MEETING PEOPLE: Handshaking, once unthinkable for a Chinese woman, is now universal. It is correct to say: "ni hao?" ("how are you?"), or just say " Hi !", which now tend to be accepted by more and more young people.  

Rather than try to remember the full, two-or-three syllable Chinese name, listen for the first one (equivalent to surname) and add "xian sheng" ("Mr."). Hence Liu Guoping becomes "Liu Xian Sheng".  

The Chinese often use occupational titles such as professor, doctor or engineer, and the terms "old" and "young" are employed to distinguish between people of the same surname. So 30-year-old Wang Ping is "Xiao Wang", while his father is "Lao Wang".  (Xiao stands for Junior while Lao, for Senior.)  

In small cities, you will be stared at, and in some outlying places, crowds may gather to look at the "waiguroren" ("foreigner"). It is only curiosity.  Return with smiles.  They will remember it.  

GIFTS:  Small gifts produce wonders.  But don't neglect anyone when you give small gifts to a group of people.  That company car driver who is always silent may help you more than the secretary to the general manager.  Don't give valuable gifts in your first encounter with anyone.  You may spoil people and you will not be able to afford it.  

Bear in mind that Chinese are quite nationalistic people.  If your gifts are negatively tinted, you may find more enemies than you expect.  

BRIBERY:  It is against law to bribe.  Don't succumb to unusual demands.  Consult your "real" Chinese friend, or Yamei Travel - Beijing Regent, if you think you are in such a situation.  If you give money to an individual, you maybe are putting that fellow on the road to jail.  If he stay out, you will find the cost of your doing business in China unusually high. 

Traveling in China can be an entirely different experience to touring Europe or the United States. But a basic knowledge of Chinese travel regulations can make the trip a lot smoother.  

China has opened up most cities and counties to foreigners. With a valid visa, you may travel freely to these places without any separate travel permit. But be careful, not all places are open to foreign tourists. It is always safe to go where your Chinese counterpart takes you, If your trip involves going to a Chinese place which at present is not open to foreigners, your Chinese host will apply for a permit on your behalf. But if you want to venture to certain areas alone, you shall consult your host, or Yamei Travel, to make sure it is OK.  

Taxis are available, but rent-a-car service is provided in only a few large cities.  Foreigners are permitted to operate their own cars in certain areas and cities in China.  

Regarding photography, the general principal is: "wherever foreigners are permitted to go, they should be allowed to take pictures." But to avoid trouble, as elsewhere in the world, you are advised not to take pictures near military installations or from aircraft windows.  The same goes for video camcorders.  

In museums, look out for signs say "No Photography".  Always ask.  

Prostitution and black marketeering are illegal in China. 

RESERVATIONS:  Accommodation can be reserved by yourself, by your travel agent, or your Yamei Travels.  The advantage of reservation through Yamei Travels is that you are guaranteed the most competitive rate because of the reservation volume Yamei handles and thereby the discount.  Besides, Yamei can suggest to you the most convenient hotel for your business needs.  

ROOM RATES:  these vary greatly depending on facilities, services and locations of the hotels. The daily rates for a standard double room in major Chinese cities range from 50 U.S. dollars to 800 U.S. dollars. All the best hotels in these cities have air conditioning, private baths, cable TV, piped music and other facilities. Indoor swimming pools, saunas and gyms also popular in these hotels.  Never go into a hotel and check in as an individual if you don't want to be charged the Rack Rate, which is a hotel's dream rate.  

REGISTRATION:  To check in, you need to fill out a Registration Card.  You will need your passport handy.  

ROOM SERVICE:  Expect most  4 star and up hotels in China offer you the same, if not better, room services you may expect from a hotel in your home country.  

SOME EXTRA ADVICE:  Although some Chinese cities claim their tap water is sterilized, to be safe, it is better not to drink from the tap. Hot, boiled water is provided in thermos flasks in the guest rooms. If you want boiled, cold water, call the floor assistant.  

If you invite a guest to stay in your room overnight, you'd better make prior arrangement with the reception desk. Prostitution is strictly banned in China.  

Tipping is normally discouraged at Chinese hotels and restaurants but expected by the related individuals. It is totally at your discretion. 

Should you need medical care, the first thing you should do is to contact your hotel or the Chinese sponsor of your trip. All major hotels in China have clinics or resident doctors to take care of minor ailments and administer first aid.  There are also several fully-equipped modern hospitals especially designed for foreign visitors and overseas Chinese.  Experienced doctors trained in Western medicine are assigned to work there. Some are fluent in English, but most are not, so it is advisable to bring an interpreter with you are not, so it is advisable to bring an interpreter with you.  

Medical care is fairly inexpensive in China.  

For sour throat or a light flu, get some Chinese herb tea,  such Ganmao Tea and Luohanguo Drink.  They could be extremely effective.  

Visitors to China are strongly advised to ensure that they have adequate holiday insurance, including loss or damage to luggage, loss of currency and jewellery. Travel agents are usually able to obtain travel insurance on behalf of customers. 

People in China speak Mandarin Chinese, with different dialects in different areas. Although most tourist hotels employ staff fluent in foreign languages, foreigners might find it difficult to make themselves understood by people on the street and are thus suggested to have addresses or instructions written down in Chinese for taxi drivers or others. In addition, all major streets have signposts in Pinyin - the Chinese system of phonetics, which makes it easier to get around town with the help of a map. Hundreds of millions of Chinese (especially young people), are now studying English. they love to have the opportunity to practice their English with foreigners. Don't be afraid to ask for small favors from people on the street. You will usually be rewarded by a polite try to help you. 

AIRWAY  

The fastest and most convenient way of traveling to and around China is, of course, by air. You can fly from a number of the world's major cities, including Aden, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangkok, Belgrade, Bombay, Bucharest, Delhi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hongkong, Karachi, London, Los Angeles, Manila, Moscow, Nagasaki, New York, Osaka, Paris, Pyongyang, Rangoon, Rawalpindi, Rome, San Francisco, Sharjah, Sydney, Tehran, Tokyo and Zurich.  

Most airplanes in China's domestic flights are Boeings, Airbuses.  Going to Northwest of China you may fly in a big Russian TU, or on smaller routes you may fly in a small Russian Illussion.  Most domestic flights have only one class, that is, economy.  

All the major Chinese cities are linked by airlines.  

RESERVATIONS: Passengers can reserve their seats at CA's booking offices or through its booking agents.  But as a foreign business traveller in China, you might as well forget this possibility.  Ask your host to arrange it.  Or better yet, ask Yamei Travels to arrange it for you.  Yamei offices handle reservation for all domestic airlines.  If you are travelling to 5 cities on your trip, you will get from Yamei an envelop with all necessary air tickets that you don't even have to reconfirm.  

BAGGAGE: The free baggage allowances are 30 kgs. (66 lbs.) for a first-class passenger, and 30 kgs. (44 lbs.) for an economy-class passenger. Hand baggage is limited to 5 kgs. (11 lbs.) - of course, we all know we can do a little bit more.  

AIRPORT FEE:  International Travel it is 90 Yuan RMB.  Domestic Travel 50 Yuan RMB.  It applies to all airports.  

RAILWAYS  

If you can and if it is possible, avoid rail way travel.  You will hate it and hate its food.  

Especially, you don't want to spend a night on any train, in any class.  

One or Two hour train ride could be fun - if you ride in a soft seat car. 

RMB (Renminbi) is the sole legitimate currency of the People's Republic of China. The basic unit of RMB is yuan, (pronounced in local dialect as Kuai), which is divided into 10 jiao (pronounced as mao), which is again divided into 10 fen.  

RMB paper notes include 1,2,5,10,50, and 100 yuan, and the smaller 1,2, and 5 mao. There are also 1,2,5yuan, 1,2,and 5 mao and 1,2,4 fen coins.  

Money exchanges sponsored by the Bank of China are set up at the Beijing International Airport, hotels and tourist stores. The exchange rate fluctuates with international market conditions. You are suggested to keep the form you fill when changing money, because it is necessary to show the form when you change RMB back to foreign currencies. Most money exchanges open seven days a week from 09:00 to 17:00. 

In China, most major credit cards - including american Express, Diner's Club, Federal Card, JCB, Master Card and Visa - are accepted at hotels and certain restaurants and stores. Also useful for regular visitors to China are cards issued by Chinese banks, such as the Great Wall, Peony, and Jinsui Cards. All internationally recognized traveler's cheques, in any currency, can be cashed at branches of Bank of China and money exchanges in hotels and restaurants. 

Offices in major cities in China generally open from 09:00 - 17:30, with a lunch break of about an hour. Government stipulated work days from Monday to Friday. Offices usually close down on public holidays including the Spring Festival, when most Chinese take five days off, the Labor Day on May 1 and the National Day on October 1.