The Chinese Government issues different types of visas according to the purposes of the visitors. Foreigners wishing to travel to China should apply to a local Chinese embassy or consulate for tourist visas(L). In the event of a group tour of more than nine persons , the organizer has to apply for group tourist visas(L). When applying for a visa, foreigners are required to go through the following formalities:
1) Providing a valid passport,
2) Filling in a visa application form and handing in up-to-date 2 copies passport photos;
3) Submitting documents needed for visa application. A foreigner holding the tourist visa (L) should receive the examination by a frontier inspection station, fill in an entry card; entry into China is granted only after the frontier inspection has approved all the documents and stamped them with an entry seal.
Foreigners may travel in places opened to them in China with a valid passport and tourist visa(L). By March 1996, China had opened 1, 220 cities and counties to foreign visitors. Foreigners traveling with their own transport vehicles should apply for approval before they enter China. These include bicycles, motorcycles, cars, boats and aircrafts. Foreign tourists are not allowed to enter areas not opened to foreigners; violators will be penalized according to law. Foreigners who want to visit an area on business not opened to them should apply to the local public security organ for a Foreigners Travel Permit.
For further information on Visa application, please refer to the following useful website: http://www.traveldocs.com/cn/

In accordance with the details for the Implementation of Regulations of the People's Republic of China Concerning Frontier Sanitation and Quarantine, people coming to China from certain countries must produce valid documents showing they have been inoculated against smallpox, cholera, or yellow fever. People from countries newly declared as infected areas must show corresponding vaccination documentation. (Inquiry may be made for details at Chinese embassies abroad or at Chinese public health departments.)

China's climate ranges from year-round tropical heat in Hainan Island to Siberian conditions in the far north and classic desert weather in the far west. Clothing is usually dictated by the weather. In winter it's a good idea to wear layers of garments - thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacket - so as to be able to strip down when necessary. In the warm weather clothing might be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Slacks are still the norm for women in China, and are recommended for strenuous sightseeing.
For the Weather Forecast of any city in China, please refer to yahoo web site:
http://weather.yahoo.com/regional/CHXX_B.html

The Chinese currency, Renminbi is issued by the People's Bank of China. The standard unit of Renminbi is yuan, with jiao and fen as the subsidiary units. Thus one yuan equals ten jiao and one jiao equals ten fen. Yuan, jiao and fen are issued both in bills of exchange and coins. Renminbi features the following denominations: one, two, five, ten, fifty and a hundred yuan; one, two, and five jiao; and one, two and five fen. The abbreviation for Renminbi is RMB.
Conversion services are available in China for the following foreign currencies: US Dollar, British Pound Sterling, French Franc, Deutsche Mark, Japanese Yen, Australian Dollar, Austrian Schilling, Belgian Franc, Canadian Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, Swiss Franc, Danish Krone, Guilder, Norwegian Krone, Swedish Krone, Singapore Dollar, Malaysian Ringgit, Italian Lira, Macao Pataca, and Finnish Markka.
The Chinese bank handles conversion of the above-mentioned foreign currencies into Renminbi or vice versa. A foreign traveler may have the remaining amount of Chinese money converted back into foreign cash, but in doing so he has to display a foreign currency conversion receipt at the departure airport or seaports before leaving China.
So far the traveler's cheques and some foreign credit cards are acceptable in China:
1) Master; 2) Visa; 3) American Express; 4) JCB; 5) Diners.

The electricity used in China is 220 volt AC. Many hotel washrooms have transformer plugs for electric shavers and hair dryers, but it is better to be prepared with an adapter plug.

Emergency Telephone Numbers:
( Call hotel operator first while in the hotel )
110- For calling Police
120 ---For calling Ambulance
121 -- For Weather forecasts
119-- For calling Fire Brigade

Overseas tour groups, those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan included, are allowed to enter Tibet only with an Entry Confirmation Letter from Tibet Autonomous Region's Tourism Administration. The administration has representative offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Golmud, Shanghai, Xining, Xi'an, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Japan and the United States to handle group tours. Foreign travel companies and individual tourists can also contact our company Beijing Xindu International Travel Service at Email: infotravel@xdtravel.com for help to obtain the Entry Confirmation Letter for visiting Tibet.