CHINA

Country Updates

CTS charges ú20 commission to process a visa application and takes seven days, rather than three. However, it is worth mentioning that, unlike the embassy, they do not require proof of flight and accommodation reservations. The visa application form requests that one lists accommodation contacts for each city to be visited. For travellers such as myself, who have no accommodation reservations, CTS will list the name of a CTS hotel for every city that you enter on the form, with no obligation to actually stay at that hotel. Plus, the woman who served me was extremely friendly and helpful.
Adi Bloom, UK (May 99)

The address of the Chinese embassy in Belgium in the latest Lonely Planet China is incorrect. Apparently the address on the boulevard General Jacques has something to do with the Chinese embassy, but it isnÆt ætheÆ Chinese embassy. The correct address is:
Avenue de Tervueren 445
1150 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Tel: (32) 2 779 4333
Carla Van Diest, Belgium (Apr 99)

The following visa charges were displayed in a cafΘ in Hanoi:
Visas for China (one month): English, $45; French, $31; German, $26; Danish, $37; Dutch, $33; Australian, $21; Americans, $27. Visa in 10 days, $4; visa in two days, $20.
David Boyall, Australia (Apr 99)

ShenzhenÆs visas: you can now get a five day single entry visa at the border with Hong Kong at Lo Wu for HK$100. After passing through Hong Kong customs you proceed upstairs to the Shenzhen visa office, fill out a small form and the visa is processed quickly. You then merely pay your HK$100 and get the visa. I stress the visa is for single entry only but valid for five days.
Peter Berrett, Australia (Mar 99)

We went to Mongolia on the 36 hour international train from Beijing. Our travel agent in Tel Aviv told us that we didnÆt need a visa for Mongolia, that they were issued at the border. Sounded reasonable to us because thatÆs how it works in Israel. After changing the bogies of the train on the border, which took about five hours, we arrived in the small Mongolian border town at about 2 am and upon the presentation of our passports were told to get off the train because we didnÆt have visas! All our arguing was to no avail and we found ourselves on the train platform in a tiny town in the Gobi Desert in the middle of the night. There are three very small hotels in that town but they either didnÆt have free rooms or wouldnÆt open for us. The chief border policeman had sort of taken responsibility for us and ended up taking us home to his house to sleep!

Everything was very vague, but to make a long story short, the next day we were taken in a police jeep back to China where we were handed over to the Chinese border police and were able to get a Mongolian visa there. We had to buy new train tickets to Ulaan Baatar and arrived there about two and a half days late. Later we found out that there were people who received visas at the border and that apparently Israelis donÆt need visas at all! So in other words, things are very unclear there, but you would be wise to get your visa ahead of time in any case.
Judy Pex, Israel (Feb 99)

If you are continuing on to Russia from China and you wish to avoid the horrible queues at the Russian Embassy in Beijing by going to the Consulate in Shanghai, be warned that the Consulate will not accept photocopies of Intourist introduction letters when applying for a visa. The Embassy in Beijing will accept photocopies but it takes one week for the visa to come through. In any case Intourist only gives out photocopies of their introduction letter. On the plus side, being a foreigner usually gains you easier access to the Russian Embassy.
Paul Gaylard - Australia (Jan 99)

You can get a visa for China from the Chinese Embassy in Vientiane. You need a photograph, US$ cash only ($30 for Americans, $25 for French, $12 for Italians, etc). You will receive your visa three opening days later. If you are in a hurry, you can pay an extra charge of $30 (visa same day), $20 (visa one day later) or $10 (visa two days later). The Chinese Embassy is open from 9 am to 11 am, Monday to Friday.
Gerard Ferlin, France (Jan 99)

The visa charge for a normal China single entry visa is HK$100. It is issued the next working day. If you apply before 5 pm (closing time), you can pick it up at 9 am the next working day. The double entry visa is HK$150 and takes the same time. For one hour express service, add HK$150. US passport holders pay an additional HK$160. Opening times of the visa issue office in Wanchai are:
Monday to Friday, 9 am to noon; 2 pm to 5 pm
Saturday, 9 am to noon
Bring a passport photo and a pen - you will need both.
Their telephone number is 2585 1794.
Jens Behrens, Hong Kong (Dec 98)

Guangzhou: there are now British and German Consulates here. The British Consulate only handles matters pertaining to their own nationals, and does not issue visas. The German Consulate is located at:

103 Shamian Bei Jie
Shamian Island, Guangzhou 510 130
Telephone: 020 8192 2566; Fax: 020 8192 299

The US Consulate is still at its old location, but has changed its telephone number to: 8188 8911; fax: 8186 2341.

The Vietnamese Embassy can be called on 8652 7908; fax: 8652 7808.

The Thailand Embassy remains on the first floor of the White Swan, but the telephone number is now: 8188 6968.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing can be contacted on 6532 5414.

It is perfectly possible to enter and leave China at Dongxing/Mong Cai; the crossing is pretty straightforward. According to the customs logbook, this border crossing currently sees only some 15 foreigners per month. You will need your international vaccination book for Vietnam, or otherwise pay a small surcharge. It is also advised, by the border guards themselves, that you should declare valuables, such as cameras and money on entry, since other Vietnamese border posts might take it as an excuse for troubling you when leaving. The Chinese will ask their compatriots not only for a passport, but for other documents, such as an ID card, to support the authenticity of the passport.

There are four border crossings overland to Shenzhen. By far the most convenient border crossing is with the KCR train at Lo Wu (Mandarin: Luohu). The border is open from 7am until 11pm. However, the last train leaves Hung Hom Kowloon terminus at 9.45pm. Later trains do not allow border crossing. The other border checkpoints at Wenjindu, Huangang and Shatoujiao (Mandarin spelling) are only accessible by car. The Shatoujiao crossing seems to be out of bounds for foreigners, even with proper Hong Kong border zone documents. Since early 1997, it is possible to cross at Huangang as a pedestrian, using local buses to get there. You can also take one of the City Buses, which depart from Kowloon China ferry terminal and service several places in Guangdong province directly. Another way to get to Shenzhen is by sea from the China ferry terminal to Shekou pier.
Luis Moreton Achsel, Germany (Dec 98)

Regarding obtaining a Chinese visa in Hong Kong: the visa charge for a normal Chinese single entry visa costs HK$100. It is issued the next working day. If you apply before 5pm (closing time), you can pick it up at 9am the next working day. The double entry visa costs HK$150 and takes the same time. For one hour express service add HK$150. US passport holders pay an additional HK$160. Opening time of the visa issue office in Wanchai are Monday-Friday: 9am-12pm, 2-5pm; Saturday: 9am-12pm. Bring a passport photo and a pen; you will need both there. Their phone number is: 2585-1794. This office also issues three and six month re-entry visas, but you need an official invitation issued by the foreign office. The price is HK$200 and 400 respectively. Basically, you can get a six month re-entry visa from any travel agent in Hong Kong. The charge should be HK$550-900, depending on the agent.
Jens Behrens, Hong Kong (Dec 98)

The General Consulate of Italy has changed address. It is now located at:

Qi Hua Tower, 11-12 Floor
Huai Hai Middle Rd 1375
Shanghai 200031

The Belgium Royal Consulate is now situated at the previous address. In the Qi Hua Tower you can also find the French, Turkish, Czech, Marshall Island, New Zealand, Finnish and Danish consulates, as well as the American cultural offices.
Alessandro Arduino, China (Nov 98)

We learned that if you have entered China via Beijing with a single entry visa and want to go to Hong Kong, there is no problem. However, if you wish to return to Beijing, you actually need a multi-entry visa to re-enter. You should confirm this before travelling.
Tasneem Hussain (Nov 98)

It's not a bad idea to check out the visa rules at your home embassy before you leave for China, as many Chinese officials (not to mention hotel receptionists) have very limited knowledge of the rules and might make things unnecessarily difficult for you. For example, if you have a one month visa, you are allowed to stay in China for one month from the day you enter the country, as long as you enter the country in the time period stipulated in the visa. Chinese officials often try to convince you that you have to leave the county immediately because it is more than one month since your visa was issued by your embassy at home.
Joerund Buen, Norway (Sep 98)

We read in the LP that the cheapest way to get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong was a HK$100/three day waiting experience. When we got to the visa office in HK, we were told to come back the following day, and then we got it for free! US citizens on the other hand, had to pay HK$100 and an additional fee to get it.
Bjorn Burss, Norway (Sep 98)

Crossing the border to China from Kyrgyzstan: there are lots of horror stories. This method worked for us in July 1998. The key is that you must be met at the border.
Chinese visa in Bishkek: wait seven to 10 days for transit visa after you have pak visa. The cost is $30 for Americans. There is no special 'cancel' stamp for the pass.
Chinese bus to Kashgar: it does go but kicks you off at the 'arc' (border). $55 to there and you can arrange a meeting through them for $200-250 (this works). Arrange four days in advance.
Taxi to border: it cannot go to the arc. The Kyrgyz exit immigration post is 7km away. We paid $65 from Bishkek to the post and hitched to the arc.
From the arc into China: you MUST be met. We arranged through Ian Claytor, LegExp, 131 Kievskaya, 4/5 apt; Phone: (996) 3312 213 278. He charged us $20 (subject to change) to arrange the fax/invite and provided excellent service. This takes three to four working days.
We were met by Sadik, of CYTS, in a landrover - cost $40 per person, paid on arrival in Kashgar in cash.. Note that the kyr post charges $2/30 som each for the departure forms (scam). Som are useless in China.
Total travel time is two full days. The Kyrgyz took three hours(!) to process us. This is slower than average. The Chinese are faster. Going the other way, the PSB permit takes about four days (from Urumchi) and we met folks who didn't have time and paid $70 for a driver who 'knew' someone on the Chinese side who let them pass.
We also met a single woman who begged the Chinese and was issued a 'permit' on the spot. The Chinese at the new immigration post didn't even ask to see it (so, you need to get past two places: the arc and the inspection post 20km down the road). We saw and met several people who were turned away at this second post.
Good luck!
David Zetland, USA & Sandra Basic, Croatia (Aug 98)

The foreign affairs section of the PSB on Wenmiaohou Jie, Chengdu, is a very good place to get a visa extension. The visa extension counter is open from 10am to 12pm and from 4 to 6pm. I got a one month extension in 10 minutes. They will give you an extension even before you have used more than half of your present visa. The tricky question of why you want to extend your visa proved to be irrelevant. The lady at the counter assured me that it was enough to fill in 'travel'. You need one passport photo for your application form.
Filip Crombez, Belgium (Jul 98)

Visas to China are valid for 90 days from the date of issue. They are good for 30 days within that time. So if you have a visa issued on 1 June 1998, you have a maximum of 30 days to use it, and the latest you can possibly use it is 31 August 1998. I found this out the hard way: I got a visa on 3 June for a trip to China which I'll be making on 15 September 1998. Because I won't be leaving within the 90 day time limit, the visa is useless. My friend and I lost about $70.
Captain Brian Nomi - USA (Jun 98)

In Moscow, a Chinese visa costs US$25 and took eight days to process. This price was for an Australian citizen; it costs more for several other nationalities (US$60 for a Brit).
Cate Turk (Mar 98)

Visas issued in London are obtained from the following address:
Consular Section, 31 Portland Place, London, W1N 3AG
Office hours: 9am to 12 noon, Monday to Friday.
Telephone hours: 2 to 4pm on (0171) 631 1430
Telephone answering service on (0891) 880 808
Visas - Validity and duration: I have visited China many times on visas obtained in Hong Kong and London. My experience is that the 'validity' of the visas is three months from the date of issue to the date of entry into China, irrespective of the 'duration of stay'. Last year I requested and was granted 40 days stay, this year ditto 60 days, and on neither occasion was it necessary to show tickets to/from China to obtain these durations.
Embassies in Beijing: Some while ago a prefix '6' was added to all Beijing telephone numbers, and the code for dialling within China to Beijing was changed to 010 (from 01). So, for example, the Dutch embassy phone number is now Beijing 6532 1131 or 010 6532 1131 from outside Beijing within China.
Tony Burgess - UK (Mar 98)

If you have to extend your visa, I recommend not doing it in Beijing. In many towns in China you can extend your visa cheaply in a day or less but in Beijing it is said to take a week unless you do it via an agency and pay major fees.
M D Tinker - UK (Mar 98)

We arrived in Kathmandu early in March intending to go to Lhasa with Chinese visas that we had obtained in Delhi. Soon after arrival we met a girl who had just tried to cross into Tibet and was told there was no way she would be allowed in. On investigating we were told that last year this was possible but the rules have been tightened this year by the Chinese authorities such that no individual travellers will be allowed in. A further complication occurred after our trip to Lhasa - we went to the PSB with our Group Visa and were astonished to find that to break it up and extend it would cost an additional US$75 (approximately) per head. Lhasa PSB's advice and that of the travel agent, was to break up from the two individuals we had teamed up with so that the three of us could go to Chengdu for a cheaper and longer extension. This was wrong - had we tried in Lhasa we may have been able to break up the visa, with the travel-agent's help.
Actually, in Chengdu, although the rates are cheaper, the PSB said the maximum they could extend a Group Visa for was 20 days (we needed a month), and in any event it would only be extended once. They were also not prepared to break up the group completely and give us all individual visas. They said that a normal individual tourist visa could be extended three times.
Conclusion: if you plan your travel to China - Nepal, you will find it much easier and cheaper this year than going Nepal - China. All the people we met in Lhasa and in Chengdu were saying how easy they had found it.
Don, John, Krisztina (Mar 98)

China - Laos border crossing Mohan-Boten: according to some travellers I've met in Laos and China, you can bargain hard and maybe obtain a Lao transit visa (7 days) at the border. Somebody was sent back to Kunming and requested to apply at the local Lao consulate. I hadn't a visa stamped on my passport but only an invitation letter from a Lao tourist agency (written in Lao! Only my name and passport data were in Latin script). The Chinese custom officer, very friendly, told me that maybe the Lao officers could send me back, so he didn't stamp my Chinese visa and suggested that I check on the Lao side if the letter was enough to get the visa. I walked through the border, got a 14 day tourist visa (US$30) and walked back to the Chinese side to have my Chinese visa stamped. The tuk-tuk between the two sides of the border cost 1000 kip; the walk took 15 minutes (1km?).
Marco Del Corona - Italy (Feb 98)

Laos visas are not available at the Chinese border. The Lao consulate in Kunming still issues only the 7 day transit visa, however, they no longer require that you get a Thai visa first. The Lao embassy in Beijing will issue tourist visas.
Paul Durham (Feb 98)

The address of the Public Security Bureau (division of aliens and exit-entry administration) is: Wusong Lu 333 (about 15 minutes walk from the Bund). Phone: +21 6357 66666. Open Monday to Friday, 9 to 11.15am and 1.30 to 5pm. It took me two working days to get a one month visa extension (British passport, 160RMB). It was impossible for me to be granted a second visa extension and I had to travel to Hong Kong to get a new one.
Patrick Tyler (Jan 98)

When applying for a Vietnam visa if you plan to exit China from Pingxiang, there is a different entry point name for travellers entering by foot, bus or train, although they are all basically the same location. The exit point for foot/car travellers is called Huu Nghi; and for train travellers is Dong Dang. The Chinese border closed at 5pm and the Vietnamese border closed at 6pm.
Gordon W Hutton & Penny A Bayfield - Canada (Jan 98)

Wuhan: The Public Security Office dealing with entry and exit visas is in a new building in Hankou, at no 306 ShengLi Jie, at the corner of ShengLi Jie and ZhangZiZhong Road. The opening hours are 8.30am to 12 midday, and 2 to 5pm (Summer 2.30 to 6pm). It can be reached by buses 526, 30 or 575.
Roderick O'Brien - China (Dec 97)

Visas for China from Macau: The CITS offices can do a Chinese visa on the same day. If you give them your passport before 10am you can collect it at 4.30pm. A one month visa costs $140. It would therefore be possible to do this as a day trip for people on a very tight budget.
R Hawley - UK (Dec 97)

From Laos (Luang Nam Tha, Boten) we arrived at the Chinese border. The Laotian border guards, who saw foreign passports for the second time in their lives, tried to ask 1500 kip per person but we "didn't understand", used very difficult English words, etc, so they got nervous and let us through.
Paul Daniels - Holland (Dec 97)

Pakistani visas are only issued in Beijing: many travellers head from China to the Paki border hoping for a visa, not convinced that they won't get it.
Sander Ouwerkerk & Marcel van der Lem (Dec 97)

Arrange a permit at the PSB for ALL your possible destinations in Tibet (friendly, helpful staff, Y50 per person). The Tibetan Permit and Travel Regulations are very confusing, especially since August 1997. When we were there, the only allowed, formal way of travelling was with a group, a guide and a group permit. So the government is in control of tourists' movements, through travel agencies and the licensed guides. But there aren't enough guides.
Things are changing very quickly. Maybe the next warning is suitable for publication: I met several people who arranged their Lhasa-trip from Kathmandu. They already had a China visa. After receiving their passports back from the Kathmandu Travel Agency, their visa was just crossed out and instead they had a 'group visa'. This allowed them only to travel further in Tibet with the same group (and via that agency). In Lhasa they had to buy a new individual visa, which cost them about US$100! I bought a three month visa in Bangkok at the embassy (cheaper and faster and just what I wanted).
Paul Daniels - Holland (Dec 97)

Visas: Hong Kong Chinese office, one hour. Three months, multiple visa. MUST go out after 30 days.
You cannot get a Chinese drivers' license if you are over 65.
Paul & Jean - Australia (Nov 97)

To anyone going to Shanghai, the new police station, PSB for dealing with visitors, is at 333 Wu Song Lu. It closes between 11.30am to 1.15pm for lunch.
Llion Iwan - Wales (Nov 97)

If you plan to continue on to China after Korea, get your visa well ahead of time. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul requires at least one week for processing. The price of a visa is about US$20.
Michael Kohn - USA (Nov 97)

It is difficult to get visas in Nepal for China. If you do want a longer visa than the 14 to 20 day ones go straight to the Chinese Embassy and DO NOT mention Tibet on your travel itinerary. This will get you a longer visa... however, they will specify entry points that you are allowed, which won't include Lhasa or the Tibetan border. Also make sure they don't cancel your new long visa when you go to the travel agent to get your much needed travel slip from the TTB. It is all possible, but it will cost you.
Amy (Nov 97)

In Kangding, we met a group of 18 young mountaineers who'd been on the northern Sichuan - Tibet highway. They spoke of two backpackers they had met near Dege. These two had been caught at the border on board a truck bound for Tibet. They'd been turned back and their driver had, reportedly, been shot dead. The PSB in Chengdu refuses to issues Alien Travel Permits for anywhere west or northwest of Kangding - areas which they resoundingly declare "closed." Despite this, many people are successfully making it through to some very out of the way places in the far west, with the knowledge of the local PSB who seem oblivious to the stern refusals issued at HQ.
James & Gabrielle Stannus - UK and Canada (Oct 97)

There is a Russian consulate in Shenyang - they issue visas but Russian visa rules are so restrictive and fluid that you can't expect to march in and pick up your visa without appropriate travel documentation through tickets/accommodation vouchers etc.
Andrew Beale - Australia (Sep 97)

Beijing: Tiananmen Square and Mao Zedong Mausoleum are closed until October 1999. They are undergoing renovations for the 50th anniversary of the PRC. Actually, the whole city is clouded by cement dust as new buildings are being erected in haste to coincide with the anniversary date.
Samantha & Leigh Ebzery, Australia (Apr 99)

When going to the Terracotta Warriors from the station, donÆt believe people who tell you that government buses are not running - itÆs a scam to try to get you to ride in their expensive mini-bus. A discovery by a friend at the Terracotta Warriors unearthed the fact that there are student prices. DonÆt go to the window with the gold sign in English and Chinese above it, go to the window a little to the right and flash your Chinese student ID. Instead of 65 RMB, itÆs only 35 RMB. The toilets at the complex also win my award for ChinaÆs best squat loos - very clean and shiny, with flushes that work and minimal stink, if any! Amazing! Outside the complex, the merchants are a little overwhelming - one wanted to charge me 25 RMB for a little statue that I got next door to him for 1 RMB.
Kristyn Wilson, Australia (Apr 99)

Guizhou - Kaili: if you have limited time in this part of SE Guizhou, a pleasant day trip is to get one of the frequent buses to Leishan, get off at Paihe and walk down the river valley going into the hills and villages on either side as you wish. They do not see many visitors so be prepared for some suspicion but some of the little clusters of wooden houses perched up in the valleys can be beautiful. Just go and have a look at whatever seems interesting.
Datong is really cold - the wind makes it feel even colder than Harbin. CITS does not always have tours to the Wooden Pagoda and Hanging Monastery in winter because tourists are few. A taxi costs about Y200 for the day, however, you can get to the Yungang caves easily by public transport (Y5) going from the cross roads near the post office.
John Edwards, UK (Apr 99)

Shanghai: try to get to the Pearl Tower before 10 am to avoid the massive crowds that form later in the day.
Wuhan: an English map of the city is available for Y3 at the Yellow Crane Tower.
Tiger Leaping Gorge: best route is to go backwards (from Dazu to Qiaotou) and to stay at the Halfway House (because itÆs the halfway point). Take the high road because the low road is just a road whereas on the high road you actually feel like youÆre hiking. Dangers: landslides are real - one turned us back on our first day and forced us to spend the night in Dazu in the Snowflower Hotel. If you find yourself on what looks like a goat trail, it probably is. Turn around immediately and find the path again or youÆll get trapped on a hillside when the goat trail ends and neither ascending nor descending looks fun.
Justin Reed, USA (no date)

I opened up an account with the Bank of China but they forgot to mention that you can only access the account from certain major cities in China even if you happen to come across a branch in a smaller one. Very annoying!
Jeremy Keays, Canada (Jan 99)

You now need to add a 6 in from of any seven digit Beijing telephone number.

Guangzhou: telephone numbers are now eight digits. The change is not straightforward: it seems that numbers previously starting with 6 now start with 86; numbers previously with 8 now start with 81.

It can only be reiterated how efficient and fast the postal service is! However, the address must be absolutely correct, as searches will not be made.
Luis Moreton Achsel, Germany (Dec 98)

Update on post below: since 1 March 1999 there are no longer discounts for flights. No matter where you book, with an agent, airline or at the airport a few minutes before departure, the prices are all the same now. For example:
Guangzhou to Shanghai - RMB 1020
Shanghai to Guangzhou - RMB 1120
Jens Behrens, Hong Kong (Apr 99)

Travel agents give around a 20% discount on domestic flights.
The RMB exchange rate is much better in Hong Kong. In south China you can change HK$ in nearly every shop, but I don't suggest you change with people on the street, as there is a lot of cheating going on.
Jens Behrens, Hong Kong (Dec 98)

If you are going on a horse trek, remember to take your passport; we heard of numerous travellers who didn't do so as they thought is wasn't necessary.
Mike & Maria Sorensen, Denmark (Dec 98)

The price structure has changed considerably, especially for foreigners who now almost always pay the same amount as the locals. In terms of transportation, this has made it much cheaper to get around, but alas, the east coast is becoming more and more unaffordable (and unattractive) for extensive budget travelling.

It is becoming more and more common in Chinese cities, at least on the east coast, to install combination wall sockets with which you can use Australian, American and European style pins.

On buying mountain bikes in China: prices actually start at Y400. I got a pretty decent, 18-speed bike for just Y405 last month; no negotiating required.

The White Dagoba Temple has undergone an extensive renovation and now features an interesting exhibition on Buddhist sacral art.

Xidontingshan Island: there is now a bridge which connects the mainland with the island. Ferries to the island depart from Xukou.

Try to get the ish magazine; it contains extensive listings of bars, pubs, discos, gyms, music venues and the like.

Quanzhou: the city is well-know for its marionette theatre.

Wuhan: the city is famous for its many tea houses; some of the tea houses offer short introductions to the Chinese art of the tea ceremony, which is by no means less complicated than the Japanese version, though less formal.
Rudiger Breuer, Germany (Dec 98)

It is now possible to cash money (yuan) on a foreign Visa/Mastercard in the ATMs of the Bank of China displaying these symbols. But, if the machine doesn't work or you don't know the cash limit for the card, there is no point in going into the bank to ask, because noone working there knows that it is possible. They'll just ask the person to go to head office.
Viveca Moritz, Sweden (Nov 98)

The Bank of China in Beijing, near the post office for sending parcels, has about five ATMs with Cirrus.
Peter (Nov 98)

How to get to the Great Wall (Badaling) cheaply: instead of taking the usual tours for Y120, just take the Beijing subway to the North Gate (I think the station is called Andigment). Go around the gate and look for city bus number 919. The bus will take you directly to the Great Wall. It takes about one and a half hours and costs Y7 each way. Buses run every 15 minutes during the daytime. If you want to see the Ming Tomb, just ask the conductor to put you down at the closest roundabout to the tombs. Taxis are available the rest of the way for Y15. Another good Beijing bus is number 880 from the south west corner of Tieng Meng to the North Palace. It takes an hour and fifteen minutes.

Longsheng: there are now three guesthouses in the rice fields, so there is no need to sleep in town. It is a great experience to stay in the village.
Ezra Cohen-Yashar, Israel (Nov 98)

Xiamen: as well as being a very clean city (having won China's Cleanest City Award for the last two years running), it is blissfully peaceful due to the fact that there is a complete ban on the use of motor vehicle horns on the island! Although this is not unique to Xiamen, it does offer a welcome change from most of China's cities.

The CITS country-wide network seems to work quite well these days, although it will not necessarily be the cheapest way of doing things. All trips and tours must be prepaid in cash. You should be aware that if they make hotel bookings for you, the concept of a receipt or booking reference does not seem to exist.

There are now at least two internet cafes in Xiamen: one by the university on Yan Wu Road, and one in town on Hubin Nan Lu.

Gulangyu Island: Gulangyu is becoming modernised very rapidly, but it is still a delightful place to spend some time. There are no longer any "off limits" areas on the island. As far as the beaches go, the main area of activity is the West Beach (Gangzaihou). The Eastern Beach (DaDeJi) lies south of the magnificent statue of Koxinga which overlooks Xiamen port. The beach can be accessed via the park surrounding the statue but this requires the payment of an entrance fee; you can use the set of stairs beyond the park entrance where no fee is payable. At the edge of the beach there is a huge banyan tree under which there are tables and chairs. The beach is a seething mass of humanity on the weekends, but is almost deserted during the weekdays. There is a cable car to Sunlight Rock, but when it runs is a matter of conjecture. Offering a less scenic but nevertheless interesting and cool way to cross the island, are the old war-time tunnels that have recently opened to the public. The latest addition to the island is a walk-through aviary. It is located at the other end of the cable car. It is worth noting that fares on the ferry to Gulangyu are collected on board once the trip is under way. Tickets for the upper deck and tokens for the lower deck on the return trip are bought at a ticket booth on the Gulangyu side of the ferry wharf.

Xiamen University: it is extremely difficult to determine when the Museum of Anthropology is open. We were advised by one person that visits can be made by special arrangement, but I have yet to work out with whom to make the special arrangement!

Hulishan Fortress: on the southern side of Xiamen university is an area called Baicheng at which there is an entry gate to the university. If you continue east from the gate, you come to Hulishan Fortress which, on a clear day, affords great views of the Jinmen Islands. Part of the old battlements remain and some renovation has taken place. As well as some interesting specimens of old cannons, the fort houses a museum of swords, knives, pistols, rifles as well as a fascinating collection of exotic stones from around the world. Natural variations in the colour of the individual pieces give the impression of mountain landscapes, waterfalls, plants, human forms and Chinese characters. Especially good is the collection in the upstairs gallery: each stone is like a face expressing a specific emotion. The information is in English, and some of the attendants speak English. The Fortress area also contains some cool and shady walks. The number 2 bus from the ferry terminal will take you to Hulishan. Also, continuing east from Hulishan is a long stretch of coastline with nice sandy beaches which are not so affected by proximity to the harbour traffic.

Wanshi Botanic Gardens: if you like gardens, these ones are good. Plants are labelled with their botanical names, and the varieties of plants are numerous. It is laid out with various lakes, pavilions, bridges and pagodas. One pavilion houses a lethargic python which is available for photographic purposes should it be required.
Linda Stevens, Australia (Nov 98)

The Shanghai museum at the People's Square is now open. The shape of the building is based on an ancient Tang bronze, and you can find a wide range of art objects, such as the Tianminlou porcelain collection, precious jade, Ming dynasty furniture, bronzes, and paintings. The museum also has a good art library which can be visited by appointment, as well as a Chinese art bookshop. A full day is just enough to complete a visit.
Alessandro Arduino, China (Nov 98)

I asked several guards about Tiananmen Square and the general answer was that it is being redone for the 50th anniversary of Mao's declaration of the PRC and will be closed for 2-5 months. Most of them, as well as a few local guides, thought it would probably not reopen until Spring. So if anyone is making a special trip to Beijing to see the square, you might wish to reconsider. You can still see it from the top of the gates of the Forbidden City, but there is a wall all around it. Whatever you do, don't try to sneak in!
John Ruggieri, USA (Nov 98)

Huashan: the bus took about 3.5 hours to arrive from Xian, so by the time we'd had a bit of lunch it was 2pm when we started the climb. There are markers every 200 metres and it begins at the temple. We paid Y20 to enter, which was probably unnecessary. We had no real map and assumed it was 15km each way. After some serious hard-going up steps, we reached the north peak around 5.30pm (6km). Here we were offered beds, but once we knew they were available we decided to carry on to where we thought we saw more hostels - these turned out only to be cafes. It soon started raining and by 6.8km, it was torrential. We took the safer option in unknown terrain and arrived back to Huashan at 10pm. I suspect we were within a few hundred metres of the next hostel. There is now a cable car up to the north peak!

We were told that to get to The Great Wall at Mutianyu, you had to be at the bus stop at the north-east corner of the crossroads at Xuanwumen subway before 8am. We went there and caught a bus to Simatai (Y50 each return). There is now a cable car. The Great Wall really is great; it was just as I envisaged.
David Dawson, UK (Nov 98)

Ningxia-Yinchuan: although taxi drivers are generally very honest in Yinchuan, several have taken to persuading travellers that the buses waiting at the airport don't go into the Old City so you must take a taxi at an exorbitant rate.

Xi Xia Mausoleum: this area seems to be in the process of a major development, with some sort of hotel/display area at the main entrance nearing completion. They now charge Y9 entry int othe main area. A small hint: if instead of going into the main entry road you persuade your taxi driver to drive on for a further kilometre or so, there is a dirt track heading into the desert towards what looks like a herdsman's house. It is in fact a secondary site, fenced in, with a Y5 charge. The tombs here are equally impressive, but there is far more pottery, and on a busy day there are fewer tourists around.

Ningxia-Qingtongxia: the entry fee to the 108 Dagobas is Y5 and again it seems subject to some major developments. The ferry over the Yellow River is now Y12. I went to this site by taxi from Yinchuan at the insistence of my Chinese friends and the hotel staff who seemed to think that the town of Qingtongxia is a dangerous place for a foreigner to wait for a bus. Also, apparently the buses are unreliable, so you could be left stranded there. If it has been raining it is worth asking the taxi drivers of hotel staff to check with the ferry as it does not operate if there is flooding.
Philip Davis, UK (Nov 98)

We were told that trains to Datong don't stop at Badaling or anywhere else near the wall, and that only one train a day departs at 8.30am from the north railway station to Qinglongqiao. Also, we were not able to board trains without reservation or with a platform ticket alone.

The staff at the railway ticket office at Hohot are very friendly and helpful.

Bingling Si: The grottoes are in bad shape. It is only possible to walk to the feet of the big buddah; none of the caves are accessible.

Xi'an: For sending packages you can go to the new main post office located at the intersection of Chang'an Lu and Xiaozhai Xilu. For letters you can use the post office next to Jiefang Hotel.
Nicole Schuchardt & Ernst Derra, Germany (Oct 98)

I had problems using credit cards in Beijing as Mastercard and Visa are not accepted there. The solution I found was to go into luxury hotels where such cash machines are available.

We went to the Great Wall at the Badaling site. Do advise people to walk the wall up to its end part so they can see the unrestored section. The restored part of the wall actually looks brand new, and they have put flags and other things that take the original feel of the place away. It is definitely work having a look at the unrestored part of the wall.
Caroline Villette, France (Oct 98)

The Xingchuan Hotel has been closed to foreigners by the PSB.

There's not much to do in Nanning except catch connecting trains. However, the Nanning Department store has nine stories of shops and a skating rink. On the fifth floor is a computer lab of sorts where you can surf the internet and use e-mail for only Y3 an hour. It's perfect for those going into Vietnam where there aren't many place with e-mail. Plus it's open until 10.30pm.
Mike Medd, Hong Kong (Oct 98)

Kunming (Yunnan) - don't try to go to the Bamboo temple by bike as it involves a very long and steep uphill ride.
Urumqui (Xinjiang) - there is only one daily bus to Tianchi. It leaves at 9.30am from the gate of Renmin park.
Lanzhou - very few trains stop at the western station; travellers should go straight to the main one.
Ishay Nadler, Israel (Oct 98)

If you want to use your video camera recorder in China, try to bring tapes with you. Prices in China for 8mm film are very high compared to what you would pay in Europe or the US. Also, you may not be able to find PAL tapes, only NTSC ones.

Be careful when filming or taking photos in temples. I saw tourists being pushed away because they were disturbing people who were praying. The best solution is always to ask. I have seldom been refused the request to take pictures of people and every time I say "thank you" to show respect; it is possible to take photos and film in China provided you are diplomatic and considerate.
Fabrice Mathieu, Hungary (Oct 98)

I have been to the Great Wall many times - it is one of my few escapes from Beijing's pollution and concrete. After investigating many different parts of the wall, I believe I have found a nice accessible section away from the hordes of people which is suitable for a one day visit. Start at Badaling and look for the area called "Happy Bear Garden" (Xiong Le Yuan). From there it is an easy walk (no steps or expensive cable cars) and on the way you can see many Asian black bears in deep concrete ravines. Continue past the bears and you will come to another ticket office. Pay the usual fee and you will soon find yourself in a very nice reconstructed part of the wall with very few, if any, people around - I went on May 1st and October 1st (the two most popular holidays of the year) and there were hardly any people at all; I could see everyone crowded on to one small section of the wall in the distance. For those who wish to see the wall in its unreconstructed form, turn right and walk for ten minutes until you come to the Beacon Tower. At the tower, climb through a small opening - it is very easy - and you will see a pristine wall with lovely surroundings and no people. Again, this is for travellers with limited time who cannot afford to hike the wall for weeks.
Brian Gibel, China (Oct 98)

Train travel: Don't forget to hold on to your paper ticket for when you get on and off the train. Some passengers were hassled because they either lost or threw away their ticket during the journey.

If you depart Yichang at night on the Yangtse River boat trip you sleep through two of the three gorges.
Melanie Cheng & Bernard Phelps (Oct 98)

Be warned if visiting Beijing on National Day (October 1). We were there and it wasn't pretty! Every overseas Chinese returned for the holiday and every resident was attempting to get to another city. It was particularly bad as it fell on a Thursday this year and the Moon festival followed over the weekend so many had extended holidays. We had read of the holidays in the guide but didn't realise the impact. Next year is the 50th anniversary celebration which means it will be even more important and CROWDED.
Air pollution: we're Americans who have lived in Bangkok for almost two years so we thought we knew about air pollution but found Beijing much worse than Bangkok. The air pollution and difficulty with breathing were the main topic of conversation whenever we encountered foreign travellers. Anyone with respiratory ailments should think twice about visiting!
Charlotte & Jim Kenney, USA (Oct 98)

When you arrive at Beijing Airport, there is a little hotel reservation stand on your right hand side, just before you exit after picking up your bags. They will offer you great hotels with substantial reductions. After you have booked your desired hotel, the staff will arrange for a taxi to pick you up. Get a five star luxury hotel for the cost of a simple tourist hotel!
Michael K Jensen, Denmark (Sep 98)

For people waiting to get a train out of Datong: if you go out of the station and to the left on the next block over, some very friendly guys have set up billiards tables on the sidewalk and it's a great place to meet the locals, especially if you speak any Chinese.
Mara Byrne (Sep 98)

The post office in Dali has moved and there are now actually two. One is 50 m further down the road from the old post office and the other one is about 200 m further down on a corner. They both have stamps and a telephone service.
Monica Wojtaszewski, Denmark (Aug 98)

From Kunming, all backpackers head off to Dali. There's "Dali shi", a big uninteresting city and "Dali gu cheng", which means Dali old city, and that's where you want to go. Ask the bus driver before you hand over your Y70 for the sleeper. Some buses will only go to Dali shi, and you'll have to take another bus to the old city.
Christina Chan (Aug 98)

Photography: contrary to common belief, Beijing is the hottest spot for photographic equipment, maintenance and photo-finishing in China today. Film/prints: only the Kodak Royal Gold is missing. All other brands can be found no problem. The major addresses for film in Beijing are: Jin Guang Jiao Photo supplies, at Bei Xin Hua Jie, corner of Xi Changan Jie. This is between Xidan and the Tiananmen Square, exactly half way, opposite the Beijing Yinyue Ting (Beijing Music Hall). You can either try there or at the store opposite, where a huge Canon sign hangs over the shop. Prices: Y50 for Velvia, Y55 for E-100s or E-100sw, Y60 for E-200 and Y20 to 30 on the main Kodak and Fuji print films. In Jinri Jicheng Tu Pian She, opposite the Western Station, you can buy the same films, plus they stock Ilford and Kodak B&W and Orthochromatic films as well.

Processing: the best place in town for slides is the aforementioned Jinri Jicheng Tu Pian She. They do slides with quality that is almost on par with Hong Kong's famed Color Six. They do not frame. The price: Y20 per roll, and a discount for over 10 rolls (10 to 15%). Getting there: go to the Western Station. If you stand with your back to the station, cross the road, and turn left past the billboards. As soon as you pass the last billboard, turn right, underneath the blue sign with the name 'Jinri Jicheng Tu Pian She' written on it. You go through the slums on this dirt road for 100 meters or so, and see the building, nice and new, all covered with green glass. They do not speak English, but have an English price list, and a lot of good will. They do all the enlargements, from negatives and slides, though I cannot vouch for the quality. They develop within the day, so it is quite convenient. They do not do a good job on color printing, so best go somewhere else for that. You can also process slides at Kodak Express - there are hundreds now in the Beijing Metropolitan area. The best are the big ones. The branch of the Beijing Language Institute is the better one. Quality is fair, not professional. They also do slides, but it takes four days, and costs Y18 per roll. Not bad results, but not as perfect as those in the other place I mentioned.

Equipment, the basic rule: the more expensive the camera, the better the price. So, if you look for a Canon Rebel G (or 500n for the non-Americans) with a Tamron 28-200 or a Canon 28-105, you'd better go to HK, where the price is better. If you want a Nikon F-5 or a Canon EOS 1n, with a 70-200 2.8L, Beijing is the place. Shop around the Bei Xin Hua Jie area: Jin Guang Jiao and the opposite store have the best prices in town, and a fierce competition that you can use to your advantage. Canon has a rep on Chongwenmen Xi dajie no 5, which has everything, but prices are in the sky. Nikon's rep is in Xuanwumen, opposite the China Photo Service (did I say service? Sorry, nothing of that there!). The Nikon building and the China Photo Service also have equipment, but at worse prices. The best deals in town are the second hand medium format cameras. Hunt them down in the Photo Building on Chongwenmen Wai Dajie 119, where the Canon lab is. Poke your head through any door, as it is made of many small stores hidden behind closed doors. Leica is represented by Jinri Jicheng Tu Pian She, as well as Toyo, Titan, Gitzo, Bronica and some more. Canon and Nikon are everywhere. So are Minolta, Sigma, Tamron, and Manfrotto.

The best places for second hand cameras:
Dong Fang Min Zhu Tu Pian She, at 118 Xuanwumen nei
Hui fang Xing Photo Supplies center, at 105 Xuanwumen nei
Bei Jing Sheying Qicai Cheng (Beijing Photo Eq City) at 40 Wu Ke Song lu (in Haidian District)
Wande Er Shou Qicai (Wande Second Hand Photo Equipment) at 156 Xuanwumen nei

Labs: Canon, Minolta and Olympus' main lab is in Chonwenmen Wai no 119; a big white building on the way to the Temple of Heaven. Working hours: 9 to 11.30am, and 1 to 5pm. They do a fabulous job, but are short of exotic parts, so don't go breaking lenses in china! The Canon shop in Bei Xin Hua Jie, corner of Xi Changan Jie, is licensed to handle most major brands, so in times of despair, you can go there too.
Yonatan, The Thorn Tree (Aug 98)

On Dongfeng Lu in Kunming, opposite no 49 (the Golden Triangle Bar on the map in the guide), there is an excellent camera shop with a full range of cameras/lenses/films/equipment, etc, both local and imported. Also, they repair cameras - they fixed my lens, which had slipped from its housing, on the spot in 40 minutes for Y10! Look for the big 'Canon' sign.
David Hughes, UK (Aug 98)

I have just found a great air-conditioned Internet cafΘ in Urumqi with six computers on-line, quite fast connection and great help for the price of only Y10 per hour (about US$1.50). The place is called Networld (only in Chinese characters) and it's located on Youhao North Road, #18-7. It is easy to get to: take bus no 101, 1, 2 or 52 and get off at the Youhao Lu department store stop. Cross the street from the department store and walk north for about five minutes. There are green characters on the door and if you look closely you'll be able to see the word 'internet'. The telephone number is: 4831 896 (but their English is not well spoken), or email: p.bm@usa.net
Nicolaas Cuperus (Aug 98)

The five travel agencies inside the compound of the Traffic Hotel (Chengdu) all offer tours to Tibet. You can book a fully organised tour to Lhasa, or you can book the minimum package (transport to Chengdu airport, your flight ticket to Lhasa and your permit to go to Tibet). The price for the minimum was Y1400 up to 21 April. From 22 April (the start of the tourist season) the price was Y1750. A girl from the travel agency picks you up in the hotel lobby at 5am and guides you through the police checkpoints at the airport. Once you get to Lhasa you are on your own.
Filip Crombez, Belgium (Jul 98)

There is only one place in Kunming (probably in the whole of Yunnan) where antimalarial tablets are available:
Yunnan Provincial Health and Anti-Epidemic Centre
Dongsi Jie 158
Phone: 315 0164 (direct call to the 9th floor).
English speaking staff responsible for advising on malaria are on the 9th floor.
Mathias Mⁿller - Germany (Jul 98)

The Bird Market in Mongkok has indeed moved as expected. It's now near the Prince Edward Station near the flower market.
Kevin O'Grady - Canada (no date)

Chongqing: there is a newly opened 'Carrefour' (French chain) supermarket. It was quite a sensation when we were there in January (it had opened just some days before), and the place, which features 65(!) cash registers, was packed. We witnessed the Chinese experiencing the 'western way of shopping', fighting their way through the crowd with pushcarts etc. From the outside, you can see through a window into their in-house bakery, ie, a room with modern bread-making machinery and a man operating it. It was a big attraction, and people stood on the street watching the man make French bread inside. Anyway, this is a place where one can buy western food (croissants, bread, everything), eg, before leaving for a trip on the Yangzi river.
Christine Zimmerli - Switzerland (May 98)

Lijiang: the 'tour group' tourist trade in the city is beginning to take off. Over Chinese New Year, I heard rumours (here in Kunming) that there were so many tourists that many were forced to sleep in the lobby. The growing attraction to Chinese tourist groups (and the other foreign groups) has begun to leave independent travellers in a bit of a hard position as many operators don't want to work for the slim profit offered by the budget travellers.
David G Atwill - China (May 98)

Mid - late January to mid-February is a very bad time to travel in China due to Spring Festival. It's said that at this time 10% of the population (that' 10% of 1.2 billion people) travel back to their home town. Buying train tickets is a nightmare.
Cate Turk (Mar 98)

Perhaps to compensate for some of the reduced entry prices, the 'development' tax now seems popular - charged apparently at all airports even on internal flights. It is Y90 per head at Beijing and Y50 per head at Xian. Also payable at Y14 per night on a hotel room.
John Sheppard-Jones - UK (Mar 98)

The most important change is that prices for tourist attractions no longer differ between Chinese and foreigners. This is true for all places we visited: Great Wall at Mutianyu; Forbidden City; Summer Palace; Temple of Heaven; Luxun Museaum; Confucius Temple; Lama Temple. Since I read Chinese, I was able to read both the English and the Chinese signs - the prices were identical.
Menno Beem - Holland (Mar 98)

I have just spent a month of hard travelling in China. I highly recommend that you only take travellers cheques and do not count on getting money out of ATMs as it is very hard to find ones that will give cash advances and if you do they are quite often not working. Some banks will let you draw cash from inside the bank but with a 4% commission fee. In Beijing, one that is located quite centrally is at the Citibank Building which is next to the Beijing International Hotel (you do not have to have a Citibank card). This is also handy because the bus from Beijing airport lets people off at this hotel.
Kylie (Mar 98)

Since Autumn 1997, foreigners should officially be charged the same as locals. This seems to work quite well as long as you are not in a tourist area and it works even better if you speak Chinese. But the most important thing is to bargain - everywhere!
Chantal Spleiss - Switzerland (Feb 98)

The Bank of China does no foreign currency exchange on Saturdays or Sundays.
Mimi Locher - USA (Dec 97)

I would like to inform you of a publication called Clueless in Guangzhou. It began this past summer and it has been a huge lifesaver that incorporates topics like detailed maps, shopping guides, as well as tidbits to help one survive and understand the culture shock of Guangzhou. I highly recommend it to anyone travelling to this area. Direct email address: cluelessingz@hotmail.com
(Available in an American-style bar & grill called Kathleen's: 60 Tau Jin Lu, Guangzhou, China, 510060; Phone: 8359 8045)
Lisa Blumhagen-Anderson (Dec 97)

Lijiang: if visiting, don't stay in the new part of town or you'll miss some incredible experiences. For me, waking at 7am and strolling the ancient and deserted mist-filled streets was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. Lijiang has lots to offer, and there is now a backpackers guest house in the old town.
Susan Blick - Australia (Dec 97)

It is now official policy that both Chinese and foreigners are charged the same for transport, hotel accommodation and entrance to attractions - at least that was my experience. Good news for foreign visitors as prices are now down a bit, bad news for Chinese as prices have increased.
John Gould - Japan (Nov 97)

Beijing: phone numbers now have eight digits, commencing with a '6'. Also, some prefix codes have changed.
The internet cafΘ is on the 2nd floor, China World Trade Centre (adjacent to China World Hotel), in Chaoyang District. Phone: 6505 2288 ext 8209. There is also one in the Capital Stadium Building, West Wing, Baoshiqiao Lu, Haidian District. Phone: 6833 5335; Fax: 6831 2881. Also B1810 Wantong New World Plaza, 2 Fuchengmenwai Dajie, Xiceng District. Phone: 6857 8794.
Shanghai accommodation: note the change in telephone numbers for the following places:
Yangtze Hotel - 6351 7880
Peace Hotel (the old Cathay) - 6321 6888
Holiday Inn - 6280 8888
Westin Taipingyang - Fax: 6275 5120
Dr. Jerry Schwartz - Australia (Nov 97)

Please note that the American Express number (in Beijing), is now:
6502 2228.
Dr Jerry Schwartz - Australia (Nov 97)

Caught the bus from the west side of Macau (near where the old ferry used to run from), to Guangzhou. It stopped near the hotel Dong Fang which DOES have a Bank of China Foreign Exchange office in it. This is important as AMEX at 2444 Hotel Dong Fang does not change travellers' cheques (and neither does the nearby Bank of China).
Graham Todd (Oct 97)

The American Express Office in the World Trade Centre (on Jianguomen Dajie in Beijing) can not change money, whether it is US Dollars or Travellers Cheques.
Sarah Squire - UK (Oct 97)

On arrival in Yangshuo, we immediately found a computer terminal where I was able to check email. This is at the East Eagle Agency on the main road just past the top of Xi Jie. Ms Lucy has a rudimentary, very bare office with a computer, settee, and a couple of chairs, and also offers fax facilities, travel ticketing and teaching Tai Chi and Chinese chess.
Phone/fax: (86) (773) 882 5461.
Email address: bibls@public.glptt.gx.cn; Charge of Y3 per minute on line.
John & Alison Howie - New Zealand (no date)

The Songpan to Chengdu road is now finished and took us about nine hours. It also costs Y10 more from Songpan than it does from Chengdu, which is strange because when we asked the PSB why, they said, æletÆs go and find outÆ, which we did, and the ticket seller immediately gave us a Y10 refund. DidnÆt answer the question but saved us Y10.
Chris Hauserman, Australia (May 99)

The situation on the trains is getting better (hard sleeper). I noticed æNo SmokingÆ signs, although some of the Chinese took no notice, but still, itÆs not anywhere near as bad as before. Also, I thought they were making a courageous attempt at cleanliness with the addition of rubbish bins with green plastic bags. So, being the good environmental science student that I am, I made the trek down to the bin to dispose of my rubbish as did many of the Chinese people, only to see the guard come along three hours later, collect the garbage bag, tie it up and throw the lot out the window! I almost cried.
Nicole Mathers (May 99)

There is a new high-speed train (110km/h) to the Stone Forest. Y30 round-trip. Reaches Shilin in just one and a half hours.
Lex Schrama, Holland (May 99)

In previous editions of LPÆs China itÆs been written that Wutaishan in ChinaÆs Shanxi province is a real hassle to get to, requiring permits, etc. Well, not any more. First, no permit is required. Second, it is very convenient to get there from Beijing. You no longer have to ride a bus from Taiyuan or Datong along dusty, dangerous roads for nine hours. Instead, you can take a very comfortable train that especially accommodates travellers to the area. Train Y219 (final destination is Taiyuan) leaves from Beijing station (not to be confused with the West station) at 9.21 pm, arriving in Wutaishan at 4 am. I know, a little early, but you get to sleep on a comfortable train and lose no precious travel time.
Brian Gibel, USA (Apr 99)

Nanjing has a new airport which is really far away from the centre of town. A taxi from downtown to the airport costs more than Y160. If you go to the airport from downtown, the taxi driver may charge the miles (or km) for the return trip. Last time we refused to pay more than the price on the meter and handed him the exact amount and left, but we do not recommend doing this. Next time we will take the CACC bus.
Qing Zhang, USA (Apr 99)

There has been a new fast train doing the Shanghai-Hangzhou run and back for just over 12 months. It takes about 90 minutes and arrives at Meilong station. Trains depart three times daily. Meilong station is considerably closer to Hongqiao airport than Shanghai station. Meilong also has a metro station which is handy for getting into town. There are also three trains daily from Meilong to Hangzhou.
Kristyn Wilson, Australia (Apr 99)

The first pedestrian tunnel under the Huangpu river is now entering the final construction phase. The tunnel will connect the Bund area near Nanjing Road in Puxi with LujiazuiÆs riverside avenue in Pudong. The tunnel is 647 m long with an inner diameter of 6.76 m. Escalators will be installed in the tunnel to transport passengers between the two stations either side. It will take 2.5 to five minutes to cross the tunnel and the project is expected to be completed by October 1999.
Anson Yu, Philippines (Apr 99)

There is a ferry service between Pusan and Yantai. This is mentioned in the China guide but with few details and is completely omitted in the Korea guide. The ferry company is C&K Ferry Lines (tel 051 441 8888). The ferries from Pusan to Yantai run on Saturdays at 12 noon and the return ferry leaves on Thursdays at 7 am. The price one-way is US$120 or US$168 for a round trip.

When I arrived in Weihai to catch the ferry, I found to my horror that there was a huge crowd of people with huge piles of suitcases standing in front of the ferry terminal. It did not take long to discover that the tickets had all sold out the day before. With the prospect of staying in Weihai for a few days before me, I was walking dejectedly down the street when I passed an Asiana Airlines office. Weihai doesnÆt have an international airport but Yantai, which is just 60 km away, does. Better still, Asiana has cheap daily flights from Yantai to Seoul at only 1050 RMB, which is about the same as the ferry. This is a brand new route. I decided to cut my losses and take the flight, which in the end was much more convenient than the ferry, although not as romantic.
Martin Sulev, Canada (Feb 99)

Guangdong, Shenzen, to/from the airport: bus #330 (airport shuttle bus) takes you from the airport to about 100 metres short of the border crossing to Hong Kong for Y20. Great value considering a taxi will cost you three times that.
Justin Reed, USA (no date)

If you are travelling on the Trans Mongolian Railway from Beijing to Moscow, the cheapest way is to buy your ticket in Beijing a week or so before hand. This should cost about US$200 one way for a sleeper in a four berth cabin. It helps if you can speak Mandarin and there are separate lines for foreigners. They mix up males and females and you might find yourself in a berth with some interesting people who can't speak English. Pre-booking on the No 3 train will cost you about US$400 from any agency, but saves you heaps of hassle, especially if you can't stand hanging around a crowded railway station for hours or days to get your ticket. The train is extremely popular so pre-booking is the only way to guarantee a specific departure.

When getting on the train at Beijing they make you weigh your luggage and get your ticket stamped or they won't let you on to the platform. You can see why - hoards of Chinese pushing and shoving, trying to get through a narrow doorway carrying their life possessions on their back. Don't break your journey or it will cost another staggering US$200 for the ticket. This is only worth it if you intend to spend lots of time exploring the inner depths of the Russian Federation (it was near freezing in Siberia by mid September, even though it was still 23 C degrees in Moscow). Skip Mongolia unless you're into Dinosaurs or horseback riding.

You must get a Mongolian Visa (US$30 in Beijing) even if you're just transiting the country. One of my cabin mates got the wrong advice from his travel agent and was detained at the border for six hours while they processed his application. Food is provided at the Chinese end. It's fairly basic and the crew are surly. The Russians are much more efficient and clean. Take pot noodles with you and try and get roubles at the border or you will starve. I was fortunate enough to meet a Russian on the train who spoke English and was willing to change my US dollars into roubles.

Siberia is not the frozen waste land people think. It's teeming with life,people, animals, insects (lots of mosquitos) and trees. The train ride is popular, fascinating and you never know who you'll meet.
Colleen Poulter, New Zealand (Feb 99)

Travelling from Lanzhou (Gansu) to Linxia (Xiahe): at the west bus station there are a lot of aggressive men waiting to take tourists for a reasonable price to Linxia in their minibuses. They hassled us into a bus and after a while (when we were already on the road), they forced us to pay a lot of money for the ride (about Y150 to Linxia). In our case they got very aggressive and intimidating (pushing, grabbing, etc) and they wouldn't let us go until we'd paid. In our opinion they work as some sort of gang. They get what they want because a lot of tourists think that it is cheaper because this way they don't have to pay the insurance. But believe me, it's better and safer and cheaper to go with a public bus. When we were in Xiahe we found out that everybody experienced the same scam.
Rita Brons, Netherlands (Jan 99)

Hangzhou has several train stations, so beware which one you get off at. Trains from Shanghai often stop at the east station. In Shanghai also there are several stations, your train may not terminate at the central station. Guilin: the new airport is now open.
Paul Gaylard - Australia (Jan 99)

There are new fast trains to Xi'an, at the same old prices! The trip now takes about 14.5 hours (was 22).
Brett Montgomery, Australia (Dec 98)

We found that Tai'an Railway station was a nightmare to buy onward tickets from. First of all, they only sell unreserved hard seats, and secondly, they will only sell tickets if you provide them with the train number and the departure time. Even though we bought them at the earliest possible time (6am, three days before), the only one available out of six possible trains was the expensive overnight one arriving at our destination, Changzhou, at 3.10am. If you are also going to Qufu, if may be easier to take a bus back to an alternative station (eg Jinan) and try there.
Stephen Jones (Dec 98)

The local bus to the Terracota Warriors is quick and costs just Y5. You can pay Y4 but they take five times as long.

The road from Chengdu to Songpan is finished. The bus takes approximately ten hours.

Yichang: you can only buy hard seat train tickets from Yichang. If you are heading to Guillen, you can buy one ticket which will take you to Yichang-Liuzhou-Guillen on two trains. It costs Y73, but be warned that it is a bit harsh sitting in a hard seat for 26 hours! You can upgrade to a hard sleeper once you are on the train, but it costs a further Y70. We don't know why we were unable to buy a ticket just to Liuzhou or Sanjiang.

Guillen: minibuses to Yangshuo cost anywhere from Y8-20 with packs. They leave from under the big tree to the right of the railway station when you walk out the main doors.

Nanning: trains leave to Pingxiang at 8am and take four hours; they cost Y31.

Generally we found it very easy to obtain all bus and train tickets ourselves. The Chinese now pay the same as foreigners, so there is no point in getting someone to buy the tickets for you. Also, it is a lot cheaper to do it yourself, as you don't have to pay commission to travel agents.
Mike & Maria Sorensen, Denmark (Dec 98)

The railway station in Hefei has moved to another place out of town. It can be reached by several buses, including numbers 1, 101 or 127.

Dali: the trip takes around 7-8 hours. Avoid buying tickets from the teller at the bus terminal; you should buy them directly at the bus where they are much cheaper.
Bernd Schmidt, Germany (Dec 98)

On boats to Putuoshan: the tickets for the ordinary (slow) boat are now Ñ38-302, depending on class. The rapid ferry only takes fours hours and fifteen minutes and costs Ñ155 and Ñ183 for the lower and upper deck respectively (plus an optional Ñ2 insurance). The departure time is 10am from the Luchaogang Passenger Wharf, on the south-western tip of the Shanghai "promontory." Ferries to Ningbo also depart from here. To get there, you have to board the bus at Shiliupu Wharf at 8.15am. The bus ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. The same rapid ferry departs from Putuoshan at 12.30pm. Perhaps you should warn people about not eating anything before the ride; it can be quite rough, regardless of the sea - it's a catamaran, made in Australia, acutally!

Transfer to the airport: you can take a number 505 bus from Renmin Square. It stops right in from of the airport and should only cost about Ñ1, though it can take sometime if the traffic is heavy.

There are several new bus lines running in Hangzhou: bus number 507, for instance, goes all round the lake.

If you want to go to Shaoxing, go to the south bus station (nanzhan).
Rudiger Breuer, Germany (Dec 98)

Xiamen boasts one of the best and most modern airport terminals in the whole of China. Completed in September of last year, its international section is vastly under-utilised but there are flights to all major Chinese cities.
Linda Stevens, Australia (Nov 98)

The 439 and 501 mini-buses which used to run from Shenzhen station to Shekou and the airport have been re-routed. The 439 now stops at Futian bus station, although it does frequently run to Shangri-La illegally. The 501 now runs to the Yinhu bus station, thus leaving no direct service between Shenzhen station and the airport.

A new unnumbered tourist route has commenced service in Shenzhen. It is a purple double-decker bus which travels from the station to the new Era of the Future tourist site, next to the Window of the World. It stops at the Shenzhen Museum, Tequ Baoshe, Honey Lake, Water World, Splendid China, Folk Culture Villages, Window of the World and Era of the Future/Baishizhou. Service times are 7am-10pm. Requests from Baishizhou's Hong Kong residents for an earlier start have been made.
Roger Phillips, Hong Kong (Oct 98)

The rail-link from Kunming to Xiaguan, already appearing on some maps, is due to open in November 1998. This will remove the 'busride from hell' getting to Dali (earlier this year, this took up to 15 hours and was totally unpredictable). The fast highway over the same route should also be finished soon and is already partly in use. Some bus companies seem to deliberately use the old road to avoid paying tolls. It may be worth enquiring carefully about fast buses.

One FAQ about the Tiger Leaping Gorge in China: 'Can you get to the gorge for a one-day visit and back from Lijiang?' Yes. Take the 7.15am Zhongdian bus and get off at Qiatou at about 9am. A Zhongdian-Lijiang bus returns at about 7pm getting you back by 9.30pm. So a whole day is available to explore.
Michael Hoare, UK (Sep 98)

Liping to Guilin: I travelled from Liping as far as Diping. Diping and Long'e are two distinct villages separated by about ten kilometres. Long'e is north of Diping (and closer to Liping). The bus from Liping often stops at Long'e making it necessary to find onward transport (farm transport) to Diping. This is very important travelling north. It was necessary for me to arrange transport back to Long'e for the return bus. There is one 'scheduled' Liping/Diping and Diping/Liping bus per day. There is also an afternoon/overnight bus from Liping bound for Luizhou, Guangxi which stops in Zhaoxing, Long'e, Diping and Sanjiang, Guangxi before turning south to Luizhou. The Luizhou - Liping bus passes through Diping at about 3am.
James Whitlow Delano, Japan (Sep 98)

Lanzhou: buying hard sleeper tickets from the station proved impossible, even from the no 12 window. Staff are extremely rude. Tour agents can get hold of tickets but they buy them from the touts (private sellers) but this usually costs Y30 (or whatever the touts decide) above the face value of the ticket, in addition to the tour agent's commission. The CITS required three days notice for our tickets, one to Urumqi and one to Kaifeng. CITS could only get tickets for trains starting at Lanzhou.
Jan Hanley, China (Aug 98)

There is an airport bus station across from the International Hotel in downtown Beijing and on the lower floor of the airport, one can catch a shuttle from the airport to downtown (although I doubt it runs late into the night). This is important to know because the taxi service is quite expensive.
Ann Krumboltz, USA (Aug 98)

A note about ALL buses in China: they don't leave on time; they leave when they are completely full. I saw many westerners getting angrier and angrier at the wait so this might be a factor to consider when choosing a bus, ie, which one is fullest.
When booking a boat in Chongqing, it is best to book one from the main office - easy to find from the main pier. It's cheaper and far more reliable than booking through CITS. Summer is flood season and the most hectic time to travel.
There is a new road from Qiaotou (Yunnan, Tiger Leaping Gorge) to Shigu, cutting the trip down considerably.
The train to Guangzhou from Chengdu passes through some of the most thief prone areas in China: Hengyang in Hunan. I would be careful on this train.
Kumar Narayanan, USA (no date)

The locals informed me that the railway links between Korla and Kashgar, currently under construction, will be open in October of this year.
Fan Weihong (Aug 98)

I saw an update saying the Xian to Beijing train tickets are tough to get. True, if you want the sleeper that leaves at night. But there is a train that leaves in the morning, and that's just a pain cause you lose a day and get into Beijing at around 4 am. But the tickets are easier to get. There are more options than the black market and standing in line all day. I booked my ticket through the "lantian bingguan"- Blue Sky Hotel. There's a Y30 surcharge which is not too bad. So don't be scared about finding a ticket from Xian to Beijing- just try to book early through a hotel desk, which might be more reliable than Dad's Home Cooking.
Christina Chan (Aug 98)

Just wanted to warn fellow travelers that the new Nanjing Lu Kou Airport (opened sometime this year) is about 45 to 50km away from the city, so if you take a taxi it will cost you the taxi fare (Y100+) plus the tolls/parking (Y50). Neither the LP, the Cadogan China/Silk Road (I am using it reluctantly), nor the Rough Guide mention anything about a new airport replacing the one that was only 13km away (implying a much cheaper taxi fare). You can avoid this by taking the airport bus (but I didn't look into this).
JY, The Thorn Tree (Aug 98)

Golmud-Lhasa by sleeping bus costs around Y1200, including the permit. The trip takes 36 to 54 hours, depending on the condition of the road. It is definitely possible to do this, unlike what some official tour agencies may say. It is the CITS, by the way, that sells these tickets to the local travel agent where you get the ticket from. Question: why not spend the extra Y700 to fly from Chengdu to Lhasa? It takes one hour 40 minutes, you have great views of the Himalayas (if you're lucky), and you'll be fresh when you get there. We know many people who have done the bus trip and they were all exhausted when they arrived. On the other hand, you do get to see a lot when you're on the bus, says Lisa.
Lisa & Siegfried, The Thorn Tree (Aug 98)

Guangzhou, getting there & away, boat: the jetcat that linked Guangzhou to Hong Kong departing from Zhoutouzui Wharf is not operating any more. I was advised to get the bus that leaves from the Swan Club at 2pm. It is cheaper than CTS buses (it costs HK$154 and CTS are HK$165), but it takes you to Mong Kok in Kowloon.
Inaki Salaberria, Spain (Aug 98)

We found Guilin to be the hardest place to get a train ticket out of. A three day minimum wait and only hard class sleepers were available. In retrospect, we realised it would have been cheaper and quicker to fly the Guilin to Kunming leg of our journey than to buy a soft class sleeper.
Carol Wiley & Peter Thornton, Australia (Jul 98)

Guangxi: the Guilin-Longsheng-Sanjiang-Kaili route is beautiful, rough and dangerous. I found the bus clinging to muddy roads, barely passable, driving perilously above sheer drops of sometimes 2000 feet. The route is not for the faint-hearted. Expect your bus to get stuck and you having to push, even though snow chains are used. The hotels in the small rural towns are the worst you will encounter in China. Expect cold, damp rooms, rats and blood on your sheets! The good news though is that the rooms are very cheap. This area is brilliant, centring around the minority peoples. Take off into the hills and expect to be invited in by families for some dinner and white wine. If ever stuck in the villages, a family will give you a bed for the night. Offer some money in the morning as a gesture. You'll end up travelling in buses with live fish in buckets, chickens flying around you and rats (for eating) tied up under your seats. Enjoy it; it's brilliant.
Hamish Martin, Scotland (Jul 98)

Chengdu is a good place to cycle around. There are separate bike lanes along the big boulevards and at every big intersection there are traffic wardens for the bicycle lanes, signalling to stop or go with their yellow flags. Apparently the punishment for ignoring their signals is having to handle the flag yourself for half an hour. Renting a bike at the Traffic Hotel costs Y2 per hour. You will need to deposit Y400 or your passport before you can get your bike.
Filip Crombez, Belgium (Jul 98)

Concerning Hailuogou Glacier Park in Sichuan: the roads from Chengdu to Kangding/Luding are an absolute mess right now (mid-July), due to pretty serious landslides. Our '16 hour' sleeper-bus turned into a 31 hour marathon. The road from Luding to Moxi is even worse. On the glacier, dynamiting makes for an interesting hike, though it's not a huge problem. We did get out of Moxi yesterday morning, but only by climbing on the back of two locals' motorcycles and paying out 30 kuai for them to take us to Maoziping, where you can cross a rickety suspension bridge and flag down a mini-bus to Luding. Also, at one of the Luding bus stations there is a faux ticket window that sells you 'tickets' for double price and then pockets half of the cash while leaving you seatless back to Chengdu. The glacier itself was incredible, but definitely worth a hassle/benefit analysis. Also, you now have to buy traveller's insurance for this part of Sichuan at the PICC branch at Shudu Dasha in Chengdu.
Joe Scheier-Dolberg (Jul 98)

In Yinchuan, Ningxia Province, there is now a new airport about 30 minutes from the city centre. The old one, which is near the old city and next to the University of Ningxia, has been closed. The new airport has flights to Xian, Beijing, Guangzhou and Wuhan. There are CAAC buses from the city centre to the airport every day. A taxi to the airport will cost around RMB30-40. It would be cheaper to take the bus (RMB20).
The trains in China have been computerised so it is now possible to buy tickets with stop-offs. I've bought tickets from Yinchuan to Guangzhou with a stop in Xian. Just before I left China, they started new train journeys from Yinchuan to Guangzhou direct.
Mr Kam-Wing Pang (Jul 98)

Communications are improving fast in Yunnan. You can now fly from Jinhong (Xishuanbanna) to Lijiang, direct every Wednesday and Sunday for about 620 RMB (+50 RMB departure tax). Taking a bus there takes at least three days.
Great news also for travellers on the Dali/Kunming Road: the motorway is scheduled to be completed in September (and most likely will be - the old road runs alongside it and work is nearly finished). This should slash travelling time to four hours (it took me 15 hours, including landslides, breakdowns, etc). Nearly completed too, is the Dali/Xiaguan to Kunming railway. Work on the tracks is finished and trains should start rolling in November.
Jean Philippe Fargeaud (Jul 98)

I can confirm that there is a through train from Kunming to Hanoi on Fridays and Sundays each week leaving at 1430 hours. The journey should take 30 hours, which includes two hours at both Hekou and Lau Cai at the border. There is one soft sleeper and two hard sleepers going all the way.
Peter Fellows - UK (Jul 98)

It appears that it is not possible for now to get into western Sichuan from Zhongdian. Certainly, there are no buses heading that way from the bus station.
Alison Rigby - Australia (Jul 98)

The road from Turpan to Urumqi very often disappears, and vehicles of all descriptions make their way over the rugged terrain any way they can. A tempting new road is being constructed alongside the old one (so the old one never gets any maintenance), and is due for opening August 1998. Fat chance. When eventually finished though, it should cut the driving time from five hours to two. It's only 180km.
Eli & Gill Teicher - Israel (Jun 98)

The Yueyang to Guilin train is NOT the 213 any more, nor does it leave at 3.45pm. It's the 513 and it leaves at 3pm. We missed it which was fine as Yueyang turned out to be a worthwhile 24 hour stopover town! No problem buying a ticket here.
Stephen Barker (Jun 98)

Perhaps the easiest way to purchase international train tickets departing from Beijing is directly through CITS via the Internet. I just purchased a hard-sleeper ticket on the Trans-Mongolian train #3 from Beijing-Ulaan Baatar for US$90, paid for by a bank transfer to the CITS account at the Bank of China, Beijing. The CITS e-mail address is: [xiemz@cits.com.cn] which was given to me by the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. Tickets can be picked up in Beijing at the new CITS office at 103 Fuxingmenwai Dajie, near the Nanlishilu Metro Station.
Bobby Meter - Canada (Jun 98)

Foreign travellers wishing to obtain tickets in Beijing's impressive new West Railway Station should ascend the escalator, turn left at the top and walk back, take the first exit on the right and walk down the adjoining corridor until they find the foreign travellers' ticket office (which, of course, is not sign posted!)
Jonathan Small (no date)

There are no ferry services anymore to and from Hong Kong (eg, to Guangzhou or Macau). They stopped running them as of January 1998. There are lots of speed ferries though.
Christine Zimmerli - Switzerland (May 98)

Lijiang: the new airport is running smoothly. The ticket from Kunming is Y370 (not including the airport tax of Y50). It takes about a total of 45 minutes air time. At the Lijiang airport there is a shuttle bus that runs between the airport and the city itself and costs only Y10. The Lijiang airport's location is a bit of a controversy in itself because it now takes about 40 minutes to get to the city (though the new road should shorten this to under 30 minutes). There are daily flights and even 'direct' flights from Guangzhou (and Guilin, I think). If anyone is considering flying to more than one place (on Yunnan Airlines) a definite must is buying the Peacock Card for Y300: this gives a 20% discount off all Yunnan Airlines' flights (if one is flying to Bangkok it pays for itself with the discount).
David G Atwill - China (May 98)

After hearing such descriptions about the Almaty-Urumqi rail link, I resolved to take the bus. Unfortunately the quote "travellers report no such hassles on the bus journey in either direction" may no longer be a valid comment. The Almaty-Urumqi bus quoted as taking 26 hours, took me 42 hours (albeit with a few break downs). Other sources say this journey should take 36 hours. This trip, when I took it, did stop for sleep but didn't stop very often for food or bodily functions and wouldn't stop to allow me to change money. The customs procedures were, on the other hand, a breeze with officials on both border posts smiling, helpful and friendly. The Urumqi bus stopped at the rapidly growing town on the Chinese side of the border and I was forced to book into a hotel there for a four 1/2 hour stay. When I left Almaty I was sharing the bus with half a dozen friendly Uyghur men. We smiled and gestured with each other amicably and the bus, despite having a fractured windscreen, ambled on, through the "Zharkent Free Trade Zone" with no problems. There was the odd check point passport check but I didn't have to pay any "fees".

At Khorgas, however, we waited in a long line up of backlogged trucks, cars and buses. My Uyghur friends got off but I was told to stay put. After three hours (no opportunity for food buying toilets or money changing), I was hastily transferred to another bus - this one had half the seats missing, windows were held together with sticky tape, had a very belligerent bus driver and I was the only passenger. They drove me to the border checkpoint, stopping to change a flat tyre on the way. At the border I had no problems - a friendly Kazak official helped me to fill out the form in English - I wasn't asked for any currency receipts and I didn't have to wait long for processing. She offered to help me if I had any problems on the Chinese side.

The bus was gone when I exited the Kazak post, but a different bus gave me a lift to the Chinese border. The officials there were friendly too, keen to practice their English - they even told me not to bother with putting my bag through the security check. Alas, the rickety sticky tape bus awaited me, and although I'd still had no chance to go to the toilet, buy food or change money, I was keen to keep going. The bus broke down 10 minutes later. Then, at the next town - quite near the border, we stopped. The driver disappeared into a hotel for a few hours. I waited in the bus and ate my emergency chocolate supply. When he returned he drove, with a new friend, to a restaurant around the corner and gestured "Eat!!". No, Yuan," I signalled and he grunted that I should stay put.

Two hours later he emerged, only to drive back to the hotel and order me to get out and "sleep". I had no money to pay for a hotel, but friendly people helped me out, giving me some food. Four 1/2 hours later I was rudely awakened and we set off again. We broke down several more times, including a three hour stint watching the dawn in the beautiful, but frosty Tian Shan mountains.

I had no trouble buying a ticket the day before but it is most advisable to bring as much food as possible. Don't bank on being able to buy any along the way.
Cate Turk (Mar 98)

The new airport of Guilin was opened on October 1, 1996. Also, just opened, the regular line with Fukuoka, Japan and Macao.
More destinations for domestic flights from Guilin: Changsha, Dalian, Huangshan, Nanjing, Nanning, Tianjin and Wuhan.
Wu Wei - China (Apr 98)

When booking berths on an overnight train at the railway station in Beijing, we discovered (too late) that reserving more than one ticket doesn't guarantee that they will be in the same cabin! Make sure you check this at the time of booking, otherwise it's just pot luck who you end up sleeping with!
Nikki Singh - UK (Mar 98)

Golmud-Lhasa highway: basic equipment required for this trip includes warm clothing (it WILL get icy cold), a large bottle of water (for drinking and rinsing your mouth), sick bags and a blanket (an item that is invaluable to travel anywhere). However, my advice is to bugger the bus and fly into Lhasa. I would.
Dan Shingleton - UK (Mar 98)

In Xi'an, if you get a taxi driver to take you to the station, he will let you out outside the bus station (he isn't allowed to let you out outside the train station). Make sure that you are in the train station when buying the train ticket, otherwise you will find yourself on an uncomfortable bus. The mistake is quite easily made, and has regrettably uncomfortable (and cold, if it's winter) consequences.
Rupert Chesman (Mar 98)

Air travel - price: last summer the privilege of foreigners paying more than nationals for air fares was withdrawn, so we all suddenly found air travel was cheaper. The same situation on the railways happened earlier.
Airport departure taxes: all airports are now levying a departure tax. I have travelled many times in China and never has the tax been included with my air travel coupon. The tax has to be purchased separately and a separate receipt will be issued. Last year airport departure tax for internal flights seemed to have been standardised at 50RMB, and for international departures at 90RMB.
Air schedules and travel: the timetables are basically updated twice each year - around 31 March and 26 October. Changes sometimes occur after printing and before the new schedule becomes effective, so it is always necessary to check when planning. Tip: if planning air sectors before visiting China, the OAG guides are usually a pretty good guide to routes and frequencies available. Air bookings (i.e., ticket issue) open only approximately one month before travel date. But that is much better than the normal three days for rail tickets.
Tony Burgess - UK (Mar 98)

I highly recommend taking the boat from Shanghai to Osaka as an excellent way to get to Japan. The boat is cheap and offers student reductions and return ticket discounts from the office at Shanghai Mansions in Shanghai. The boat is very, very comfortable; like an expensive hotel (at least more fancy than any place I usually stay when travelling).
M D Tinker - UK (Mar 98)

Anyone who is visiting Tibet should give serious thought to taking the overland route into Nepal. It can be difficult to arrange and can be quite an arduous and hazardous trip but it is well worthwhile. Admittedly, the 'Friendship Highway' that links Lhasa and Kathmandu is about as friendly as a good kick in the teeth but to every wonder there is a negative side and I personally think that the sights and experience of this trip is well worthwhile. I would even go as far as to recommend taking this trip in the monsoon season as I did. The magnificent sight of watching thousands of tonnes of water pouring down the sheer cliff-sides as you come to the border crossing area balances the increased danger out.
Dan Shingleton - UK (Mar 98)

There is a new flight going from Tianjin (China) to Osaka. Tianjin 'International' airport isn't served by any train route, and there are no buses there direct from the station. Taxi fares vary between Y20 to Y40 to get there, depending on how honest your taxi driver is (there are two routes that they can take and one of them costs a lot more). The airport is generally very quiet with many Russian people waiting for their plane. There is a Russian market right next to the airport where you can buy lots of stuff at a cheap price. Make sure when you are going to Tianjin railway station that you know the characters for the place you want to go to - there is no pinyin at all. The buses to Beijing cost Y20 and are quite good, although they do wait until they are full to absolute bursting before they leave. Make sure, if you are travelling around Spring festival, that you leave yourself a lot of queuing time at the stations. The one I was in took one hour.
The boat from Tanggu to Kobe deserves a mention. It's very nice and costs Y1500 for the two day trip, plus the standard amount of bureaucratic Chinese red-tape, making it about Y1800 (CITS booking fee, 'public account' thing at the port). The boat only accepts Ñ, even though it is Chinese. You can change up to Ñ10,000 worth of Yuan there, but only on the second day of the voyage, and you therefore may get hungry if you don't have any Yen.
Rupert Chesman (Mar 98)

We travelled by rail from Hanoi to Kunming. In the "Getting There and Away" section, both guidebooks mentioned that the authorities were planning an international train between Hanoi and Kunming. The 'International Express Line' is now happening, although the 'express' part of the deal is not exactly included! Frequent stops and customs going from Hanoi to Kunming meant that we spent 30 hours on the train. We paid too much for the Vietnamese train - around US$46 per person for a soft sleeper. For some weird reason their price list was in Swiss francs, and so when they converted that to US$, we ended up paying more. A fellow traveller in the same sleeper as us got the ticket for around US$36! So make sure that they quote you the exchange rate in US$, not Swiss francs! By the way, the line which I'm referring to is the Hanoi - Lao Cai to Hekou -Kunming.
Priscilla Teh (Mar 98)

Beihai is well connected to many cities in China by air, bus, train and boat. There are also two weekly direct flights between Beihai and Hong Kong (one hour flight time). Passengers arriving in Beihai from Hong Kong must clear customs.
Bill & Jeri Weigand - China (Feb 98)

Thai International Air has moved their office to near the King World Hotel on Beijing Lu.. Though a little more expensive than China Southern Airways, Thai flies every day while CSA only flies twice a week.
Robert Olajos (Feb 98)

Departure from Beijing: there are no lower fares for standby tickets for foreigners. Airport tax was Y50 each.
Peter & Audrey Turner - Australia (Feb 98)

A newly paved road from ChengDu to Jiu ZhaiGou in Sichuan province has almost been completed now. The remaining part is due to be finished by Spring 98. This new road will reduce the journey time to around eight hours.
Simon Li - UK (Feb 98)

The Lijiang North bus station has moved since the earthquake across to the east side of Xin Dajie to approximately where the EDN is in Dajie. The ticket office fronts onto the street, while the buses actually depart from out back, a 30 second dogleg from the ticket booth.
Robert James Olajos (Feb 98)

In Guangzhou, should you want to take the bus to Shezhen, the situation has changed somewhat. A nice air-conditioned bus for the border leaves hourly from the forecourt of the CITS office next to the station. Joining the scrum of the regular bus/mini-bus terminal won't get you to Shenzhen anymore. The CITS bus costs a reasonable Y55.
Richard Selby - Hong Kong (Feb 98)

There is a new CITS office at 103 Fuxingmenwai Dajie near the Nanlishilu metro station. Unlike the CITS office in the Beijing Tourist Building, airline tickets can be purchased at the new office with a credit card. Which also means that airline tickets can no longer be purchased at the American Express office in the China World Trade Centre. Also, it would seem China has decided to eliminate much of its double pricing system.
Evan Owens - USA (Jan 98)

Taxis are very cheap and a neat way of seeing the ins and outs of whichever city you are in. The local buses are loads of fun to use but take a bit of time to get going as they are very reluctant to leave without being fully loaded, in most cases overloaded. We took two hours 40 minutes to get from Xian to Lintong to see the Terracotta Warriors: 31kms.
Kate Frost - New Zealand (Jan 98)

Before Chinese New Year, a lot of airlines give discounts - from 20 to 40%. From Xi'an to Kunming, the Chinese Northwest gave us a 40% discount!
Christine Wenyansong (Jan 98)

There are now two train stations in Hangzhou, and expresses all use the East Station (Dongzhan). Readers need to know this, and to ask specifically for that station, as they will otherwise be taken to the old station in the middle of town. Dongzhan is a long way out of town, and they need to allow plenty of time to get there, particularly in the morning or late afternoon/evening. We only made it by the skin of our teeth and the cooperation of a taxi driver who ignored the 'No Entry' sign and plunged into the midst of the peddlers/coolies thronging the courtyard. Trains are being speeded up, and the time to Shanghai is scheduled to be reduced to two hours after January 1998.
Phil Billingsley (Jan 98)

To avoid doubling back your own footsteps Kunming-Dali-Kunming, you can get off the train from Emei in Jinjiang/Panzhihua and from there take one of the numerous buses to Lijiang. DO NOT do this if you are afraid of heights - narrow, zig-zagging, bumpy roads, old crowded noisy buses and a four to six hour delay! On this trip we were delayed by a car crash, a truck which had dropped its load all over the road, a landslide we had to help remove, an overheated engine, and a police road block. At this point, 10 people had to get off the bus because of overload, but they were picked up again after the next road bend a few hundred metres after the road block!
Eva Marie Lundsgaardvig - Denmark (Jan 98)

Anyone who has taken the Gulmud-Lhasa bus is sure to have their own horror story of forty plus hours of pure smoke, over-cramped, underfed, sleep-lacking, bruising hell. Here are some tips to make this more bearable:
* Bring plenty of food; it's quite scarce, even in restaurants.
* Oxygen in a bottle probably helped save the life of one Japanese traveller on our bus and is recommended if you are out of shape.
* If you don't smoke, think about taking it up, or bring a face mask.
* Arrive at the bus station a few hours early to get 'good' seats. Even if CITS tell you they will give you front seats, they won't.
Gordon W Hutton & Penny A Bayfield - Canada (Jan 98)

Here is the No 1 greatest tip for travel in China... So many people get freaked in China about travel arrangements and especially train tickets. To avoid this do the following:
Write what you want in Chinese characters on a slip of paper and hand it to the ticket seller at the train station. E.g., Simply write the characters for "Two 2nd class sleeper tickets to Chengdu". You could put the train number on there if you know it. Say nothing! Once we figured this out the tickets only took minutes and we always got one (even when told by other travellers that there were none). But be sure to say absolutely nothing! Speech freaks them out and they can't hear you anyway. Pick up a phrase book to get the characters; the cities are in the back of the LP.
Rob & Melissa Gunter (Jan 98)

There is no boat to Hong Kong anymore. Instead there is a direct train. CITS issues tickets on the spot for the train which doesn't run daily. It's impossible to get a soft sleeper but no problem with hard sleeper. It's cheaper to buy the tickets in Hong Kong than in Shanghai by at least 10%. The direct train from Hong Kong to Beijing is running daily and takes 30 hours. It's very luxurious. Don't get too comfortable on the train as at the customs point you have to carry everything off. There is also a health questionnaire which asks questions such as "Do you have AIDS?", and "Do you have used clothes?".
Claire Rudd - Australia (1997)

CITS still has the monopoly on bus tickets to Lhasa - Y1180 for a regular bus or Y1600 for a sleeper, although some travellers got sleeper tickets for Y1180. CITS seems to have trouble getting the 'permission to buy tickets' at times, and some travellers were kept waiting on the afternoon of their departures, not knowing if they would get tickets or not, because the CITS person said that the 'permission' hadn't been granted. The PSB can't grant any permits - they say no permits are necessary, but foreigners must go through formalities at CITS. It is possible to side-step CITS. The city runs buses to Lhasa from a new bus park (of sorts) on Jinfen Lu, east of the Rotary. We got top-bunk sleeper bus tickets for Y1000 (and no Lhasa tour of course). We were kept very under wraps - curtains closed, whisked off the bus and into the back room at restaurant stops (we did get to eat with the drivers though - for free!), and transferred to a taxi when we reached the edge of Lhasa.
During the off season, it's tricky getting from Lhasa to Zhangmu without chartering a vehicle. Some travel agencies send landcruisers or minibuses to the border to pick up groups coming over from Nepal. If you can hook up with one of them, it costs about Y350. There's a travel agency across the street from the Snowlands Hotel that sends a vehicle to the border every Wednesday for Y450 per person.
Mimi Locher - USA (Dec 97)

We took a ferry from Chanqing to Yueyang, about Y220 for 4th class. It should be noted that the boat we were on resembled a refugee boat with approximately 3,000 people on board. About 2,500 of those had no room, and no bed; they were in 'steerage' or 'cattle class'. Needless to say, the conditions were far from sanitary. We talked to other foreigners who had a boat with about 500 to 700 people only. Although our boat ride was a genuine experience of everyday life in China, the faint hearted may want to inquire about the conditions of their ferry.
Jay Chevalier & Jeff Garnard (Dec 97)

I tried to enter Tibet from Nepal via Kodari and Zangmu in October 1997. I did hold a visa for China (issued in Germany) but the Chinese border guards didn't let me pass. They told me that individual travellers are no longer allowed to cross the border from Nepal. The only way is to join a group which is expensive (approx. US$550). If you look for a tour to Tibet, ask for Kunga at Lhasa Guesthouse in Thamel, Kathmandu. The owner of this guesthouse is a Tibetan and he does his best to help foreigners.
Michael Boehm (Nov 97)

Guiyang - the capital has a new airport (May 97), 10km out of the city, 20 minutes by CAAC bus, Y10. The bus meets incoming flights and rides to their office along Zunyi-Lu. At the end of Zunyi-Lu is the railway station and buses to Kaili leave from this road near the railway station. This trip takes six hours for 180km. To go to the airport, the CAAC bus leaves every hour on the hour precisely, from the back of the CAAC building. You just go around the corner. Starts at 5am.
Matyn Mieke - Belgium (Nov 97)

A tip for those who do the Three Gorges trip: make sure to check the timetable of the ship you choose. The one I went on went through the first gorge at 4am so I missed out on the most spectacular part. The trip now costs Y684 to Wuhan from Chongqing.
Anonymous (Nov 97)

Getting from Nepal to Tibet isn't very easy and the border has been closed to individual travellers. The only option was to book myself a tour - a full eight day trip with an organised group from Kathmandu costs about US$350 to US$400. Another option is to rent a driver with a land cruiser for a two day trip to Lhasa; this costs about US$90 each (based on five to six people).
Dudu Cohen (Oct 97)

At the moment it's quite impossible for independent travellers to get to Tibet from Nepal, especially Americans (following the recent unauthorised visit by that US congressman). The old scheme of booking a flight and two nights in Lhasa through an agent, then striking out on your own appears to be dead in the water. It was available even as recently as two weeks ago, until "new regulations" came down from Lhasa (read Beijing). I've tried several travel agents, including Tibet Travels and Tours, Royal Mountain Trekking and others who have done this sort of thing in the past. The only way in is with a fully packaged tour starting at US$100/day, and there are even reports of foreigners being hassled in Lhasa if they weren't with a government-approved guide.
Mike Schell (Oct 97)

The airports at Kashgar and Urumqi have CAAC airport management and construction fees that they charge prior to allowing any passenger into the waiting/loading area. Kashgar charges Y50 and Urumqi charges Y90 per person. This was an unexpected expense - just after I had gotten rid of my remaining Yuan prior to departing.
David Hicks - US (Oct 97)

In August 1997, Zhengzhou airport moved from its convenient old site in the eastern suburbs near the Holiday Inn to a new site 38kms south of the city. Taxis cost about Y100, and buses run from the main hotels for Y40. Despite being brand new, the airport is already showing signs of collapse, notably in the toilets. There is a distinct lack of seating in the main hall, presumably to get people to report to the boarding gates sooner. Fortunately, there are plenty of seats there, and I would recommend travellers check in and go straight to their gate. Incidentally, airport tax now costs Y50. The bus to Kaifeng now takes one hour instead of two because of the newly opened highway.
Philip Billingsley (Oct 97)

It's now possible to cross the boarder from Mongolia to China by local transport rather than the Trans-Mongolian train. We took a daily local train from Ulaan Baatar to Zamyn Ude, then hopped in a jeep to cross the border, then took another Chinese local train from Erlian (Erenhot) to Jining the next morning. Unfortunately the timing of the train-jeep-train combo doesn't work out very well and people are often stuck in Erlian overnight (but this isn't so bad because the people are fantastic and very curious - we learned lots of basic Chinese).
Gerry Timmermans & Eric D'Souza - Canada (Sep 97)

TRAVEL WARNING
Following the accidental bombing of the PRC Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro by NATO-coalition forces, there have been on-going large-scale demonstrations, incidents of harassment of private Americans and damage to US businesses in the PRC. Conditions remain volatile as a result of the extremely high anti-NATO and anti-American sentiment, and the potential exists for further demonstrations and reaction against American citizens and interests. Circumstances in Hong Kong are relatively quiet, but the possibility of further demonstrations cannot be excluded.

The Department of State strongly urges American citizens to defer travel to the PRC until the situation stabilizes. US citizens in the PRC should remain in or very close to their homes or hotels, review their security practices, stay alert to the changing situation, and avoid crowds and demonstrations. Airports remain open and Americans wishing to leave should be able to do so.

Official travel by US government employees to the PRC has been temporarily suspended and all official US Government personnel in the PRC have been instructed to remain at home until the situation calms. American citizens seeking emergency assistance while the Embassy and Consulates General are closed may not be able to reach these offices by telephone. In such an event, they may contact the Department of State on 202-647-0900. Persons with business to conduct at the Embassy or one of the Consulates General after Tuesday, 11 May are advised to check in advance.

For further information on travel to the PRC, please consult the Department of State's latest Consular Information Sheet for the People's Republic of China. Remember that information is also available on the Embassy's Web pages (www.usembassy-china.gov and http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn) or on the State Department's Web page (http://travel.state.gov).

This Travel Warning supercedes the 8 May Public Announcement on the People's Republic of China to update the current security situation, to urge Americans to defer travel to the PRC, and to reflect the temporary suspension of travel to the PRC by US government employees.
American Citizens Services (9 May 99)

Please note also that citizens of other NATO countries, especially Britain, might also need to be cautious in Chinese cities for the time being.

The Great Wall: I had the wall almost all to myself, except for the locals who sell food and drinks to the tourists and the scam artists who try to set up and shake down westerners for money. I had just reached the top of the wall when I was squeezed between two Chinese ægentlemenÆ. Mind you, the place was not crowded - there were only three of us on this whole section of the wall! The æscam artistÆ passed very near to me on one side and was carrying a bag that he dropped when I happened to bump into him. Of course, I hadnÆt intended to bump into him, but was intentionally shoved by his accomplice. The bag, of course, contained a vase that was now in pieces. The guy grabbed hold of my arm and would not let me go. I refused to give him any money and tried calling out the word æpoliceÆ but this did no good. I became panicked and angry and gave up on my attempt to climb any more of the wall, and, with the guys still in tow, started to walk back down the trail to the parking lot. I ended up losing them but this is a warning for others to watch out for this scam.
Conrad, USA (Apr 99)

If you are in Beijing and need to go to a hospital, do not go to the Friendship Hospital (Youyi Yiyuan). I went there during the Chinese New Year and they were closing early. I was greeted with, æYou donÆt look like youÆre about to die! What did you come here for?Æ I was suffering serious dehydration from food poisoning. Reluctantly, a doctor gave me a checkup, told my wife that my condition was critical and a danger to the public, and that they would not allow me to check out of the hospital for three days. I apparently had some type of contagious disease that was threatening my life. After making plans with my wife to make a run for it, they then told us we must pay a US$600 ædepositÆ or they would refuse to treat me. Knowing that I wasnÆt about to die and that I had simple food poisoning, my wife and I forced our way out of the hospital and made our way to the Peking Union Hospital (Xiehe Yiyuan). The staff there were far more friendly, did not charge exorbitant admissions fees and treated me for the food poisoning with no fuss.
Robert (Mar 99)

Changbaishan Nature Reserve: it is not possible to walk around the lake in the centre of the ancient Changbaishan volano. The reason for this is that the mountain range and the lake are bisected by the Chinese-Korean border. There are no comprehensive maps of the Changbaishan area; the maps based on satellite information are unclear and misleading. The border is not marked in any way or even sign-posted. I warn any tourists visiting the Tian Chi (Heaven's Pool) lake not to walk any further east of the weather station which is situated below the summit of Changbaishan.
Joel Emond (Nov 98)

We ran into a bit of trouble in Langmusi with a shifty taxi operator. We hired a taxi for the journey to Songpan on the understanding that it was to be a mini-bus vehicle, and that the total cost was 600rmb for the whole trip, regardless of how many people we found to share the ride. When the time came, we were forced to accept an uncomfortable pick-up truck with a canvas tarpaulin. Worse, after piling nine people in and travelling a third of the way to our destination, the driver announced that the price was now 150rmb per person and became quite violent when we protested. Fortunately the PSB in Zoige was very helpful and managed to calm him down and adhere to something close to the original deal. I have since heard similar stories from other travellers from Langmusi; it appears to be quite a scam. A few locals tried to warn us and tell us that the bus was the best way to go but we thought we knew better.
Ken Owen - USA (Oct 98)

The Emeishan monkeys are a real problem. They scratch and when we were there, they ripped a woman's plastic rain coat to pieces. They are very confident and don't let you pass. The porters are very aware of this and charge people large amounts of money for protection from the monkeys. They also wind you up with 'monkey will kill you!'. I would not walk down/up the mountain alone.
Nick Picton, UK (Sep 98)

In Chengdu, I was attacked, robbed, beaten and only narrowly escaped being raped. The striking thing was that there were lots of Chinese people around and they didn't intervene despite the fact that the guy was hitting me and I was crawling on the ground and crying out for help (in bad Chinese). They just said 'go with him'. Anyway, I escaped (without my money) and I would be happy if my information could prevent someone else experiencing a similar incident.
Elena Potapova, Russia (Sep 98)

I travelled back to Juizhaigou via Nanping and Zhaohua. The roads are very, very dangerous. Evidence of landslides and huge boulders falling onto the road all the way along.
Judith Scott, China (Aug 98)

A road is now being built through the Tiger Leaping Gorge and there are very dangerous stretches, especially in wet weather. I would not advise doing this trek in wet weather even during summer, at which time we barely missed being crushed by refrigerator-sized boulders. The worst section is around the waterfall, half an hour west of Walnut Grove on the low road, where the workers are dynamiting constantly. Heed their warnings and race quickly through the area.
Just around the corner from the waterfall (at the 20km marker) is the turn off for the high road. This is highly recommended, especially as you avoid the dynamite and rockslide hazards of the low road. It is a beautiful walk high among the peaks and on a real trail, not a road.
Sheridan Pettiford, Australia (Aug 98)

My friend and I took the road from Chengdu-Kangding-Litang-Xiangcheng-Zhongdian. This is mentioned in the Lonely Planet as the 'Back Road to Sichuan', in the Sichuan Province chapter. Travellers should be aware that these roads are bad. On multiple occasions our bus almost fell off the large cliffs and actually did fall off the road once, onto the shoulder. Luckily everyone was OK. So be careful, especially during the rainy season - these roads are dangerous.
Andrew Lavinsky, Mongolia (Aug 98)

A word of warning: our Spring Festival was almost ruined by missing the Three Gorges sight on our trip to Yichang. We were assured our boat was a tourist boat. Instead, we were crowded onto a passenger ship, 12 in a cabin, which sped past the gorges in the dark! Nobody was allowed on deck, but we managed to see a little of the cliffs under a full moon. The boat was also seriously overcrowded. Make sure you ask to see the boat beforehand and hold onto the company's address.
Hamish Martin, Scotland (Jul 98)

I have just returned form Tiger Gorge in Yunnan. When I was there it was sunny and not dangerous, but when it rained, there were rock slides everywhere. We were told of five Chinese workers who had been killed from rock slides that day. I know of one Chinese girl who slipped running down the mountain for the ferry. I also saw cuts and bruises of fellow travellers who had been hit by falling rock. So during the rainy season, it's best to stay away when it looks like rain.
J M (Jul 98)

Watch out for the dogs in Daju. I was bitten by one of them while walking through the town. I didn't get rabies shots immediately, but on return to Shanghai two weeks later I went to the Hua Shan hospital (foreigners section, 19th floor) to enquire about it and the doctors and nurses were horrified that I had done nothing sooner. Whether this is correct or not, I don't know, but the doctor there told me that of infectious diseases, rabies is the second greatest killer. You have to take a course of five rabies injections over a period of one month and a shot of immunoglobulin (nasty) with your first rabies vaccination.
Alison Rigby - Australia (Jul 98)

Salt Lake, Turpan: be extremely careful where you step. I ended up getting sucked into deep, salty mud in a spot that looked perfectly stable. Our guide had said nothing about the danger and I lost a shoe. There are no signs to warn tourists of this.
Zeneb Dickson - USA (Jun 98)

TEDA (Tianjin District): this is the one foreigner complex that, like the streets elsewhere in the area, have open sewer grates. I managed to fall down one one night and it took me a couple of weeks to recover and walk properly again.
Dave McCullough (Mar 98)

In parts of China road work can be hazardous to your health. Twice, roads were dynamited right in front of us, with rocks falling from 100 metres landing all around us. (Very dangerous near-death experience, but neat to look at [not recommended]). The Chinese word for dynamite is FAH-PO, so if you hear workers yell this and blow whistles, TAKE COVER!
Jay Chevalier & Jeff Garnard (Dec 97)

Dangers on the roads and pavements: there happen to be loose stones, deep holes, obstacles like little iron bars coming out of the concrete, dangling electric cables and loose drain covers (I fell into one of those and luckily got out with a few scratches only!)
Britta Hensen and Michael Krieg - Germany (Oct 97)

We would like to draw your attention to a beautiful place: Liming in Yunnan Province. It is located six hours from Lijiang by bus and costs Y30. It has the larges red rock sandstone landscape in South-West China (approximately 200 sq km). It is a place where the sun rises and falls three rimes a day due to the towering rock outcrops on either side of the town. Liming means ædaybreakÆ. The rocks change colour during the day from soft orange to pink, to deep red at sunset. The prime attraction is the walk to the mountain tops; the most spectacular rock formation to be found is named æQianshangguiÆ. It resembles hundreds of turtles marching to the sky.

The area is inhabited by 2000 families of Lisu nationality. There are three guesthouses in town and also a few restaurants serving inexpensive but rather bland food. The locals offer you their homemade wine and cakes made from buckwheat and honey that take some getting used to. They are friendly people and are keen for more tourists to visit. The whole town is currently undergoing renovation. Most existing buildings and the newer ones are made with beautiful pink sandstone that surrounds the town. The main street has been widened and large slabs of the pink stone have been laid - when finished, the town will be a showcase. This is the most beautiful place we have visited in Yunnan. It even outshone Tiger Leaping Gorge in our opinion.
Matt Sexton & Rose Kerlin (May 99)

Theme parks: Hangzhou has two in a similar area - both down past the Pagoda of Six Harmonies (Liuheta). One is called æFuture WorldÆ, the other is æSong Dynasty TownÆ. Future World is a strange place - lots of construction representing æinternationalÆ buildings (eg German church, Thai pagoda, Turkish cotton mill, etc), some rides, dance performances and food outlets, which have English signs like æcoffeeÆ and æhamburger', but which only sell bad quality, overpriced Chinese stuff. We only went there to film a TV show and the place was very empty. However, we did get to pat and be photographed with a live, bored tiger called Lianlian. The place was pretty depressing, yet humorously surreal - probably not worth the 50 RMB or so to enter. Song Dynasty Town is an attempt at a recreation of Hangzhou in the Song Dynasty, but again, it is a weird place - a man-made mountain juts up above the surrounds, giving a view into the fields around the theme park. There are some small shops around often selling the typical Chinese tack, but the occasional one has a working artisan doing something like woodcarving or printing. There are some explanations of history and street theatre performances - all of these are in Chinese, no English or other languages. Friends have said that the evening dance performances are really the highlight of this place, thus it is best to go late afternoon and stick around for the dancing.
Kristyn Wilson, Australia (Apr 99)

On recent travels to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou, I discovered, with the help of Chinese friends, a little known place called Zhouzhuang, situated 38km from Suzhou. This ancient living village is yet unspoiled and full of canals and narrow streets. It was, in fact, what I was lead to believe Suzhou would be like, but sadly, Suzhou is in the midst of demolishing all the old houses along its canals.
Wilma OÆSullivan, China (Mar 99)

I visited the Sichuan Bamboo Sea Park in South Sichuan near Yibin. There is no information in the Lonely Planet guide about this beautiful park but it is absolutely worth seeing. I found out about it in a local Chinese guide. To get there, take the train from Chengdu to Yibin, which is approximately a five hour ride. Then a local bus leaves for the Sichuan Zhuhai Gongyuan (Bamboo Park), which needs around three hours and only leaves in the morning.
Tatjana (Mar 99)

For those people travelling through Chengdu on a tight scedule, the only must see I can recommend is the Panda Research and Breeding Center on the north side of town. Its a pleasant place to wander early in the morning and the pandas are often seen outdoors in relatively natural surroundings. As far as other sights around the city, Wenshu and Zhaojue Temples are worthy.
Chris Dieckmann (Feb 99)

Shanhaiguan: just outside the village, a new Great Wall site has opened. We were there in July 1998, and there were almost no other visitors. The entrance fee is Y10, and you can climb the wall as far as you like. The first part of the wall has been restored, but while you are climbing, the old wall will become apparent. It is quite a hike to get up, but the view is fabulous. You can reach the spot by taking a taxi or renting a bike (for about Y10 a day). From Shanhaiguan, you can easily cycle to the beach to see the place where the Great Wall meets the sea, and then cycle to the other spot where it enters the mountains. This can all be done is one day.
Ceciel Meys, The Netherlands (Dec 98)

At Precious Stone Hill (where the old men air their birds), there is a Daoist Temple where I was able to listen to a live Daoist mass. The music and costumes were fascinating, and very different from a Buddhist ceremony.
Rudiger Breuer, Germany (Dec 98)

In Xian, we stumbled upon a side street cafΘ where the girl served tea with a watering-can!
David Dawson, UK (Nov 98)

Beijing Shuan Yang Rou is a specialty of the Beijing/Shandong region. Lamb is sliced paper thin and then dipped into a stock which is cooked in a copper hotpot over charcoal. It cooks in seconds, and then is dipped into a special sauce made of sesame paste, minced Chinese chive flower and soya sauce. Although it is little known outside China, it has been very popular for hundreds of years; within China its fame as a Beijing dish is second only to Beijing duck. Most popular in the cold late autumn and winter, it is very delicious and a lot of fun to eat.
Yiqun Chen, (Oct 98)

Lugu hu: for those with the time to spare, the trip north to Lugu lake is well worth the effort, for the lake itself, the Musu people and the spectacular landscapes on route. It should be possible to get a connecting minibus in Ninglang so as to make it to the lake in one day, but it is unlikely that this will work in reverse. Apart from the 'basic' accommodation in Luoshui village where the bus arrives, there is only the large shan zhuang guest house that can be seen on the promontory towards the north of the lake. This is a tiring walk. No taxis or horse carriages. You can get the bus driver to drive on to there (expensive) or take a boat (the better option). The shan zhuang is comfortable and has a good restaurant, but is not very well oriented to western visitors.

The journey to Deqin (from Zhongdian) is something special. This has been legal for foreigners since 1997, though in May I still had to go to the gongan for a letter to prove this to the ticket sellers. You'll see every sort of mountain scenery, a stretch of the Qinshajiang (upper Yangtse) and beautiful, almost Italian Alpine style villages. The bus reached the snow-line in early May and it was perishing cold, but the views of the spectacular snow-capped mountains made it worthwhile. Deqin, tucked away at the end of a long valley has little to offer as a town, but does have a strong Tibetan feel. The Zu minority people that live in the older streets are most friendly and may invite you into their beautifully decorated houses. There seem to be only two hotels - the first one down the hill is tolerable but the one further down execrable. There is a viewing point for the mountain (Meilixueshan) with a monument to a Japanese/Chinese climbing expedition that died there a few years ago. One can look across to the valley of the Upper Mekong and the Tibetan border. In May, the summit was in cloud as it is frequently in summer. The best viewing time is said to be winter.
Michael Hoare, UK (Sep 98)

For anyone who wants to get a taste of Tibet but does not have the time or the permit to go there, Zhongdian in Northern Yunnan is a good alternative. The majority of the people are Tibetan and very friendly and you'll also find the second largest Tibetan Monastery, yak butter, open air burial grounds, etc. Zhongdian will be opening an airport next year.
David Leung (Sep 98)

The 'Panjiayuan Jiuhuo Shichang' (Panjiayuan old wares market), located just inside the south-east corner of the Third Ring Road (just west of Panjiayuan Bridge) in Beijing is the best and cheapest place to shop for antiques and souvenirs in Beijing. Of course, bargaining is de rigeur, and prices have risen in direct proportion to the number of Beijing Hotel tour buses that have begun to park in the nearby side streets. But many good bargains remain to be had and the selection is vast. The market is open Saturday and Sunday mornings - get there early for bargains. Action starts to die down around midday.
Antony Dapiran, Australia (Aug 98)

Xinjiang news, Tian Shan Gong Lu (Tian Shan Highway): this is a completely unvisited road, and is by far the most amazing in Xinjiang (after the Karakoram, that is!). It goes from Kuqa to Yinning, and can be done in one long stretch (24 hours), but should be done over a few days. As Kuqa and Yinning are places the Han Chinese detest, and the passengers are almost all minorities, the bus is horrible: no sleepers, no suspension, etc. The first stretch goes from Kuqa to the mountains. It is three hours or more on the bus. The road goes up and curves till you get to the Big Dragon Lake. You can hop off the bus and camp out there if you want. As it is not a sleeper bus, you can always flag down the next day's bus.

The next stretch is amazingly beautiful, and if you can walk part of it, do! It will go for no more than 100km till the road will even up on the grasslands on top of the range. The views are amazing, and there are yurts all over (though you are advised to bring your own food). The grasslands on the top are nice, but very long, so it's best to take another bus all the way to Bayanbulak (Ba Yin Bu La Ke in Chinese). This is a secret swan reserve, that in addition to being amazingly beautiful is packed with tens of thousands of swans every year in June and early July. The authorities claim it is not an open place, but the locals told me that not only is it open, but there are some basic facilities in there. I did not find out, as I camped. It is an amazing place: huge grasslands with a big curling river and massive snow mountains in the background. Looks like the Alps planted in Mongolia.

The next stretch goes downhill towards the Yili River valley. This is a nice ride, but the mountains are quite distant, so you can just enjoy the ride and get to Yinning. If you are still bent on seeing more mountains, there is yet another option: The road goes through a place called Na La Ti, and then turns left (west) towards Yinning. You can get off there, stay at the crummy hotel, and catch the next bus on the road that goes north to Kui Tun. One thing is sure: you will see no travellers at all. So if peace of mind is what you are after, as well as stunning scenery, you are on the right road.
Yonatan, The Thorn Tree (Aug 98)

If travellers have time and energy, I highly recommend them passing through the Taklamaken Desert. The new desert road was built about two years ago. A bus runs nearly every nine hours from north to south. Many Uighers live in the south of Taklamaken Desert.
Fan Weihong (Aug 98)

Anyone who is in Yangshuo and interested in spending time and sharing views and thoughts with young Chinese people should seek out the 'Yangshuo Foreign Languages School', about five minutes walk from the centre of town near the river. We went and attended their classes on two occasions. I was even asked by the teacher to take a lesson to talk about and discuss Australia. A great experience.
Wayne Brabin (Jul 98)

Hong Qiao market (flashy blue glass building, Beijing): this place is across the street from the east gate of Tiantan Park (Temple of Heaven). Besides every trinket known to humans on floors one and two, the most amazing place is the third floor which holds the Pearl Market. Each stall has piles of pearls in every shape, size and colour. You won't believe your eyes, with thick bunches of pearl strands lying on countless counter-tops. Bargaining is expected and bargains are easily found. A decent looking freshwater strand sells for around $5 and they will string and knot any combination of pearls and stones, such as amethyst, garnet and lapis, free of charge. All vendors speak English and some accept credit cards.
Madeline McCloskey (Jul 98)

Zhongdian: this is the region that the Chinese have identified as the mythical Shangri-La. If you go at Duan Wu Jie (in the 5th lunar month), you can go to Wu Feng Shan to see the festivities, consisting mainly of horse racing. The horses are reluctant to run more than a lap - to get them any further involves a number of people coming onto the track to encourage them. We saw horses turn around and run the wrong way, riders fall off, etc. People from at least seven or eight different minorities turn up to watch and participate in the event. All broadcasts are in Mandarin.
Alison Rigby - Australia (Jul 98)

If you really want to get an idea of how far China has come since the days of Mao Zedong and revolutionary operas, I recommend you check out Beijing's diverse and uncompromising underground rock scene. It's definitely happening, you just need to know where to look. Bands playing everything from jazz to ambient Chinese folk tunes crowd the Sanlitun Embassy district clubs on weekends. Impromptu jams often follow, as many in the audience are also musicians. Here are a few clubs likely to have gigs: the 'CD CafΘ', 'Keep in Touch CafΘ', 'Jazziya', 'Jam' and 'Shadow CafΘ / Club X'. Or if you're feeling really adventurous, I recommend 'Texas' or the 'Storm Bar'. Both of these bars host local punk, rock and metal acts, and rarely will you see another foreigner in the audience. Enjoy and 'Zhongguo Yaogun Bannian!' ('Long Live Chinese Rock!').
Cindy Carter - USA (Jul 98)

I just received an e-mail from a friend about a big rock festival this summer in Beijing. This sort of concert doesn't happen that often in China, so this is a pretty big deal for Chinese rock fans and musicians alike. I think it's a good chance to see a very cool side of China that is usually neglected in the media, both foreign and domestic:
Beijing Summer Rock Music Festival 1998
Dates: 25-26 July 1998
DJs: Cheese + guests
Venue: Yanqi Hu Park, Huairou
Bands: Cui Jian, Zi Yue, Overload (Chaozai), Cold Blooded Animals (Lengxue Dongwu), New Pants, Thin Man
Tickets: 200 RMB (including buses and park entrance)
For more info: Contact the ubiquitous Zhang Youdai (DJ Youdai)
Cindy Carter - USA (Jul 98)

Lijiang is definitely a place not to be missed. The Old Town is quite unique. We were impressed by the cleanliness of everything, except for the main public toilet which seems to serve the commercial enterprises. We were very fortunate to witness a lantern parade by thousands of children one night. The city was celebrating the declaration of Lijiang as an international multi-cultural city. There are a lot of new hotels in Lijiang. There is very little evidence of the last earthquake - the Old Town appears totally unaffected. Departure from Lijiang to Kunming was from the beautiful new airport, 40 minutes from town. A new road to the airport is under construction and plenty of time should be left to get there.

Zhengzhou: the drive to Zhengzhou from Louyang takes one through a town I unfortunately did not make a note of. The place is the home of Zen Buddhism. It has 21 Kung Fu schools with 6000 students. The town, set within beautiful mountains, is also home to a burial site called the Pagoda Forest. The site contains over 100 pagodas for 29 generations of past monks dating back to 87 AD. At the entrance to the pagoda site is a large twin-engined aircraft in which Mao Tse Tung reputedly travelled. How they got it there is a mystery. There does not seem to be a bit of level ground anywhere! The rest of the drive gives one another view of China as the road passes through coal mining areas where the roads and buildings are covered in black grime. Not exactly scenic, but an important juxtaposition to the conventional tourist images.

Zhouzhuang is a very unusual place. I would characterise it as the Venice of China. It's about a one and a half to two hour drive from Suzhou, unless you have a driver like ours who gets lost. It is considered by the Chinese as a model community, depicting the traditional lifestyle of the river folk. Access to the town is across seemingly endless plains of fields, ponds and canals. The government has gone to great pains to restore Zhouzhuang and develop it as a tourist site. It is laced with beautiful canals which are plied by 'Chinese gondolas', fishing boats and barges. The tiny, stone-paved streets hide historical homes, some of which can be toured, and there are great places to eat. A photographer's paradise.
Derek Emmerson (Jun 98)

I would advise anybody travelling in China who is interested in martial arts (not just kung fu) to visit, and if possible, train at the Shaolin Temple (Henan Province, Inner Mongolia). There are some excellent schools there where one can train. However, beware of poor quality schools who charge high prices and provide sub-standard tuition. I heard stories from people who had paid upwards of Y2000 for ten days of 'training' and were basically just told to stretch all day. My advice would be to watch a day's training at a school before making any decisions, bargain hard over the price (you will be asked for more than you should pay - even the monks will do this. A good price seems to be around Y1500 for one month's training), and get the instructor to sign some kind of contract so you have something with which to argue if things don't work out.
Wesley J Hayter - UK (Jun 98)

Beihai, the hometown of China South Sea Pearls, is like a bright pearl in China. There is a lot to see and do in Beihai. The fishing village in Haijiao Road and the Vietnamese fishing village called Qiaogang Town, which was built as a refuge for the Chinese Vietnamese deported by the Vietnam government in the late 70s, are both colourful and interesting places to appreciate how local people live and work. It's fun to take a pedi cab (Chinese tricycle taxi) to travel through the old street called Zhuhai Road where you can see three kilometres of several styles of old western European architecture. Tourists who are interested in Chinese history would enjoy the Puduzheng Temple on Chating Road just up the road to the right from the Furama Hotel. About 30km will take you to Hepu County to see the Museum of the ancient tombs of Han Dynasty, Wechang Pagoda, Dashi Pavilion and Dong po Pavilion.

Star Islands Lake: 60km away from downtown is a real fairy land with attractive scenery and fresh air. It was formed when the Hongchao reservoir was built. The lake covers a large area of more than ten square km with more than 1000 small islands of various shapes and sizes. CCTV (China Central TV station) selected this site to construct replicas of ancient castles and temples on several islands used in the filming of the fantastic TV series based on the Chinese famous historical novel, Outlaw of the Marsh. The site is now an interesting tourist attraction. Visitors can contact the local CITS office for details on tours.

Weizhou Island is 36 sea miles from Beihai. The journey to Weizhou Island takes three hours by small ferry. Keep in mind that it can be a rough trip in poor weather. It is the largest volcanic island in China. From the top of the island there is a grand view of the sea and beach. One can descend down a long winding narrow path of steps to get a good view of the caves formed in the side of the volcanic crater that now forms the bay. Local history tells us these caves were havens for South Sea pirates in ancient times. One of the surprises to visitors is the huge Catholic Church built in Gothic style of local coral stone in 1869. The construction of the 774 square metre church took ten years. The church, monastery and additional buildings housed a hospital, school and kindergarten. The church was the first Catholic church in the region. The island is also famous for colourful corals and shellfish. A nice relaxing experience is to take a walk on the coral beach.

Mangrove Forest: listed by the State Council as a National Ocean Resources Preserve Protected Area, the 333.33 hectare forest of mangroves is located along the beach in the south-east Hepu county about 90km from Beihai. An interesting experience for visitors is to take a small boat trip through The Forest in the Ocean, when the sea tide is in. Trips can be arranged through the local CITS office.
Bill & Jeri Weigand - China (Feb 98)

We just returned from Harbin. The Ice Lantern Festival was worth the trip even if my fingers and toes still remain there. We were advised to see the people swim in the frozen river. If you haven't left any body parts behind at the Ice Lantern Festival, this event is well worth seeing. You will be greeted at the river by hundreds of sled drivers more than willing to take you to the 'swimming hole' for 100RMB.
Patricia Neale & Steven Stankiewicz (Jan 98)

Minority Village, Kunming: sort of a Disney/Epcott Centre type of presentation representing the 25 different minorities of Yunnan Province, the people and their buildings and some aspects of their art. If you don't have enough time to travel around seeing each of these different minorities in their native sites, this seems a reasonable alternative. It is informative, and quite well done, and appropriately respectful of the people involved. In fact, I think it gave quite a good image of the various different groups. Plus it's a great chance to buy a selection of souvenirs.
Pamela J Hines - USA (Jan 98)

Beijing Opera performances at the Liyuan Theatre inside the Qianmen Hotel: they really are worth watching, and it is no problem to get tickets even on a Saturday evening, although prices have gone up quite a lot. The cheapest tickets cost Y20 or Y30 (balcony), and the most expensive ones (coming with snacks and drinks) are now Y120 (these often seem to be reserved in advance for tour groups). Another thing in the entertainment scene worth mentioning is that performances at the San Wei Bookstore's Teahouse usually have jazz on Friday evenings and traditional Chinese folk music on Saturdays. Admission is Y30 and drinks are astonishingly expensive (compared to normal Chinese restaurants), starting at Y30 for a normal tea. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our evening of folk music as the musicians were excellent.
Stephanie Kirschnick - Germany (Nov 97)

It is worth getting to Tiantan Park (Beijing) early, especially on a Saturday morning, to watch the residents perform Tai Chi, dancing routines and play badminton. It is also worth wandering around the park and visiting the other sites, such as the Double Ringed Pavilion of Longevity, and the Fasting Palace. The ticket to get into the main 'Temple of Heaven' buildings is Y30. Just to the west of, and near the entrance to the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, there is a fantastic artist quarter with stalls selling all sorts of art equipment from brushes of every size, to ink plates and books on calligraphy. There is also a huge selection of paintings and calligraphies to choose from which, if you bargain for, you can get at a good price.
Sarah Squire - UK (Oct 97)