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General Information About
China |
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| When To Go |
Spring (March-April) and
autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit China.
Daytime temperatures range from 20°C to 30°C (68°F-86°F) in these
seasons - but bear in mind that nights can still be bitterly cold
and it can sometimes be wet and miserable. Major public holidays, in
particular Chinese New Year, are best avoided as it's difficult to
get around and/or find accommodation. |
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Chinese New Year (or Spring
Festival) starts on the first day of the lunar calendar, which
usually falls in February. Although it officially lasts only three
days, many people take a week off. Ear plugs are handy at this time
to dull the firecracker assaults, and prices of hotel rooms tend to
go through the roof. The Lantern Festival isn't a public holiday,
but it's big and it's colourful. It falls on the 15th day of the 1st
moon (around mid-February to mid-March) and marks the end of the New
Year celebrations. The famous lion dances occur throughout this
period. Tomb Sweeping Day is in April, and sees Chinese families
spend the day tending the graves of departed loved ones. Hong Kong
hosts one of the liveliest annual Chinese celebrations - the Dragon
Boat Festival. Usually held in June, the festival honours the poet
Qu Yuan and features races between teams in long ornate canoes. Many
Westerners take part in the races, but plenty of practice is needed
to get all the paddles working as one.
Special prayers are held at Buddhist and Taoist temples on full-moon
and sliver-moon days. Temple and moon-based festivities include
Guanyin's Birthday (late March to late April), Mazu's Birthday (May
or June), Water-Splashing Festival (mid-April), Ghost Month (late
August to late September), Mid-Autumn Festival (September or
October) and the Birthday of Confucius (28 September).
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Public Holidays
1 Jan - New Year's Day
Feb - Chinese New Year/Spring Festival
8 Mar - International Women's Day
1 May - International Labour Day
4 May - Youth Day
1 Jun - International Children's Day
1 Jul - Birthday of the Chinese Communist Party
1 Aug - Anniversary of the founding of the PLA
1 Oct - National Day |
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Currency: Renminbi ('People's Money')
Meals
* Budget: US$1-2
* Mid-range: US$5-10
* High: US$10-25
* Deluxe: US$25+
Lodging
* Budget: US$25-35
* Mid-range: US$35-100
* High: US$100-300
* Deluxe: US$300+
All four- and five-star hotels and some top-end restaurants add a
tax or 'service charge' of 10% or 15%, which extends to the room and
food; all other consumer taxes are included in the price tag.
Generally, eastern China is much more expensive than the western
part of the country. Visitors to eastern China could get by on
around USD50.00 a day, but it would be a challenge. Budget
travellers in western China should be able to keep costs down to
USD25.00 per day. The main drain on savings tends to be long train
journeys. Food is cheap throughout China, and if you're careful you
won't have to spend much more than USD7.00 a day on meals. However,
the bottom line is that you'll be charged the 'tourist price' a lot
of the time - it's a practice encouraged by the government.
Tipping is not really expected in mainland China |
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