The Deal about Chinese Visas:

Ok, this is an extended section on getting Chinese visas. (You need a passport photo, most visa agencies will be happy to take one for you. My usual price is HKD 35.00)

As of now, all long term visas are no longer issued because of tighter security surrounding the Olympic time. The maximum time you are allowed to stay is 3 months on a business visa.

Work visa is different since it requires some proof of employment, an application with the Ministry of Labor and it requires you to start paying Chinese taxes ever since the start of last year. All tour/travel visas are one month only. I have no idea about the difficulty involving journalist visas since I never had to apply for one. I can imagine it being more complicated and formal given the current situation around Tibet. There are also family visitor visas and visas for H.K. resident/green card holders. Taiwanese go through another category entirely. Student visas requires you to be enrolled in a school and an ok from Ministry of Education.

There is also the issue of the how many times you need to enter or leave China on a given visa. Single Entry means, you are allowed to go in once, that’s IT. Once you leave, you’ll HAVE to apply for another visa to return even if you still had time on the original visa. (I’ll tell a funny story about that later) Double Entry means you can enter the country twice after leaving it the first time. Multiple entry means you can do it as many times as your allowable time of stay doesn’t run out.

Recap with price in HKD (rough estimate from the agency I use) :

Single Entry L – HKD 200.00 ( USD 29.00)

Double Entry L – HKD 280.00 ( USD 40.00)

Multiple Entry L or F – HKD 480.00 ( USD 70.00)

Ever since the beginning of 2007, the China Custom Office has apparently upgraded their computer system and has since refused to offer 1 year stay + visas unless they are either from official channels (with all the complicated and costly/time consuming paper work) or H.K. residents. As of now, you CAN apply for an one year visa if you feel like stepping outside the country every single month. You need that stamp every month to keep staying.

As usual most Chinese consulate websites do not have the updated information you need. They are also a LOT more expensive, time consuming, onerous and you get a lot more questions. Here is an link and a quote from the Chinese consulate office in Vancouver:

7. Types of regular visa fees(American citizen not included):
1 Entry(3mths valid), $50CAD; 2 Entries(6mths valid),$75CAD; multiple Entries(6mth valid), $100CAD; 12 and 24-month multiple Entries, $150CAD.

From August 1st.2007,there will be adjustments to Chinese visa fee for U.S.passport holders, following as:

1.For an individual U.S.passport holder, any visa (single-entry,double-entry or multiple-entry )will be charged with 130 Canadian dollars.

2.The express and rush visa service fee will remain unchanged , which are 35 Canadian dollars and 50 Canadian dollar separately.

It takes four business days to process visa applications. For special cases, rush service is offered, and the applicant is subject to pay an extra fee for it. The rush service fees are rated as follows: $50 Canadian Dollars per person for the same day service (application must be submitted before 11:00a.m.), $35 Canadian Dollars per person for the second or third day service.

Note: The Consulate-General does not accept cash, credit card and personal check. Please make payment by debit card, money order or company check.

8. OFFICE HOURS: 9:00a.m.–1:00p.m. Monday to Friday, closed on holidays.

Stay away from the bureaucracy, and save yourself the trouble.

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.

10 things you need to know before you get here in China, Part 2:

6. Hotels/Motels/Serviced Apartments/hostels.

Take your pick. For peace of mind and someone who Actually speaks English, go with a western managed hotel. If that’s too pricey, Super 8, Home-Inn and any of its copy cats are business style “motels” with internet, showers, and Chinese TV(but no free breakfast, computer, swimming pool or gym). Only Certified “International” hotels have a dish and are allowed to show English broadcasting. All Internet usage is monitored.

The starting price for Chinese style motels are $225 RMB(US $32.00)/night. The starting price for international hotels starts at $120.00 US. As for the ever popular hostels…, good luck. They ARE cheaper, about $125 RMB(US $ 18)/night, but you are crammed 6-12 per room and you have to share the bathroom with the entire floor. Most of them are converted dorms. Please make sure you check the geographic location of the place before booking.

7. A bit Beijing specific. Stick to the Subway.

It’s easy to understand, has English announcements, automatic payment, and a few volunteers/staffs who do speak some English. This is a pet peeve of mine, because I keep losing people who refused to listen to my advice and they almost always end up getting lost in Beijing. They really believed a map and a lonely planet guide will save them. Trust me when I say you should only use the guide as a short reference, not as the bible on how, where and what. China changes very fast, so something printed 2 years ago is probably already outdated. Try to book a hotel/whatever near a subway exit.

The last I checked, Beijing has 1000 bus routes/lines, with multiple same numbered buses going in different directions and ones that will and won’t stop on certain stops. They have not installed any English Bus Stop signs. And all announcements are in Chinese. They also have a complex ticketing system that requires Chinese language skills (and an arcane knowledge of the road names )if you are not on main routes. Asking for directions just brings more “Hey, can you teach me English?” people to your face. Taxis will have its own section later.

8. Don’t expect things to be Cheap.

If we use Beijing as an example, it is ranked #19 (2005) as one of the most expensive cities in the world. And a Gucci is a Gucci, unless, of course, you buy a Cucci or Guci(wink, wink).

9. Hustlers, thieves, scammers

and the rest of riff-raff. Comparatively, it’s getting a lot better. If you are visiting Beijing, the recent crack down has lowered some of the crimes that happens daily to visitors. Use general Travel caution, like use a money belt, hold on to your purse, move in groups, and never leave things out of your sight and double check before you leave any location or car.

10. Prepare for traffic congestion, pollution and strange behaviors on a grand scale.