Important Visa Information For Travelers To China: Fill & Download for Free

Visa requirements. You need to check if you need a visa to enter Mainland China. If you do, you usually require an invitation letter from a Mainland Chinese specifically requiring several details. Two things which are especially important are photocopies of the Identification Card of the inviting party and his/ her invitation letter with signature. Other way is to go through a tour agency and have them sort out the details for you. Special territories of China (Hong Kong and Macau) may have other requirements. You need to check.Google, Instagram, Youtube don’t work. If you insist on using an English web browser then you are welcome to try Bing (urgh) and all other Microsoft related websites. Otherwise you can fit in with the locals and use Baidu (百度) to search for information, Dianping (点评) for food, Tujia (途家) for accommodation. Another way is to get a free VPN for your mobile phone.Get Wechat （微信）and Alipay (支付宝）. Wechat is the quintessential Chinese messaging app while Alipay is mainly for payment. If you’re looking to make some friends you need Wechat. If you want to hail a cab, you can do so from Wechat via Didi Chuxing ( 滴滴出行). Wechat also allows you to scan bar codes off bicycles for rental throughout the city.Locals might address you as handsome (帅哥）or babe（美女）but they are not hitting on you. It’s just their way of addressing you. On the other hand, Caucasians seem to get lots of attention.Get over the spitting. Spitting in public, spitting in the mall, spitting when driving are all very common in China. Try to understand that this is a relic of past attitudes and not reflective of the modern Chinese generation. Best is to avoid the spit and not make offensive comments about it.Air is bad. The air is bad in most cities and authorities always claim to be doing something about it.Tap water is usually not safe to drink. Plumbing systems are old and not well maintained. Boil your own water or buy bottled water. It is not expensive.Small cards offering sexual services are sometimes slipped under hotel room doors. Do not be surprised if you find small cards advertising sexual services when you enter your hotel. I have not patronised any of these services and bear no responsibility should you choose to explore China this way. Condoms are cheap so please be safe.

BEIJING: Best to wait until after the COVID-19 pandemic dies down before moving to China. International travel restrictions have caused serious disruptions and we might not see a return on visa application procedures until early next year.It’s unfortunate but there’s nothing to be done about that since all countries have placed serious restrictions at their borders in regards to accepting foreign visitors.But we have some good news: Russia has introduced a vaccine for coronavirus. We can learn more about it from CNBC. The link is here:https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/08/14/trump-on-russias-approved-sputnik-v-coronavirus-vaccine-we-hope-it-works.htmlAccording to CNBC:“On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russian health officials approved what he said is the first coronavirus vaccine in the world, adding that one of his daughters has already taken it. Clinical trials of the vaccine have been completed in less than two months and phase three trials are set to begin, even as Russia lays out plans for a "massive release" to the public.”Nonetheless, people who are against taking vaccines should not make plans to move to China.The visa procedures to study or work in China can be rigorous. Be prepared to show proof of documentation, as well as getting them notarized and you will be asked to provide your criminal records.Anyone who is a fugitive of justice thinking they can sneak into and hide in China is thinking foolish.China has the world’s most-advanced facial recognition technologies and when you go through Customs you are required to get your fingerprints scanned. All the information gets delivered into a real-time database searching for your criminal records in seconds and if it detected a person falsely identifying oneself or misreporting their criminal history there will be no way for them to pass through Customs.A person with definite plans to move to China should go ahead and start researching the city they plan to reside in. You can do a Google search, but I recommend referring to ‘Time Out’ magazine that has special Website editions for each major Chinese city.Before moving to Beijing in October 2010, I was advised by a Chinese person the ‘Beijinger’ provided good local information on apartments for rent, along with offering great tips for living and spending your leisure time in the capital city.I came to China not knowing a single person. The person who recommended me for a job had moved to Hong Kong about a month before my arrival. I just showed up with a one-way flight ticket, two pieces of luggage and a little bit less than US$2,000 in my wallet.I came to China leaving everything behind to start my life over. I took a huge gamble, but by this time the US economy was in bad shape, I had overcome personal challenges, and placed all my stakes in Beijing.It was just like immigrants who move to the USA in search of the American Dream, but in reverse – I left the US to chase after the Chinese Dream.I have not regretted my decision to move here, but for those who expect to start over in the country I have an important suggestion, which is something I learned the hard way.Don’t come to China with ambitions to change China. The Chinese don’t appreciate outsiders telling them how to live their lives. If they did, they would have asked you already so don’t try to give unsolicited advice either.Trust me, I learned this the hard way but by letting go of such notions, my life in China has improved dramatically ever since.Don’t set high expectations either; or you will feel disappointed often. Just be like water and go with the flow.

I have been working in China for the past few years. I comprehensively explored China. I’m sure there are so many mind-blowing facts about China.West Lake in winter, Hangzhou, ChinaHere is a short list:#1 Chinese economy is doing great! Despite all the pandemic fiasco in 2020, Chinese economy has been growing over 3%. Just a few days ago, India reported over 23.9% decline in GDP. Similar is the situation with other major economies:#2 This brings me to another important issue- Jobs! There are jobs in China. I mean suitable jobs. Further, I have received salary for every month on time, no delays (even during Covid-19 holidays).#3 Banking in China is another great experience. I rarely visit banks. Never opened my bank’s website. It’s all in the App. I also have a Chinese credit card (VISA).#4 Online shopping – that’s a great experience. I buy something online every day. It’s not overspending. Point being, you can buy virtually everything online.#5 Safety- I have never felt unsafe in China. Never ever interacted with a police officer. Nobody ever touched me with bad intentions.#6 One common language everywhere- learning Chinese is quite difficult. However, once you speak Chinese, you’ll be able to conveniently travel anywhere in China. Almost everyone speaks Mandarin Chinese (some minority groups may be an exception).Shanghai.#7 I met my girlfriend in China. This has been the case with most of the single expats in China. I do have some reservation on this topic (if you read my blog); however, in general dating has been a positive experience.#8 Food- Chinese food is just wonderful, and easily available. Walk in any direction, you’ll find plenty of mouth watering food. Very much affordable: Lanzhou noodles: RMB 7/bowl; Hubei noodles RMB 4/bowl.#9 Public transportations – I often travel with High-speed trains. They are indeed mind blowing. Even most of the developed countries don’t have high speed trains. Great subways. Efficient buses (RMB 1/ride).#10 Traveler’s paradise – so many places to visit. China is big. Despite travelling heavily in China, I have still not been to many provinces.#11 QR Codes- I rarely carry cash in China. Rarely go to the ATMs. It’s all about scanning the QR codes.In fact, before coming to China, I didn’t realize how cool life was meant to be. However, after a few years of working in the mainland, I feel fortunate to have lived in China.You are welcome to give me a shout about living/working in China. I am in Shanghai. :)