TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(CNY)
Yuan |
| Electrical |
220 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 86, City Code, Beijing 10+8D, Guangzhou 20+8D, Shanghai
21+8D, Tianjin 22+8D |
The
People’s Republic of China (PRC) was established on October
1, 1949, with Beijing as its capital city. It is the third largest
country in terms of territory, bordering most Asian countries
and Russia. China is undergoing rapid, profound economic and social
growth and development. Political power remains centralized in
the Chinese Communist Party.
The Chinese
Government is subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP);
its role is to implement party policies. The primary branches
of state power are the National People’s Congress (NPC),
the President (the head of state), and the State Council. Under
the Chinese constitution, the NPC is the highest branch of state
power in China. When the NPC is not in session, its permanent
organ, the Standing Committee, exercises state power.
The
People
With
well over one billion citizens, China is easily the world’s
most populous country. The largest ethnic group is the Han Chinese,
who constitute about 92% of the total population. The remaining
8% are Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uygur, Yi, Tibetan, Mongol,
and Korean.
Language
There
are several major Chinese dialects and many subdialects. The Beijing
dialect, often called Mandarin (or Putonghua), is taught in all
schools and is the medium of government. Almost two-thirds of
Han Chinese are native speakers of Mandarin; the rest, concentrated
in southwest and southeast China, speak one of the other major
Chinese dialects.
How
to Prepare for a Safe Trip
A little
planning and knowledge will go a long way toward making your trip
to the PRC go smoothly. Learning more about China and obeying
the laws and respecting the customs will make your stay as pleasant
and incident-free as possible.
Consular
Information Sheets, Public Announcements
& Travel Warnings
The State
Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is responsible for
providing assistance and information to U.S. citizens traveling
abroad. Consular Affairs issues Consular Information Sheets, Travel
Warnings, and Public Announcements. Consular Information Sheets
are issued for every country in the world. They include such information
as the location of the U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject
country, health conditions, political disturbances, unusual currency
and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug
penalties.
The
State Department also issues Travel Warnings and Public Announcements.
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides to
recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Countries
to which travel is not recommended will have Travel Warnings as
well as Consular Information Sheets. Public Announcements are
issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about terrorist
threats and other conditions overseas that pose significant risks
to the security of American travelers.
