Despite over 115 ports of
entry and exit, most visitors to China travel via Hong Kong or
Shanghai. The national carrier is the Civil Aviation Administration
of China (CAAC, known on international routes as Air China), which
also operates a company called Dragonair as a joint venture with the
Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific (bookable through Cathay Pacific
worldwide). If you are leaving China by air, there's a departure tax
of 90.00, payable only in local currency, so be sure you have enough
yuan to avoid a last-minute scramble at the airport moneychanging
booth.
You can travel to China and back from Europe or Asia without having
to leave the ground. Exotic routes include Vietnam-China, the
Trans-Siberian railway, Tibet-Nepal, Xinjiang-Pakistan and
Xinjiang-Kazakstan - but don't even think about bringing your own
car, as foreigners are rarely allowed to drive in China. Other entry
points include Zhuhai-Macau, Kashgar-Islamabad (Pakistan) via the
Karakoram Highway, Ürümqi-Almaty (Kazakstan), Kashgar-Bishkek
(Kyrgyzstan), Beijing-Pyongyang (North Korea) and Pinxiang/Hekou-Dong
Dang/Lao Cai (Vietnam). You can take a slow boat to China from Japan
or South Korea. Popular places to sail to and from include Shanghai,
Xiamen (opposite Taiwan), Tanggu (near Tianjin), Macau and - of
course - Hong Kong. |
Western
China
