Tips for tourists in China. Travel to China on your own: recommendations Which is better on your own or organized in China

In this article, we will tell you how to organize an independent trip to the Middle Kingdom so that it is inexpensive.

China is a magical country that beckons with its ancient culture and rich history dating back more than 5 thousand years. These are picturesque places and works of art, magnificent monuments and majestic temples ...

When planning an independent vacation in China in 2016, you will surely want to visit the main "places of power", including the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, as well as see the Terracotta Army, Chengdu Wildlife Sanctuary with its huge pandas and the Guilin region with its tranquil landscapes.

A self-guided trip to China is not a two-week tour to Egypt, so be prepared for a variety of surprises and Asian specifics. Explore China is best done sequentially, starting with, for example, cosmopolitan Hong Kong and local Las Vegas Macau, and then visiting the Philippine Islands, Guangzhou and Hainan. And only when the most tourist places of the country are completely mastered, feel free to go on your own to China.

Keep in mind that most Chinese people do not speak English, with the exception of educators and students, so be prepared for the worst - you may need to use sign language.

And finally, the food here is quite specific, so if you are not a lover of spicy cuisine, it will not be easy for you in China. In addition, the menu of a typical cafe may not have an English version of the names of the dishes, and then you will have to order at random from the picture or by pointing to a neighbor's plate.

Another characteristic feature is the country's public transport. In China, people smoke almost everywhere, including buses and trains. They don't smoke except on airplanes, so if you are not a heavy smoker, choose air travel. But in general, transport is well developed here, and you can get to the desired place both by rail and along the highway in a rented car or taxi.

Travel organization plan

The price of a tour to the Middle Kingdom in agencies will be higher than the cost of an independent trip to China. So, if you want to save money, it is better to be patient and develop a clear plan for a trip to China:

1. Determine exact travel dates
2. Calculate your travel budget
3. Decide on a destination
4. Book a hotel or house
5. Buy plane tickets to China
6. Arrange the necessary documents (visa and insurance)
7. Pack your suitcase and hit the road.

Flights

Before you go to China on your own, you need to buy a plane ticket. You can fly to China directly with Aeroflot or Air China, or you can get there with transfers on Emirates, Air Astana and other airlines.

Aeroflot has regular flights from Moscow to Beijing and Shanghai. The flight duration is from 8 to 10 hours. The planes of China Eastern also fly to Shanghai, and the capital of China can be reached on regular flights by Hainan Airlines, Air China, Transaero and S7.

It is convenient to fly to Hong Kong from Moscow and St. Petersburg directly with the same Aeroflot, Transaero and Cathay Pacific, or with the help of Qatar Airlines and Emirates with one change. You can buy tickets (there / back) from 20,000 rubles. By the way, Hong Kong's international airport Chek Lap Kok, which is located on an artificial island, is considered one of the most comfortable air hubs in the world. You can get from one terminal to another in a few minutes by Aeroexpress.

In addition to Chek Lap Kok, China has 5 dozen airports, so their choice will depend on which city you want to see first. It will be most convenient to come to Hong Kong, and then continue an independent journey towards Chengdu or Hainan. Or you can fly to Shanghai, and from there go to Guilin, Hangzhou and Longzi.

The most convenient way to book cheap flights to China is through the portal. To search for an advantageous offer, enter the codes of the airports of departure and arrival in the request line, select the dates of the trip, click on "search" and wait for the result. In a couple of seconds, you will see all available flights to China on the days you specified, which can be divided by the number of connections, ticket prices and other criteria.

If you know English, be sure to activate the search function for "English-speaking agencies" in the settings so that the system will return more results. If you wish, you can save the request data and subscribe to a constant price update from aviasales in the direction you need.

Low Price Calendar

For me, the preparation for an independent trip to China took place, already according to a knurled pattern, which I have been using for many years.

There was no big difference for me. Since I do not know either Chinese or other languages ​​(so it does not matter to me where to fly - to China, Brazil or the USA), in any case, I have to prepare carefully for the trip, without missing anything, so that on the spot, it no longer arises no questions or problems.

1 ... I need to decide How many days You eat and make up route around the country.

For myself, even before the trip, I decided that it was impossible to embrace China at once, and therefore, I split it into two trips (and maybe more). Therefore, on the first trip (you never know if there will be the next one), the places that I wanted to see in the first place were chosen. These were mainly the most important historical cities, which almost all were at one time or another the capitals of China and are of historical interest (I love history, especially ancient and medieval)

The route was designed so that I descended from north to and farther south (this way money is saved, there is no need to go back.)

Here is the complete route.

Beijing (5 days) -Tianjing (1 day) -Great Wall of China (1 day) -Xian (2 days) -Huashan Mountains (1 day) -Nanjing (2 days) -Suchhou (2 days) -Shanghai (2 days) - Hangzhou (3 days) -Guangzhou (2 days) -Shenzhen (3 days)

Total 24 days in China. Well, here everyone is free to choose the time and route.

Since I cannot imagine a summer vacation without a rest on the warm sea, Thailand was added as such a vacation for two weeks, especially since a ticket from the last city of China, Shenzhen, cost only $ 120 to Bangkok.

2 ... Now we need to deal with that how to get to China.

Usually I buy tickets in 10 months (but even before that, sometimes a year in two years, I monitor this route in different months on search engine sites such as Skyscanner.ru and Momondo.ru and set the best prices and the best options for myself) There is no point in flying to China, it's so early to buy tickets, so I bought a Moscow-Beijing ticket in just 5 months. I am looking for tickets on search engines, but I buy tickets almost always on the websites of airline companies.

It was the same here - I found the cheapest flight, went to the website of Hainan Airlines, bought a one-way ticket for 282 US dollars. Fly 7:00 - departure from Sheremetyevo on July 14 at 19.55, arrival in Beijing on July 15 at 09.05 local time.

From China, as I said, I flew to Thailand (a ticket for AirAsia is a low-cost low-cost - a ticket is only $ 120, I bought it in 5 months)

3 ... The next step was to understand how to get around between cities in China.

Here, by far the most ideal way of getting around is by rail. He is one of the best and most modern in the world in China!

The photo shows one of the Beijing railway stations - Tskntralny

How to buy train tickets - this question arose even before the trip. Now (this happened not long ago) you can buy tickets for Chinese trains on the Internet, or rather book them in Russia on the website chinahighlights.ru, pay and receive them by the reservation number that will be sent to you at any railway station in China.

Here in the photo is Beijing South Station

I had 10 train trips, including two night trains). Everything went well (I will tell you about the specifics of trains and stations in the next tip)

I also had one flight within China from Hangzhou to Guangzhou. I bought a ticket through the site - expedia.com (this site has never let me down either in the USA or in South America)

4 ... Next step. Figure out how to get to airports and railways railway stations.

It didn't take much more work.

In Beijing, at the airport there is a metro line_ sat down and went to the desired station, in Hangzhou the metro did not reach the airport yet, and for the first time I could not understand and find information where the shuttle stopped and I had to order a taxi from the hotel to the airport (the first and last time on China)

Railway stations (there are several of them in almost all cities, like in Moscow (you also need to figure out which station you go from and which one you come to) - but all of them that I needed were connected by metro lines, so there are problems to get there before them did not arise (this will be, as already said, a separate advice).

5 .Now it was necessary book hotels.

I used two sites - Booking.com (money only pay in cash at the hotels in China) and the Agoda.ru website (money is withdrawn immediately upon booking and in China nothing has to be paid) Everything went with a bang! there were no problems. In the future, I will give an overview of all the hotels (the range at a price was from 30 to 40 US dollars, once 50) I took hotels near the railway stations so as not to go far.

6 . Visa.

I ordered a visa to China through a travel agency - they gave it for 3 months (it cost 6 thousand rubles) - no hotel reservations or tickets are needed for it. If I lived in Moscow, I would do everything myself for 2 thousand rubles.

7. Attractions.

The next step is to figure out what to see in each city, that is, to choose attractions.

I'm doing it now - it's simple - I go to the site - tripadvisor.ru

I type the city that I need in the search and then - "the section" Entertainment "and the whole list of attractions of this city drops out, with reviews of tourists and their photos, you can understand whether you need this attraction or not. It is important that all the sights are located according to the rating of tourists and basically it is always correct, the most outstanding ones come first.

Open the attraction you need - on the right side there will be a small map, and under it is an important function - "Name and address in the language of the region" - open it and print this name in Chinese and you can safely show this printout to the Chinese (I did this several times), if you cannot find the attraction, do the same with the name of the hotel through this website (write their address in Chinese).

You also need to make a printout of the names of the cities that you will navigate in China.

But just in case, I still check by typing a phrase in Yandex search - for example, "Sightseeings of Xi'an" and read there and choose.

8. Chinese transport in cities.

We chose sights for each city - now we need to figure out how to get to them.

There were no problems here either, since all cities have a metro, you need to navigate by stations. To do this, download or print metro maps of all the necessary cities in English - in the Chinese metro, everything is duplicated in English. (About the Chinese metro, I will give a separate advice)

And in some cases, we plot a route using the google maps site - we choose a city. The routes window will appear in the right corner - for example, we fill in the name of your hotel and the name of the attraction and select the public transport function) Google will give the bus route numbers

We check on the map where the attraction is located - and for more peace of mind and prepare printouts in Chinese). I made printouts of the desired part of the city on a printer and marked my walking path through the city. Although I also had a tablet.

9. ... Upload to tablet.

Offlan translator (simplified Chinese) - works without the Internet and gives out the necessary hieroglyphs (the Chinese understood me, used it several times), just in case I bought a simple phrasebook - Russian-Chinese in our bookstore.

You also need to download google maps of China (offline), which work without the Internet - everywhere

10. Money.

I changed the money back in Orenburg at Sberbank, something about 1 yuan 9 rubles.

For 24 days, food and sightseeing and local transport (not including the railway) took 4 thousand yuan, or about 40 thousand rubles.

The rest of the prices for trains and hotels will be given in the following tips.

Well, now we are ready to travel to China !!!

It's okay, you just need to figure it out.

12 ... Made in a few days medical insurance on the Internet in Ingostrakh for 24 days in China - I printed it out and took it with me.

How to organize your own travel to China in 2020! Visa, tickets, hotels, food, transport, security. How much does it cost to go to China? Costing, advice and observation.

The material was prepared based on the personal experience of an independent travel to China of the author of the text: three months of life in Shenzhen, as well as trips to Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

China is huge and very diverse, so it is impossible to clearly say where what prices and conditions are. I will build on Shenzhen - the center of all electronics, a young and rapidly growing city in the very south of China, which borders Hong Kong. I will tell you what is useful for a tourist when planning an independent trip to China in 2020, as well as give my own observations about the country and travel tips.

How to make a visa to China on your own

A visa to China for Russians is needed, except in rare cases. Regular single entry costs 1,500 rubles, double entry - 3,000, multiple entry - 4,500 rubles. Plus a bank commission of 2.5% per person is charged.

Urgent single entry - 2400, urgent double - 3900, urgent multiple - 5400. There is also an express review, it is more expensive.

Better to stay at chain hotels as they care about their reputation. A day in such a hotel costs from $ 30-40 for a double room. Chain hotels in Shenzhen: Greentree Inn, Sheraton, Novotel, etc.

Advice:

• Look for a soundproofed hotel - the Chinese are noisy.
• Photos of hotels are not always true.
• Sometimes the room can be clean and comfortable, but have foreign odors, such as dampness. Or overlook the courtyard, where a dump or a Chinese street cafe (which produces odors no better).

Rent. If you want a personal comfortable home, look for a room, apartment, or house on Airbnb. The choice of housing is huge. Renting an apartment in Beijing costs about $ 30-50 per day, in Shenzhen - from $ 27. You can rent an apartment for a month on Airbnb for $ 600-1500 (rooms - $ 500-900). The price depends on the city, area and state of the house. For example, in Shenzhen, near the beach in a resort area, an excellent apartment was rented out for $ 600. There are discounts for long-term rentals.

Chinese food and cuisine

Another challenge you will face when traveling on your own to China in 2020 is food. It is very specific here, so there are problems with going to a cafe, especially if you do not know the language. But here McDonald's and KFC come to the rescue. There are also many European well-known chains in which you can order food from pictures. However, the prices in them are much higher - for example, a side dish with meat costs from $ 6. Sometimes tea is included in the price. At McDonald's Big Macs (potatoes, cola, double cheeseburger) will cost about $ 5.

In general, in a cafe you can eat for $ 5 or more, in restaurants a simple dish costs from $ 10.

Where you can eat inexpensively and tasty in China:

• Cafe for locals. You can have a hearty meal in them for $ 1.50, but no one guarantees the quality of the products and the observance of sanitary standards. The downside is that it is difficult to order dishes, since often there are no pictures or there are few of them, and if there is, it is not clear what it is.
• "Muslim women" are local cafes run by Muslim Chinese. The food there is prepared in compliance with all standards and is really delicious. I love their noodles very much and I advise you to try it. They prepare it in front of you, and it is interesting to watch this process. Cost from $ 1.5 for a huge portion.
• Supermarket. A kilogram of bananas costs $ 1-2, apples $ 2-3, tangerines $ 1-2. I do not recommend buying sausages. This is not at all what we expect: Chinese sausages are made from soybeans with a lot of spices and additives. They taste sweet and with a specific smell, but just for the sake of curiosity, you can try it once.

(Photo: [email protected]/ flickr.com / CC BY 2.0 License)

Internet and cellular communications in China

All sim cards are sold only with a passport in specialized places. The cost of mobile communication is quite high - from $ 20 per month, plus the same amount is charged for purchasing a card and choosing a tariff plan. To get a normal tariff and understand everything, you need to know the Chinese language. If you need internet in China, it is easier to use Wi-Fi while traveling - you can find it everywhere in big cities.

There is another nuisance that many face is the blocking of all Google, YouTube, Instagram services. To access them, you need to install a special VPN program for yourself.

Transport in China

With transport in China, everything is fine. The infrastructure is very well developed. Airplanes, ferries, trains (including high-speed trains), buses, metro and taxis. You can get anywhere without any problems. Travel in buses - from $ 0.3, in the subway - from $ 0.5.

If you are going to travel to China for a month, buy a travel card. A plastic card can be replenished and used in the metro and buses, and then returned and refunded. Cost $ 4. It is very convenient: you do not need to find out the cost of tickets, buy tokens, stand in lines. Accordingly, the problem of language also disappears. For trips within one city, $ 10-30 per month is enough.

A very common type of movement is electric moped. In fact, this is a taxi, only less comfortable, more extreme and cheaper - from $ 2. The main advantage is the absence of traffic jams, as mopeds go wherever they want. The only negative is the language. You need to agree on the price and destination.

(Photo: Lαin / flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 License)

ATMs and cards

Be prepared that in many stores your Visa or MasterCard may not be accepted, since in China another payment system is UnianPay. This card can be issued at any bank for free. If you need to withdraw money from your own, then there are many ATMs for this.

Chinese mentality

Don't be surprised if in China you feel like a monkey that everyone wants to take a photo with. For a Chinese, having a photo with a European is an indicator of coolness, status, so you will always be in the spotlight. They will always turn at you and, without hesitation, stare at close range. In addition to the increased interest, the Chinese will try to make money on the "white man". We are walking money for them, so bargain in all stores. For example, once we knocked down the price of a shirt from $ 35 to $ 5.

We can talk about the culture and upbringing of most Chinese people for a long time. Making way for a girl, letting her go ahead, letting those out of the transport pass, throwing garbage in the trash can - it's not about them. They also have no sense of tact. Do not be surprised if at the first meeting you will be asked about your personal life, salary and health. The Chinese themselves are very cunning and enterprising, but at the same time good-natured.

Useful Chinese Words for the Traveler:

Safety in China

Do you know where the tradition of wearing a backpack in front came from? From China. Petty theft is very common there. In big cities, you can find a police officer everywhere who will be happy to help in any situation. Also, in all buses, metro, shopping centers, and just on the street there are cameras, so in big cities there is nothing to be afraid of, walking along the streets in the evening. From personal experience: I walked with photographic equipment, and no one ever tried to pester me.

Also in China there is an unspoken rule that animals, children and laoyam(to foreigners) everything is possible.

(Photo: Today is a good day / flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 License)

How much is an independent trip to China from Russia

Let's calculate how much a trip to China for two for 10 days costs when departing from Moscow:

• Single entry visa - $ 52.
• Flights from Moscow to Beijing and back - from $ 586. Find a ticket >>
• A hotel in the center of Beijing in low season - $ 130. Find a hotel >>
• Eating out for locals - $ 120.
• Insurance - $ 23.
• Transport and attractions - about $ 200.

So how much does it cost to travel to China on your own? The minimum cost of the trip, if you are ready to save, is about 1111$ for two for 10 days.

If you are used to living in comfort, then the trip will cost about 1711$ for two (accommodation in a 3 * hotel - $ 250 and meals in cafes and restaurants - $ 600). We spent $ 1,500 a month for two.

Check out our helpful tips for a self-guided travel to China in 2020:

• Before the trip, see how the Chinese people count on their fingers. The match with our score is only up to 4, then everything is different.
• Be sure to download a translator to your phone.
• Get the medicines you need, as you can hardly find anything familiar in Chinese pharmacies. More likely to come across a dried toad than activated charcoal.
• Download Baidu software and city maps where you are going to live on your phone. This program will help you choose the route, time and type of transport, determine the best route. You won't get lost with her. I highly recommend it!

I hope you have a general idea of ​​prices and conditions. And the problem of language, as you can see, is not so terrible. Travel, because there are so many interesting things in the world!

(Photo: monkeylikemind / flickr.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 License)

First photo: mandylovefly / flickr.com / License CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Before traveling to China, you should decide whether you need a visa to China for Russians in 2020 and how you can get it. According to the current immigration legislation of the PRC applying for a visa to China is a mandatory procedure for all Russians who is going to visit this state. Exceptions are the cities of Hong Kong and Macau, you can enter there for 14 and 30 days, respectively, without prior permission.

Almost all types of visas to China are made independently through the Visa Center or Consulates General (Consular Section in Moscow) of the PRC Embassy. They are located in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk, Irkutsk.
For those who decide to apply for a visa without refusals, quickly and inexpensively, we recommend the Online Visa Center.

China is a developing tourist destination, the flow of Russian tourists is growing every year

Visa-free entry

There are situations when you can get to China without a visa. There are territories in which you can stay without a permit for a while under certain conditions, in other places it is allowed to obtain a so-called visa to the PRC upon arrival.

Stamp upon arrival

You can get to China without a visa obtained in advance in a group, which is preliminarily made up of several people (the rule does not apply for individual visits). In this case, group lists of citizens who are eligible for such a procedure are submitted to the border service, the lists are sent by a Chinese travel company. Such entry documents are given for groups of more than two people, they can be obtained by arriving at the Beijing airport or on about. Hainan. Under such a permit, it is allowed to stay on the territory of the state for no more than 21 days.

You can learn a similar stamp in China without buying a tour package, many companies simply include additional people in tourist lists for some money, so that the latter have the opportunity not to draw up an entry document in advance.

For residents of border areas

A special regime has been established for obtaining a Chinese visa for those Russians who live in regions bordering China. If you have an invitation from the Chinese side, then permission to cross the border is issued directly at the border checkpoint (not all checkpoints fall under the rule, information must be checked with the Consulates).

Visa-free transit

If a traveler arrives at the international airports of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Dalian, Chongqing, Shenyang, Kunming, Xian, Guilin, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Harbin, Xiamen and plans to fly within 72 hours to other states through the same air hubs, then he does not need to first obtain a transit visa to China. In such situations, certain rules must be followed:

• If a passenger arrives in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou or Chongqing, then he is allowed to go into the city, but it is prohibited to leave its borders;
• You cannot transfer to another type of transport (bus, train).

Sometimes there are flights in which the arrival is carried out at one airport, and the departure is from another. In such situations, you can also do without a transit visa, but there are mandatory requirements:

• The flight is operated by one air carrier;
• The flight is served by different airlines, but all parts of the flight go under a single booking code and are entered into one form;
• The airline is planning to arrive at one airport for refueling and depart from another.

In this case, a 24-hour transit corridor (exit from the international zone of the airport) may be allowed if the appropriate boarding passes are presented, but the final decision will be made by the visa officer.

Visa-free transit rules also apply to residents of Ukraine (the norm does not apply to Kazakhstan).

Types of entry documents

Any Chinese visa for Russians is issued depending on the purpose of stay in the state. Documents are divided into several types, each assigned to a specific category.

Tourist (L)

This is a tourist visa to China for Russians, it is requested if the purpose of the trip is to visit the sights in which the PRC is very rich. A very large number of compatriots receive a tourist visa, as this direction is gaining popularity.

China can offer not only a beach holiday on the island. Hainan, but also interesting excursions and scenic hiking trails. Those travelers who want to visit the country's national parks or admire the largest panda nursery in the world should apply for a tourist visa to China for Russians.

Business visa (M)

This is a business visa to China, which is suitable for all possible types of business activities that the applicant intends to deploy in the PRC. Due to the growth of business and trade ties between the countries, the number of people wishing to open a business in China has also increased. A business visa to China must be held by merchants, entrepreneurs, any people who are going to make a profit. Such activities can only be carried out on a business visa, for the use of other categories of documents you can get a fine and a life ban on entering China.

Working (Z)

A work visa to China for Russians will be required if the applicant plans to come to the PRC and work under a contract with a Chinese employer (or in the Chinese branch of a foreign company). There is also a special subtype of work visa, which is assigned an R category. It is issued to highly valued specialists who, according to the Chinese authorities, possess unique and valuable skills and knowledge. A work visa to China for Russians must be obtained for absolutely all categories of employees.

Transit visa (G)

This is a transit visa to China, which is made in advance in Russia, if the conditions for visa-free transit are not met.

Student visa (X1 / X2)

A student visa to China is required if you plan to study in the PRC. The X1 student visa allows you to come for short studies / courses / trainings, and the X2 gives you the opportunity to stay in the country for a longer period and already study at the university / school.

Visitor visa (F)

A Chinese visitor visa is required to be issued by those persons who enter the PRC for the purposes of study visits, study tours, exchange, business trips, and so on.

For journalists (J1 / J2)

According to this document, foreign journalists are allowed to enter the state, as well as other employees of foreign media outlets.

For relatives (Q1 / Q2)

Such a permit to enter China is issued for those who want to visit their relatives. Also suitable for family reunification purposes (if the family member is a citizen of the PRC or a person with permanent residence status).

The term “family member” includes: parents, spouses, children, grandmothers, grandfathers, spouses of sons and daughters, grandchildren, parents of wives and husbands.

For foreign guests (S1 / S2)

A visa to the PRC of this type gives the right to visit foreigners who legally reside / work / study in China, as well as for other private purposes. It is considered a guest entry permit.

For airline employees (C)

Issued only to international crew members.

Permanent residence (D)

According to this document, a foreigner has the right to reside in China. Another name is permanent residence.

Urgent visa

There is no separate concept as an urgent visa to China, any type of entry permit can be obtained under an accelerated scheme. This will be more expensive than with the usual processing procedure, but in some cases you still need to urgently apply for a visa to China, for example, if you have to fly out in a couple of days or for some reason the procedure for obtaining an entry visa was postponed until the last moment.

Required documents

There is a general list of documents for a visa to China, as well as an additional one, depending on the type of permit. Requirements for securities are not very strict; collecting them usually presents no difficulties. The main list is shown below.

1. International passport. Original is required, validity period - six months after leaving China;
2. A photocopy of those pages of the passport where personal data is recorded and there is a photo;
3. A correspondingly completed application form (you can download it in .doc format directly from the Embassy's website from the section "Download questionnaires");
4. One photograph 3 x 4 or 3.5 x 4.5 cm;
5. Photocopies of previously issued Chinese visa stamps.

For L (tourism)

1. Confirmation of flight and hotel reservations, or a written invitation from the Chinese host with information: name, surname and other personal data of the invitee, date of visit, place of visit, and so on;
2. In the case of an invitation - a letter with information about the inviting party with an address, telephone number, other data on an official letterhead with an original seal.

For M (business)

1. Documents with information about the visit: purpose, dates, places of visit, sources of coverage;
2. An invitation from a Chinese partner or an invitation of another type with full details of the invitee;
3. A letter containing all the information about the invitees;
4. A copy of the inviting person's Chinese identity card, or permanent residence, or a foreign passport (if it is a private person).

For Z (work)

For G (transit)

For a transit visa, you will need a ticket for any transport confirming departure to a third country.

For X1 / X2 (student)

1. The original and a copy of the document on admission to the educational institution;
2. Original and copy of student visa application (Form JW201 or JW202).

For F (guest)

1. An invitation from an authorized organization with comprehensive information about the invitee;
2. Information about the inviting Chinese side;
3. Information about the details of the visit: purpose, dates, financial support, description of relations between the parties, and so on.

For J1 / J2 (journalists)

1. Letter of Notification from the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
2. A letter from the employer who employed the journalist.

For Q1 / Q2 (by invitation)

1. Invitation with information about the invitee;
2. Information about the person who is inviting (including a copy of his current ID);
3. Proof of family ties between the parties.

For S1 / S2 (by invitation of foreigners)

For C (airline employees)

1. Letter of guarantee from the airline company.

For D (permanent residence)

For D, you will need one special document for a visa - the original, as well as one photocopy of the document confirming the right to permanent residence, which is issued by the relevant Ministry.

For all foreigners who enter the PRC using documents of type D, J1, Q1, S1, X1, Z, there is a mandatory rule: you need to contact the local (territorial) departments of public security bodies that are in charge of entry matters within thirty days from the moment of crossing the border / check out, and register. Ignoring the rule is considered a violation and may result in lifelong expulsion from the state.

Filling out an application for a visa to China

The China visa application form can also be downloaded in English. You need to answer all questions, accurately indicate your personal data, sign in the required places and attach to the collected package of documents. It is necessary to pay special attention to the error-free filling of the form. It is very convenient that China visa application form can be filled in Russian.

Photo requirements

There are certain requirements for a photo for a visa to China, which must be taken into account when photographing. So, a photo for a visa must meet the following criteria:

• Light background;
• Colored;
• Lack of hats, wigs, glasses, makeup, which distorts the appearance beyond recognition;
• Full face;
• Size 3 by 4 or 3.5 by 4.5 cm.

Registration process yourself

You can learn how to apply for a visa to China on your own from the many experiences of tourists who have visited China. Entry documents are made by many agencies (intermediaries) that have a service for issuing visas to the PRC of any type, even without providing a full package of papers. This path will be convenient for those citizens who want to obtain a type of visa of a certain category, but they, for example, do not have a complete package of necessary documents.

If the task is precisely to independently apply for a visa to China, then this is quite within our powers. You can learn how to get a visa to China on your own and not resort to the services of intermediaries from the algorithm described below:

1. Determine the type of entry visa requested;
2. Collect all documents: first obtain the necessary permits, invitations, certificates and so on;
3. Download and fill out the application form;
4. Hand over the entire package to the Consular Section of the Embassy or to the Visa Application Center (reception is conducted only on weekdays, from Monday to Friday);
5. Get a stamped passport.

There is nothing difficult in obtaining a visa to China on your own, the percentage of approvals for applications is very high.

Visa to China for a child

The procedure for applying for a visa to China for children is almost the same as for their parents. Additionally you will need:

1. A visa application form to be filled in by the parents;
2. Copy of birth certificate;
3. Original permission to travel outside the Russian Federation, duly certified by a notary, signed by one / both parents (copies of parent's / parents' passports will be required);
4. A copy of the entry permit of the person accompanying the child (if the child is traveling without parents).

Price

To obtain a document, all applicants pay a visa fee. The actual cost of a visa to China is determined by two factors: the urgency of manufacturing and the number of permitted entries.

Information on how much a visa to China costs can be found in the table.

Along with the cost of a visa to China, a banking commission of at least 2.5% is taken from each person.

Terms of issue

The terms for consideration of applications are tied to the cost of the visa. The time interval can be from one to five days:

• The usual period is 5 days;
• Expedited (urgent) consideration - 2 days;
• Express consideration - within one day (issue on the day of application).

Dates of validity

The validity of a Chinese visa depends on the number of entries allowed.

Possible failure

Despite the fact that applying for and obtaining a visa to the PRC is a fairly simple process, and visa officers are loyal to applicants from Russia, there are also refusals. Common reasons:

• Recorded violations of visa legislation, in this case, the authorities may impose a ban on entry for life;
• Suspicions caused by the applicant's documents;
• Something is wrong with the documents themselves.

conclusions

The main thing a tourist needs to know in China

If traveling to Europe, everything is usually simple, since the life of Europeans is very similar to ours, and even if you do not know the language, you can navigate in housing and transport, as well as buy something in the store. But with trips to eastern countries, the situation is more complicated, since in many countries there they do not speak at all and do not understand not that in Russian, but even in English, it is impossible to guess what all these local hieroglyphs mean, plus there are some local peculiarities , which should be taken into account for those who decided to go on an independent trip to China or any other of the eastern countries.

1. Difference in time zones

Just expect China to have a different time zone. The first few days will be spent on adapting to new conditions. Therefore, it is worthwhile to take care in advance to adjust your internal clock to the time of the PRC. Long flights and a sleepless night at the airport "help" me - I arrive without getting enough sleep, go to bed in the evening local time, wake up in the morning, and then I have no problems with another time zone.

A sleepless night at the airport is the best cure for jet lag.

2. Other air

Air. Due to the fact that China has a large number of factories and a fairly high population density, the air differs markedly from the usual European and CIS countries.

In the cities of the northern zone of China, smog is clearly visible. In the southern zone, due to the fact that there are fewer factories, it is not so clearly visible. But its consequences are felt. Among them, one can note high drowsiness and problems in people with breathing disorders. You can get clean air only after rain.

3. Language barrier

The language barrier. Firstly, English is poorly spoken in China. You can face this problem both at the airport and in a taxi. The only place where you can count on knowledge of the language is in high-class hotels. Or among people who are professionally studying foreign languages. Some people hire an interpreter - it helps, but you need to be careful. For example, often all a translator does is ask "Iga dosha chen?" (How much does it cost?), And they ask for $ 50 per day. Drive them out right away, even if they were imposed on you by the firm.

Secondly, all signs, names, signs, stops are written only in Chinese (i.e. in hieroglyphs, no English transliteration). The main advice is to write down phrases on a piece of paper that may come in handy: "destination" for a taxi, the necessary stops for public transport, currency exchange, a store, a pharmacy, and so on. An important nuance is that you will not be able to read the name of the stop, that is, you will have to compare the inscriptions externally. Therefore, it is worth writing as legibly and as close to the original as possible.

Important! If you do not speak Chinese at a sufficient level, do not try to speak it. Features of the language - each sound has four tones of pronunciation, radically changing the meaning of any word. One word in different keys can have different meanings, including offensive ones. Every province in China has a different accent. A Chinese from the north will not always understand a Chinese from the south. So don't be surprised at the difference.

4. Food in China

Food. It is not profitable to dine in large cafes in China. Even ordinary tea exceeds the average European prices. Therefore, there are several nutritional options.

The first one is small eateries, where the main nuance is the unknown in what conditions the food is prepared. No one can guarantee compliance with sanitary standards. On the other hand, if you are not afraid for your stomach, then the pricing policy of such places will pleasantly surprise and match the wallet of any tourist. When making an order in a restaurant or cafe, be sure to check the degree of spiciness of the food.

The second is buying food in the market. Here prices will be half as much as even in eateries, but again the question arises about sanitary conditions and the impossibility of guaranteeing your further health after eating this food. Therefore, the best option, if your hotel does not provide food, is to buy food from the store and cook it yourself.

Solving unsanitary problems: Buy only those fruits on the market that need to be peeled - bananas, oranges, mangoes, etc.

Don't eat exotic food outside. Such as insects, scorpions, spiders of various kinds. The Chinese themselves hardly eat this, it is made especially for tourists, and is not always safe for an unprepared stomach.
Prepare in advance that when buying food in the store there will be no dairy products or it will cost a lot of money. Problems with bread may arise as the Chinese do not eat baked bread, so if you want to replace it with something, the best is steamed cakes. The closest thing to be found in China as bread.

5. Transport in China

Domestic transport. The most popular means of transportation within the city are buses and taxis. When traveling by bus, be sure to remember which stop you need. The main thing is not to forget that buses run strictly until 23:00 and not a minute later.

Important: in China, any transport, including taxis and buses, is not late, and no one will wait for you!

In some places you can try some exotic transport, for example, in floating villages to look at house-boats and ride a small boat along the market in this village.

If you use a taxi service, order it at a specific place and for a specific time, you should not be more than five minutes late. The taxi driver has the right to leave if the client is late by the required time. Look carefully at the counter and pay only on it. Don't take the drivers' word for it.

The most popular means of getting around the country is trains. When buying tickets, be very careful. There are three categories of tickets - seated, standing, floor. Depending on the category, there is a different pricing policy. The most expensive seats are seated. When buying, be sure to specify which seat you need. Be careful when traveling during the holidays.

6. Purchase of souvenirs

Souvenirs. Never buy souvenirs at sightseeing spots. Their price is usually one and a half to two times higher than outside cultural places.

I would also like to separately mention the shopping streets with souvenirs. It is believed that it is important to bargain with the Chinese about prices. When you are on a shopping street, it is a mistake. Since souvenirs in all shops are almost identical, the prices for them are also identical. Therefore, if you buy souvenirs on a shopping street, do not argue with the seller and do not dishonor yourself, but buy at a set price. If you want cheap souvenirs and bargaining power, look for a unique product that has no competition, or look for small shops outside of shopping streets and attractions. Then you can bring down the purchase price by one and a half to two times.

7. Hotels and other accommodation in China

Housing. When you are looking for accommodation on Booking or another site, immediately close the cheapest offers. Yes, in large cities in China you can find rooms for 150 yuan, but you will not want to live in them - dirt, torn linen, no refrigerator and fan, no bathrooms, with windows overlooking the corridor, and even in some hole. You will find more or less normal rooms in which you can live only for 200-300 yuan. It will already be, though poor, but clean, tidy, with a shower, hairdryer, towels, normal beds, and so on. And for 350-600 yuan, you will already get great rooms with beds with orthopedic mattresses, silk sheets and mattresses, air conditioning, coffee with Chinese buns in the morning and other pleasant things.

Cheap doesn't mean bad, but it doesn't mean good either. Choose a hotel based on photos, ratings and reviews of visitors.

Be sure to print the hotel's business card with Chinese symbols, otherwise you risk not getting to the place (how else can you explain to the taxi driver where you need to go?)

These seven tips are all about traveling to China on your own, but don't forget to consider general travel tips as well. For example, read the article on. An incredible choice of formats, designs and the ability to create your own unique style.