notethat(nli)isusedmoreorlesseverywherewhile(nr)istypicalofthe
Northeast(includingBeijing).
Getting directions
Whereisthemetrostation? ? dtizhnzinl?
Whereisthetrainstation? ? huchzhnzinl?
Whereistheentrance? ? rkuzinl?
Whereistheexit? ? chkuzinl?
North,South,East,West ,,, bi,nn,dng,x
Notethat inChinastreetsignsoftenindicatethegeographicalcoordinates.Youcanuse
thisinformationtogetoriented.
In taxi
67
Hellodriver,Iwouldliketogo nhoshfu,wq
totheairport fijchng
tothetrainstation huchzhn
tohotelxxx xxx xxxbngun
Iarrived dole
Notethat manyforeignersthat liveinChinadontknowawordofChinese(especiallyin

Beijing and Shanghai). So if you start a conversation with nho shfu (Hello driver, a
very commonphrase in China),hell believethat you live inChina and speakChinese.
This will reduce the possibility of getting ripped offsince dishonest taxi drivers usually
preyonnewlyarrivedtourists.
At the market
Howmuchisthis? ? zhgedushoqin?
Itstooexpensive! ! tigule!
Canyougivemeadiscount? pinyiydin
Itstoobig tidle
Itstoosmall tixiole
Chinese currency is called Renminbi. But the Chinese, when referring to the price of
somethingalwayssay100 (Yun) or, often, 100(kui), which literallymeans 100
pieces."
Drinks
CanIhaveabottleof... mfangiwypng
...water shu
68
beer pji
red wine hngji
cola kl
Sprite xub
orangejuice chngzh
CanIhaveacupof mfangiwybi
tea ch
coffe kfi
Cold bngde
Hot rde
Whenyouorder somethingtodrinkinChinayouhavetospecifythetemperature(cold
orhotissufficient).Ifyoudontgetreadytodrinkanicewarmbeer.
Food
Thecheck midn
Nospicy byol
Nomeat,Imavegetarian byoru,wchs
() (wbchru)
Totakeaway dbo
CanIhave mfangiw
afork ygechzi
...aknife ygecndo
...aspoon ygeshozi
...acup ygebizi
...fruit shugu
vegetables shci
agreensalad shl
69
...eggs jdn
chicken jru
beef niru
pork zhru
sheepsmeat yngru
fish y
shrimp xi
aplateofrice mfn
aplateofspaghetti mintio
potatoes tdu
tofu dufu
Numbers
0 lng
1 y
2 r
3 sn
4 s
5 w
6 li
7 q
8 b
9 ji
10 sh
11 shy
20 rsh
21 shy
100 ybi
70
1000 yqin
71

TravelToChina SDC

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TravelToChina SDC

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How to get a Chinese visa

Tour operator or independent travel?

Travel insurance, vaccines and medicines

How to reserve and purchase a train ticket in China?

Buying a ticket online

The official site of the Chinese railways

Buying tickets at a ticket counter

Which class to choose for long distance trains

Some final advice

Traveling by bus, subway or taxi

Long distance buses

The subway in China

Which online portals can you use to book a hotel room in

Why shouldnt you use other comparative sites?

Comparison of the three platforms

What type of hotel should I choose?

Where to book your hotel

Which hotel should you choose?

Internet and telephone

Currency, ATMs and credit cards

What should you bring?

When should you visit China?

Common sense and cultural issues

Food and drink

Shopping in the market

Itinerariesfrom68days Itinerariesfrom1215 Itinerariesfrom1821

Beijing BeijingLuoyang BeijingLuoyang

BeijingXiAn BeijingPingyaoDatong TheSilkRoad:Beijing

Tibet:LhasaNamtso BeijingXiAnChengdu Anycombinationofthree

Itineraries from 6-8 days

Beijing Discover the appeal of Imperial China

Beijing-XiAn Discovering ancient China

Tibet: Lhasa-Lake Namtso-Shigatse Visit to the roof of the world

Yunnan: Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangri-La Multi-ethnic China at the foot of

Shanghai-Suzhou-Nanjing-Hangzhou The Cities on the Yellow River Delta

Hong Kong-Macau-Shenzhen Modern and Colonial China

Guangxi: Guilin-Yangshuo-Longsheng The karst hills on the shores of the Li

Sichuan: Chengdu-Emei Shan-Leshan Visit the heart of Sichuan

Sichuan: Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong The most spectacular parks of

Henan: Luoyang-Tempio Shaolin-XiAn Visit the birthplace of Kung Fu

Hunan and Guangxi: Zhangjiajie-Fenghuang-Guilin-Yangshuo

Itineraries from 12-15 days

Beijing-XiAn-Chengdu-Chongqing-Cruise on the Yangtze-Yichang

Tibet: Lhasa-Namtso Lake-Shigatse-Everest Base Camp-Kathmandu

Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Lake Lugu-Emei Shan-Leshan-Chengdu

Itineraries of 18-21 days

The Silk Road: Beijing-XiAn-Dunhuang-Urumqi-Kashgar

A brief note about pronunciation

Greetings and useful phrases

Asking for help

Notethat manyforeignersthat liveinChinadontknowawordofChinese(especiallyin

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