"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
-Unknown
Showing posts with label yuan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yuan. Show all posts

Wednesday 1 August 2018

Destination Diary: China and What You Will Need




Summer of this year, I went to China for 14 days to attend a short course with a delegation and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had, meeting new people and making new friends coupled with the chance to visit historical sites. We were invited by China’s Ministry of Commerce, so I went as a government employee as a member of a delegation representing the Philippines.


Of course, my excitement got a hold of me days before I was to leave. These are some things to remember when preparing for a visit to China:

Visa

Securing a Chinese Visa is one of the strictest, as it is particular with medical requirements such as ECG and X-Ray. The form alone is very comprehensive, so I spent a whole day completing all the requirements for the medical attachments for the visa alone.

Normally personal appearance is required in the Chinese Embassy but for our trip shouldered by the Ministry of Commerce, all we had to do was pick up our passports with visas from our contact and facilitator.

There are no shortcuts to getting a visa and yes, I went through all of those. For government employees, a travel order or travel authority is required upon immigration check and other relevant documents.

Facial and fingerprint scanner in China

Immigration in China

Before passing through Chinese Immigration upon arrival, all foreign visitors are required to pass through facial and fingerprint scanning. It’s easier because there are machines set up that are user-friendly and the printed slip is shown to the Immigration Officer upon arrival. The Immigration booths are modern and are well-manned. With your arrival card, passport and registration slip, you should be alright.

Electronics on Flight

Be warned that electronics checked-in are not allowed. Most of my companions during travel have mastered this, but not me. Oh no. I was able to pull out the Macbook out of my checked-in luggage but wasn’t able to save my powerbank in Guangzhou. Upon arrival in Tianjin, I discovered that my luggage was inspected and my Asus pink powerbank was confiscated. And thus, the lesson is to bring all electronics in the handcarried baggage. Check out what replacement I received here.

Side Street in Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai

VPN for Social Media in China

One thing to remember about visiting China is that most social media platforms are banned, except for WeChat which has a WePay feature. However, WeChat can be validated by a user in Mainland China who has been using the app for 6 months at least. The next best thing to beat the restriction is by downloading a VPN router, some are paid apps, which can connect you to routers like in Hongkong for you to unblock the restrictions. I was able to discover that my phone has a built in VPN and I accessed and used it easily, so no worries there. Most hotels we stayed in had free wifi to chat with family and friends back home so that eased away the homesickness.

Basic Mandarin

Basic Mandarin is appreciated, so learning to say a few words can help with making new friends. It doesn’t have to be complicated, simply practice the basic like thank you, welcome, good morning and good bye and you can make friends with people who smile and nod at you. Chinese mainlanders are friendly, and you will be surprised at how many locals are actually willing to chat with you.

Chinese Yuan Reminbi
Local Currency

It’s better to have money changed in any accredited money changers before landing in China. We went around the airport to look for money changers inside the terminal but there were none in Guangzhou. In Tianjin we went around banks to change our American Dollars, only one bank was able to facilitate our exchange. Withdrawing from ATMs is no problem, but for Philippine accounts, your local bank might charge a Php 200 withdrawal fee. Credit cards didn’t work in Guangzhou airport in the Starbucks branch, (must be because there’s an activation notice to utilize the card abroad to prevent fraudulent transactions) though debit cards worked just fine.

Guangzhou Airport
Good Walking Shoes, Hat, Camera, Sunblock and a Water Bottle

Finally, these are the basics that I wish I brought along with me so that I didn’t have to buy them anymore. For the second part of our trip, we visited sites that one could cross off the bucket list, and so there’s a good amount of walking around to be done. Luckily I found a pair that I could wear in an outlet store in Beijing. Then I needed a hat, so I bought one in one of the souvenir shops in The Great Wall. As for a camera, I wish that I brought my mirrorless camera with me. Sunblock, whether it’s exploring a beach or going to historical sites, should be a staple in the luggage. And of course, airports and train stations in China have water fountains in every corner, it’s good to be able to bring a water bottle along. Hydrating is important especially when in transit. I know I’ll be bringing mine along the next time I leave the country.

Wearing my shoes in Nanjing Road, Shanghai
China 2018 Series:


Note : All input are based on my experience while in China. A schedule was planned for our group beforehand given the limited amount of time.

Check out my video below and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel