A note about China visa

 China Visa  No Responses »
Jul 072008
 

From reading reports, comments and experiences on this blog and others, it is obvious that Hong Kong and Macau are no longer havens to get a China visa – at least not until the Beijing Olympics is finished in October this year.

You must take note that if you are only given a 7-day China visa in Macau, as reported by many, once you are inside China and you want to renew the visa, it is most likely that you will have an extension of 7days only, based on the first issuance, and not more. So be prepared for it and think again when you want to get a China visa in Macau or Hong Kong.

It is ironic that while the Beijing Olympics is intended for an opportunity to welcome the world to China, visa regulations are being tightened up for security reasons and the outside world experiences only the unfriendliness and inconveniences.

 Posted by Anna at 11:24 pm

Beijing’s New Attraction: Qianmen Dajie

 Travel in Beijing, Hangzhou, Zhuhai  2 Responses »
Jun 292008
 

Beijing’s Qianmen Dajie (Front Door Main Street) was the city’s busiest and most famous business street during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. The street, in decline since the mid 20th century, has recently been restored to its look in its prime, lined with wooden buildings and decorated in “old Beijing” style. Famous traditional Beijing eateries are grouped into a corner of the street.

To be reminiscent of the “old Beijing”, the place has a tram running, which was a familiar Beijing sight from 1924 to 1966. The tram’s whole journey is about 10 minutes, crossing the whole breadth of the street of more than 800m.

The restored Qianmen Dajie has been open to the public since May 2008, after a 2-year facelift work.

 Posted by Anna at 12:03 am

Story of Zhao C

 China As It Is  No Responses »
Jun 122008
 

I find this an interesting story. A university student in China, called Zhao C, just won a court case to have his unconventional Chinese name – with letter “C as the first name – used on his identity card. Previously, the police rejected his request for a new identity card, saying regulations do not allow names to contain letters of the roman alphabet.

Reportedly, Zhao C’s father gave him the name, who when interviewed, said that “C” symbolized his hope for his son. “C is the first letter of the English world ‘China’, and its pronunciation is the same as the word “west” in Chinese. I hope my son will go to study in the West while not forgetting his Chinese root,” he said.

The hope represented by “C” is also the hope of a majority of youngsters in China: go overseas to study and yet very proud to be a Chinese.

 Posted by Anna at 1:52 pm

Travel and keep money in bank

 Travel Tips  No Responses »
Jun 062008
 

If you travel in China for quite some time, you may need to carry a pretty large amount of money with you. Then you should consider opening a bank account in China so that you can deposit and withdraw money whenever and wherever you want, and no need to carry a pile of bank notes with you.

Just go to any branch of the big banks and show your passport and china visa, fill out some forms and you will have a bank account right away. You will be given a bank passbook when the account opening process is finshed. If you also want a bank card to withdraw money at ATM machines, which you should do, you can have one upon paying RMB10 (Bank of China’s charge in 2007). You will also be given a pin number for accessing your account with the card.

In other words, it is free to open a bank account in China. But if you want to have a bank card to use the ATM machines, you will need to pay a fee of about RMB10.

However, be aware of the tricks and traps. Say, if you open a bank account with Bank of China in Guangdong Province, it is all free for you to use the bank’s ATM machinese in the province. But if you want to use the bank’s ATM machine in another province, then you will be charged about RMB10 each time. If you deposit money over the bank counter, you will be charged even more – about RMB40.

 Posted by Anna at 10:55 pm

Six groups of people denied entry to China

 China As It Is, China Visa  4 Responses »
Jun 042008
 

Following the tightening up of China visa issues, the organizers of the Beijing Olympics issued a reminder called Legal Guide to foreigners on 2 June, saying that some groups of people are not welcome to China.

The Legal Guide targets at foreigners, but it is posted on the Chinese website of the Olympic organizers only, not on its English website. So how can the foreigners know?  Isn’t it strange??

According to the Legal Guide, entry will be denied to those:

1) having been expelled from China by the Chinese government;
2) regarded as likely to carry out terrorist and violent attacks and engage in subversive activities;
3) regarded as likely to engage in drug trafficking and prostitution;
4) with mental illness and contagious diseases such as sexually transmitted disease, leprosy and tuberculosis;
5)  who cannot afford their expenses during their stay in China;
6) regarded as likely to engage in other activities that threaten the national security and interests of China.

I have one big problem with this notice. How can China be so flagrantly discriminatory against people with mental illness and STD when the country has a large number of people with mental illness and STD, especially AIDS, who desperately need the society not to discriminate against them and need care?

You cannot rid the country of discrimination if the leadership/high ranking officials of the country are using the language of discrimination.

 Posted by Anna at 6:33 pm
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