China Public Holidays
How to get a Chinese visa
Customs Regulations
Quarantine & Immunizations
Currency
Foreign Exchange   

China Public Holidays

• New Year's Day: January 1
• The Spring Festival (Chinese Lunar New Year's Day – between January and February: The exact date varies, depending on Chinese Lunar Calendar. Chinese New Year's Day in 2006 is on January 29.
• Labor Day: May 1
• National Day: October 1

There are 3 “Golden Weeks” in China For 2006 the schedule is:

The New Year holiday will run from January 1 through 3. As the New Year falls on Saturday, most people will have Monday off work.

Spring Festival will be from January 29 to Febuary 4. Many People will have to work the previous weekend, January 28 and 1 day on the weekend following the holiday February 5th, to have the weeklong break.

The Labor Day holiday will run from May 1 to 7. People will need to work on April 30, a Saturday, and business will resume on May 8, a Sunday.

For this year's National Day, people will be off from October 1 to 7, followed by working on the weekend of October 8 and 9, giving them a seven-day working week.

The typical work days are Monday through Friday. Official office hours are from 9:00am to 17:00pm.

How to get a Chinese visa

According to the Law of the People's Republic of China Concerning the Administration of Foreigners Entering and Leaving the Country, foreign tourists must apply for visas at China's foreign affairs offices, consulates or other organizations authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A group of five tourists or more can apply for a group tourist visa. This is usually handled by a travel agency organizing groups. People coming to China from countries which have visa agreements with China (such as agreements which exempt tourist groups from visas) are treated in accordance with these agreements.
 
If you want to go to Tibet for a visit you can apply for a visa only with the consent of the Tourism Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region or any one of its foreign representative offices. A passport is required for visa application, the passport shall be valid for at least 6 months beyond the duration of the tour. 
Visa is required for Canadians, Americans and people of most other nationalities who travel to China. You can apply it directly at the Chinese Embassies and Consulate Generals around the world.

For Canadian and US passport holders, visa is not required for Hong Kong if your stay is less than 90 days as a tourist. For other passport holders, please consult with your nearest PRC embassy or consulate.

Customs Regulations

Entry:  Tourists must fill out a baggage declaration form (in two copies) and hand it in to customs, retaining the carbon to show upon exit.
Personal belongings will be admitted duty free, including food, two bottles of liquor and two cartons of cigarettes. Wristwatches, radios, tape recorders, cameras, movie cameras, and similar items may be brought in for personal use but cannot be sold or transferred to others and must be brought out of China.
Gifts for relatives or friends in China, or articles carried on behalf of other, must also be declared.
Visitors can bring in an unlimited amount of foreign currency and Chinese Renminbi (RMB) traveler's checks, and the unspent portion can be taken out.
Bringing in the following articles is prohibited:

• Arms, ammunition, and explosives of all kinds  
• Radio transmitters-receivers and principal parts 
• Renminbi (RMB) in cash
• Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and videotapes, etc. which are detrimental to China's politics, economy, culture, and ethics
• Poisonous drugs, habit-forming drugs, opium, morphine, heroin, etc.
• Animals, plants and products thereof infected with or carrying germs and insect pests
• Unsanitary foodstuffs and germ-carrying food-stuffs from infected areas
• Other articles the import of which is prohibited by state regulations

Exit: On leaving China, tourists must again submit the baggage declaration form for customs inspection (the second copy). Travelers by ship are exempted.
Items purchased in China with RMB converted from foreign currencies may be taken out or mailed out of the country after receipts are presented for customs inspection. In cities where a Customs Office does not exit, this can be arranged through the local Friendship Store.
Taking out the following articles is prohibited:

• Arms, ammunition, and explosives of all kinds 
• Radio transmitters-receivers and principal parts
• Renminbi (Chinese currency) in cash and negotiable securities in RMB
• Unratified foreign currency, foreign notes or drafts
• Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and videotapes, etc. which are detrimental to China's national security
• Rare and precious copies of books about Chinese revolution, history, culture and art that are not for sale
• Valuable animals, plants, and seeds
• Precious metals, pearls, and jewels (things declared to the customs are exempted)
• Other articles the export of which is prohibited by state regulations

Quarantine & Immunizations

Those who carry such special articles as microorganisms, human body tissues, biological products, and blood and its products, should declare to a quarantine department, and subject these articles to quarantine inspections. Passengers from yellow fever-infested areas should, when entering China, display to the quarantine department effective certificates showing that they have been inoculated against yellow fever. He who does not have such a valid certificate shall be retained for observation for six days beginning from the day he left the infested area, or he shall be inoculated and retained until the certificate comes into effect. It is the task of the Chinese quarantine authorities to prevent foreigners suffering AIDS, venereal diseases, leprosy, mental diseases and open tuberculosis from entering China. 
 
There are no particular immunizations required for entry into China, unless the traveler is coming from a yellow fever infected area. The Canadian and US disease control and prevention authorities recommend the all travelers have current polio and tetanus immunizations. For traveling into the countryside and remote areas, immune globulin is also recommended to combat hepatitis A, as is typhoid immunization. It is very important that you consult your own doctor or local clinic for more information.  We advise you to bring along a supply of antibiotics, an anti-diarrhea agent, and any other prescription drugs required by your current medical conditions

Currency  

The Chinese currency is called a Renminbi, and is issued by the People's Bank of China. The unit of Renminbi is the yuan and smaller units are the “jiao” and the “fen” (10 fen = 1 jiao and 10 jiao = 1 yuan). Yuan, jiao and fen are issued as paper banknotes but there are also yuan, five jiao, one jiao and fen coins. Denominations of yuan banknotes are 1 yuan, 2 yuan, 5 yuan, 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan and 100 yuan. Jiao banknotes are 1 jiao, 2 jiao and 5 jiao and fen banknotes are 1 fen, 2 fen and 5 fen although fen banknotes are not widely used. The abbreviation for Chinese currency is RMB¥. Many hotels and stores accept major credit cards. At present, the following credit cards can be used in China: Master Card, Visa Card, American Express, JCB, Diners Card. Holders of these cards can draw cash from the Bank of China, buy goods and pay for purchases at exchange centers of the Bank of China, appointed shops, hotels and restaurants.
 
For the convenience of tourists, the Bank of China can cash travelers' checks sold by international commercial banks and travelers' check companies in the United States, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain, France, Switzerland, Germany and other countries. Also the Bank of China sells travelers' checks for such banks as American Express, Citibank, Tongjilong Travelers' Check Co., the Sumitomo Bank of Japan, the Swiss Banking Corporation and others.
 
Foreign Exchange   

Foreign currency cannot be circulated within the People's Republic of China or used to determine the price and settle accounts. At present, China will accept and convert into Chinese Renminbi foreign currencies such as the US dollar, British pound, Euro, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Austrian schilling, Belgian franc, Canadian dollar, HK dollar, Swiss franc, Danish Krone, Singapore dollar, Malaysian ringgit, Italian lira, Macao dollar, Finnish markka, and Taiwan dollar. Exchange rates are issued every day by the State Administration of Exchange Control. Before leaving China, unused Chinese Renminbi can be converted back into foreign currency with a "foreign exchange certificate" which is valid for six months. it is important to keep the certificate as money can not be changed back without it.