Climate:
Please Click Yearly Climate Info

China has a marked continental monsoonal climate characterized by great variety. Most parts are in the northern temperate zone while the southern areas are in the tropical or subtropical zone and northern areas in the frigid zone.

Most parts of China have clear division between seasons. In winter, northerly winds from high latitude areas keep the northern part cold and dry, while in summer, monsoons from southern coastal areas bring warm and moisture. In addition, the climate also varies with the extensive territory and various topography from region to region.

In north China, such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, summer is dry and sweltering while winter is formidably cold. Sandstorms sometimes occur in April in this area, especially in the Inner Mongolia and Beijing area.

On the Tibet-Qinghai plateau (about 4,000m above sea level), winter is long and extremely cold while summer is short and moderately warm. There is little precipitation in this area and the temperature fluctuation is great between day and night.

In central china (the valley along where the Yangtze River travel), summer is long, hot and humid while winter is short and cold. In the areas south of the Yangtze River, temperature rarely falls below freezing. In the far south, areas around Guangzhou, the summer is long, humid and hot while the winter is short and comfortable,a paradise considered by many northerners. The rainy season runs from May through August and typhoons frequently occur in the southeast coast between July and September.

For detailed information about the Average, Maximun and Minimum temperatures and the rainfall in Major Chinese Cities, see our Yearly Climate Info

Time Difference:
Time used throughout China is Beijing standard time, which is 8 hours ahead of GMT, 13 hours ahead of New York, and 2 hours behind Melbourne.

China uses Beijing time as the standard time for the entire nation. When it is 12 at noon in Beijing the standard time in other cities around the world are as follows:

City	Time	City	Time	City	Time
Baghdad	06:00	Helsinki	06:00	Pyongyang	13:00
Bangkok	11:00	Ho Chi Minh City	11:00	Rangoon	10:00
Berlin	05:30	Honolulu	18:00	Rio de Janeiro	01:00
Berne	05:00	Irkutsk	12:00	Rome	05:30
Bombay	09:30	Jakarta	11:30	Rwanda	05:00
Brussels	04:00	Karachi	09:00	San Francisco	20:00
Bucharest	06:00	Khartoum	06:00	Santiago	24:00
Budapest	05:00	Kuala Lumpur	11:30	Seoul	13:00
Buenos Aires	01:00	Leningrad	07:00	Singapore	11:30
Cairo	06:00	Lisbon	04:00	Sofia	06:00
Calcutta	09:00	London	04:00	Stockholm	05:00
Cape Town	06:00	Manila	12:00	Surabaya	11:30
Casablanca	04:00	Melbourne	14:00	Sydney	14:00
Colombo	09:30	Mexico City	21:00	Teheran	06:00
Conakry	04:00	Montreal	23:00	Tirana	05:00
Copenhagen	05:00	Moscow	07:00	Tokyo	13:00
Damascus	06:00	NewDelhi	09:30	Tunisia	05:00
Geneva	05:00	New York	23:00	Vancouver	20:00
Guatemala City	22:00	Osaka	13:00	Vienna	05:00
Haiphong	11:00	Panama City	23:00	Warsaw	05:00
Hanoi	11:00	Paris	04:00	Washington	23:00
Havana	23:00	Prague	05:00	Wellington	16:00

Baggage Allowance:
For Chinese domestic flight passengers
Checked Baggage Allowance:
Any passenger holding a economic class adult ticket, the free baggage allowance is 20kg (44 lbs).
Any passenger holding a first class or business class adult ticket, the free baggage allowance is: first class, 40kg (88 lbs); business class, 30kg (66 lb)

Carry-on Baggage Allowance
Any passenger holding a First and Business Class ticket, the unchecked baggage must not exceed 8kg per passenger.
Any passenger holding a First and Business Class ticket, up to two pieces of baggage are allowed per passenger.
Any passenger holding a Economy Class ticket, only one baggage is allowed per passenger, the carry-on baggage must not exceed 5kg per passenger.
Each piece of carry-on baggage must not exceed the maximum dimensions of 55cm (21”long) x 40cm (15”wide) x 20cm (7”high).
Baggage exceeding the weight, piece and dimension allowances will be checked in.
We recommend for efficient travel that each passenger travel with only one suitcase and one carry-on bag. Excessive number, size, or weight of luggage may result in your inconvenience and/or surcharge.
*This information is for passengers flying Air China. Other airlines might have different regulations.
*information from: http://www.airchina.com.cn/PassengerService/GroundService/ BaggageLimitation/default.shtml
For International passengers from USA and Canada

Checked Baggage Allowances

Each piece cannot exceed 62 linear inches or you will have to pay a fee.

Any passenger holding economy tickets are allowed 2 pieces of checked baggage with the maximum weight per bag being 50lbs.
Any passenger holding first or business class tickets are allowed 2 pieces of checked baggage with the maximum weight per bag being 70lbs.

Carry-on Baggage Allowance

Passengers holing adult-fare or half-fare tickets are entitled to bear only one piece of unchecked baggage. The baggage should be suitable for placing under the passenger's seat or in the overhead compartment, and the sum of the greatest outside linear dimensions does not exceed 45 inches (115cms).

Besides, each passenger may carry in his own custody the following articles free of charge:

• A lady's handbag
• An overcoat, wrap or traveling blanket
• A raincoat, an umbrella or walking stick
• A small camera and / or a pair of small binoculars
• Infant food for consumption in flight
• A reasonable amount of reading matter for the flight
• An infant cradle
• A fully collapsible wheelchair, a pair of crutches/braces or artificial limbs

Liquids, gels and aerosols
Liquids, gels and/or aerosols are permitted through security checkpoints worldwide. Items must fit in one clear, resealable quart- or liter-sized plastic bag, in containers of 3 oz. (100 mL) or less.

Following are some articles which can't be shipped as baggage:

• Dangerous articles, such as inflammable, explosive, corrosive, poisonous, radioactive, polymerizable and magnetized material
• Arms, sharp or lethal weapons
• Articles forbidden or limited to import or export according to Chinese laws

Note: Never pack currency, jewelry, securities and other valuables in your checked baggage.
*this information is for passengers flying United. Other airlines might have different regulations
*http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52482,00.html
* http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1032,00.html

Customs Declaration:
There are two channels, red and green, in China customs. Take the red one if you have something to declare, otherwise the green one. If you are uncertain which channel you should take, then take the red one.

If you take the red channel the customs officer will check to see whether you have to pay duty, deposit the items at Customs, or allow you to take them into China but take them out on your departure. If you take things such as computers, cameras, video cameras, gold and silver, printed or recorded materials, or anything more than you need during your travel in China, you have to fill in the "Customs Luggage Declaration Form". Similarly, if you are planning to leave any sort of significant item behind, you should also fill out the form.

A copy of the form must be retained by the traveler and be submitted to Customs when leaving the country. All the items declared on the form must be brought out of China or else import duty will be charged on them.

Visitors are allowed to carry into China a limited quantity of duty-free goods including:

• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
• 400 cigarettes
• 50g (2 ounces) of gold or silver
• US$ less than 5,000
• Chinese RMB with a total value less than 20,000 yuan
• Reasonable amount of perfume
• 1 still camera and reasonable amount of film

Prohibited imports include: fresh fruit, arms, ammunition and explosives, printed matter, films or tapes "detrimental to China", narcotic drugs, animals and plants.

Remember: All the receipts of the valuable articles, such as jewelry, jade, gold and silver ornaments, handicrafts, artifacts, paintings and calligraphy, you bought in China should be kept for the exit check. Antiques are not permitted to leave China without the proper "Certificates for the Export of Cultural Relics" from the Chinese Authorities.
* http://acbwa.org/2007/conf-Travel04.html

Entry Regulations
Health Inspection
When you enter China you must show your visa, passport and are required to fill out a Health Declaration Form issued by the inspection and quarantine authorities. Those who come from yellow-fever infected areas must show valid vaccination certificates to the inspection and quarantine authorities. Those who suffer from fever, diarrhea, skin diseases, jaundice, vomiting, AIDS/HIV infection, and tuberculosis are required to declare this information. Also, due to the H1N1 virus, China is taking extra precaution and are placing arriving passengers who exhibit fever or flu-like symptoms into seven-day quarantine.
*http://www.ctoptravel.com/travel-tips/pretrip-planning/entry-regulations.html
*http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4238.html

Frontier Inspection
During this procedure, you are required to fill in Entry Registration Cards, and present your passport, visa and quarantine certificates for inspection. The frontier inspection station has the right to forbid the personnel with any of the following circumstances to enter China:

• Those who hold no exit-entry certificates
• Holders of invalid, false, altered exit-entry certificates
• Holders of other persons' certificates
• Those who refuse to receive the health check and the frontier inspection
• Those who fail to pass through the port specified
• Those who are forbidden to enter by the Ministry of Public Security of the State Council and the Ministry of State Security
• Those who are not permitted according to the Chinese laws and administrative regulations
• *http://www.chinatourstailor.com/faq/entry%20and%20exit.htm#3

Luggage Check
For the sake of maintaining social safety, the frontier inspection station has the right to check all the luggage brought into China.
Old and waste materials, food, micro-organisms, biological products, portions of human body, blood or its products, or animals that may spread infectious diseases among humans are forbidden to enter. Any printed material, film, tapes that are 'detrimental to China's politics, economy, culture and ethics' are also forbidden to bring into China. Also during this process, customs declaration will be made. And only when you pass all the procedures that you really and legally enter China.
*http://www.chinatourstailor.com/faq/entry%20and%20exit.htm#3

Exit Regulations
On departure, travelers must fill in Exit Registration Cards and have their passports and visas checked. Articles registered on the Customs Luggage Declaration Form should all be brought out of China. If any item is missing, a certificate by the relevant department is required (for instance, a certificate from the police is required if something has been stolen); otherwise, the traveler must pay import duty according to the Customs regulations.

There are two 'channels' (lines) in Customs, a Red Channel and a Green Channel. Travelers who are carrying articles requiring duty tax must take the Red Channel. Those carrying duty-free objects should take the Green Channel. Those who are unsure of which channel they must take should also take the Red Channel.

Export Restrictions

• Gold and silver and products made with gold and silver
• Foreign Currency and securities, with a maximum of an equivalent value of 5,000 US dollars for one -person to carry on
• Transceivers and Communication Secrecy Machines
• Rare Chinese Traditional Medicine drugs and patent medicine produced using these drugs
• China's currency, with a maximum of CNY 20,000 for one person to carry on
• Common antiques must be accompanied with the original invoice, a cultural relics exit license and an official red seal stamp. All antiques without the above mentioned paperwork must be properly identified by the Department of Cultural Ministry with offices found in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou.

Visitors who want to change CNY (Chinese Yuan) back to foreign currency at the airport before leaving China will be required to show the exchange slip provided when they exchanged foreign currency into CNY on arrival or at banks. The following are restricted exports item:

Antiques
Antiques earlier than 1795, ancient paintings and calligraphy as well as some modern ones are not permitted to take out.
Receipt or export form of the antiques is required to be produced on departure. Antiques that were brought in China should bear a red seal; otherwise the customs department without any refunds or compensations would confiscate it.

Gold and Silver
Any gold or silver items that is purchased in China and are intended to be exported, requires the purchasing receipt and should be presented to the customs.

Traditional Chinese Medicinal Products
The total value of traditional Chinese medicinal products to be taken abroad should not exceed RMB 300 yuan.

As for those heading to Hong Kong and Macau, the maximum amount permitted is RMB 150 yuan.

Medicinal products extracted from rare animals, such as muskiness, antler, leopard, tiger bones, rhinoceros horns and elephant skins are prohibited export items.
Note: Materials value mentioned refers to the purchase price indicated on the official receipt issued by the seller.

Currency
Travelers who wants to convert Renminbi (RMB) currencies to foreign currencies at the airport before leaving China is required to produce the exchange transaction slip issued by the authorized banks or hotels that has carried out the exchange transaction from foreign currencies to RMB while in China.
The total amount of currencies each person permitted to take out should not exceed RMB 20,000 yuan.

The followings are others prohibited exports item:

• All prohibited import items or articles.
• Valuable cultural relics and rare books relating to Chinese history, cultures and arts.
• Endangered animals and plants (this includes the seedling).
• Printed materials, films, tapes, photographs and others that are related to state secrets

MONEY MATTERS
RMB
Chinese currency is called Renminbi (people's money), often abbreviated as RMB. It is issued by The Bank of China and is the sole legal tender within the People's Republic of China. The symbol for RMB is .

The unit of Renminbi is a yuan and with smaller denominations called 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; 5, 2 and 1 jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 fen. The denominations of coins are 1 yuan; 5, 2 and 1 jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 fen.

Note: 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 the record of cheque numbers separate from the cheques 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 as well as many other countries. Also the Bank of China sells travelers' cheques for other banking institutions such as American Express, Citibank, Tongjilong Travelers' Cheque Co., the Sumitomo Bank of Japan, the Swiss Banking Corporation, to name a few.

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.

The US dollar, British pound, French franc, German mark, 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 are all exchangeable. Exchange rates fluctuate in line with international financial market condition and are published daily by the State Exchange Control Administration.

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 visit to the Republic. Cash 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 Cards and ATMs:
The use of an American ATM card is a convenient and fast method to withdraw money in China. Most of these transactions are assessed the wholesale exchange rate that applies to large foreign currency transactions which ultimately means savings for students. However, we encourage you to check with your bank regarding fees for withdrawing money in a foreign currency overseas, as most banks do charge fees for the currency conversion, as well as charging for use of an ATM that is (most likely) out-of-network. Please also check with your bank to ensure that your PIN number and ATM card will work abroad. ATM’s are readily available in the large cities and developed tourist areas of China, however outside of these urban centers ATM’s are not common and can be difficult to find. All Bank of America cardholders/customers have no transaction fees at all China Construction Bank ATMs

http://www.educationabroadnetwork.org/?id=66

Currency Regulations

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 to the customs.

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 can be taken out of the country. Each tourist is permitted to take with them less than 6000 RMB.

Prohibited Items When Going To China:

1. Guns, imitation arms or toy weapons, ammunitions and explosives of all kinds
2. Counterfeit currency and securities
3. Printed matter, films, photos, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video-tapes, compact discs (video & audio), storage media for computers and other articles which are detrimental to the political, economic, cultural and ethics of China Deadly poisons of all kinds
4. Opium, heroin, morphine, marijuana and other narcotic or hallucinatory drugs
5. Infected animals, plants and products; injurious insects and other harmful organisms
6. Foodstuffs, medicines and other articles coming from epidemic-stricken areas or those easy to spread diseases

Drinking Water:
The tap water is not suitable for drinking. Potable water may be provided at a few of the best hotels, so do not drink it before you ask to make sure. Boiled water is sometimes offered in thermos bottles in hotel rooms but you also need to make clear whether it is fresh.

Bottled mineral water is sold for around 3 yuan, and is widely available in stores, restaurants and street kiosks. Sometimes a bottle or two is provided free in your room by the hotel.

Electricity
Electricity in China is 220V, 50 cycles, AC. Two-pin sockets and some three-pin sockets are in use. Most of the hotels have a socket in the bathroom for both 110V and 220V. However, outside of the bathroom, only 220V sockets are provided. Although an adapter may be borrowed from the hotel, it is recommended you bring your own adapter plug.

Tipping
Today, attitudes towards tipping are changing. Although the practice is not officially recognized, tips are now frequently offered to and accepted by travel guides, tour bus drivers, porters and waiters in top-class hotels and restaurants.

However, tipping is still not expected in most restaurants and hotels. So ask the guide whether a tip is necessary and how much when you are uncertain. Sometimes, small gifts such as paperbacks, cassette tapes and western cigarettes appear to be preferred. Note that it is part of the polite ritual that any gift or tip initially will be firmly rejected.

Consumer taxes are included in price tags on goods but big hotels and fine restaurants may include a service charge of 10% or more.

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Traveling in China, following numbers are sometimes proved to be helpful when you are in trouble.

Phone Number	Service
110	Police
114	Local Telephone Number Inquiry
116	Domestic Long Distance Inquiry
117	Time Inquiry
119	Fire
120	Ambulance
121	121 Weather Forecast
122	Traffic Police
184	Post Code Inquiry
185	Emergency Mail