What to Bring
Pack as little as possible. Light weight and compact are two words that should be etched in your mind when you’re deciding what to bring. The international sectors allow two 32kg luggage, and one carry on bag.

Climate / Clothing
China's climate ranges from year-round tropical heat in Hainan to Siberian conditions in the far north and typical desert weather in the far west. Clothing usually depends on the weather your destination has. In winter, most parts of China are under the influence of cold weather, especially in the north China. So it is advisable to wear layers of garments, normally, thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacket outside. Padded jackets and wool-lined boots are one of the best buys in China, you could easily buy these items if you need to. Travel in spring or summer, your clothing should be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Take light cotton clothes that are easily washed and not too delicate. Trousers are still necessary for women traveling to China, since many temples are forbidden to those who wear skirts. Travel during the rainy season, namely from May to August, a raincoat is also necessary.
Spring Mar - May 50 - 71.6 Jackets, sports coats, woolen jackets, long sleeve shirts and travel shoes
Summer Period: Jun - Aug / Above 71.6 T-shirts, short sleeve shirts, skirts, sandals, caps, rain wear
Autumn Period: Sep - Nov / 50- 71.6 Jackets, sports coats, light woolen sweaters, rain wear and travel shoes
Winter Period: Dec - Feb / Below 50 Overcoat, thick woolen sweaters, lined coats; In northern China, cap, gloves and cotton-padded shoes are required


Money Matters
Chinese currency is called Renminbi (people's money), 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 symbol of RMB is ¥.
The unit of Renminbi is yuan and the smaller, jiao and fen. The conversion among the three is 1 yuan = 10 jiao = 100 fen.
RMB is issued both in notes and coins. The denominations of paper notes include 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 yuan; 10 yuan equates to approx $1.50 Canadian dollars.
50 yuan equates to approx $7.50 Canadian dollars.
100 yuan equates to approx $15.00 Canadian dollars.
Note 1: This exchange will vary, based on the current exchange rate (date May 4, 2005)
Note 2: In spoken Chinese, yuan is often called as kuai and the jiao as mao.

Traveler's Cheques
Traveller's cheques provide a fairly secure way of carrying your money. Always remember to keep a separate record of the cheque numbers for reference in the event of loss. For the convenience of tourists, the Bank of China can cash travelers' cheques sold by international commercial banks and travelers' cheque companies in the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany and other countries and regions. Also, the Bank of China sells travelers' cheques for such banks as American Express, Citibank, Tongjilong Travelers' Cheque Co., the Sumitomo Bank of Japan, the Swiss Banking Corporation and others.

Currency Converter
Money exchange facilities for both currency and travelers' cheques are available at major airports, hotels, and department stores. Please note that hotels may only exchange money for their guests.
Keep your currency exchange receipts, because you will need to show them when you change RMB back to your own currency at the end of your visit to the Republic. Currency rather than credit cards is essential in remote areas and you should ensure that you carry sufficient RMB and travelers' cheques to cover your requirements.

Credit Card and ATMs
At present, the following credit cards are accepted in China: Master Card, Federal Card, Visa, American Express, JCB and Diners Card. Holders can draw cash from the Bank of China and pay for purchases at exchange centers of the Bank of China, appointed shops, hotels and restaurants. However, this applies only in major cities and they are not always accepted in remote areas. Credit cards are not always accepted for the purchase of rail and air tickets. ATMs that accept foreign cards are available in most hotels. Consult with your bank before departing to make sure that your brand of cheque or credit card will be accepted.

Currency Regulations
A. There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency and foreign exchange bills that can be brought into China by tourists, but it must be declared at customs.
B. RMB should be converted back into foreign currency with the personal valid "foreign exchange certificate" before leaving China. Unused foreign exchange and RMB traveler's cheques are permitted to be taken out. Each tourist could take less than 6000 RMB out.

Health
The Chinese handling travel agency requires exclusion of any person rendered unsuitable for long trips by health conditions such mental illness, serious chronic ailments, contagious disease, advanced pregnancy, senility or infirmity. Vaccinations are not required. Please check with your travel agent or Public Health Service for current required or recommended inoculations.

Drinking Water
The tap water is NOT suitable for drinking. Bottled water is usually provided in your hotel room free of charge. A jug of water is sometimes available in your room, ensure BEFORE drinking it, that it has been boiled. Bottled mineral water is sold for around 3 yuan, and is widely available in stores, restaurants and street kiosks.

Power Supply
Electricity in China runs on 220V, 50 cycles AC. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in most hotels. Most of the hotels have a socket in the bathroom for using both 110V and 220V. While outside of the bathroom, only 220V socket is provided. Although, an adapter could be borrowed from the hotel, it is recommended to bring an adapter plug your self. *NOTE* For using curling irons or flat irons, you will need to purchase a Braun (uses butane) as most curling irons and flat irons use a higher voltage than your adapter can provide.

Telephone
China is using more and more optical cables and extending its use of ground satellite communication stations. Pagers and mobile telephones cover main cities. China's phone system is efficient. Direct long-distance dials (DDD) and International calls (IDD) all can be made from hotel rooms or roadside telephone kiosks. When making a domestic call, visitors should dial the domestic prefix 0 plus area code and the number. When making an international call, just dial the international prefix 00, plus the country code, area code and number. IDD calls have a six-second minimum charge, the rate is 0.80 yuan per six seconds. All long distance phone calls made between 21:00 and 07:00 the next morning only need to pay half the daytime price. In hotels, local calls are generally free or only charge a nominal fee while domestic long-distance and international calls will be charged a variable service fee from 10 to 20 percent. In some large cities, you can now buy IP phone cards which can save you money. Telegram, fax and telex facilities are available in hotels, post offices and telecommunication centers.

Internet
Just as in the rest of the world Internet services are now widely available in China. You will be able find access to it in most major cities, though at times it can be very slow to download. Business centers in 4 and 5 star hotels provide an Internet service for visitors, and you can also find cyber cafes in many cities. One of the best places to look out for these is near the universities.