Entry requirements
Unless you’re briefly transiting China via certain key cities (see Visa-free transit), all foreign nationals require a
visa to enter mainland China, available worldwide from Chinese embassies and consulates and through specialist tour operators and visa agents, and online. In the past they’ve been easiest to obtain in
Hong Kong, though at the time of writing there were restrictions being placed on visas issued here.
Visas must be used within three months of issue, and cost £30/$45 and up, depending on the visa type, the length of stay, the number of entries allowed, and your nationality. Your passport must be valid for at least another six months from your planned date of entry into China, and have at least one blank page for visas. You’ll be asked your occupation – it’s not wise to admit to being a journalist, photographer or writer since you might be called in for an interview, and in such instances it’s best to say “consultant” or similar instead. At times of political sensitivity, you may be asked for proof of onward air travel and hotel bookings in your name. Don’t overstay your visa: the fine is ¥500 a day, along with the possibility that you may be deported and banned from entering China for five years.
Tourist visas (L) are valid for between one and three months, and can be single- or multiple-entry – though multiple-entry visas usually require you to leave China every thirty days.
A business visa (F) is valid for between three months and two years and can be either multiple- or single-entry. To apply, you’ll need an official invitation from a government-recognized Chinese organization. Twelve-month work visas (Z) again require an invitation, plus a health certificate.
Students intending to study in China for less than six months need an invitation or letter of acceptance from a college there and will be given an F visa. If you’re intending study for longer than six months, there is an additional form, available from Chinese embassies and online, and you will also need a health certificate; then you’ll be issued with an X visa, which allows you to stay and study for up to a year.
You’re allowed to import into China up to 400 cigarettes and 1.5l of alcohol and up to ¥20,000 cash. Foreign currency in excess of US$5000 or the equivalent must be declared. It’s illegal to import printed or filmed matter critical of the country, but this is currently only a problem with Chinese border guards at crossings from Vietnam, who have confiscated guidebooks to China that contain maps showing Taiwan as a separate country (such as this one); keep them buried in the bottom of your bags.
Chinese embassies and consulates
Australia 15 Coronation Drive, Yarralumla, Canberra, ACT 2600 02 6273 4780,
au.china-embassy.org/eng.
Canada 515 St Patrick St, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5H3 1 613 789 3434, ca.chineseembassy.org/eng/.
Ireland 40 Ailesbury Rd, Dublin 4 01 269 1707, ie.china-embassy.org/eng.
New Zealand 2–6 Glenmore St, Wellington 04 474 9631, www.chinaembassy.org.nz.
South Africa 972 Pretorius St, Arcadia, Pretoria 012 431 6500, www.chinese-embassy.org.za.
UK 49–51 Portland Place, London W1B 1JL 020 7299 4049, www.chinese-embassy.org.uk.
US 3505 International Place, Washington DC 20008 1 202 495 2266, www.china-embassy.org/eng/.
Visa extensions
Visa extensions are handled by the
Public Security Bureau (
PSB), so you can apply for one in any reasonably sized town – the department will be called something like “Aliens’ Entry Exit Section”. The cost, and the amount of hassle you’ll have, varies greatly depending on where you are and your nationality. In particular, many places want to see a receipt from your accommodation, proving that you’re staying in the town in which you’re applying.
A first extension, valid for a month, is easy to obtain and costs ¥160 (though US citizens pay more). However, the particular PSB office may decide to levy extra charges on top, or even waive the fee completely. Processing the application takes seven working days, and you need to apply at least seven days in advance of your old visa expiring. The worst place to apply (bar Tibet, of course) is Beijing, then Shanghai.
A second or third extension is harder to get, and is impossible if your visa was originally issued in Hong Kong. In major cities, you will probably be turned away, though you’d be unlucky not to be given some kind of extension from PSB offices in small towns. You will be asked your reasons for wanting an extension – simply saying you want to spend more time in this wonderful country usually goes down well, or you could cite illness or transport delays. Don’t admit to being low on funds. Fourth or even fifth extensions are possible, but you’ll need to foster connections with a PSB office. Ask advice from a local independent travel agent – they often have the right sort of contacts. In Shanghai and Beijing, it is possible to get extra extensions from a visa agent – they advertise in expat magazines.
Health
No vaccinations are required to visit China, except for yellow fever if you’re coming from an area where the disease is endemic. It’s worth taking a
first-aid kit with you, particularly if you will be travelling extensively outside the cities, where getting hold of the appropriate medicines might be difficult. Include bandages, plasters, painkillers, oral rehydration solution, medication to counter diarrhoea, vitamin pills and antiseptic cream. A sterile set of hypodermics may be advisable, as re-use of needles does occur in China. Note there is widespread ignorance of sexual health issues, and AIDS and STDs are widespread – always practise
safe sex.
The most common health hazards in China are the cold and flu infections that strike down a large proportion of the population in the winter months. Diarrhoea is also common, usually in a mild form while your stomach gets used to unfamiliar food, but also sometimes with a sudden onset accompanied by stomach cramps and vomiting, which indicates food poisoning. In both instances, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and in serious cases replace lost salts with oral rehydration solution (ORS); this is especially important with young children. Take a few sachets with you, or make your own by adding half a teaspoon of salt and three of sugar to a litre of cool, previously boiled water. While down with diarrhoea, avoid milk, greasy or spicy foods, coffee and most fruit, in favour of bland foodstuffs such as rice, plain noodles and soup. If symptoms persist, or if you notice blood or mucus in your stools, consult a doctor as you may have dysentery.
To avoid stomach complaints, eat at places that look busy and clean and stick to fresh, thoroughly cooked food. Shellfish is a potential hepatitis A risk, and best avoided. Fresh fruit you’ve peeled yourself is safe; other uncooked foods may have been washed in unclean water. Don’t drink untreated tap water – boiled or bottled water is widely available.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection spread by contaminated food and water, which causes an inflammation of the liver. The less common hepatitis B virus can be passed on through unprotected sexual contact, transfusions of unscreened blood, and dirty needles. Hepatitis symptoms include yellowing of the eyes and skin, preceded by lethargy, fever, and pains in the upper right abdomen.
Typhoid and cholera are spread by contaminated food or water, generally in localized epidemics; both are serious conditions and require immediate medical help. Symptoms of typhoid include headaches, high fever and constipation, followed by diarrhoea in the later stages. The disease is infectious. Cholera begins with sudden but painless onset of watery diarrhoea, later combined with vomiting, nausea and muscle cramps. Rapid dehydration rather than the infection itself is the main danger, and should be treated with constant oral rehydration solutions.
Summer outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever occur across southern China, usually in localized areas. Symptoms are similar – severe headaches, joint pains, fever and shaking – though a rash might also appear with dengue. There’s no cure for dengue fever, whereas malaria can be prevented and controlled with medication; both require immediate medical attention to ensure that there are no complications. You can minimize your chances of being bitten by mosquitoes in the first place by wearing light-coloured, full-length clothing and insect repellent in the evenings when mosquitoes are active.
In tropical China, the temperature and humidity can take a couple of weeks to adjust to. High humidity can cause heat rashes, prickly heat and fungal infections. Prevention and cure are the same: wear loose clothes made of natural fibres, wash frequently and dry-off thoroughly afterwards. Talcum or anti-fungal powder and the use of mild antiseptic soap help, too.
Don’t underestimate the strength of the sun in the tropics, desert regions such as Xinjiang or high up on the Tibetan Plateau. Sunscreen is not always easily available in China, and local stuff isn’t always of sufficiently high quality anyway. Signs of dehydration and heatstroke include a high temperature, lack of sweating, a fast pulse and red skin. Reducing your body temperature with a lukewarm shower will provide initial relief.
Plenty of places in China – Tibet and the north in particular – also get very cold. Watch out here for hypothermia, where the core body temperature drops to a point that can be fatal. Symptoms are a weak pulse, disorientation, numbness, slurred speech and exhaustion. To prevent the condition, wear lots of layers and a hat, eat plenty of carbohydrates, and stay dry and out of the wind. To treat hypothermia, get the victim into shelter, away from wind and rain, give them hot drinks – but not alcohol – and easily digestible food, and keep them warm. Serious cases require immediate hospitalization.
High altitude, in regions such as Tibet and parts of Xinjiang, Sichuan and Yunnan, prevents the blood from absorbing oxygen efficiently, and can lead to altitude sickness, also known as AMS (acute mountain sickness). Most people feel some symptoms above 3500m, which include becoming easily exhausted, headaches, shortness of breath, sleeping disorders and nausea; they’re intensified if you ascend to altitude rapidly, for instance by flying direct from coastal cities to Lhasa. Relaxing for the first few days, drinking plenty of water, and taking painkillers will ease symptoms. Having acclimatized at one altitude, you should still ascend slowly, or you can expect the symptoms to return.
If for any reason the body fails to acclimatize to altitude, serious conditions can develop including pulmonary oedema (characterized by severe breathing trouble, a cough and frothy white or pink sputum), and cerebral oedema (causing severe headaches, loss of balance, other neurological symptoms and eventually coma). The only treatment for these is rapid descent: in Tibet, this means flying out to Kathmandu or Chengdu without delay. You also need to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies
Medical facilities in China are best in major cities with large expat populations, where there are often high-standard clinics, and the hotels may even have resident doctors. Elsewhere, larger cities and towns have hospitals, and for minor complaints there are plenty of pharmacies that can suggest remedies, though don’t expect English to be spoken.
Chinese hospitals use a mix of Western and traditional Chinese medicine approaches, and sometimes charge high prices for simple drugs and use procedures that aren’t necessary – they’ll put you on a drip just to administer antibiotics – so always ask for a second opinion from a Western-trained doctor if you’re worried (your embassy should be able to recommend one if none is suggested in the Guide). In an emergency, you’re better off taking a cab than waiting for an ambulance – it’s quicker and will work out much cheaper. There’s virtually no free health care in China even for its citizens; expect to pay around ¥500 as a consultation fee.
Pharmacies are marked by a green cross, and if you can describe your ailment or required medication, you’ll find many drugs which would be restricted and expensive in the West are easily available over the counter for very little money. Be wary of counterfeit drugs, however; check for spelling mistakes in the packaging or instructions.
Medical resources for travellers
In the UK and Ireland
MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad) UK masta-travel-health.com. Fifty clinics across the UK.
Tropical Medical Bureau Republic of Ireland tmb.ie.
In the US and Canada
Canadian Society for International Health csih.org. Extensive list of travel health centres in Canada.
CDC cdc.gov. Official US government public health agency, with good travel-health information.
International Society for Travel Medicine istm.org. A full list of clinics worldwide specializing in travel health.
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
Netcare Travel Clinics www.travelclinic.co.za/. Travel clinics in South Africa.
Travellers’ Medical & Vaccination Centre tmvc.com.au. Website lists travellers’ medical and vaccination centres throughout Australia and New Zealand.