Asia
China
Guide
- Language: Mandarin
- Currency: Yuan Renminbi (¥). 1 Pounds will give you 9 Yuan Renminbi. Even though ATMs are available in big cities and towns, you should always carry cash in remote areas.
- Visa: Visa is required prior to arrival for most citizens. Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers over 9 months of age arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission. Visit Chinese Visa Application Service Center. You will need your original passport with at least 2 blank pages, a photocopy of your passport, a recently-taken colour passport photo, a signed application form and a signed declaration. When you get all the documents sorted, you will need to visit your nearest Chinese Visa Application Service Centre. Yeah, that's a lot of work. So if you want a hassle-free application, use the highly recommended iVisa company.
- Best SIM cards: Purchase a sim card from China Unicom.
- Electricity: 220/230V 50Hz.
- Time Zone: GMT +6.
- Transport: Chinese trains are a safe, comfortable, cheap and the best way to travel around China. It's easy to book online but be quick as tickets sell out often. Internal flights are in contrast less reliable and not so environmentally-friendly.
- WIFI: Wifi is free in hotels or coffee shops but you will need VPN - before you land up in the country - if you want to access your favourite websites like Facebook, Twitter or Gmail. Read more on how to get the best VPN for China.
- Money: Haggling is encouraged and tips are never expected.
- Water: Tap water in China is not drinkable but bottled water can be purchased very cheaply at most restaurants and stores.
- Post: ChinaPost offers a cheap surface (sea mail) option.
Climate
Best time to visit is around September. September is still warm, but not as hot, humid or wet as the summer. Avoid public holidays, such as spring festival in January/February and more importantly the National Day in October.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Beijing | 1°C 4mm | 4°C 5mm | 11°C 9mm | 20°C 21mm | 27°C 32mm | 30°C 74mm | 31°C 193mm | 30°C 190mm | 26°C 51mm | 19°C 17mm | 10°C 7mm | 3°C 3mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xian | 5°C 6mm | 8°C 9mm | 15°C 23mm | 21°C 44mm | 27°C 58mm | 32°C 53mm | 33°C 92mm | 31°C 87mm | 25°C 96mm | 20°C 57mm | 12°C 21mm | 6°C 7mm |
| Chengdu | 9°C 8mm | 11°C 12mm | 16°C 20mm | 21°C 50mm | 25°C 85mm | 27°C 108mm | 29°C 236mm | 29°C 231mm | 25°C 124mm | 20°C 47mm | 15°C 18mm | 10°C 6mm |
| Guilin | 13°C 55mm | 13°C 84mm | 17°C 141mm | 23°C 124mm | 28°C 349mm | 31°C 339mm | 33°C 220mm | 33°C 183mm | 32°C 85mm | 27°C 88mm | 21°C 65mm | 16°C 48mm |
| Hong Kong | 19°C 25mm | 18°C 45mm | 21°C 73mm | 25°C 153mm | 28°C 301mm | 30°C 367mm | 31°C 346mm | 31°C 380mm | 30°C 277mm | 28°C 120mm | 24°C 34mm | 20°C 27mm |
