For most foreigners, have a visit in China is mysterious, you may see the unique Chinese culture for many times, such as Chinese Kungfu or Chinese scenery in movies, and dream of experiencing them yourself. However, if you don’t know anything about China or don’t plan well ahead, your trip will be dull and scary. Now, in this article, we will tell you how to plan your first trip to China from 5 “W” aspects: why, who, when, where, and what.
Chapter 1 “Why”- think about your purpose for better planning you visit in China
According to the purpose of tourism, tourism is roughly divided into leisure travel and business travel. After thinking about your traveling purpose clearly, you will know what you need to focus on when planning the trip. Of course, depending on the purpose of your visit to China, the type of visa you need to apply for is also different and you can find specific information in the following part.
If you are a leisure traveler, you may pay more attention to the travel experience, which requires you to make detailed plans for anything about entertainment in China. You would better know about the local tourist attractions, special food, unique culture in advance.
Business travel is a very special kind of travel, in addition to sightseeing, but also to complete business plans and goals. You will need to make appropriate travel plans that involve the costs, transportation, accommodation levels, standards, and related rules and procedures. Besides, if there are business meetings during the business trip, you should also consider what documents and product samples to bring.
Also read on: 5 Things to know before visiting China
Chapter 2 “Who”- visa preparation for your visit in China
In accordance with the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Control, foreigners to China must apply for Chinese visas. Foreigners are required to have Chinese visas before entering China, except in the case of visa exemption. Therefore, the first thing is to check if you need a visa. If you have a stopover in China, the 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit will provide great convenience. Before going to China, you should check whether your visa is valid. If the visa expires or the number of entries is insufficient, you should apply for a new visa.
Actually, there are several types of Chinese visa and the common ordinary visas are as follows:
Visas with D code are issued to persons coming to settle in China. To apply for the D visa, you must hold a residence identification form. You may entrust your relatives in China to apply for the residence identification form from the exit and entry administration department of the public security bureau at the place where the applicant will stay.
Visas with F code are for persons invited to China for visits, study tours, and exchanges. To apply for visa F, you should provide the invitation letter from the Chinese inviter or the visa notification letter from the authorized entity.
Visas with L code are for inbound travelers and group L visas are issued for group tours. In principle, you must provide proof of sufficient travel expenses for your visit in China and, if necessary, air tickets or ship tickets for the country (region) to be visited after leaving China.
Visas with M code are issued to persons who enter the country for business and trade activities.
You can apply to the Visa Office of the Chinese embassies or consulates abroad or the China Visa Application Service Center(CVASC). From 2018, visa applicants from lots of countries have to submit their own visa applications and take fingerprints. The normal service processing time is 4 days, and the urgent service is 1 day (only be used in extreme emergencies, subject to the approval of consular officers). It is important to get your visa as early as possible, but not too early because single/double entry visas are only valid for 90/180 days from the date of issue. Therefore, we usually recommend that you apply for your visa two months before your trip.
If you hold tourist visa, you must pass through ports open to foreigners in China or designated ports, submit valid passports and Chinese visas to border inspection authorities, fill in entry cards, and enter the country only after being examined and approved by border inspection authorities and affixed with their entry seals.
You might also like to read: What Preparations You Shall Make Before Going to China Trade Fairs
Chapter 3 “When”- flight tickets and hotels reservation for your visit in China
Generally speaking, China is hot and rainy in summer, and there are typhoons sometimes in the coastal areas. In the coldest month of winter, the average temperatures of more than two-thirds of the country are below 0℃. For a more comfortable experience, I suggest you come to China in spring or autumn, because the weather is warm and suitable then. Besides, for business travelers, you should know that most national fairs and exhibitions will also be held in spring and autumn, such as the Canton Fair. However, cultural and historical tourist destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi ‘an are almost impervious to weather conditions and are suitable to visit all year round.
In particular, you’d better avoid Chinese holidays, such as Labor Day Holiday, Chinese National Day Holiday, because during these days, almost every tourist attraction is full of tourists and your travel experience may be worse. If you are interested in China’s traditional ethnic culture and like the local colorful festivals, then you can travel to China during traditional festivals, such as the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. However, remember that, if you decided to visit China during festivals or holidays to experience a lively atmosphere, you need to book tickets and hotels for at least one month in advance.
After deciding the time to visit China, you can start tickets and hotels reservation. Now, I will give some tips about them.
Flight ticket reservation
Up to now, there are 35 international airports in mainland China and five in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Therefore, it is the best choice for you to fly to China. If you want to obtain the most cost-efficient ticket, you need to book in advance. Please keep an eye on the ticket booking websites because they will offer special fares on some routes from time to time. Due to the limited seats available on these special fares, they are available on-demand and cannot be reserved. Additionally, a special price ticket has a strict limit condition, for example, they may not be changed and refunded. You should notice the baggage allowance as well because some fares do not include a free baggage allowance.
If you plan to visit China for business or attending fairs, we can offer a flight ticket booking service for you. You just need to send us your passport and flight information, so that we can arrange the booking for you. After booking, we will send you the e-itinerary. It’s a safer, faster, cheaper way for you to booking tickets through us, and you don’t have to worry about any language problems.
Hotel reservation
Nowadays, with the rapid improvement of the tourism service industry, it is quite convenient to book the hotel through the Internet, including the official website of the hotel or comprehensive booking websites such as Ctrip and Booking.
You can filter hotels based on your budget, room type, and other specific needs for brands, amenities, dining, payment methods, and so on. Well, I should remind you that some Chinese hotels do not accept foreign guests to check-in, so you need to pay special attention to this when reading the hotel information, or you can directly call the hotel reception to ask about it.
For business travelers who come to Guangzhou or Yiwu in China for procurement, if you need a professional translator to accompany you to the wholesale markets or book a hotel, please contact AsianDavinci at any time.
it is really a long journey to visit China, so it doesn’t pay to know only the surface of China and I suggest that you spend at least a week or two enjoying the views the highlights of major cities. Then, what are the major cities you can not miss on your first trip to China, please keep reading, and I will give you some recommendations?
Chapter 4 “Where” & do “what” – top 5 cities for sightseeing & business
As is known to all, China is the third-largest country in the world, covering an area of more than 9.6 million square kilometers. China has 34 provincial-level administrative regions and 660 cities, each with its own unique charm. For your first trip to China, it is absolutely impossible to visit all the cities, so you must make better arrangements for the destinations. In the following part, I will introduce the top 5 cities for sightseeing and business separately.
Top 5 cities for sightseeing
No.5 Chengdu
Chengdu is located in southwest China and belongs to Sichuan Province. It has not only Wuhou Temple, Du Fu Thatched, and many other historical sites and cultural landscapes, but also the habitat of the giant panda, with a giant panda base. Chengdu is also known for its delicious Sichuan cuisines, such as kung pao chicken and spicy hot pot.
No.4 Hangzhou
Hangzhou is located in southeast China and belongs to Zhejiang Province. In the 13th century, Marco Polo came to Hangzhou and called it “the most beautiful and elegant city in the world”. Hangzhou has two national scenic spots, two national nature reserves, a national tourist resort, and China’s first national wetland. Hangzhou also has 25 key cultural relics under state protection and 9 national museums. The West Lake, the Grand Canal of China, and the Ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City have all been included in the world cultural heritage list. The scenic beauty, Buddhist culture, and tea culture in Hangzhou attract millions of tourists every year.
No.3 Shanghai
Shanghai is one of the four municipalities directly under the central government of China. As China’s largest city, Shanghai is brimming with energy comparable to New York and Paris. Unlike in Beijing, Shanghai does not have numerous famous historical attractions. However, the beauty of Shanghai lies not in its rich cultural relics, but in experiencing the inclusiveness and modernization of the city. Shanghai has almost all the food cultures of the world. Western food brings together the flavors of more than 30 countries around the world, while Chinese food brings together almost all local flavors in China. You can try various kinds of food around Town God‘s Temple, Yunnan Road, Huanghe Road, and Xianxia road.
No.2 Xi’an
Xi’an is located in northwest China and is the capital of Shaanxi Province. Xi’an, the second most famous ancient capital of China, was the capital of the Qin Dynasty in 221 B. C., therefore, Xi’an has a large number of precious cultural relics and historical sites. Six attractions are listed on the world heritage list. Xi’an was also the starting point of the Silk Road trade route, playing an important role in the economic and cultural exchanges between east and west in the imperial era.
No.1 Beijing
Beijing is the capital of China. Beijing has a long history, both imperial and modern. Beijing is the city that has the largest number of heritage sites all over the world and is the first capital city to have a world geopark. The National Museum of China in Beijing is the largest museum in the world and the Palace Museum is one of the five major museums in the world. It’s easy to get to Beijing by air, and it’s usually the first stop for most first-time visitors to China. Flights and trains from Beijing to any other popular cities are very convenient.
Top 5 cities for business
If you visit China for business, you must know about the distribution of the Chinese industry and commerce to some extent. A large number of foreign buyers choose to purchase their ideal products in China because China has the world’s best and cheapest goods. If you plan to procure goods in China, It’s a perfect choice to contact us because we can offer professional and exclusive sourcing service for you.
No.5 Suzhou
Suzhou is located in east China and belongs to the Jiangsu Province. In 2018, Suzhou’s foreign trade reached 2337.56 billion yuan, which has an increase of 9.3% over the previous year. The total value of Suzhou’s imports and exports accounted for 7.7% of the total value of the country and 53.4% of the total value of the province. Suzhou’s main export products are mechanical and electrical products, textiles, and silk.
No.4 Shanghai
Shanghai is the economic, financial, trade, and shipping center of China. According to the Shanghai Customs, the total volume of imports and exports of goods in Shanghai in 2018 was 3.40993 trillion yuan, up 5.5% over the previous year. Shanghai mainly exports mechanical and electrical products, high-tech products, and some agricultural products.
No.3 Shenzhen
Shenzhen is located in south China and belongs to Guangdong Province. Shenzhen is one of the economic center cities in China. In 2018, the total value of Shenzhen’s imports and exports was 3 trillion yuan, an increase of 7% over the previous year, including 1.63 trillion yuan of exports and 1.37 trillion yuan of imports. In terms of export, Shenzhen enterprises mainly open the market with high-quality products with high technology, small unit size, and strong profitability. The technological content of export products keeps improving, mainly including mobile phones, tablet computers, drones, smart homes, and other digital products.
No.2 Guangzhou
Guangzhou is located in south China and belongs to Guangdong Province. In 2019, the total foreign trade volume of Guangzhou reached nearly 1,000 billion yuan, up by 1.8%, among which the imports and exports to Europe and South Korea maintained double-digit growth. The main export products of Guangzhou are clothing and leather goods as well as cosmetics.
Besides, the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn. It is a comprehensive international trade event with the longest history, the largest scale, the most complete variety of commodities, the largest number of buyers from the widest distribution of countries and regions, the best transaction effect, and reputation with the total export volume of 1412.6 billion dollars. I guess you will be interested in this big event as a buyer.
If you plan to visit Guangzhou to purchase any kind of products, please be free to contact us. AsianDavinci has a corporate branch in Guangzhou, and our Guangzhou team has more than 10 years of sourcing experience. I’m sure they are always ready to plan a visit for you or accompany you during your business trip to Guangzhou and offer a professional service for you.
No.1 Yiwu
Yiwu is located in southeast China and belongs to Zhejiang Province. Today, Yiwu has become the world’s largest wholesale market center, more than 10 multiple wholesale markets were established here. Among them, the International Trade City (also called “Futian Market”) is the most famous one. It alone covers an area of 550,0000 m² with more than 75,000 shops in it. There are over 1.8 million types of commodities are produced here and sold to over 210 countries. So there is a saying goes that “Yiwu is the source of the world, if you can buy something from the world, you can also buy it here”.
If you decide to visit Yiwu for procuring goods, contact us! We promise to give you a wonderful purchasing experience and help you find the ideal products you desire to get in Yiwu wholesale markets.
Chapter 5 Tips on your first trip to China
1. About language
The language barrier is always the biggest barrier that foreigners have to overcome when traveling to China, so it is helpful to learn some common phrases before coming to China. There are two main languages in China, Mandarin, and Cantonese (spoken mainly in Hong Kong). Although English is becoming more and more popular in China, there are still some Chinese who can’t speak English. I suggest you ask the hotel for a business card to show the taxi driver, or in case you get lost.
2. About VPN
After your visit in China, you may not be able to access sites like Facebook and Twitter, and you may not even be able to check your email. If this is really an important issue for you, make sure you install a VPN on your phone and computer before you leave your own country.
3. About cost
Generally, a week-long trip to China, including airfare, costs about $2,000. However, the prices mentioned above will vary according to the season, the quality of the trip, the city, and the attractions you visit.
4. About private trip
If you are sure that you know enough about your visit in China or have made an adequate travel plan, we recommend that you can enjoy your private tours. If you don’t want to take a bus with 50 people and spend only a limited amount of time at each attraction, a private tour is a better option. You can make your own arrangements and spend more time at the sites you are interested in. You can also visit local families with local guides and experience the fascinating Chinese culture firsthand.
All in all, China is a fascinating country with a rich history and culture of thousands of years, which is well worth experiencing personally. Nowadays, the manufacturing industry in China is developing at a fast pace, so coming to China for business procurement is also a great choice.
If you have any problem with your business trip to China, contact us immediately. We are ready to help you solve your concern and help you with sourcing. Above are some information and travel advice about China we provide for you, looking forward to your first trip to China. I wish you can have a great and unforgettable time!