10 things you need to know before you get here in China, Part 1:
It’s my first blog post! (p.s: Most of these things are based on personal experiences, research, word of mouth, and a prolonged trial and error from many expats, so if you have heard different things from different people, you are welcome to share it/discuss it.)
Here we go:
1. Wash your hands.
Bring disinfectant wipes or soap. I can’t stress this enough. Please make a habit of this before you even set foot in China. Practice at home, and form a habit of washing your hands whenever you enter/leave public spaces. The official population of Beijing is 7.2 million, but if you include the farm workers, and people who doesn’t hold Beijing residency cards but works/lives in Beijing, it is closer to 20 million. Trust me when I say you don’t know where whatever you just touched has been.
2. Shots.
Get your shots at home. Check out the travel advisories from your home country on what shots to get. Hep B is a must.
3. Visas.
You should get your visa from a Certified China Visa (tour/travel) Agency. The general experience from most of the expats who have been through the ringer quite a few times is that if you go to the actual consulate offices, they are more expensive and time consuming. Hong Kong is a good place to start.
4. Check around before you book that flight.
Direct Flights can be a lot more expensive depending on your situation and where you want to go. Before you book that flight, check around. I usually avoid Air China, and China Eastern if I can help it. Their service are just…., not up to snuff. (Most “direct” flights to Beijing go through either Vancouver or Vienna.)
5. Cash is King.
Don’t expect shops to accept any forms of plastic unless you are in a huge international malls. If some small shops say they do, be suspicious. It’s very difficult( depending on where you live) to actually exchange for Renminbi outside of Chinese controlled territories. Ask first, but don’t expect anything.
If you can’t do it locally, H.K. is fine if you happen to pass through. They have an exchange place inside the security zone in the H.K. International Airport, so you don’t even have to go through customs. If you have to do it inside China, then go with the big banks. Bank of China or ICBC. Bring your passport and go to a big location where they post the rates.
Ever since China opened up the banking sector a bit couple years ago, you can now go to local banks’ ATMs to take out RMB using your credit cards and/or your local bank cards. HSBC, CitiBank, and Standard Chartered all have ATMs in Oriental Plaza, one of the biggest international mall there. (They are easier to find than the old stand bys in GuoMao/International Trade Center) Check to see if your bank has affiliation with any of the big four.
