1. Clothing and Climate

Beijing experiences four seasons. Be prepared with the right seasonal clothing.

2. Culture

Greeting
Unlike the Japanese, Chinese do not commonly bow as a form of greeting. Instead, a brief handshake is usual.

Embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye is highly unusual. Generally, Chinese do not show their emotions and feelings in public. Consequently, it is better not to behave in too carefree a manner in public.

Giving and Accepting Gifts
If you are invited to someone’s home, a gift would be appropriate.

Chinese do not usually accept a gift, invitation or favour when it is first presented. Politely refusing two or three times is thought to reflect modesty and humility. Accepting something in haste makes a person look aggressive and greedy, as does opening it in front of the giver.

Present your gifts with both hands. And when wrapping, be aware that the Chinese ascribe much importance to color. Red is lucky, pink and yellow represent happiness and prosperity; white, grey and black are funeral colors.

The popular items include cigarette lighters, stamps, T-shirt and exotic coins.

The following gifts should be avoided:

1.White or yellow flowers (especially chrysanthemums), which are used for funerals.
2.Pears. The word for Pear in Chinese sounds the same as separate and is considered bad luck.
3.Red ink for writing cards or letters. It symbolizes the end of a relationship.
4.Clocks of any kind. The word clock in Chinese sound like the expression the end of life.

Table Manners:
1. Don't stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon person at the table!

2. Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing anyone. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.

3. Don't tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite.

4. If you are asked out to a restaurant, you will find that restaurant bills are not shared out between the guests but instead your hosts will go to great lengths to claim the honour of paying the whole bill by themselves. As a foreigner, you should make some effort to stake your claim, though it is probable that someone will else grab the bill from you. Attempting to pay a “share” of the bill may cause serious embarrassment.

3. Electricity

The current is 220V on the mainland. Plugs come in a wide range of two or three differently shaped prongs, so a travel conversion plug can be useful.   

4. Health

No vaccinations are required for China, but a hepatitis A jab is recommended. Hepatitis A is a viral infection spread by contaminated food and water, which causes an inflammation of the liver.

5. Language

The official language in China is Putonghua, the common Mandarin language used, though each province and even town or tribe will have its own dialect.

Most civil servants, custom officials, police, hotel staff and men in the street do not speak English or at best a smattering of English.

Do not expect hotels or shops to understand English. Only the very big hotels will have staff that will understand English.

Most young people can understand simple English if you speak slowly.

6. Money

Foreign Exchange

The unit of currency is known as Renmembi (RMB) or Yuan. Get some Chinese Yuan in your local country before travelling. When in China, exchange foreign currency for local currency in the banks or at the hotel. Banks tend to give slightly better rates than hotels. It is advisable to bring in US dollars to change in China.  

Payment facilities

Most better class hotels and shopping centres take Credit Card or Travellers cheques. Smaller hotels and shops take cash only. Once out of the bigger cities, credit card and ATM cards tend to be almost impossible to utilize. Counterfeit notes are common in China. Check carefully before accepting change, especially if it consists mostly 100RMB notes. You can feel a texture difference where counterfeit notes are concerned.

7. Religion

China is a multi-religious country, where Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity is practiced. Freedom of belief is a government policy, and normal religious activities are protected by the constitution.

8. Transportation

Subways

In Beijing,there are three underground trains that operate from 5:30 am till 23:00 pm in the downtown of Beijing called Line One, Line Huan (Round Line) and Line Fuba. You are charged RMB3 (USD$0.26) for the ticket fare.

Train

There are five main railway stations in Beijing, the largest of which is Beijing West Railway Station (West Station). Train tickets can be booked at your hotel or at the Foreigners' Ticket Office in the Beijing Railway Station and the West Station.
Beijing Railway Station inquiry #:65129525
Beijing West Railway Station inquiry #: 62316253

Taxi

Taxis are fairly cheap and reliable, and are the best way to get about. Ensure the driver uses the meter and be prepared for some interesting interpretations of the road rules.

There are different kinds of taxis, One kind costs USD$ 2 for the initial 3 km; USD$ 0.2 per km thereafter. The other costs USD$ 1.3; USD$ 0.15thereafter.

If there is any trouble with you, you can phone Beijing Taxi Supervision Number: 6601.2620.

Buses

In Beijing, there are not only a lot of buses and trolley buses, but also some long-distance buses. All these can take people to everywhere within China.

Generally, the buses work from 5:00 or 5:30 to 22:00 or 24:00. The frequency of departure varies on different routes. Usually, every 5 or 10 minutes, there will be one bus. Also, at night, there are night buses.

9. Entry Visa

China require entry visa from most countries. Apply at the Chinese consulate or through your travel agent before travelling to China. If you intend to travel to Hong Kong or Macau or surrounding countries and come back to China, be sure to obtain a double or multiple entry visa.

Applying for a Chinese visa in Hong Kong

You can apply for a standard one-month tourist visa at any of the numerous travel agencies or direct from the visa office at tge Lower Block, China Resources Building, 26 Harbour Road (trilingual info on 34132300).

For a 60- or 90-day multiple entry visa, issued in two days, visit CTS at 78-83 Connaught Rd or 27-33 Nathan Rd. Note that these visas are valid from the date of issue, not the date of entry.

10. Social Security

China is generally a safe country. However, hang on tight to your wallet especially in crowded, popular tourist sites in tourist cities such as Beijing and Xian.

These tourist cities also has a lot of touts in the streets touting tourist from currency exchange to jewelleries to female companionships. Avoid at all cost!

11. Peak Tourist Seasons

Chinese New Year: Date varies but generally late January or early February.

May Day: First two weeks of May

China National Day: Middle two weeks of October

Avoid travelling during these period. Book rooms and travel modes way early if need to travel.

12. Telecommunications

Mobile phone coverage in China is good in most locations. Global auto-roaming within China is not a problem.

13. Internet

There are cyber-cafes everywhere in China, especially in tourist areas. Most are patronised by young people playing online games but you still can check your Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail. Access may be a bit slow for international websites. These cafes tend to be smoky.

14. Washroom facilities

Things has improved very much but it may still be a good idea to empty your stomach or bladder at every opportunity in a hotel, restaurant or departmental store.

15. Beijing Attractions 

The Great Wall

Great Wall, symbolizing China's ancient civilization, is one of the world's most renowned projects. Starting from Shanghaiguan in the east and ending at Jiayuguan in the west,The Great Wall has an approximate length of 6700 kilometers. The section of the Great Wall at Badaling is 75 Kilometers from Beijing. The earliest part of the Wall was built during the Warring State Period (476 - 211 B.C) and subsequent dynasties continued the project. The Great Wall averages 7.8 meters in height and is 6.5 meters wide at the base and 5.8 meters wide at the top. A watch tower built every hundred meters.

Some travel guide books state where to go to find untouched parts of the Great Wall. However, some Chinese have illegally claimed the land as their own and charge a fee at every turn along the wall, so you might end up paying the same price as or more than the standard tourist sites.

Palace Museum (Forbidden City)

The Palace Museum, formerly known as the Forbidden City, is located at the heart of Beijing.It is the largest and most well preserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. The project spread over 15 years and was not completed until 1420. It used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing, the last two dynasties of China. The one housed the courts of a succession of 24 emperors. The whole palace complex was converted into a museum in 1925.

The palace complex covers 74 hectares,960 meters long and 750 meters wide,having 9,999 buildings(with a floor space of 150000 square meters). It is surrounded by a 3 - kilometer - long wall 10 meters high and protected by a moat 52 meters wide. The Forbidden City has four imposing gates and at each corner is an exquisitely designed watch tower.

The entire architectural layout was designed to bring out the supreme authority of the emperor and the hierarchy of the feudal society. All the principal palaces lie on the axis of the old city of Beijing and group of buildings on both sides were laid out to achieve the symmetrical effect of perfect unity.

Tian'anmen Gate

The symbol of New China, the gate was built in 1417 and was the entrance gate to the Forbidden City in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is one of the largest city squares in the world. Now the square stretches 880 meters from north to south and 500 meters from east to west. It occupies an area of 49 hectares (122 acres), big enough to hold half a million people.It is situated in the heart of Beijing.

It is 33.7 meters high over the moat (Jinshui River, or Gold Water River) to each of the gate ways. There are two pairs of vigorous stone lions and cloud pillars (marble pillars). All of these make Tian'anmen magnificent and beautiful. It is indeed a perfect masterpiece in its architectural design and artistic from.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of the city in Chongwen district.Tian Tan (the Temple of Heaven) covers an area of 273 hectares, or three times that of the Palace Museum. It was built for the emperors in ancient China to worship Heaven.

There are two layers of walls arrounding the Temple, dividing it into two parts: the inner enclosure and the outer enclosure. Of both walls the northern part is semi - circular and the southern part square. The circles is symbolic of the heaven and the square the earth. Even the major buildings in the Temple, seen from above, are also round at the top with square bases underneath. The style derived form the ancient conception that the heaven is round and the earth square.

The main buildings on the north-south axis are The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest with the Pavilion of Double Ring Longevity on the left clustered at the northern end are the Imperial Vaulted Heaven and the Circular Altar at the southern.

Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan)

Yihe Yuan (the Garden of Peaceful Easy Life) on the northwestern outskirts of Beijing was an imperial summer resort of the Qing Dynasty,the construction of which first started in 1750 and was completed in 15 years.

Mainly consists of Longevity Hill (which can be divided into Front Hill and Rear Hill) and Kunming Lake, this present Summer Palace covers a vast area of 294 hectares, three quarters of which are water. With its perfect layout, magnificent buildings and enchanting landscape, the Summer Palace is the most splendid classical garden in China.

The Summer Palace has two entrances, one is the East Palace Gate and the other is North Palace Gate. Most visitors enter the garden from the East Palace Gate.

The Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People flanks the western side of Tian'anmen Square (If you stand with your back to Tian'anmen Gate it is on the right-hand side of the square.). Constructed in 1959, it's over 40 meters high, with a floor space of 171800 square meters, when it is in session. The Great Hall has numerous conference rooms, banquet halls, and reception areas, many of vast size: the major conference hall accommodates 10000 people and the huge banquet hall can seat 5000.

Monument to the People's Heroes

The granite Monument to the People's Heroes,or Renmin Yinxiong Jinian Bei,is just at the center of the Tiananmen Square.The late Chairman Mao Zedong laid the cornerstone (foundation stone) himself on September 30, 1949. Built in 1952, it is the largest monument in China's history. Completed in 1958, more than 10,000 tons of stone were used for the 40 meter high obelisk.The gilded inscription on the north face is in Chairman Mao's calligraphy and reads:" The People's Heroes Are Immortal." The base of the obelisk is decorated with bar-relief carvings depicting major events of the revolution.

Yonghegong

Yonghegong, also known as the Lamasery or palace of Eternal Harmony, lies on the eastern side of Yonghegong Street. It was first constructed in 1649 as the palace of an emperor's son. Later in 1744 it was rebuilt and converted into a temple devoted to the cult of the living Lam. Wanfuge (Ten Thousand Happiness Tower) is the largest building in the temple. Tin the tower there is a noted enormous standing figure of Maitreya in sandalwood, which is 26 meters high (18 meters above ground level). It is the largest preserved lamasery in Beijing.

Ming Tombs

Ming Tombs, a group of mausoleums of thirteen Ming emperors, are located at the southern slopes of the Jundu Mountains on the Northern outskirts of Beijing. The mausoleums have been perfectly preserved, as has the necropolis of each of the many emperors.

The shapes of the buildings of all the tombs are almost the same. It was originally built only as Changling, the tomb of Emperor Zhuli and his empresses. This is the most magnificent of the tombs with a history of more than 500 years. A 7 - kilometer - long passageway, also called the Sacred Way, leads to the tombs. Along the passage way, there are Dahong Men (the Great Red Gate), Stela Pavilion, a group of stone statues, and Dragon and Phoenix Gate. In front of the Great Red Gate, there stands an elegant marble monument. The succeeding twelve emperors had their tombs built around Changling.

Chang Ling has a group of palatial buildings, including tomb gate, Ling's en Men (the Gate of Eminent Favour), Ling'en Dain (the Hall of Eminent Favour), Inner Red Gate, Soul Tower and the Precious Summit. Ling'en Dian, similar to Taihe Dian of the Palace Museum, covers a floor space of nearly 2000 square meters. It is supported by 60 huge columns (32 of them are open), each made of a single Nanmu tree. The four in the center are 1.17 maters in diameter and two persons can hardly embrace them. Smooth and straight, they look most marvelous.

Unlike Changling, Dingling is under ground and about 27 meters deep. Ding Ling is the tomb of Emperor Zhu Yi Jun of the Ming Dynasty. The secrets of the Underground Palace of the tomb were finally revealed in May, 1957, after one year's excavation. The Underground Palace, Neat and dry, is entirely made of solid blocks of marble and granite. It is composed of 5 halls. (the front, the middle, the rear, the east and the west wing halls). In the central hall, there are three carved marble thrones. In the rear hall, there are three coffins, one for the emperor and two his empresses. Some 3000 articles unearthed are now on show.

The Underground Palace has 7 pairs of two - leafed doors made of white marble stone, each pair weighing 9 tons. They are easy to open. and close. When the doors are closed, they are propped up by stone bars inside and cannot be pushed open from outside.

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