12 - AccomModation

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12.1 Hotels
12.2 Take care!
12.3 Check list

12.1 Hotels

You should also try to book your hotel in advance. The following links can take you to a variety of choices, from 3-star to 5-star hotels, with a level of quality approved by the Chinese Tourism Administration. As there are hundreds of such hotels in China, the list provides a sample, and you are advised to have a detailed look at the following website: www.chinaonlinetravel.com/hotel.htm

Additional hotel options can be found at:

http:// www.sinohotelguide.com
http:??www.cnta.com/lyen/hotel/index.htm

Hotels in Shanghai: http://www.shanghaihotels.com.cn
Hotels in Guangzhou: http://www.hotelguangzhou.com
Hotels in Hong Kong: http://www.allhongkonghotels.net

The following hotels have bi-lingual Mandarin-English websites and service, and are therefore most likely to appeal to Western visitors:

Note:

• the room rate normally excludes 15% service charge per night; the tariff was based on the date 1st, Feb, 2003
• in China, the ‘ground floor’ is always called the 1st floor, hence, the 1st floor in English terminology means the 2nd floor to the Chinese. You may find this slightly confusing at first

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12.2 Take care!

There are some basic safety issues to observe when travelling in China:
The traffic rules are different to those with which you are familiar in the UK. In China, cars drive on the right side of the road; the driver’s seat is on the left, and passengers get in/off from the right side. When crossing the road anywhere, first look to the left and then to the right. For a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights, stop when the red light is on! Do not try to cross, even if there is no traffic coming, or a ‘volunteer’ may fine you. (These are unpaid people, generally retired, whose job is to ‘police’ pedestrian crossings. They can be identified by their red armbands.)

Be careful not to stand in bus lanes when waiting to cross the road. These are generally identified by an unbroken white line, parallel to the curb. In some cities, these bus routes also appear to be used (unofficially) by bicycles – so take great care!

• Do not fall asleep on a bus/coach leaving your baggage unattended.
• Be aware that ‘pick-pockets’ tend to operate on crowded buses.
• When dining out, try to pick a big, clean, busy restaurant, which is likely to have a high turnover of food. Also beware of dirty chopsticks.
• Do not walk alone in alleyways at night.
• The overall emergency call is ‘110’ (not ‘999’, except in Hong Kong), fire service ‘119’, ambulance service ‘112’, local telephone directory service ‘114’. (If you telephone ‘110’, an English language service is available in Chinese major cities, see: http://english1.peopledaily.com.cn:80/200201/14/eng20020114_88615.shtml)

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12.3 Check list

Have you prepared the following things before you are ready to travel?

• Passport
• Air ticket
• Name cards/business cards (do they also have your details printed in Chinese characters?)
• Medical kit (may only be necessary if you travel out of the major cities)
• Map
• Mobile phone and its charger (contact your service provider in the UK to find out whether it will work in China)
• Publicity material (for example for your presentation)
• Short expression cards (to show to taxi drivers

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