 Health No particular vaccinations are required to enter China; however, you should seek medical advice before traveling and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up to date for you and your children. Health conditions in China are globally good, but you must be careful with intestinal infections and with the parasitic diseases (paludism, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, etc.) Medical services are generally cheap in China and foreigners often get better services than locals. The extreme altitude in Tibet may cause altitude sickness. For tours in Tibet, Mongolia South China and on the Silk Road, a good health is necessary. The changes of altitude and temperatures may bring health problems. Travel with children  Traveling with children is not difficult in China and could even be an advantage, since the Chinese people will find them sympathetics. Nevertheless, be aware that travel in China tends to be uncomfortable and slow, involving long distances by train. Here are some advices: for babies and young children, be aware that it is not always easy to find diapers and baby food. Be sure that your children always carry a card with their identity and your hotel address, in case they got lost. Before the trip, take them to Chinese restaurants, so that they can get used to the different flavors, especially with spicy food.
 Money Before you go, organize a variety of ways of accessing your money overseas, such as credit cards, travelers' cheques and cash. Check with your bank whether your ATM card will work overseas. ATM machines are only available in big cities or towns and you need to have password to withdraw money from ATM. Currency : The Chinese currency is known as Renminbi (RMB). The basic unit is the Yuan, 1 yuan = 10 jiao and 1 jiao = 10 fen. Colloquially, the yuan is referred as kuai and jiao as mao. The Bank of China issues bills in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yuan and coins in denominations of 1 yuan, 5 jiao and 1, 2 and 5 fen. Hong-Kong currency is the Hong Kong dollar and Macau’s is the pataca. Change : It is not possible to get or change RMB outside China. Foreign currency and travelers cheques can be changed at border crossings, international airports, major branches of the Bank of China, tourist hotels and some large department stores. Keep your exchange receipts, you will need them if you want to exchange any remaining RMB you have at the end of the trip. Exchange rate for travelers cheque is higher than for cash. Way of life  Cultural differences may disturb comprehension between locals and foreigners: Family name always comes first. The Chinese people are not very outgoing. You must not hesitate to ask questions. Don't worry if you find a local following you around, it is only out of curiosity as in some remote places, tourists can still be rare. In general, Chinese people don't show their emotions when getting upset; showing a bad temper in public could cause hostile reactions. In restaurant, when eating with chopsticks, never stick them vertically in the rice as it may remain the local of the incense sticks they burn to remember the dead.
Photography : Photography from planes and photographs of airports, military installations, harbor facilities and railroad terminals are prohibited. Before taking a picture of people, ask them if they agree. Tipping : Not officially encouraged, but usually accepted in tourism industry: tour guides, bus drivers and the concierges in a hotel will appreciate a tip. It is sometimes a ritual to not accept the tipping at first. Media : Foreign newspapers are available in 5* hotels. The English edition of the newspaper Renmin Ribao (People’s Daily) can also be sold there. The China Daily newspaper, written in English, is published everyday but Sunday. CNN is broadcasted in hotels except for remote places in China  Communication The country code for China is 00 86. To call overseas from China, dial 00, the country code and then the phone number. Check if your mobile phone has a setting for use in China. Operators are China Mobile and China Unicom. Electricity Electricity is 220V, 50 cycles AC. You can travel with 2 types of plugs: 2 flat pins and 3 pronged angled pins. Bring along a 120V to 220V converter if needed, as they are scarce here. Weather report China lies mainly in the temperate and subtropical zones. Generally, its southern part (east China, south China and southwest China) is warm, humid, and rainy; its northern part (north China, northeast China, and northwest China) is dry and windy. However, China can be visited throughout the year because of the stretch of its territories and the sites and activities it can offer. Indeed, China is a huge country with many different climates and types of landscape. However, April, May, September and October are the peak tourists' months at China’s most popular destinations, as the weather is the most comfortable. Spring (March-April) and Autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit China, though the higher altitude areas of Tibet, Qinghai and Western Sichuan are best to be visited in high summer (June-September). Daytime temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F-86°F) in these seasons, but bear in mind that nights can still be cold, and it can sometimes be wet.   Beijing  Shanghai  Lhasa  Kunming  Urumqi |
