Time difference: Australian EST -2 hours
Flight Time: Approx 12 hours
Visa Required: Yes
Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY)
Tel Code: +86
Population: 1,330,044,000
Official Language: Mandarin
Main Religion: Buddhism
Airlines:
China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines,
All our escorted tours to China include your visas, meaning less hassle for you.
Passports & Visas
All Australian citizens require a full passport and this should be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return home date. If you are not an Australian citizen, other regulations may apply to you and you should check with the nearest embassy of the country you intend to visit.
Local Currency
Chinese currency is called Renminbi (literally people's currency), often abbreviated as RMB. Issued by the People's Bank of China, it is the sole legal tender for both the Chinese nationals and foreign tourists. The unit for Renminbi is Yuan, Jiao and fen. The conversion among the three is: 1 Yuan = 10 Jiao =100 Fen. Chinese people normally refer to Yuan as Kuai, Jiao as Mao. RMB is issued in both notes and coins. The denominations of paper notes include 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 Yuan; 5, 2 and 1 Jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 Fen. The denominations of coins are 1 Yuan; 5, 2 and 1 Jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 Fen.
Credit cards can be accepted at most hotels, tourist shops and some department stores.
Currency Conversion
One can change money upon arrival at the international airports of Shanghai. Also most hotels offer foreign exchange services and exchange cash and travelers cheques. The Bank of China exchanges money and travelers cheques. In China, wherever you exchange money the same day, the exchange rate is the same. Banking Hours: Mondays to Fridays, 9 a m to 5 pm.
Foreign Exchange
There are no quantitative restrictions imposed on foreign currencies, traveler's checks, or credit cards brought in.
Inbound passengers carrying foreign currencies in cash of more than 5,000 U.S. dollars should declare to the Customs. The Customs shall release it on passengers' departure upon the declaration made at the last entry.
Without last time declaration record of foreign currencies in cash, or if the recorded amount is less than what the passengers carry this time, the Customs shall release the discrepancies upon certificate issued by the Foreign Exchange Bureau or its authorized banks.
RMB
The limit of RMB allowed to bring in or take out of China is 20,000 yuan.
Volatge
Electricity is supplied at 220 volts, 50 cycles.
Consulate Around Jiangsu:
Australia Floor 22 CITIC Plaza, 1168 West Nanjing Road,Shanghai 200041 +86 21 52925500 +86 21 52925511
144-hour Visa-free Policy 144小时免签证过境
Starting from Jan. 30, 2016, the measure of 144-hour Transit Visa Exemption for Foreign Nationals for citizens from 51 countries destined for a third country with booked a through air ticket goes into force at the ports of entry of the airports in Shanghai and Beijing. During the visa exemption period, the passenger is allowed to move around within the administration precincts of Beijing and Shanghai municipality.
Starting from Dec. 1, 2013, six more countries in Central and East Europe, including the Republic of Serbia, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Albania, are added into the "72-hour visa free" countries list.
The 51 visa-free countries are:
Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Tips:
1、The passengers of the 51 countries should hold transit flight tickets to a third nation or region.
2、The passengers of the 51 countries should have their valid international travel documents and visas of the third nation or region.
3、The passengers of the 51 countries are allowed to stay in the administrative areas of Shanghai within 144 hours.
4、The passengers of the 51 countries should exit through the same airport which they enter.
Public holidays
There are currently seven official public holidays in the mainland territory of the People's Republic of China. There was a major reform in 2008, abolishing the Labour Day Golden Week and reintroducing pre-Liberation (before 1949) public holidays such as the Qingming Festival. A notable feature of mainland Chinese holidays is that people are often required to work at weekends in lieu of weekday holidays.
Date English name Duration Dates
(2014)
January 1 New Year 1 days Wed 1 January
1st day of 1st lunar month Chinese New Year 7 days Fri 31 January - Thu 6 February
5th Solar Term (April 4th or April 5th) Qing Ming Festival 3 days Sat 5 - Mon 7 April
May 1 Labor Day 3 days Thu 1 - Sat 3 May
5th day of 5th lunar month Dragon Boat Festival 3 days Sat 31 May - Mon 2 June
15th day of 8th lunar month Mid-Autumn Festival 3 days Sat 6 - Mon 8 September
October 1 National Day 7 days Wed 1 - Tue 7 October
Notes:Most sources in China count the total number of days off (including statutory holidays, transferred days and weekends), which is important for Chinese people working a seven-day week. E.g. a holiday on a Friday is always announced as a three day holiday (Friday-Sunday). The table above does count weekends.
Insurance：
• What is travel insurance?
traveler pays insurance premium to insurer pursuant to travel insurance contract, and insurer assumes compensation liability with respect to traveler for the damage to property, death and disability caused by accident during travel pursuant to travel insurance contract.
• Why does traveler need to take out travel insurance?
In the course of travel, various risks exist. Taking out travel insurance is the best way to cover the loss or damage in a preemptive manner.
• What does travel accident insurance insure traveler against?
Travel accident insurance may insure traveler against
● accidental death or disability
● actual medical expenses incurred by accidents
● hospitalization expenses incurred by serious bodily injuries and the transportation and accommodation expenses incurred by family members and relatives who come to visit in case of need
● loss of property or travel documents taken by traveler
● cancellation of travel due to accidents or illness
● delay of flight or ship caused by situations like bad weather or overbooking
● legal claims against the traveler arising from the loss of or damage to the property of other people or bodily injury to other people caused by accidents
● baggage delay
• How can traveler take out travel insurance?
Traveler can get informed about and take out travel insurance at travel agencies or through the websites of travel agencies, the websites and call centers of insurers.
• Helpful Tips about Travel Insurance
1. You should take out travel accident injury insurance.
Travel insurance contains travel agency liability insurance and travel accident insurance. Travel agency liability insurance insures travel agencies against claims against them which arise from loss and damage during the course of their business. The insured of the travel accident insurance is traveler, who is insured against disability, death or loss of other nature caused by accidents; in this case, the insurer pays insurance money to the insured and the beneficiary of the insurance.
You should purchase the travel accident insurance product that best suits you based on the characteristics of your journey.
2. You should provide all true personal data on the insurance policy.
Failure to do so could lead to refusal to make compensation on the part of the insurer.
3. You should read the insurance contract carefully.
You should request a complete insurance contract from the insurer or insurance agent, read it carefully and fully and clearly understand the scope of liabilities and claims.
4. It is not true that the more insurance, the better.
At present, there are a lot of insurance products available on the market, with different insurance periods, insurance liabilities and insurance premiums. You should clearly and fully understand the coverage of the insurance, so that you won’t pay premium on different products that have the same coverage.
5. You should pay special attention to the items not covered by the insurance.
Travel insurance does not insure you against all risks. Travel insurance policy will generally indicate the items that are not covered, like war, armed conflict, disease that already exists before the insurance is taken out, strike, and any highly risky activity, among others. You should confirm whether your activities during your travel are covered by your insurance policy. If you have any questions, check with the insurer or insurance agent.
• How can you choose different types of insurance based on different ways of travel?
1、Outbound travel:Travel rescue insurance is highly recommended. Once you are in trouble in a foreign country, you can contact the rescue organization that has formed partnerships with the insurer. If you are to travel to developed countries in Europe or North America, you should be fully aware whether or not the medical coverage is adequate as the local medical expenses could be prohibitive.
2、Driving:Taking out insurance for both yourself and the car is highly recommended.
3、Adventure: Be aware that the ordinary personal accident insurance generally does not insure you against highly risky activities. So you need to take out a special insurance to insure yourself against losses that could arise from extreme sports.
• If an accident occurs during your travel, what should you do?
Stay clam and immediately notify relevant organizations, including travel agency, rescue organization and insurer. You should keep all the original copies of documents related to the accident, including certificate of transportation and certificate of accident (issued by local public security departments), certificate of diagnosis, medical expense receipt (issued by the hospital or medical institution) and forensic identification document, which will be provided to the insurer in the future for claims.
In addition, you should take with you the emergency hotline number, the insurance policy number, the hotline number of the insurer, your insurance card and credit card.
What are some of the wine customs of China ?
China 's wines date back to over 5,000 years ago. And wine culture is a distinct form of Chinese culture whose traditional roots give it a very special place. Celebrations with wine are invariably found on many important occasions.
At the beginning of the event, the host will usually say a few words before giving the first toast. At that point, guests will rise from their seats and the host will finish all the wine in his cup. Afterwards, he will turn his cup over to show everyone that he has indeed finished the wine as a show of respect and sincerity. Guests usually finish their wine as well, and during the rest of the event the host will individually toast each table.
Depending on age, job position, and status, the order by which toasts are given by the host will be considered.
Guests should drink only what they can. If lifestyle or health issues prohibit drinking, it is acceptable to have a family member, subordinate, or junior drink in your stead. Using other non-alcoholic drinks, tea, or water to receive toasts is also acceptable; the one giving the toast must be sympathetic to the other's circumstances.
Guests can also toast their host, or each other. During these times it is not uncommon for continual toasting among friends. They will come up with all sorts of reasons for the other to drink, and if the one being toasted cannot think of a way to refute these reasons he must drink. During this time when two people are playfully engaging in a battle of wits does their relationship become closer.
Without losing face and without disrespecting the host, if one does not know how to drink or cannot drink anymore, it is acceptable to have someone else drink for you instead.
Another distinct custom is the notion of drinking as a form of 'punishment,' akin to Western 'drinking games,' it is a playful gesture, with any number of games and rules. One of the commonest 'rules' for example, is that latecomers to a party must first drink three glasses in order to be forgiven for their tardiness.
