|
Arglebargle III posted:Seeing as there's a Taobao recommendation in the OP and I am still an idiot tourist despite living in this country 2 years, is there any way we could get a guide on how to register an account on Taobao/Alipay? When I've tried it seems that not having a Chinese ID number is an impassible barrier to using Taobao. After many, many failed attempts, I think I have a working Alipay account. I created the taobao account first. The I registered on Alipay using my phone as the login/username, and as being on the mainland (didn't try registering as a foreigner in Singapore/Malaysia/HK etc.). I also used 111111111111111 (15 x 1) as the ID number. A colleague chatted with the tech support, and they told me to use 15 ones. After setting it up, I couldn't login again, the password refused to be recognised, and resetting it twice via the "Forgot my password" link, which said it worked, but my account was still locked. A friend chatted with tech support, and asked wtf was going on, and within 10 minutes it just started working. I can't link my bank account, because it's a China Merchant Bank, and they only support authentication/linking through the national ID card number. My colleague showed me a help-page that seemed to say other banks supported link's using other ID, including passport, and I think Bank of China had the most options. Once that was setup, I could link the taobao account to Alipay. I can't read Chinese, so Chrome's automatic translation, and patient friends were essential. Their patience wore thin though... the pure inconvenience of not having an ID and having to repeatedly explain that to tech support, the website's being horrible to navigate, the plugins that have to be installed and then freeze the browser, the sheer randomness of failure and success...
|
#
¿
Jun 20, 2013 10:54
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
MeramJert posted:Is this only applicable in Beijing? I'm applying for a z-visa in Xi'an, and the company I want to work for is asking for a police check. It's a software development job, so this isn't an Education related requirement, or similar. Maybe it's just because they're used to processing visa's in Beijing. Work Permit Requirements Email posted:Criminal Record Clearances(The certificate must be issued by the relevant public security or judicial authority in the applicant’s country of nationality, and must show that the applicant has no criminal record from the age of 18 through the present. The certificate must be legalized by a Chinese diplomatic post in the country of issuance.) I've applied online, and I'm hoping a friend can have it "legalized" for me, back home. With the health exam, does that have to be done in country of origin? The advice I've got says it can be done in China, after the Z-visa has been issued.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2013 06:44
|
|
|
GuestBob posted:3: Whether your employer is aware of the information in points 1 & 2. It's amazing how often "No, it's not possible", actually means "No, I can't be bothered". My employer's done this many times before, but for some reason was incredibly unhelpful. Contacting somebody a little more senior, who I'd been out boozing and at KTV with, and all of a sudden, the impossible becomes, "Send us these documents please". It's not guanxi, but it's funny.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2013 07:24
|
|
|
systran posted:My job in the US requires doing visa stuff for Chinese people. You can't imagine how annoying this is for me. "Sorry, but the thing you are asking me to do breaks the immigration law in the US and I also physically cannot even make the document for you because the date has passed." When you are repeatedly told something is impossible, while watching the same person help plenty of other people do the impossible, it does lead to some skepticism. In the US, I imagine you can just outright say bullshit, and present the contrary evidence. But here, I'm afraid I still don't understand how much "face" is a convenient excuse, and how real it is.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2013 14:50
|
|
|
I've got a bunch of colleagues (10 to 14) visiting Xi'an from Australia, and they all want internet and phone while they're here for varying periods from one to six weeks. They all work in IT, all use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, etc. Ideally, I'd be able to source or recommend a source for prepaid 3G SIM cards (China Unicom I'd guess), which they can just throw away at the end of the trip. But when I signed up with China Unicom 3G, there was a year long minimum contract + paperwork + passport involved. In HK, it was easy. Walk up to shop on the side of the street. Buy SIM card packet with a big 3G + 1Gb sticker on it, and walk out. That's what I'm looking for. Can anybody recommend a shop, specific provider, taobao link, or something similar here?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 27, 2013 02:27
|
|
|
pyr0maniac posted:I've got to get a new 6 month F visa for study (Mandarin at a government owned university) as I am doing another semester of study. F Visa's were business visas. No study or work allowed. Practically, last year, you could obtain a year long, no stay limit, multi-entry F Visa in Hong Kong, without any real supporting documentation. From what I read online now, if the visa was issued outside of China, it can be renewed for an equal period. But the visa's obtained in Hong Kong were typically issued inside China (Zhubei). The new limits on F visas seem to be 90 days at most, with a 30/60 days stay limit. I'm not sure. I did get an email from ilaowai saying they could extend an F visa by 6 or 12 months, without leaving China, but I don't know how much I'd trust them. I'm trying to get the documentation together for a Z visa, but the police check alone is taking weeks - It has to be obtained, certified by one government department, then provided to the local embassy by somebody who has power of attorney for a second certification. It's a serious PITA, and very discouraging to people wanting to work in China. Student Visa's are X Visas, and need supporting documentation. I don't think the changes have been rolled out yet though, so, who knows?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 22, 2013 06:35
|
|
|
More visa chat - The Law and Border blog has a good writeup on the enacted regulations for the new visa rules, which vary quite a bit from the draft regulations published earlier. Included are translations from the Chinese, Q&A, a simple table with the old and new categories, a section on "What happened to the R Visa?", as well as interesting references to past law, and exactly what defines "work" in China. Eg. Ministry of Labor posted:If the labor contract is concluded with a legal entity abroad, the source of compensation is abroad, and the work in China is for three months or more ... it is considered employment in China Oh dear.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 23, 2013 10:55
|
|
|
Arglebargle III posted:I need ideas for what to do tomorrow. Are you guys in the city at all this weekend? Because Jeoh is here. If it's Chengdu, you can always hug a panda.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2013 16:13
|
|
|
So, after the arrests in Shenzhen earlier this month, my Chinese teacher tells me they're cracking down on people working without the correct visa in Xi'an also. This is pretty much third hand gossip, but apparently "several" foreign teachers were arrested in the last couple of days and taken to somewhere close to the TV Tower (South Xi'an). They can expect to be jailed for 10 days, deported, and not allowed back in to the country. Asked why the police were bothering, she blamed anonymous tips from competing schools, and the police getting a cut of the 100,000 kuai fines levied on the companies involved. This could put a bit of a crimp on her side business of renting out laowai as models to hotels, restaurants, for openings, events, etc.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2013 14:02
|
|
|
danse macabre posted:I have a Bank of China UnionPay debit card that I used while I was last living in China. I am going back for a month and still have the card but no details about my account. I've been to Bank of China in Sydney but apparently it's not connected to the mainland. Australia has a Citibank VISA debit card, which allows for fee-free withdrawals at electronic rates worldwide. You can transfer cash to it from any Australian bank account fee-free, and then withdraw in China from ATMs that take visa. That works really well for moving cash in to China. The 28 degrees credit-card used to perform a similar function, but they're adding international cash advance fees as of 1st Jan 2014.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 15, 2013 03:36
|
|
|
gwrtheyrn posted:OK fine. I'm going to Xi An this weekend. Is there anything that I should do/eat there that wouldn't be immediately obvious? Saturday, maybe see the warriors, but it's pretty crowded on weekends, cycle around on the city walls. Muslim street at night looks awesome and has great food. It's also got a historic old house / museum with shadow puppet plays and local art for sale (gifts). Sunday, take the high speed train to Hua Shan station, then grab a taxi and walk up the mountain. I'm hoping to go up there again this weekend with some work colleagues.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2013 15:32
|
|
|
So, any other Goons going to QCon Shanghai tonight, or over the weekend? I reckon I'd be up for a beer or two.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 31, 2013 08:16
|
|
|
Pro-PRC Laowai posted:Or like... you get a job or something... or open up your own company and work legally. Yeah, how do you do this though? To get a Z-Visa / Residence permit, you need an employer to sponsor you. Freelancing isn't an option for getting the visa. I'm not a citizen, so I presume a WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Entity) or JV (Joint Venture) are the only options. The requirements seem steep. 15k to 300k in capital depending on the city. 6 months of work. 594 signatures in the correct colour ink. What's the simpler way as a foreigner to own and "open up your own company and work legally"?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 6, 2014 04:29
|
|
|
Tom Smykowski posted:I had a Japanese coworker, she didn't seem to have any problems. A few years ago when people held anti-Japan protests outside the Ito Yokado on Chengdu's Walking Street, her students came to her place in the morning and left notes about how they liked her, etc. Then they came back and took her out to lunch and dinner, spending the whole day with her. Whereas in Xi'an, I regularly saw large signs outside restaurants declaring they wouldn't serve dogs or Japanese people. I just wish I'd taken photos.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 28, 2014 02:02
|
|
|
So I've been living in Xi'an for a couple of years now, on and off. And it basically feels "home-ish". But I'm stuck on my working-visa, tied to a company. If I marry my girlfriend, I can get a spousal visa/family reunion visa, which will give me certainty for a year, maybe 2 at a time. However, that's not a working permit. What I'm asking, is basically, what are a foreigners long term options in China? Another foreigner friend told me that visas are also tied to age, so anybody over 60/61 can be automatically denied. In Hong Kong, you can gain Permanent Residency (PR) after 7 years? But on the mainland, I only hear rumours of a mythical PR status that's been granted to about 1,000 people in the last 20 years. I read one person's account of gaining PR, and it seemed to be a mixture of serious corporate guanxi and donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the local city in medical equipment. I'm also getting a bit sick of the "What's your ID number?", "Oh, you don't have one. Well then, we can't sell you an apartment, train tickets for your girlfriend, use online financial services", etc. etc. I realise asking for the right to vote is futile, but the possibility of the right to live here, without worrying about being kicked out on somebody else's whim would make me feel a lot better. Maybe if I owned a Wholly Owned Foreign Entity, I could employ myself + gain work permit. But that's dependant on ten's of thousands of investment, plus ongoing expenses and to be honest, no real certainty that the rules won't change later. I read about foreigners who have stayed here for 10 years, but were caught working illegally, and were kicked out within weeks. I just don't see the situation improving either. Last year's visa changes hinted at 5 year visas for professionals, but nothing came out of it. Instead, the unofficial visa industry has been shutdown, and chatter on websites about obtaining Chinese visas has been reduced to almost nothing compared to two years ago. The GFW continually improves, while it seems the government is decreasingly interested in any sources of outside opinions. At this point, the "we don't want long term foreign immigrants" subtext, isn't really a subtext. I'm left wondering, should I just take the hint, and make plans to gently caress off? Should I be coldly applying a cost/benefit calculation to the length of time I live here, knowing that I can never stay?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 6, 2014 03:17
|
|
|
caberham posted:Yeah in Hong Kong you can PR after 7 years in Hong Kong. That's 7 years, each year spending 10.5 months of time in the city. That's just residency to roam and not get deported in Hong Kong. HK PR is still pretty cool and something desirable. I love HK. caberham posted:Guess what? Being Hong Kong Chinese is only slightly better! I can't book train tickets, I can't stay at certain hotels. And North of Guangdong no one really knows what the gently caress to do with my ID card ..... but lots of places throw their arms and go "what the gently caress do I do with this ID boss?". I've never been a fan of a government issued ID card, and I think the lack of one makes Australia an easier place for immigrants. Nobody has an ID card, born there or an immigrant. So there's no discrimination on that basis at least. Of course the government bureaucrats are always trying to introduce one by stealth.... anti-democratic bastards. caberham posted:Even places like Australia and US have the same mentality. We like immigrants as long as they are useful. I respect your opinion, but you're being way too harsh on countries built on immigration, at least in comparison to the closed door policies of SE Asia. The immigration path is long, expensive, but it's well document and very predictable for places like Australia, Canada and the UK. You get the right working visa, then hang around for x years, then apply for permanent residency. At least in Australia, they've only deported two people with PR status in 20 years, and one of them had been dealing drugs for 1/2 of his life. The only downside for people with PR, compared to citizenship is that they can't vote. They are still allowed to buy BBQ sausages and cakes at voting places though. The positives is that they can't be randomly selected for jury duty, nor sell their soul to Rupert Murdoch and become a politician. People say China is already over-populated, but when immigrants are less than 1 percent of the population, I don't think it's population pressure that's keeping China from an inclusive immigration program. It can't be because it's too young a country either, what with 5,000 years of history and all.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2014 01:31
|
|
|
RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Seconding this. It's about face and being able to show off your wealth. The foreigner is often a proverbial, or not so proverbial, "white elephant". It can be pretty ridiculous at times. My Chinese teacher has a spreadsheet with names, phone numbers, heights, hair-colour, body type and complexion, which she uses to match laowai to "Foreigner standing outside a newly opened restaurant", "Newly opened school with lots of foreigner teachers", or "Foreigner looking admiringly at a Chinese car" positions. You can make good money from treating them as mannequins.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2014 02:51
|
|
|
caberham posted:Oh those countries you listed had lots of experience with immigration alright. It was called colonialism That's just bullshit in Australia's case. 30% of people there were either born overseas, or their parents were. That's not colonialism, that's immigration on a massive scale from a huge variety of different countries. India this year just overtook China is also the largest source of immigrants to Australia, but only ignorant fuckwits accuse India or China of colonial intentions in that case.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2014 03:02
|
|
|
More visa talk. So it turns out the company that I'm contracted to decided they didn't need to pay social security insurance, because foreigners never stay longer than a year, and don't need visa renewals (where they ask for tax receipts and insurance receipts). Now I want a renewal, and they're asking the labor bureau if I've been a good boy. Also it's developing into a poo poo fight between my company and the one I'm contracted to in China, over who might pay, maybe. If the social insurance owed gets paid to the labor bureau, what's my chances of getting a renewal do you think?
|
|
#
¿
May 12, 2014 12:24
|
|
|
Magna Kaser posted:Everything got even harder since last summer beyond the age thing, they closed a lot of loopholes that used to exist. As far as I can see, they've killed the visa agency industry. At least the, year long, multi entry, no questions asked visa for a few hundred dollars, industry is dead. The number of posts on Chinese visa related message boards has shrank to nearly nothing but travel agency spam offering very limited tourist visa. It's got to have made a small dent in the number of tourists coming to China.
|
|
#
¿
May 12, 2014 12:32
|
|
|
GuestBob posted:It's all provincial. My university handles my tax in bulk because the local taxation authority went "duuhhhh foreigner?" when they asked how my tax record should be processed. The first response from the local "legal expert" was, "Don't worry about it. The government doesn't want foreigners contributing to social security." Unfortunately, now I know more about Chinese social security taxation than I ever wanted to know, including details around employee/employer contribution splits, the 5 different types of insurance, minimum/maximum multiplier caps, and per-province average wages. You can calculate your required contribution here. It's a national law, but implemented on a provincial basis. The Tier 1's rolled it out in 2011/2012, and it looks like it's going to the smaller cities, because here's a 2013 news report about 300 foreigners in Xi'an paying for the first time. It's an unpleasant surprise, an additional cost, and I don't ever expect to use any of the insurance being bought.
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2014 08:14
|
|
|
So, GF visited Australia and loved playing Mario Kart at my brothers place, but hosed if I can work out the Wii U region restrictions. More generically, what's the best console I can buy while in Australia and import to China? I think neither the Xbone nor PS4 have region locks, but are there any other restrictions I should be aware of? How do they cope with the GFW?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 18, 2014 05:53
|
|
|
It looks like Beijing has tightened the requirements for foreigners to get a work visa in the Beijing area. The main difference I see, is that teaching now requires 5 years experience. That might tighten the job market a little.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 16, 2014 08:36
|
|
|
Magna Kaser posted:Now teaching is in line with every other industry in China that wants to hire foreigners. The 2 year thing for teaching was specific to teaching.... Actually, the reverse, according to this article. cri.cn posted:Bachelor's degree or above with at least two years of relevant work experience. Teaching requires at least five years of relevant experience. Teaching now has higher requirements for experience than other areas of employment, when applying for a visa in Beijing.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 17, 2014 04:17
|
|
|
So, I find this on the door of my apartment last night. According to a friend, it's a notice, saying that the local police have asked the community office to collect the paperwork (temporary household registration, temporary residence permit, photocopy of first page of passport, copy of apartment lease and original 2 inch photograph) of all foreigners in the community. It all got put in a file, and then, who knows I don't understand why, because the PSB already have all this information. I'm in Xi'an now, but has anybody else seen this new requirement?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 18, 2014 04:23
|
|
|
I'm planning a quick 3 night trip to Suzhou (because it looks pretty, and I'll be in Shanghai for QCon), with the girlfriend. Any recommendations on specific places to stay, or things to see?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 19, 2014 10:41
|
|
|
GlassEye-Boy posted:Hey all, I'll be moving to China for half a year in 2 weeks! I'll be moving between the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Changsha for the most part. Going to be doing marketing and sales consultation for a tech start up and will hopefully have some time to travel around. I've got things pretty much setup, phone, vpn, housing etc. Hopefully I won't want to kill myself by the end of this trip! Well, unfortunately, you're arriving just as winter will start, so, you can enjoy the cold, grey and increased pollution. I'd suggest a cheap mid-winter holiday to Thailand, so you can see the sun. I think the (justified) bitterness being voiced by those expats living here, is a long term attitude, and not really applicable to your situation. Six months is just too short to have the shine worn off. It's just six months, you've got a job and an exit-strategy prepared, so enjoy it, make the most of it.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 10, 2014 15:23
|
|
|
Atopian posted:First off, basic info: I'm a British citizen, I'm working for a poo poo-but-legit company (the 'poo poo' bit is leaving me to sort my visa out), so I've got the necessary documents for a Z visa. 1/ Where you can apply for a visa completely depends on the paperwork your company is responsible for supplying. It also depends on the type of job you're doing. Is it teaching, or something else? The regulations for teaching differ, and employment permit comes from a different bureau if you're doing another type of job. 2/ You can get the visa in HK without problems, if you have all the paperwork (varies depending on job type), completely filled out, correctly filled out, in triplicate, and are missing nothing. See this helpful infographic for the foreign expert process.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 24, 2014 09:23
|
|
|
blinkyzero posted:Not sure how common this actually is (I've heard people -- Westerners and Chinese alike -- say this kind of corruption is rampant, but I really dunno), but I suspect the cops would at the least be like, "Look, the easiest thing to do is just pay it, so why don't you do that?" Last time I had a dispute with a tuktuk driver, me and my gf just walked over to a police golf buggy, and told them the guy wouldn't leave us alone. The policeman told the driver to bugger off, because it's technically illegal, and he couldn't be bothered to arrest him. We'd already paid a fair amount, just didn't want to be hassled by this guy.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 1, 2014 12:40
|
|
|
computer parts posted:1. What's the best VPN at the moment 1/ VPN recommendations seem to be weirdly personal things. I use both PureVPN and Witopia. There's no real right answer, just what fits your needs in terms of how many devices you want to connect simultaneously, and what mix of OS the devices run. But sign up to one before you leave. 2/ Wait until you get here, then buy a China Unicom SIM card. Because China. Get a bank account that doesn't charge fees for international ATM withdrawals (they are rare, but exist) and use that and local Chinese ATMs. 3/ Somebody is asking because either the brand is unavailable, or they think US packaging is important. Either way, spend the fifty bucks. It's an investment.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 17, 2015 10:29
|
|
|
Zipline posted:During the time in Chengdu I'll be going to Xi'an The costs being quoted feel low, even for a second tier city like Xi'an. Eg. Say you want to do a day trip to Hua Shan (you do). Basic costs would be 2nd class seat to Hua Shan Bei - 60 Taxi to ticket office - 20 Ticket - 180 Bus to north peak cable car - 20 one way cable car ticket up to north peak - 80 one way cable car ticket down west peak - 80 Bus back to ticket office - 30 Taxi back to station - 20 Return ticket to Xi'an - 60 Total, 550 kuai, and that's not including any food or drink you'll want to purchase while climbing the mountain. You can cut costs, by taking buses, splitting taxi cab costs, walking rather than taking shuttle busses or the cable car. But for most lazy people, it'll be a reasonably expensive outing from Xi'an. The only French restaurant I've been to here, La Seine, cost over 1,000 kuai for two people. Hai Di Lao hotpot costs a minimum of 130 kuai usually, for two people. Breakfast of Rou Hulatang costs 5 kuai on the street. A typical dish of 3 in 1 noodles costs 13 kuai. Beijing Duck costs 120 kuai per duck. Starbucks is 32 kuai I think for a large latte; that's more than 5 USD. The prices are incredibly variable and complicated  Bloodnose posted:Actually just don't go to China, it's easier.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 12, 2015 07:53
|
|
|
bad day posted:I'm not quite sure what to do - my long-term goal will take me about a year to put in motion. I would like to work in business but am not interested in a finance career. I have a lot of teaching experience and wouldn't mind doing that for a year while I get my venture started. But I don't know where to start, exactly. My current job ends in June but I get to keep my residence permit until October. I need to figure something out. My first suggestion is to remember that your time in China is inherently temporary. You know you will have to leave here, regardless of how much time, money, blood, sweat and tears you've spent. We're not Chinese and never will be. With that in mind, seriously consider whether there are other places you could make the same investments, and have a better long term outcome. Coincidentally China Law Blog yesterday published a piece on starting a WFOE. They've got more information about the capital requirements in earlier posts.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2015 15:25
|
|
|
Staying in a hotel in a country town outside Xi'an, it had a Windows XP box in the room, complete with every qq related adware, two "internet explorer" browsers I'd never heard of competing to create popups, online safety programs, toolbars, internet speedometer, custom cursors, screensavers, download managers and links to flash games all over the desktop. I gave in and browsed a little. I know you can't catch anything from that, but I still feel dirty. Trammel fucked around with this message at 14:07 on Mar 29, 2015 |
|
#
¿
Mar 29, 2015 13:53
|
|
|
Jeoh posted:Hot water is bad for germy Boiling hot is bad. Warm is a delightful place in which to be fruitful and multiply.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 8, 2015 16:02
|
|
|
VideoTapir posted:Also, if I've got a mandarin-speaking kid with a US passport and I went NET, would I have to pay a fortune to put them in school? A colleague has kids in an international primary school in a tier 2 city on the mainland. Costs are about 14k USD per year, per child. Trammel fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Apr 11, 2015 |
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2015 05:25
|
|
|
bad day posted:Yes. It won't just be a DJ school - it'll be an Electronic Music Production & DJ Academy. I don't have the cash to start it up without investors but I know some "people to know" in Shanghai and will start hustling upon arrival. I need a day job, though, for residence permit, housing, cash, etc. until I get my ducks in a row. As a single data point of comparison, an established restaurant in Beijing, which won an award in 2011 is being offered for sale for 500k RMB. I'm really not sure how much profit there is to be made in selling businesses here.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2015 04:27
|
|
|
a7m2 posted:I live in Guangdong and would like to join the Wechat group. Can I PM someone my Wechat ID or can someone update the QR code? There's a link to a spreadsheet in the OP with a list of long term goons (including myself) and their WeChat ID's. Add one of them and ask.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 3, 2015 07:53
|
|
|
Magna Kaser posted:I always get dirty looks in HK when I forget where I am and use Mandarin. I was with friends visiting Hong Kong, when they walked in to a restaurant and immediately started speaking Mandarin to the staff, forgetting where they were. The waiter relied, in very cold English, "I don't speak Mandarin. Please wait over there." We didn't get a table.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 11, 2015 11:37
|
|
|
simplefish posted:I think it might make a difference whether you are white or Chinese-looking, but that is pure speculation They're mainlanders. I guess locals hate mainlanders assuming Mandarin is the primary language everywhere.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 11, 2015 13:01
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:31 |
|
|
Effort Post: Hua Shan. So, Hua Shan is a large, beautiful mountain close to Xi'an, and definitely worth a visit if you come to Xi'an. It's loads better than the warriors. Expect scenes like this:    This is ripped from my companies intranet, but I wrote a lot of it anyway, so meh. What to bring
Once there, there's a few options. It's best to discuss and decide what route to take with your travel buddies the day before, as it affects what tickets you will need to buy. Mountain overview:
Because of the positions of the cable car stations in the peaks, there are a few options Lazy route (my preferred route)
Active & traditional route
Optional Extras
How to get there First you need to get to Xi'an Bei Zhan / 西安北站 (Xi'an North Station). The easiest way is by taxi, or Metro (ditie). Then at the station, you need to purchase fast train (Gaotie) tickets for Hua Shan Bei / 华山北
Show this to the ticket saleperson
The ticket will look something like this:  You should buy tickets online 1-2 days before travelling date to avoid disappointment. If ticket is sold out, you might need to wait 1-2 hours for the next available train. Buying tickets online requires your name (as shown in passport) and passport number. Travel time is about 35 minutes. Travel to the 华山 visitor centre Leaving the station, you'll immediately be met by a load of hopeful taxi drivers. Pick an honest looking fellow, and negotiate for 20 kuai in total, not per-person.
At the station and at the visitor centre, some people might try to sell gloves to you at 2 元. If you didn't bring any, and it's cold, it's good to buy a pair as the chain to hold on to on the mountain can be cold to touch. Visitor Centre At the Visitor Centre, buy entrance ticket to the mountain and the bus ticket
Then take the bus to the Cable car station Here you can begin your walk to the top, or buy tickets. tickets are:
The return ticket is just double the price of oneway, so it's best to buy a oneway then decide later whether you want to return on the same peak or walk to a different peak. On the mountain If you walked to the top, CONGRATULATIONS! Take a well earned rest, have lunch, sink a few beers. Otherwise, start your exploration of the peaks, walk around, take lots of pictures, and HAVE FUN The cliff plank walk There's an optional cliff plank walk, shown in nearly all the photos of Hua Shan. It costs 30 元 to rent a harness. Not for the faint-hearted. Extra Advice
Estimated Costs Metro to station 3 2nd class ticket to Hua Shan Bei 65 Taxi to ticket office 20-30 Entrance Ticket 180 Bus ride to cable car 20 North Peak cable car 80 West Peak cable car 80 Return bus ride to visitor centre 30 Taxi back to station 20 Train back to Xi'an 65 Metro back to city 3 Snacks, Water, Lunch, etc. 50 You're probably looking at a minimum cost of 650 元. This can be reduced if you take a bus rather than the fast train, then walk up (and down) the mountain, carrying all your own food and water. I wouldn't recommend that. I've done variations of walking up and down, taking the different cable cars up and down more than eight times now. My most relaxed recommendation is to buy 1st class train tickets, bring nothing but cash and a camera, cable car up (north peak), be amazed while walking around the peaks, take lots of photos, cable car down (west peak), then soak in the hot springs afterwards, returning to Xi'an the next day.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2015 09:46
|
|