I. Accommodation
It would be a best choice to make reservation of rooms early enough. Foreign
travelers are advised to contact hotels through their receivers, travel agencies
or friends or by faxes to make reservation of rooms and to confirm their special
requirements on accommodation before they come to China.
So far, major hotels in China have been brought in line with international
standards in terms offacilities and services. In particular, most of the
superior hotels are Sino-foreign joint ventures. Foreigners are engaged in
directly managing some hotels. Meanwhile, the hotels have been graded
comprehensively in accordance with the degree of luxuriousness of their
auxiliary facilities and standards of services, with the five-star being the
highest grade.
Hotels in China are classified into the first class (higher class), the
second class (medium class) and the third class (lower class) in line with the
number of stars for their grades. The five-star hotels and most of the four-star
ones are in the first class. The guestrooms in the first class hotels are all
equipped with bathrooms, refrigerators, gradevins, IDD telephone and TV, which
is accessible to programs sent out by all TV stations in China and by CNN and
BBC received through satellite antenna discs as well as offer closed-circuit TV
programs. The temperature in the guestrooms is automatically adjustable by
central air-conditioning facilities. Other auxiliary facilities include business
centers, conference centers, beauty parlors, sauna bathrooms, foreign exchange
counters, bowling centers, disco ballrooms, swimming pools, gymnasiums,
restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and bars which open 24 hours a day.
The second class hotels are generally three-star hotels and part of the
two-star ones, whose guestroom service facilities are slightly inferior to those
of the first class hotels. Tourist groups normally wish to stay in second class
hotels.
The third class hotels look much like Motels in Western countries in terms of
guestroom service facilities. The hardware facilities in such hotels are of
course inferior to those of the second class ones. But they offer prices lower
than those of the second class hotels by half or even more. So, many tourists
wish to stay in such hotels.
Customers do not have to pay tips for staying in hotels in China.
In China, taxi drivers, hotel attendants, guestroom cleaners, hotel porters
and restaurant waiters are not allowed to accept tips. Where anyone seeks tips
from customers, they may refuse or lodge complaints to competent authorities.
II. Tarvelling
The net of developed airlines, railways and highways, links most parts of
China, and travel between cities is usually realized by air, rail or coach, but
for the traffic within cities, several ways are available for choice: bus,
underground, taxi, etc.
III. Shopping
In China, there are three types of shops - State-run shops, Sino-foreign
joint-venture shops and privately-run shops. At shops of the former two types,
the prices marked are the final prices, which are non-negotiable.
At privately-run shops, customers may bargain over the prices. If customers
wish to buy quality products of relatively high value made in China, they had
better go to State-run or joint-venture shops. Although these shops ask for
higher prices, their commodities are normally worth the prices and the quality
of goods is absolutely guaranteed.
Shopping in China, foreigners would normally like to buy such Chinese-made
commodities as cloissone products, jade carvings, carpets, antiques,
calligraphic works and paintings, paper-cuts, kites, snuff bottles and clay
figures.
Where foreigners have bought antiques, they are advised to properly keep
them. When leaving China, they shall be required to present the antiques to
customs authorities for examination and approval.
The international credit cards are acceptable in major hotels, guesthouses,
air companies and superior department stores, including the Master Card, Visa
Card, American Express, JCB and Diners Card, etc.
IV. Medical Care and Health Care
There are many hospitals in all parts of China. Normally, large Chinese
hospitals operate the "Clinic for Foreigners," which are particularly designed
to provide services of medical care and health care for foreigners in China.
Once falling ill, foreigners had better directly go to such hospitals for
treatment as the doctors and nurses with clinics for foreigners can speak
English and foreign patients are expected to receive good treatment there.
tional Business" monthly magazine, the "China Today" bimonthly magazine, the
"China Picture" bimonthly magazine, "Intertrade" and the "International Economic
Cooperation." Bookstores at some large hotels sell newspapers and magazines
published by major press agencies of the world, including the "International
Herald Tribune," the "Asian Wall Street Journal," the "South China Morning
Post," the "Time" magazine, the "Newsweek" magazine, "Der Spiegel" and "Die
Ziet."
In China, all the radio and television stations are operated by the State.
The radio and television stations whose broadcasting covers the wholze of China
are the Central People's Broadcasting Station, China Radio International and the
China Central Television (CCTV) station.
China Radio International broadcasts to the whole world 24 hours a daily in a
total of 43 langu- ages, including 38 foreign languages.
At hotels in all large Chinese cities, viewers can watch television programs
sent out by the CNN, BBC and NHK, etc.
II. Foods
Chinese cuisine is an indispensable part of Chinese culture, unique in style
and famous all over the world. After a long-term practice, four major styles of
cooking-Shandong, Huaiyang, Sichuan and Guangdong have taken shape. In addition,
varieties of local delicacies and snacks also abound. All together there are
more than 10 thousand specialty dishes, of which Beijing roasted duck, Beijing
instant-boiled mutton, Guangdong roasted roaster, Sichuan Zhangcha duck,
Huaiyang three-set duck.
Chinese foods are in four major systems the Sichuan Foods System, the
Guangdong Foods System, the Shandong Foods System and the Huaiyang Foods System.
Each of the four systems comprises dozens of branches, and each of the branches
has thousands of famous foods with different flavors, different workmanship and
different styles. The culture of Chinese foods well enjoys its unique status in
the world by presenting a great variety of nice foods.
There are in all streets throughout China numerous restaurants, big or small,
which offer various foods with different tastes and flavors. In China,
foreigners can have a taste of authentic Chinese foods at any time.
III. Tourism
China is a great and unique country, full of oriental charm. On this land of
9.60 million square kilometers collects beautiful natural landscape, countless
historic relics and colorful culture.
China is one of the earliest developed and civilized countries, having
undergone so far a history of 4000 years. In the long period of history, China
has formed unique culture, life style and customs, leaving countless gems,
Chinese society, therefore, possesses a special charm.
China signed the "Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage" in 1985. At present, China boasts a total number of up to 29
world relics, including 21 world cultural relics, 3 world natural relics and
5world cultural-natural relics. In terms of the number of world relics, China
ranks only after Italy and Spain as the third in the world.
