From Wikitravel

China (中国 Zhōngguó)[1], formally known as the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) is a vast country in Eastern Asia (about the same size as the United States of America) with the world's largest population.

With coasts on the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, in total it borders 14 nations, it borders Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the South; Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the West; Russia and Mongolia to the North and North Korea to the East. Only Russia has more land borders in Asia.

[edit] Understand

[edit] History

smell my bum

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences. Paper, gunpowder, the compass and printing (both block and movable type) for example, are Chinese inventions. Chinese developments in astronomy, medicine, and other fields were extensive. The Mawangdui Tomb unearthed in Changsha contained a heliocentric model of the solar system. It is from the Western Han Dynasty, about 1,700 years before Copernicus. In mathematics, "Pythagoras' theorem" and "Pascal's triangle" were known in China centuries before their Western discoverers even lived.

China was also the first civilisation to implement meritocracy of any form. This meant that unlike in other ancient cultures, official posts were not hereditary but instead had to be earned through a series of examinations, which were first conducted during the Han Dynasty, and further refined into the Imperial Examination System and opened to all regardless of family background during the Tang Dynasty.

The vast historical influence of China is also evident in the traditional cultures of some of its neighbours, most notably Vietnam, Korea and Japan, with them even adopting the Chinese writing system at some point, some of which is still in use in the latter two today.

China also explored the world and traded extensively with other nations. By the 5th-6th centuries AD, voyages to India and the Arab countries were routine. In the 15th century the Ming Dynasty fleets under Admiral Zheng He reached as far as East Africa. The ships were technically very advanced, much larger than European ships of the day and with a system of watertight compartments that Europe was not to match for several centuries.

However, China has always been inward-looking. China is the "middle kingdom"; all others are "outside land people". The Emperor did not receive ambassadors, only tribute bearers. Around 1425, China turned inward with a vengeance. Records of the great trading voyages were destroyed and the ships allowed to rot.

When Western traders arrived in the 16th century, China was initially hostile to them. The first Western base was Portugal's colony Macau, near Guangzhou (Canton).

The Emperor imposed various restrictions on trade, allowing Westerns to trade only at Canton (Guangzhou), only with payment in silver, and only with a government-approved monopoly of traders called the Cohong. Export of items that would break Chinese monopolies, such as tea seeds or silk worms, was strictly forbidden. Traders eventually smuggled both out, creating two of India's greatest industries. Western traders resented these restrictions and struggled to interest the Chinese in Western goods, without notable success.

By the 19th century, various Western powers had taken various pieces of China and trade was well established. The relationship, however, was fraught with difficulties. Westerners tended to see China as corrupt and decadent. Chinese often viewed the West as greedy and contemptible.

The great issue, however, was opium. For the West, the profitable commodities were "pigs and poison", indentured laborers and opium. Britain's balance of trade — paying for tea and silk in silver and being quite unable to interest Chinese in most British products — would have been disastrous without opium. However, by growing opium in India and exporting vast amounts to China, they were able to have a nice trade surplus. Some Chinese colluded in this, and made fortunes from it, but every Chinese government from the Qing to the present day has been unalterably opposed to the trade.

Several wars were fought in China in that century.

• Two Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) pitted China against Western powers. China quickly lost both wars. After the first one, Britain got Hong Kong island, and five "treaty ports" (Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Shanghai and Ningbo) were opened to Western trade. After the second, Britain got Kowloon, and inland cities such as Nanjing and Wuhan were opened to trade.

• There were several Muslim rebellions in Western China. The suppression of these rebellions brought what is now Xinjiang firmly under central rule.

• The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) was led by a madman claiming to be Christ's younger brother. It was largely a peasant revolt; its program included land reform and eliminating slavery, concubinage, arranged marriage, opium, footbinding, judicial torture, and idolatry. The Qing government, with some Western help, eventually defeated them, but not before the Taiping had ruled much of China for over ten years. This was one of the bloodiest wars ever fought; only World War II killed more people.

• In 1895, China lost the Sino-Japanese war and ceded Taiwan to Japan. In addition, it had to relinquish control of Korea, which had been a tributary state of China for a long time.

Many Chinese resented various things in this period — notably missionaries, opium, grabbing Chinese land, and the extraterritoriality provisions in the "unequal treaties" that made many foreigners immune to Chinese law. To the West trade and missionaries were good things, and extraterritoriality was prudent in view of the corrupt and brutal laws in place.

The 20th century brought revolution. The empire was overthrown in 1911 and Sun Yat Sen, a doctor, nationalist, socialist and democrat, became president. He stepped down shortly thereafter allowing the former Qing general Yuan Shikai to become president. After an abortive attempt at declaring himself emperor, Yuan died in 1916. Central rule then collapsed as China broke into different semi-autonomous warlord regions. In 1926-28 a united front between the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and Communists united much of China proper under Kuomintang rule after the "Northern Expedition." During the Northern Expedition, the Kuomintang turned on the Communists in 1927 killing thousands and driving the movement underground. During this time, Mao Zedong set up a base area in the mountains of Jiangxi Province called the Jiangxi Soviet.

In the 1930s the Kuomintang launched a series of encirclement and extermination campaigns designed to crush the Communists. Pressure on the Jiangxi Soviet forced the Communists and their Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army to break out and flee west in 1934. The Long March led the Red Army from Jiangxi across southern and western China before ending in 1935 in Yan'an in Shaanxi Province.

Meanwhile, after the 1895 war Japan continued its imperial expansion in East Asia, invaded Manchuria in 1931 and conquered much of eastern China by the late 30s. Japanese behaviour was often brutal; Chinese resistance was spirited. The Japanese generals thought they could take all of China in three months; instead it took them three months just to drive the Chinese army out of Shanghai. Throughout the war, roughly half the Japanese army was tied up in China.

China had other problems as well, such as civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, civil unrest and major famines. In 1937, the Kuomintang and Communists signed a tenuous agreement to form a united front against Japan. However the agreement largely broke down by 1940-41 and the Communists under Mao Zedong and the Kuomintang under Chiang Kai Shek openly fought each other. Throughout the period from 1911 to 1949 various warlords fought challenges to their local power from any outsider, regardless of nationality or ideology.

After World War II, outright civil war resumed. In 1949, the Communists won, causing the Kuomintang to grab the national gold reserves and imperial treasure, and then flee to Taiwan where it set it up shop and promised to recapture the Mainland.

The Communist government imposed strict controls over everyday life; the Party ran everything. They tried various social experiments, such as the Great Leap Forward, intended to industrialize China quickly, and the Cultural Revolution, aimed at changing everything by discipline and attention to Mao Zedong Thought. These upheavals had disastrous costs and crippled China's economy more than anything else. However, the Cultural Revolution initially did purge many communist leaders who were becoming corrupt and had significant personal powers. The results of the Cultural Revolution are still debated. Some argue that the pace of China's economic boom and modernization would not have been as rapid without the Revolution. The cultural and historical damage from the Cultural Revolution was undoubtedly significant and can still be seen today; many traditional Chinese customs, such as the celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival(中元节), are still thriving in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and overseas Chinese communities such as those in Singapore and Malaysia, but have largely disappeared in mainland China.

Mao Zedong died in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping came to power shortly after. After 1978, Deng gradually introduced market-oriented reforms and decentralized economic decision making. Economic output quadrupled by 2000 and is still rising at 9% a year or so, but there are still problems — serious inflation in the 80s, pollution, rural poverty, and corruption. Political controls remain tight even though economic policy continues to be relaxed, enough for China to secure admission to the World Trade Organization. October 2007 saw the official guarantees on private property, a clear step away from hardcore communism and in 2003, the Party changed its statutes to accept a new category of members: "good capitalist communists."

The current president, Hu Jintao, has proclaimed a policy for a "Harmonious Society" which promises to restore balanced economic growth and to channel investment and prosperity into China's hinterlands, which have been largely left behind in the economic boom since 1978. This policy involves additional tax breaks for farmers, a rural medical insurance scheme, reduction/elimination of school tuition fees and infrastructure development to encourage investment in underdeveloped areas, e.g. the Beijing/Lhasa railway - a dream first put down on paper by Sun Yat Sen in the early 1900s.

[edit] Dynasties and capitals

Many cites have been capitals of China, or of various smaller states in periods when China was split up. Beijing and Nanjing mean Northern capital and Southern capital respectively; each has been the capital several times.

• Legend has it that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (三皇五帝), who were mythical God-like kings, ruled China from about 2852 BC to 2205 BC.
• The Xia dynasty (夏朝) seem to have have ruled the Yellow River valley area from about 2100 BC to 1600 BC, though some experts consider this more legend than history. However, archaelogy has shown that at the very least, a primitive form of Chinese civilisation had already developed by that period.
• The first historically confirmed dynasty, the Shang (商朝) (1700 BC to 1027 BC) ruled only the Yellow River valley and had their capital near Anyang in Henan.
• The Zhou Dynasty (周朝), 1027-221 BC, had their first capital at Hao near modern Xi'an. After a military defeat in 771 BC, they continued as the Eastern Zhou with capital Luoyang. The Zhou is the longest dynasty in Chinese history, lasting about 800 years. However, the Eastern Zhou was a period of political turmoil with various feudal lords vying for power, culminating in the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时代), during which prominent Chinese philosophers like Confucius and Laozi lived, but later stabilised into 7 large states during the Warring States period (战国时代).
• The Qin Dynasty (秦朝), 221-206 BC defeated the Zhou and the six other feudal states, and were the first to unite an area anything like all of China. They were also the first introduce a centralised system of government to China. Their capital was at Xianyang, near modern Xi'an. Our word "China", and the word "Chin" in languages of India, probably comes from their name.
• The Han Dynasty (汉朝), 206 BC to 220 AD, had its capitals at Chang'an (near modern Xi'an) (Western Han) and Luoyang (Eastern Han). This was the period of the first Silk Road trade. Chinese still use Han as the name of their largest ethnic group and Chinese character are still called "han zi" (汉字) in Chinese. The Han is considered by most Chinese to be the first high point in Chinese civilisation.
• The fall of the Han Dynasty saw China split into the three states of Wei (魏), Shu (蜀) and Wu (吴), known collectively as the Three Kingdoms (三国). Despite lasting for only about 60 years, it is a greatly romanticised period of Chinese history. The capitals of the three states were at Luoyang, Chengdu and Nanjing respectively.
• The Jin Dynasty (晋朝), briefly re-unified China from 280-317. Though they continued to exist until 420, they only controlled a small area for most of the period. During the unified period, the capital was at Luoyang and later Chang'an.
• Then for a few hundred years, 317-581, China was divided. Capitals of various important states included Luoyang, Nanjing and Suzhou.
• The short-lived Sui Dynasty (隋朝), 581-618, eventually managed to re-unify China. It had its capital at Chang'an.
• The Tang Dynasty (唐朝), 618-907, had its capitals at Chang'an and Luoyang. This was the golden age of Chinese poetry, and also saw the development of the imperial examination system, which attempted to select officials by their ability rather than family backgrounds. The Tang is considered by most Chinese to be the second high point in Chinese civilisation, and Chinatowns overseas are often known as "Street of the Tang People" (唐人街) in Chinese.
• China was then divided once again for about 50 years, during which it was under then control of several small short-lived states. The capitals of the various states include Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Yangzhou, Changsha and many others.
• The Song dynasty (宋朝), 960-1279, had its capital at Kaifeng until the Jurchens took that. They moved the capital to Nanjing and later to Hangzhou. Eventually, the Mongols defeated the Jurchens and proceeded to conquer the Song empire. Marco Polo, who was in Hangzhou a few years after the Mongol conquest, describes it as one of the richest and most beautiful cities on Earth.
• The Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (元朝), 1279-1368, used the area that is now Beijing as their capital. Polo mentions it under the name Canbulac, the Khan's camp.
• The Ming dynasty (明朝), 1368-1644, initially had Nanjing as their capital then moved the capital to Beijing. They built most of the famous buildings in Beijing — Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and so on. Several of the most famous Chinese novels, such as "Journey to The West", "Water Margin" and "Romance of The Three Kingdoms" were written during this period.
• The Qing (Manchu) dynasty (清朝), 1644-1911, used Beijing as the capital of China but they had their own Manchu capital at Shenyang.
• The Republic of China (中华民国), who ruled China 1911-1949, moved the capital back to Nanjing. Today they control only Taiwan, and Taipei is their "temporary capital". During the Second World War, Chongqing was also a temporary capital.
• Beijing has been the capital of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国) since the Communist victory in the civil war, 1949.

[edit] People

China is a very diverse place with large variations in culture, language, customs, and economic levels. The economic landscape is particularly diverse. The major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai are rich and modern. However, more than half the population, some 800 million rural residents, still live as peasants, farming with manual labour or draft animals. Many of these men and women live in severe poverty. A Chinese government estimate as of 2005 had 90 million living on under ¥924 (US$112) a year; 26 million were under the official poverty line, ¥668 (US$81) a year.

The cultural landscape is unsurprisingly very diverse, given the sheer size of the country, and there are a total of 56 different ethnic groups recognised by the PRC government, and perhaps many more unrecognised ones. Of these, the Han Chinese are by far the largest group, comprising about 91.5% of the population, though within this single Han Chinese race, there is a very diverse linguistic variation comparable to the Romance languages of Europe and many mutually unintelligible "dialects" of Chinese are spoken between them. After the Han Chinese, the Zhuang, Manchus, Hui and Miao round out the top 5. Other notable ethnic minorities include the Koreans, Tibetans, Mongols and Uyghurs. In fact, China is home to the largest Korean population outside Korea and there are actually twice as many ethnic Mongols in China than in Mongolia.

Some foreigners who are not familiar with Chinese customs and habits may find certain Chinese manners to be unrefined, coarse or inappropriate. However, these behaviors are usually benign in nature. The lesson is this: keep an open mind; if you do this, you'll find that people tend to be warm and friendly.

Behaviors that may be initially jarring include:

• Spitting: in the street, shops, supermarkets, hotel lobbies, hallways, or even in restaurants and hospitals. Traditional Chinese medical thought believes that it is unhealthy to swallow phlegm.
• Caucasians will find that catcalls of "hello" or "laowai" are common: lǎowài (老外) literally means "old (and thus respected) outsider", a colloquial term for "foreigner"; the more formal term is wàiguórén (外国人). Calls of "laowai" are ubiquitous outside of the big cities (and even there, occasionally); these calls will come from just about anyone, of any age, and can occur many times in any given day.
• Staring: common through most of the country. The staring usually originates out of sheer curiosity, almost never out of hostility. In certain situations (e.g., on the train), the person may be hoping you'll acknowledge them and start a chat. Of course this is difficult for those who don't speak Chinese.
• Loud conversations, discussions or public arguments: These are very common and sometimes take place at inappropriate times and/or at inappropriate places. Full-blown fights involving physical violence are less common but do occur. If you witness such an event, leave the vicinity, do not get involved or look for help.
• Pushing, shoving and/or jumping queues: this often occurs anywhere where there are queues, particularly at train stations.
• General disregard of local and/or national laws especially "No Smoking" signs.

Some long-time residents say it's getting worse, others say the opposite. The cause is new migrants from the countryside who are unused to city life. Some department stores put attendants at the foot of each escalator to keep folks from stopping to have a look-see as soon as they alight - when the escalator behind them is fully packed. In the same department store, others gape at that row of magic steel doors that open and close - and every time they open, it's never the same people.

On the whole, however, this is a people who love a good laugh and because there are so many ethnic groups, they are used to different ways of doing things. They are often very used to sign language and quick to see a non-verbal joke wherever they can spot one. (A laugh doesn't necessarily mean scorn, just amusement.) If you have children, bring them!

[edit] Climate

The climate is also extremely diverse, from tropical in the South to subarctic in the North. Hainan Island is roughly at the latitude of Jamaica heart the animaasl while Harbin, one of the largest cites in the North, is at the latitude of Montreal.

There is also a wide range of terrain with mostly mountains, high plateaus, and deserts in west; while plains, deltas, and hills can be found in the east. On the border between Tibet and Nepal lies Mount Everest, at 8,850 m, being the highest point on earth. While the Turpan depression, in northwest China has the lowest point of the country, at 154 m below sea level. This is also the second lowest point on land in the world, after the Dead Sea in Israel.

[edit] Holidays

China is a huge country with endless travel opportunities. However, during holidays, millions of migrant workers return home and millions of other Chinese travel, so travelers may want to think seriously about rescheduling. At the very least, travel should be planned well in advance. Every mode of transportation is crowded and tickets of any kind are hard to come by, so it may be necessary to book well in advance (especially for those traveling from remote western China to the east coast or in the opposite direction). Train and other tickets are usually quite easy to buy in China, but difficulties arising from crowded conditions at these times cannot be overstated. Some travelers who have been stranded at these times, unable to buy tickets have managed to get airplane tickets, which tend to sell out more slowly.

Around the Chinese New Year, many stores and other businesses will close for several days, a week, or even longer.

Chinese New Year Dates 2008 - 7 February 2009 - 26 January 2010 - 14 February

China has three major annual holidays:

• National Day - October 1
• Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (春节 chūnjié) - late January / mid-February
• Labour Day (May Day) - May 1

These aren't one-day holidays. Workers get at least a week or two off for Chinese New Year; students get 4-6 weeks. Both groups get about a week for National Day and Labour Day.

Also, during early July millions of university students go home and in late August they return to school, jamming transportation options, especially between the east coast and the western provinces of Sichuan, Tibet, and Xinjiang.

Spring Festival is especially busy. Not only is it the longest holiday, it is also a traditional time to visit family, much as Christmas is in the West. More or less all the university students (20-odd million of them!) go home, and more or less all the migrant workers who have left their farms and villages for better pay in the cities go home. This is often the only chance they have. Everyone wants to go home, and China has a lot of "everyone"!

A complete list of Chinese festivals would be very long, since many areas or ethnic groups have their own local ones and even among the Han Chinese, the festivals celebrated vary from region to region. See listings for individual towns for details. Here is a list of some of the nationally important ones not mentioned above:

• Lantern Festival - 15th day of the 1st lunar month, just after Chinese New Year, usually in February or March. In some cities, such as Quanzhou, this is a big festival with elaborate lanterns all over town.

• Qingming Festival - about April 4-6, is called "grave sweeping day" in English. Cemeteries are crowded with people who go to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to the cemeteries becomes heavy.

• Dragon Boat Festival - 5th day of the 5th lunar month, usually in June. Boat races are a traditional part of it.

• Double Seventh Festival - 7th day of the 7th lunar month, usually August, is a festival of romance, sort of a Chinese Valentine's Day.

• Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival - 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in October. People meet outside, putting food on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about life.

• Double Ninth Festival or Chongyang Festival - 9th day of the 9th lunar month, usually in October.

• Winter Solstice Festival - December 22 or 23.

[edit] Books

Non-guidebooks, either about China, or by Chinese writers.

Travel:

• Travels In China...a backpackers story by Claire Payne (ISBN 9780955976803) A modern travelogue on one person's visit to China which was published through lulu.com

• The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo - the Venetian traveller's stories in the Middle Kingdom (see also: On the trail of Marco Polo)
• Dialogues Tibetan Dialogues Han by Hannü (ISBN 9789889799939) - Tibet through the Tibetans with a Han traveller

Literature:

• Winter Stars by Beatrice Lao (ISBN 988979991X) - a collection of poems born between the Alps and the Tyrrhenian

History:

• The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (ISBN 0140277447) - the forgotten Holocaust in WWII

• Wild Swans by Jung Chang (ISBN 0007176155) - a biography of three generations, from the warlord days to the end of Mao's era, illustrating life under China's version of nationalism and communism (banned in China)

• The Good Man of Nanking: The Diaries of John Rabe / The Good Man of Nanking by John Rabe - firsthand description of the sadistic rapes, torture and slaughter perpetrated by Japanese soldiers in WWII and Rabe's ultimate success in saving perhaps a quarter of a million lives

• The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence - Chinese history since 1644

• The Sextants of Beijing by Joanna Waley-Cohen - a book that summarizes recent thinking on how China was much more open and less xenophobic than often assumed

• 1421, The Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies (ISBN 0553815229) - well known but well contested account of China's alleged efforts to explore and map the entire world

• 1587, A Year of No Significance by Ray Huang - describes an uneventful year in the history of Ming Dynasty China

• Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now by Jan Wong, a reporter for the Globe and Mail of Toronto, Canada. The book describes her experiences as one of the first foreign exchange students to study in China after the Cultural Revolution and her life and experiences as a reporter in China until the mid 1990s.

[edit] Cinema

• The Children of Huangshi
• Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon
• Bernardo Bertolucci - The Last Emperor (1987)
• Zhang Yang - Shower (1999)
• Chen Kaige - Farewell My Concubine (1993)
• Feng Xiao Gang - Sorry Baby (1999)
• Zhang Yimou - Red Lantern (1991)
• Zhang Yimou - Keep cool (1997)
• Zhang Yimou - Not one less (1999)
• Zhang Yimou - Riding Alone for Thousands
• Gianni Amelio - La stella che non c’è (Ita; 2006)
• Zhang Yuan - Little Red Flowers (2006)
• Xiaoshuai Wang – Beijing bicycle (2001)

[edit] Regions

North-east (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang) Dongbei, the "rust belt"

North (Shandong, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin) The Yellow River Basin area, historical heartland of Chin

North-west (Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang) Grasslands and deserts, nomadic people, Islam

South-west (Tibet, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou) The exotic part, home to most of the Chinese minorities, with spectacular scenery

Southern-central (Anhui, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi) Farming areas

South-east (Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian) The traditional trading center

East (Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang) The new economic center

[edit] Cities

China has many large and famous cities. Below is a list of the nine most important to travellers. Other cities are listed under their specific regional section. See the Dynasties and capitals section further down the page for a list of China's many previous capitals.

• Beijing (北京) - capital city, cultural center, and host of the 2008 Olympics
• Guangzhou (广州) - one of China's most prosperous and liberal cities
• Guilin (桂林) - popular destination for both Chinese and foreign tourists, sensational mountain/river scenery
• Hangzhou (杭州) - famously beautiful city, major center for the silk industry
• Kunming (昆明) - capital of Yunnan, gateway to the villages of the ethnic minorities
• Nanjing (南京) - a renowned historical and cultural city with many historic relics
• Shanghai (上海) - famous for its riverside scenery, China's largest city is a major commercial center with many shopping opportunities
• Suzhou (苏州) - "Venice of the East", old city, famous for canals and gardens
• Xi'an (西安) - terminus of the ancient Silk Road, captital of China during the Western Han and Tang Dynasties, and home of the terracotta warriors

You can travel to many of these cities using the lovely new fast trains. In particular, the Hangzhou - Shanghai - Suzhou - Nanjing line is a convenient way to see some historic areas.

[edit] Other destinations

Some of the most famous tourist attractions in China are:

• Great Wall of China (万里长城)
• Tibet (西藏)
• Silk Road (丝绸之路)
• Hainan island, tropical paradise (海南)

China has dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

[edit] Sacred sites

For sacred mountains, see the next section.

Several sites in China have famous Buddhist art:

• Yungang Grottoes (near Datong) in Shanxi Province - more than 51,000 Buddhist carvings, dating back 1,500 years, in the recesses and caves of the Yangang Valley mountainsides
• Mogao Caves (near Dunhuang) in Gansu province - art and manuscripts dating back to the 4th century
• Dazu Rock Carvings near Chongqing, dating from the 7-13th century
• Longmen Grottoes - near Luoyang, 5-10th century

[edit] Mountains

China (including Tibet) is home to many sacred mountains.

The Five Great Mountains (五岳 wǔyuè), associated with Taoism:

• Mount Tai (泰山), Shandong Province (1,545 meters)
• Mount Hua (华山), Shaanxi Province (1,997 meters)
• Mount Heng (Hunan) (衡山), Hunan Province (1,290 meters)
• Mount Heng (Shanxi) (恒山), Shanxi Province (2,017 meters)
• Mount Song (嵩山）, Henan Province, where the famous Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is located (1,494 meters)

The Four Sacred Mountains (四大佛教名山 sìdà fójiào míngshān), associated with Buddhism:

• Mount Emei (峨嵋山), Sichuan Province (3,099 meters)
• Mount Jiuhua (九华山), Anhui Province (1,342 meters)
• Mount Putuo (普陀山), Zhejiang Province (297 meters, an island)
• Mount Wutai (五台山), Shanxi Province (3,058 meters)

The three main sacred mountains of Tibetan Buddhism:

• Mount Kailash, Tibet (5,656 meters), known as Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan, is also one of the holiest mountains in Hinduism and is visited by many Hindu pilgrims
• Kawa Karpo
• Amnye Machen

There are also several other well-known mountains. In China, many mountains have temples, even if they are not especially sacred sites:

• Mount Qingcheng (青城山), Sichuan Province
• Mount Longhu (龙虎山), Jiangxi Province
• Mount Lao (崂山), Shandong Province
• Mount Wuyi (武夷山), Fujian Province, a major tourist/scenic site with many tea plantations
• Mount Everest, on the Tibet/Nepal border, world's highest mountain
• Mount Huang (黄山) (Yellow Mountain), in Anhui province, with scenery and temples
• Mount Wudang (武当山), near Danjiangkou in Hubei, famous for kung fu
• Changbaishan/Paektusan (Chinese:长白山 Korean:백두산), the most sacred mountain in the world to ethnic Manchus and Koreans, located on the border with North Korea.

[edit] Itineraries

Some itineraries cover trips that are entirely within China:

• A week near Hong Kong
• Along the Yangtze river
• Along the Yellow river
• Along the Grand Canal
• Overland Kunming to Hong Kong
• Yunnan tourist trail
• Overland to Tibet
• Long March

Others are partly in China:

• Europe to South Asia over land
• Overland from Singapore to Shanghai
• Silk Road - ancient caravan route from China to Europe
• Karakoram Highway - Western China to Pakistan through the Himalayas
• On the trail of Marco Polo

[edit] Get in

[edit] Visas

Most travellers will need a visa. In most cases, this should be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate before departure. Hong Kong and Macau each issue their own visas; see those guides for more information.

The major exception to this rule is transit through certain airports. Most airports allow a 12-hour stay without a visa so long as you do not leave the airport, but Shanghai Pu Dong International permits a forty-eight hour stay without a visa.

As of April 2008 foreign nationals applying for tourist visas in Hong Kong who plan on staying with Chinese residents must present a letter from their host explaining the relationship and reason for stay, along with a copy of the host's identification.

As of 2005, nationals of Singapore, Brunei and Japan do not need a visa to visit China for a stay of up to 15 days, regardless reason of visit. From July 1, 2008, Singaporean passport holders will need to apply for a visa in advance.

To visit mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau residents of Chinese origin need to apply at the China Travel Service to obtain a Home Travel Permit, a passport sized ID card allowing multiple entries for 10 years.

Citizens of Taiwan (Republic of China) may obtain visa (valid for 3 months) at airports in Dalian, Fuhzou, Haikou, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Wuhan and Xiamen, visitors must hold Republic of China passport, Taiwanese Identify Card and Taiwan Compatriot Pass (Tai Bao Zheng; may obtain for single use at airports in Fuhzou, Haikou, Qingdao, Sanya, Wuhan and Xiamen). Fee is CNY 100 (plus CNY 50 for issuing Taiwan Compatriot Pass for single use). Travelers should check reliable information before traveling.

Visa overview G visa - transit L visa - tourism F visa - business trips, internships, short study Z visa - working X visa - study more than 6 months

Getting a tourist visa is fairly easy for most passports as you don't need an invitation, which you do for business or working visas. The usual tourist single-entry visa is valid for thirty days, though up to ninety days is possible too, at least for citizens of some countries. A tourist visa must be used within six months after it was issued, until recently it was within three months.

Some travelers will need a dual entry or multiple entry visa. For example, if you enter China on a single entry visa, then go to Hong Kong or Macau, you need a new visa/multiple entry visa to re-enter mainland China. However, from April 2008, it is increasingly difficult for most nationalities to get a multi-entry tourist visa.

Holders of most passports can get Chinese visas in Hong Kong or Macau. However, from April 2008 unless the foreign passport holders are Hong Kong residents they must use an agency in order to obtain the visa. China Travel Services handles visa processing. Currently they offer next day and 3 day services. Many hotels and some other travel agencies provide this service as well. It is unclear whether visas can still be obtained from the China Travel Service desk at Hong Kong Airport; in anycase it will take at least 24 hours to get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong now. [2]

Obtaining a visa on arrival is possible usually only for the Shenzhen or Zhuhai Special Economic Zones, and such visas are limited to those areas. These visas are also from May 2008 only possible for foreign passport holders who are also Hong Kong identity card holders. When crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen at Lo Wu KCR station, a five day Shenzhen-only visa can be obtained during extended office hours on the spot for HK$150 (Oct 2007 price) for passport holders of many nationalities, for example Irish. Americans are not eligible, while British nationals have to pay HK$450.

However there may be restrictions on visas for political reasons and these vary over time. For example:

• As of April 2008, visas issued in Hong Kong are generally limited to 30 days, same day service is difficult to get or no longer available reportedly because of the Olympics. Multiple-entry visas have also become much harder or impossible to get.

• As of mid 2004, Nigerians could not get visas in Hong Kong, presumably because the Chinese Government was upset that Nigeria extended diplomatic recognition to Taiwan.

• As of November or December, Americans can now get one-year visas whether the visas are done in the US or Hong Kong/Macau. There are some stories about people who have gotten only one or two entry visas for China when receiving them in the US. The way to absolutely ensure you will receive a one-year visa is to make sure your trip to China is seven days as indicated on the visa paperwork. A consular official in Macau told me when I applied for mine that anything less than seven days defaults to a one or two entry visa. You can put any date range, they do not check. There is an option to check off a one-year visa. CHECK IT! It's the same price as a one-entry or two-entry, even if you do not plan another trip.

• As of mid-2006, South Africans were having trouble with visas.

• Indian nationals are limited to 10 or 15 day tourist visas, and have to show US$100 per day of visa validity in the form of traveler's checks (US$1000 and US$1500, respectively), likely owing to the contested border and migration fears.

It used to be common for people entering China to work to arrive on a tourist (L) visa and then have the employer obtain a working {Z} visa for them. Now the employer typically obtains a Residence Permit for them instead. This is effectively a multiple-entry visa; you can leave China and return using it. Some local visa offices will refuse to issue a residence permit if you entered China on a tourist (L) visa. In those cases, you have to enter on a Z visa and getting that requires an invitation letter from the employer, and perhaps a trip to Hong Kong or Korea. In other cases converting an L visa to residence permit is OK; it depends which office you are dealing with and perhaps on your employer's connections.

If you are not staying in a hotel you are required to register your abode with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. The police will ask for (1) a copy of the photograph page of your passport, (2) a copy of your visa, (3) a copy of your immigration entry stamp, (4) a photograph, (5) a copy of the tenancy agreement or other document concerning the place you are staying in. That agreement might not be in your name but it will still be asked for. It might be a good idea to bring extra passport-sized photographs with you because it is possibly easier to get them in your own country than after arrival in China.

[edit] By plane

See also: Discount airlines in Asia

While several major airlines fly to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, budget seats can prove hard to come by. For good offers, book as early as you can.

Particularly busy periods are usually when Chinese students are flying home for summer, flying back to universities around the world after summer or around Chinese New Year (early February). Tickets at these times are often hard to get and/or more expensive.

If you live somewhere like Toronto or San Francisco with a large overseas Chinese community, check for cheap flights with someone in that community. Sometimes flights advertised only in the Chinese newspapers cost significantly less.

Tiger Airways, Bangkok Airways. Air Asia and Cebu Pacific offer low-priced flights from Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila) to various destinations in southern China, including Xiamen, Jinghong, Guangzhou, Haikou and Macau.

Many fliers prefer Asian airlines, which generally have more cabin staff and better service. Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific is an obvious possibility for flights to China. Others include Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Indonesia's Garuda.

Korean Air often have good prices on flights from various places in Asia, such as Bangkok via Seoul to North America. One person on a mailing list reported that taking a train to Southern China, cheap Macau-Bangkok flight, then Korean Air Bangkok-Seoul-LA was US$200 cheaper than flying direct Shanghai-LA. Korean Air also fly to a dozen or so Chinese cities, including Shanghai, but we do not know if the big discounts are available there.

China's own airlines are growing rapidly (500 planes in 2000, 863 as of May 2006; they say 1580 by 2010 and 3200 by 2024) and working hard at becoming highly competitive in both service and pricing. They include China Southern, China Eastern, and Air China.

North American airlines: Northwest serves Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou through its hub at Narita. United has the most nonstops to North America, serving Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai from Chicago, San Francisco and Washington. Continental Airlines flies to Hong Kong and Beijing from Newark, and American flies to Shanghai from Chicago. Delta Airlines offers non-stop service from Atlanta to Shanghai. Air Canada serves Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Toronto and Vancouver.

Flying from Australia, Qantas offer direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to Hong Kong. [Qantas] also flies to Beijing and Shanghai from Sydney and only offers a code-share service to Shanghai from Melbourne.

Flying from New Zealand, Air New Zealand is the only direct option to Mainland China. They offer direct flights to Shanghai in the Mainland and Hong Kong.

From Southeat Asia, Singapore has arguably the best connections due to its large ethnic Chinese population, with flights to all the major cities as well as some regional hubs such as Xiamen and Shenzhen. Besides Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok also offer good connections.

European airlines: Most of the major European airlines — from Air France and British Airways to Finnair — have direct flights from their bases to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, and several fly to Guangzhou as well. A few have links to other Chinese cities, for example KLM fly direct Amsterdam-Chengdu and Lufthansa fly Frankfurt-Nanjing.

If you are coming into Hong Kong or Macau and then flying on to somewhere in mainland China, consider crossing the border to Shenzhen or Zhuhai and picking up a flight there. These are usually significantly cheaper, as flights between the mainland and Hong Kong or Macau are treated as international flights.

Regular direct flights between Taiwan and mainland China, which have not taken place since 1949, have finally commenced on 4 July 2008, though they still have to pass through Hong Kong or Macau airspace. This involves the airports of Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Xiamen on the mainland side as well as Taipei-Taoyuan, Taipei-Songshan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Hualien, Taitung, Makung and Kinmen on the Taiwanese side. Airlines authorised to operate the routes include China's three main carriers as well as Taiwan-based China Airlines and EVA Air. The flights would be open to all personnel holding valid travel documents and visas.

[edit] By train

China can be reached by train from many of its neighbouring countries and even all the way from Europe.

• Russia & Europe - two lines of the Trans-Siberian Railway (Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian) run between Moscow and Beijing, stopping in various other Russian cities, and for the Trans-Mongolian, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

• Kazakhstan & Central Asia - from Almaty, Kazakhstan, one can travel by rail to Urumqi in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. There are long waits at the border crossing for customs, as well as for changing the wheelbase for the next country's track.

• Hong Kong - regular services link mainland China with Hong Kong.

• Vietnam - from Nanning in Guangxi province into Vietnam via the Friendship Pass; also between Kunming in Yunnan province, and Hanoi via Hekou and Lao Cai.

• North Korea - four weekly connections between the North Korean capital Pyongyang and Beijing.

Timetable of Local Train (in English).

Timetable of Local Train (in Chinese).

[edit] By bus

[edit] Vietnam

For most travellers Hanoi is the origin for any overland journey to China. There are currently 3 international crossings:

• Dong Dang (V) - Pingxiang (C)

You can catch a local bus from Hanoi's eastern bus station (Ben Xe Street, Gia Lam District, tel: 04/827-1529) to Lang Son, where you have to switch transport to minibus or motorbike to reach the border at Dong Dang. Alternatively there are many offers from open-tour providers; for those in a hurry, they might be a good option if they offer a direct hotel to border crossing transfer.

You can change money with freelance money changers, but check the rate carefully beforehand.

Border formalities take about 30 minutes. On the Chinese side, walk up past the "Friendship-gate" and catch a taxi (about ¥20, bargain hard!) to Pingxiang, Guangxi. A seat in a minibus is ¥5. There is a Bank of China branch right across the street from the main bus station; the ATM accepts Maestro cards. You can travel by bus or train to Nanning.

• Lao Cai (V) - Hekou (C)

• Mong Cai (V) - Dongxing (C)

At Dongxing, you can take a bus to Nanning, a sleeper bus to Guangzhou (approximately ¥180), or a sleeper bus to Shenzhen (approximately ¥230, 12 hours) (March 2006).

[edit] Laos

From Luang Namtha you can get a bus leaving at around 8 a.m. going to Boten (Chinese border) and Mengla. You need to have a Chinese visa beforehand as there is no way to get one on arrival. The border is close (about 1 hr). Customs procedures will eat up another good hour. The trip costs about 45k Kip.

Also, there is a direct Chinese sleeper bus connection from Vientiane to Kunming (about 32 hours). You can jump in this bus at the border, when the minibus from Luang Namtha and the sleeper meet. Don't pay more than ¥200, though.

[edit] Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway from northern Pakistan into Western China is one of the most spectacular roads in the world. It's closed for tourists for a few months in winter.

[edit] Nepal

The road from Nepal to Tibet passes near Mount Everest, and through amazing mountain scenery. Entering Tibet from Nepal is only possible for tourists on package tours.

[edit] By boat

There is regular ferry and hovercraft service between various points on the mainland, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai to Hong Kong and Macau.

[edit] Japan

There is a 2-day ferry service from Shanghai and Tianjin to Osaka, Japan. Service is once or twice weekly, depending on season.

A twice-weekly ferry also connects Qingdao to Shimonoseki.

[edit] South Korea

There is a ferry service from Shanghai and Tianjin to Incheon, the main port of South Korea. Another line is from Qingdao or Weihai to Incheon.

[edit] Thailand

Golden Peacock Shipping company runs a speedboat three times a week on the Mekong river between Jinghong in Yunnan and Chiang Saen (Thailand). Passengers are not required to have visas for Laos or Myanmar, although the greater part of the trip is on the river bordering these countries.

[edit] Taiwan

Star Cruises[3] operates between Keelung in Taiwan and Xiamen in mainland China, stopping at one of the Japanese islands on the way.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By plane

China has many domestic flights to all the major cities and tourist destinations.

Prices for domestic flights are set at standard rates, but discounts are common, especially on the busier routes. Most good hotels will have a travel ticket service and will be able to save you 15%-70% off the price of tickets. Even before considering discounts, traveling by plane in China is not expensive. In general it is best to try and buy tickets for domestic travel while in China. Overseas, especially online, vendors often charge much higher rates.

Do be prepared for flight delays; these are on the increase despite pressure from both the government and consumers. Flight cancellations are also not uncommon. If you buy from a Chinese ticket vendor they will likely try to contact you if you left contact information to let you know about the change in flight plan. If you purchased your ticket overseas, be certain to check on the flight status a day or two before you plan to fly.

Traveling between mainland cities and Hong Kong or Macau is considered an international flight and so can be quite expensive. Although more of a hassle, it is much cheaper to fly to or from Shenzhen or Zhuhai, just across the border, or Guangzhou, which is a little further, but offers flights to more destinations. As an example, the distance from Fuzhou to Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou is about the same, but as of mid-2005 flying to Hong Kong cost ¥1400 while list price for the other cities was ¥880 and for Shenzhen discounts to ¥550 were available. Overnight bus to any of them was about ¥250.

If arriving in Hong Kong or Macau there are ferries that can shuttle passengers straight to another destination such as Shekou (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, Macau Airport, Zhuhai and elsewhere without actually "entering" Hong Kong/Macau as a shuttle bus will take transit passengers to the ferry terminal and their official entry point will be their ferry destination. Please note that the ferries do have differing hours so landing late at night may make entering a territory to catch another bus/ferry to one's ultimate destination necessary, such as going from HK Int'l Airport to Macau via the Macau Ferry Terminal. The most recent information on the ferries to Hong Kong can be found at the Hong Kong Int'l Airport website.

As elsewhere, prices for food and drink at Chinese airports are vastly inflated. Coffee that is ¥25 in a downtown shop is ¥78 at the same chain's airport branches. KFC seems to be the one exception; their many airport shops charge the same prices as other branches. ¥20-odd for a KFC meal may or may not be worthwhile when there are ¥5 noodles across the street, but at the airports it is usually the best deal around.

[edit] By train

Train travel is the major mode of long-distance transportation for the Chinese themselves, with an extensive network of routes covering the entire country. Roughly a quarter of the world's total rail traffic is in China.

China is in the process of building a network of high-speed trains, similar to French TGV or Japanese bullet trains. These trains are already in service on several routes. They are called CRH and train numbers have a "D" prefix. If our route and budget allow, these are much the best way to get around. For more detail, see High-speed rail in China.

At busy times tickets sold at the train station sell out rapidly. It may be better to get tickets in advance through an agent. In cities like Beijing there are also agents who sell train tickets in the normal timeframe with a nominal markup. The convenience of avoiding a trip to the train station is well worth the small increase in cost.

On the regular non-CRH trains there are five classes of travel:

• hard seats (硬座 yìngzuò)
• soft seats (软座 ruǎnzuò)
• hard sleepers (硬卧 yìngwò)
• soft sleepers (软卧 ruǎnwò)
• standing (无座 wuzuo)

Soft sleepers are the most comfortable mode of transportation and are still relatively cheap by Western standards. The soft sleeper compartments contain four bunks stacked two to a column (though some newer trains have two-bunk compartments), with a latchable door for privacy, and are quite spacious. Hard sleepers, on the other hand, have 3 beds per column open to the corridor, with the highest bunk very high up, leaving little space for headroom, although if you are taller than 6'3" this is often the best bunk to get, since when you sleep your feet will extend into the passageway, and at this height they won't be bumped. Also useful for people with things to hide (i.e. cameras) place them by your head and they are harder to get at. Also note that the "hard" sleeper is not "hard" - the beds have a mattress and are generally quite comfortable. All sleepers have pillows and blanket.

Hard seats (which are actually padded) are not for everyone, especially overnight, as they are 5 seats wide, in a three and two arrangement) but it is this class that most of the backpacker crowd travels in. Despite the "no smoking" signs, there is invariably a crowd of smokers at the ends of the cars and occasional smokers within the car. (Note that on at least some trains, there are designated smoking areas between cars, so smokers may in fact not be breaking the rules. The signs for "designated smoking area" are only in Chinese, so this fact may not be clear to all travelers.) Overnight travel in this class can safely be deemed uncomfortable for just about everyone. Soft seats are cloth-covered, generally reclining seats and are a special category that you will rarely find. These are only available on day trains between destinations of about 4-8 hours of travel time.

At the point where a given train starts, train tickets can usually be bought up to five days in advance. After the point where a given train starts, a small number of tickets might be reserved for purchase in larger towns along the route of travel. Usually these are "no seat" tickets (wuzuowei) that allow access to the train but give no seat assignment. Consider carrying a tripod chair in your backpack to make such journeys more comfortable. If you want to get a seat assignment (zuowei) or a sleeper (wopu), then find the train conductor and he will tell you if there is availability. It is a good idea to ask a local friend to buy 'hard' tickets as the sellers are not always willing to sell them to foreigners. Travel Agencies will accept money and bookings for train tickets in advance but no one can guarantee your ticket until the station releases them onto the market, at which point your agency will go and buy the ticket they had previously "guaranteed" you. This is true of all of China.

The toilets on trains tend to be more usable than on buses or most public areas, because they are simple devices that empty the contents directly onto the track. Soft sleeper cars usually have European throne-style toilets at one end of the car and Chinese squat toilets at the other. Be aware that if the train will be stopping at a station, the conductor will normally lock the bathrooms prior to arrival so that people will not leave deposits on the ground at the station.

Long distance trains will have a buffet or dining car, which serves hot (but generally overpriced by Chinese standards, at ¥25 or so, and frankly not very tasty) food. The menu will be entirely in Chinese, but if you're willing to take the chance, interpret some of the Chinese characters, or ask for common dishes by name, you can eat very well. If you are on a strict budget, wait until the train stops at a station; there are normally stall vendors on the platform who can sell you some noodles or fruit at better prices. Trains generally have boiled water available; bring tea, soups and instant noodles to make your own food.

Be careful of your valuables while on the train; property theft on public transportation has gone up in recent years.

Motion sickness pills are recommended if you are inclined toward that type of ailment. Ear plugs are recommended to facilitate uninterrupted sleep (the exchange of tickets for cards ensures that everyone on the sleeper gets off where they should, so no worry on that account is necessary.)

If you have some things to share on the train, you'll have fun. The Chinese families and business people traveling the route are just as bored as the next person and will be happy to attempt conversation or share a movie shown on a laptop. All in all, the opportunity to see the countryside going by is a neat experience.

Useful websites for planning train travel in China include:

• The Man in Seat 61 [4] has a good section on Chinese trains.
• China Highlights [5] has English time and fare information (note that while extremely useful, this site's list is not 100% complete)
• OK Travel [6] has more schedules. This site is mostly in Chinese, but includes romanized place names and you can use it without knowing Chinese. On the search page, simply choose from the lists provided: the left-hand side is the place of departure, the right-hand side is the destination. Note that you have to choose the province(s) or region(s) in the drop-down box before the corresponding list of cities will appear. You choose the cities you want, then press the left-hand button below (marked 确认, "confirm") to carry out the search. If you can enter place names in Chinese characters, the search function can even help you plan multi-leg journeys.

[edit] By bus

Travelling by public city buses (公共汽车 gōnggòngqìchē) or long distance buses (长途汽车 chángtúqìchē) is inexpensive and ideal for in-city and short distances transportation.

Local public city buses start at around ¥1 and can be quite packed during rush hour. More modern buses with air conditioning start at ¥2. Fares are sometimes marked on the outside of bus doors or beneath the cash slot inside. No change is provided unless there is a ticket conductor. The price of the fare increases for longer distance trips to as much as ¥5 or more.

Sleeper buses Sleeper buses are common in China; instead of seats they have bunk beds. These are a good way to cover longer distances — overnight at freeway speeds is 1000 km or more — but they are not all that comfortable for large or tall travellers. You have to remove your shoes as you enter the bus; a plastic bag is provided to store them. If there are food or restroom stops, you put the shoes back on. If you normally travel in boots, it is worth getting a pair of kung fu slippers to make this easy.

Coaches, or long-distance buses, differ drastically and can be a reasonably comfortable or very unpleasant experience. Coaches originating from larger cities on the east coast tend to be air conditioned with soft seats or sleepers. The roads are very good and the ride is smooth, allowing you to enjoy the view or take a snooze. Coaches are often a better, though more expensive option than trains. Bus personnel tend to try to be helpful, but they are much less familiar with foreigners than airline personnel and English ability is very rare. Some coaches have toilets, but they are frequently dirty and using them can be difficult as the bus turns a corner and water in the basin splashes around.

A coach or bus in rural China is a different experience altogether. Signs in the station to identify buses will only be in Chinese or another local language, routes may also be posted or pasted on bus windows and drivers or touts will shout their destinations as you pass, the coach's license plate number is supposed to be printed on the ticket, but all too often that is inaccurate. Due to different manners and customs, foreigners may find bus personnel to be lacking in politeness and other passengers lacking in manners as they spit on the floor and out the window and smoke. The vehicle can get crowded if the driver decides to pick up as many passengers as he can cram into the bus. The roads in rural China are frequently little more than a series of potholes, which makes for a bumpy and painful ride; if you have a seat in the back of the bus you'll spend much of your trip flying through the air. Scheduled times of departure and arrival are only rough estimates, as many buses won't leave until every seat is sold, which can add hours, and breakdowns and other mishaps can significantly extend your trip. The misery of your ride is only compounded if you have to travel for 10 or 20 hours straight. As gut-wrenching as all this sounds, short of shelling out the cash for your own personal transport, rural coaches are the only forms of transportation in many areas of China. On the bright side, such rural coaches are usually more than willing to stop anywhere along the route should you wish to visit more remote areas without direct transport. Buses can also be flagged down at most points along their route. The ticket price the rest of the way is negotiable.

Everywhere in China drivers often disregard the rules of the road, if there are any, and accidents are frequent. Sudden swerves and stops can cause injury, so keep a good hold wherever possible. Horn honking is widespread among Chinese drivers, so a set of earplugs is a good idea if you plan on sleeping during the trip.

[edit] By subway

Major cities — at least Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing — have a subway (地铁 dìtiě) system. Chongqing and Wuhan(since 2007) have a monorail system. Most of these systems are being expanded, and new ones are under construction (as of mid-2006) in other cities such as Hangzhou and Xian. Generally these are modern, clean and efficient. The signs and ticket machines are in both English and Chinese.

[edit] By taxi

Taxis (出租车 chūzūchē or 的士 deshì(only found in Cantonese-speaking areas, and pronounced "deg see") are generally common, and reasonably priced. Flagfalls range from ¥5 in some cities to ¥12 in others, with a km charge around ¥2. In most situations, expect between ¥10 and ¥50 for an ordinary trip within the city. There is no extra charge for luggage, but in many cities rates are a bit higher at night.

While it is not unheard of for drivers to cheat visitors by deliberately selecting a longer route, it is not that common, and usually shouldn't be a nuisance. When it does happen, the fare difference will usually be minimal. However, should you feel you have been seriously cheated on the way to your hotel, and you are staying at a mid- or high-range hotel that has a doorman, you can appeal to him and/or the desk staff for assistance: A single sharp sentence pointing out the deception may resolve the issue.

Also beware of taxi hawkers who stalk naive travelers inside or just outside the airport terminals. They will try to negotiate a set price to bring you to your destination and will usually charge 2x or 3x more than a metered fare. If you’re not familiar with the area then stick with the designated taxi areas that are outside most major airport terminals and insist that the driver use the meter. The fare should be plainly marked outside the taxi.

Finding a taxi during peak hours can be a bit hard. But it really gets tough if it is raining. Away from peak hours, especially at night, it is sometimes possible to get a 10% to 20% discount especially if you negotiate it in advance, even if with the meter on and asking for a receipt. As with everything else in China you should not tip. Incredibly, taxi drivers in many cities will refuse it.

Sitting in the front passenger seat of taxis is acceptable; some taxis even mount the taxi meter down by the gearbox, where you can only see it from the front seat. Be warned that drivers may start smoking without asking, just opening their window. In some cities it is also common for drivers to try and pick up multiple passengers if their destinations are in the same general direction. Each passenger pays full fare but it saves the time of waiting for an empty cab at rush hour.

Even in major cities like Shanghai or Beijing, you are unlikely to find an English-speaking taxi driver, though Beijing is making some progress at this in preparation for the Olympics. In smaller cities it is basically impossible. If you try say the name of your destination in Chinese (but with your native pronunciation), you may not be understood. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a written note of the name of place where you want to go to by taxi, if you can't speak Mandarin. Chinese characters are far better for this than a romanized (pinyin) version. Get business cards for your hotel, and for restaurants you like, to show taxi drivers. It will be a good idea to equip you with sound tracked guide of conversation in Chinese. Such tools you can easily find on Internet in different languages.

If you are in China for any length of time, consider getting a cell phone so you can call Chinese friends and let them tell the driver where to take you. Cellphones are inexpensive, and pay-as-you-go GSM SIM cards are readily available.

In some cities, taxi companies use a star-rating system for drivers, ranging from 0 to 5, displayed on the drivers name-plate, in front of the passenger seat. While no or few stars do not necessarily indicated a bad driver, many stars tend to indicate good knowledge of the city, and willingness to take you to where you asked by the shortest way. Another indicator of the drivers ability can be found on the same name-plate, in the driver's ID number. A small number tells you he has been around for a long time, and is likely to know the place very well. A quick tip to get a taxi driver's attention if you feel you are being ripped off or cheated: Get out the car and start writing down his license plate number and if you speak some Chinese (or have a good phrasebook) threaten to report the driver to the city or the taxi company. Most drivers are honest and fares are not very high but there are the bad ones out there that will use the lack of Chinese to their advantage.

Chinese can sometimes be very assertive when it comes to finding a taxi, and the person who flags down a particular car is not necessarily entitled to that ride. Having natives move farther up traffic to intercept cars or being shoved out of the way while trying to enter a taxi is not unheard of. If there are others in the area competing for rides, be ready to reach your car and enter it as soon as possible after flagging it down.

Wear your seatbelt at all times, however much your (taxi) driver insists you don't need it.

[edit] By bicycle

Bikes are the most common form of transportation in China; at rush hour almost anywhere in China there will be thousands of them. Most are traditional heavy single-speed roadsters, but basic multi-geared mountain bikes are pretty common as well. For the traveller, bicycles (zìxíngchē, 自行车) can be a cheap, convenient means of transport that is better than being squeezed into a public bus for hours on end.

There are two great dangers for cyclists in China:

• One is the rest of the traffic; cars and motorcycles frequently pull out without any warning, and in some areas red lights are apparently optional. See the more extensive comment at Driving in China.
• If your bike doesn't get run over by a motorcycle, it is still under threat from thievery. Bicycle theft is rampant throughout China, though now that electric bikes are popular, the manual kind are comparatively less vulnerable. Bring at least one high-grade lock from home if you plan to use bikes much, especially if you will have a fancy, new foreign bike. Also, try to park in designated areas with a guard as much as possible; there will usually be a very small fee, but it is worth it.

In most tourist areas — whether major cities like Beijing or heavily-touristed villages such as Yangshuo — bicycles are easy to rent and there is a repair shop around every corner. Guided bike tours are also readily available.

Buying a bicycle is not too much of a hassle, as most supermarkets carry a good stock of bikes, starting from as little as ¥150 (US$18). The problem is that the average bike sold in China is of low quality, and it is not unheard of for a pedal or fender to fall off after riding a new bike for only one block. Bicycle repair shops are frequent in most Chinese cities; it might be a bit difficult for the average tourist to identify them if they cannot read Chinese, but usually you can just look for bikes and tires. For a quick fix to a sudden flat tire, there are also many people standing by along the road with a bowl of water and a repair kit ready.

China is a vast country and it may not appeal to the average tourist to bike across mountains and desert. Despite the difficulties of travelling by bicycle in China it is not unheard of to see foreign tourists biking across the Tibetan Plateau or through some ethnic minority village. See Karakoram Highway for one spectacular but difficult route. Companies such as Bike China and Intrepid Travel organize such tours for small groups.

[edit] By car

See also: Driving in China

The PRC does not recognize International Driving Permits and does not permit foreigners to drive in China without a Chinese license - however, this will change in 2007 and short-term driving without a Chinese license will become legal. Importing foreign vehicles is nearly impossible.

Rented cars often come with a driver; this is probably the best way to travel China by car. Driving in China is not recommended unless you are used to extremely chaotic driving conditions. Traffic moves on the right in mainland China. Many neighbours, such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan as well as the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau have traffic that moves on the left.

English directional signs are ubiquitous in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities which see many Western tourists. However, they are spotty at best in other cities and virtually non-existent in the countryside. As such, it is always a good idea to have your destination written in Chinese before you set off so that locals can point you in the right direction should you get lost.

[edit] By motorcycle

See also: Driving in China#Motorcycles

Motorcycle taxis are common, especially in smaller cities and rural areas. They are usually cheap and effective but somewhat scary. The fares are negotiable.

[edit] By pedicab (rickshaw)

What's in a name? The terms rickshaw and pedicab are often used interchangeably by foreigners in China, but refer to two different modes of transportation - one of which no longer exists. The (in)