GENERAL INFORMATION
Basic Facts
Beijing
Beijing is the capital of People’s Republic of China. It is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, having hosted the sear of government from Yuan Dynasty in 1264 to the present, with the exception of a period of time during early Ming (1368-1420) and during the period from 1928-1949. Beijing Municipality covers 16,808 square kilometres with the population of 15.38 million in 2005. Over 95% of Beijing’s residents belong to the Han Chinese majority. Other major ethnic minorities include the Manchu (1.84%), Hui (1.74%) and Mongol (0.28%).
Guizhou
Guizhou Province, with its capital Guiyang, is located in the southwest China mainland. It adjoins Sichuan Province to the north, Yunnan Province to the west, Guangxi Province to the south and Hunan Province to the east. Guizhou covers an area of over 176,100 square kilometers (about 67,958 square miles) with a total population of more than 39,040,000 (in 2004 Census). Guizhou is one of the provinces that contains more than 45 minority ethnic groups. The minority groups account for more than 37% of the total population, for example Miao (12%), Buyi (8%), Dong (5%), Tujia (4%), Yi (2%), Gelao (2%), Shui (1%) and Undistinguished (2%). 55.5% of the province area is designated as autonomous regions for them.
Climate
In Beijing
Beijing is located in the warm temperature zone and has a continental climate. The four seasons are distinctly recognizable. Spring and autumn is the best time to be in Beijing, particularly in the months of April, May, September and October. Autumn is considered to be the best time to visit Beijing as the skies are clear and the weather is very comfortable. The average temperature throughout the year is 11.8 ºC. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of -4.6ºC and the hottest month is July at an average temperature of 26.1ºC. Expect temperatures of around 4 to 10 degrees and no rainfall in Beijing.
In Guizhou
Guizhou has a subtropical humid climate. There are few seasonal changes. Its annual average temperature is roughly 10 to 20°C, with January temperatures ranging from 1 to 10°C and July temperatures ranging from 17 to 28°C. Temperature in November at the location Guiyang, the average maximum temperature is around 15.8°C and the average minimum is around 8.5°C. However, in more remote area of the Miao settlements, the temperature might be lower.
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +8 (Standard Time)
Add or subtract the given number of hours to / from Beijing time to get the time in the following cities.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/difference.html?p1=33
Currency
Chinese currency, Renminbi (RMB), is issued by the People’s Bank of China and is the sole legal currency in China. The basic currency unit is Yuan, known popularly as “kuai” in colloquial language. One Yuan equals 10 jiao or 100 fens. Yuan, jiao and fen are issued both in bills and in coins. There are 8 paper notes in broad circulation: 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 20 Yuan, 10 Yuan, 5 Yuan, 2 Yuan, 1 Yuan and 0.5 Yuan (or 5 jiao). There are still a small amount of 0.1 Yuan (1 jiao) and 0.2 Yuan (2 jiao) notes in circulation, but you can rarely see them today. The largest RMB coin in circulation is 1Yuan. Coins of 0.5 Yuan (5 jiao) and 0.1 Yuan (1 jiao) are still in broad circulation. Rarely seen today are the coins of 1 fen and 5 fens.
Currency can be exchanged at Bank of China branches and money exchange counters at the Beijing International Airport and major hotels. The exchange rate between RMB and other major currencies are posted by the banks and the money exchange counters. It’s also easy to get money via ATM in Beijing.You can also check the business section on such English newspapers as China Daily. But do not change money with any stranger on the street. It is illegal.
Note: Most banks close at 5PM, but there are 24 hour self service ATMs along the street. No currency exchange services are available on weekends or national holidays.
Credit cards are also gaining ground in China, with Visa, MasterCard, American Express (branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen), JCB and Diners Club the most common. Cards can be used in most mid to top-range hotels, Friendship and department stores, but cannot be used to finance your transportation costs. If cards aren’t an option then cash will never fail and exchanging currency is relatively easy.
Tipping people is not necessary and in general not done.
All four- and five-star hotels and some top-end restaurants add a tax or ’service charge’ of 10% or 15%, which extends to the room and food; all other consumer taxes are included in the price tag.
Unit of Measures
China uses the Metric System in most of trade and legal transactions.
Languages
China’s language is officially Mandarin, as spoken in Beijing. The Chinese call it Putonghua. In general, in Beijing, in Guizhou, not many people speak English, simple lexicon of English will be understandable, however, it will be better if you could have a list of the simple Chinese daily lexicons in your pocket. We will provide some practical sentences in the forum booklet upon you arrival in Beijing.
Practical Information
Winter time in Beijing and Guizhou can be very cold, preparing with warm clothing and a thick coat is not a bad idea. Central heating is available both in hotel and workshop venue in Beijing. Therefore, it is recommended to dress in layers, so that you can feel comfortable with large indoor/outdoor temperature difference. However, in the hotels in Guizhou, there is NO central heating, there would be air conditioners for keeping warmer (but not warm), it is a need for preparing thick winter clothes.
Electricity
The voltage in China is 220 volt, 50Hz. And the plugs are different in appearance, please remember to bring the adapter for the following outlets.
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reference: http://www.kropla.com/china_power.htm
Food and Water
Tap water in the China is NOT potable. Bottled water is recommended.
Meals / Restaurant
Schedule of meals (3 meals per day) at the Hotel in Beijing and Guizhou and meals outside the Hotel will be laid out during the first day of the Forum. We will provide you with a list of restaurants and bars in Beijing, when we have no meals together…so you can explore the city.
Internet / Telephones
Internet available upon request in hotel in Beijing. Whereas, in Guizhou, it likely does not have internet service.
If your mobile roaming service is not working in China, don’t worry! It is easy to get a Sim card in Beijing, ranging from 20 to 50 yuans, widely available at the airport, cell phone stores. The two mobile service providers in China are China Mobile and China Unicom.
Country Code China: +86; Area codes : Beijing : 10 Guizhou: 851
Medical Concerns
There are hospitals and drugstores near the Hotel. However, please BRING with you medicines that you regularly take, especially there will be a risk of malaria is heightened in rural areas of the country, particularly in the provinces of Hainan, Yunnan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet (Zanbo Valley areas only), Anhui, Hubai, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Shandong. The risk of malaria increases during warm weather.
Notes on health precautions while travel in China:
- Drink only boiled or bottled water or carbonated drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks and ice cubes.
- Don’t eat food purchased from street vendors.
- Don’t drink beverages with ice.
- Don’t handle animals (especially monkeys, cats, dogs), to avoid the risk of rabies.
- Don’t swim in fresh water (excluding well-chlorinated pools) in some parts of China to avoid infection with schistosomiasis.
- Wash hands often with soap or water (and/or instant antibacterial hand wash).
- Don’t eat or drink dairy products unless you know they have been pasteurized.
- Don’t share needles with anyone.
- Eat only thoroughly cooked food, or fruits and vegetables that you have peeled yourself.
- Never eat uncooked meat, raw eggs, or unpasteurized dairy products. Raw shellfish is dangerous for people who have liver disease or compromised immune systems.
If you are sick, you could go to:
International Medical Center (IMC) (北京国际医疗中心)
Address: Lufthansa Center, Liangmahelu 50, Chaoyang district (潮阳区亮马河路 50 号北京燕莎中心写字楼1 层S106)
Tel: +86 10 6465 1561
The location of the hospital is not far from 21st Century and Yuyanghotel. There are foreign doctors are on site 24 hours a day offering a wide range of medical services. Also, there is drop-in service for travelers and they accept credit card payment. In order not to get lost always take a name card of the hotel you are staying in to grab a taxi and get back.
Or you could go to another hospital:
Chaoyang Hospital
No.8 Bai Jia Zhuang Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
EMERGENCY
If you unfortunately encounter some emergency either in Beijing or Guizhou, here are some first aid numbers that you should keep in mind and ask for:
- 119 Fire
- 110 Police
- 120 Emergency
- 122 Traffic Accident
- 114 Directory Inquiries and Information
In case of extremely important, you also can seek for help from your Embassy or Consulate in China. We will provide the list of numbers in your Forum booklet you will get in Beijing.
If you are really lost and you want help please keep Katelijn Verstraete’s Chinese mobile phone number: +86 137 189 58 351 in your pocket.
