My Changchun day tour is starting from the Cultural Square. This is an open square, some trees. But here you can visit the old Eighth Division as a beginning.

Cultural plazas along the road all the way south, you can see the puppet Ministry of State succession, the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Communications and so on, are now in use, the majority to Jilin University, as a teaching building. The buildings are all kind of the Republic of China’s heavy concrete house, I have no research on the building, so after reading several hooked Guilin Road.

Guilin Road, a street that is Korean goods, but not I think of the excitement, on both sides of the street, is not so close, clothes and restaurants in Korea is not too much, the price looks modest.

Time close to noon, in Guilin Road bus ride all the way to the Red Flag Street, here is a more bustling business district. In a large department store near the village, a Korean dog meat in mind, because accompanied by a great yearning for the dog, dog meat we ordered were the other to the eggplant Ishinabe. The fact is that, for two people, the weight of the two dishes is enough, we even did not finish. Of course, more greasy food, may also be a cause.

Fed to the road, the course aims Changchun Film Studio. Red Street, walking along about 20 minutes to see the long shadows of the door, the same as old as my heart. The door has a guard, ticket 35 yuan per person hanging the sign. Look to the inside, only to see Chairman Mao waved to us. Carrying food from what people seem to have a life inside the cell. And the old man talked for a day porter, to let us go. There are only a building, there was the ticket office, we follow a travel agent mixed into it. Very old corridor, hung old star of the first mate who stills, to remind us just past glory. Indeed, there is nothing really beautiful, I stroll a few minutes came out.

A long shadow from the east, is the South Lake Garden. Inside the green is really not to say, but not much else. Take a long time to reach the lake, the lake is not very clear, the lake and there was no leisure bench. Near the door, there are many electric recreational facilities, many people here leisure.

“wherever you go, travel to China, or the United States, take care of your cell phone if you take it while travelling because thieves are everywhere.”

Before travelling to China,  organize a variety of ways to access your money overseas, such as credit cards, travelers’’ cheques, cash, debit cards or cash cards. Australian currency and travelers’cheques are not accepted in many countries. Consult with your bank to find out which is the most appropriate currency to carry and whether your ATM card will work overseas.

The Chinese Customs Administration requires that travelers carrying over US$6,000 (or equivalent in foreign currencies) in cash must declare it upon arrival in China. The declaration should be kept safely and shown to customs officials upon departure. Travelers who wish to depart China carrying between US$6,000 and US$10,000 (or equivalent in foreign currencies) should obtain permission from a Chinese bank to do so. When you travel to China, take note of this.

Make two photocopies of valuables such as your passport, tickets, visas and travelers’cheques. Keep one copy with you in a separate place to the original and leave another copy with someone at home.

While travelling in China, don’t carry too much cash and remember that expensive watches, jewellery and cameras may be tempting targets for thieves. Be careful about your possession when you go on a China holiday.

As a sensible precaution against luggage tampering, including theft, lock your luggage. Information on luggage safety is available from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Your passport is a valuable document that is attractive to criminals who may try to use your identity to commit crimes. It should always be kept in a safe place. You are required by Australian law to report a lost or stolen passport. If your passport is lost or stolen overseas, report it online or contact the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate as soon as possible. You must also report your loss of passport to the nearest police station and obtain a confirmation report of passport loss before you are able to secure an exit visa to leave China.

You are required to pay an additional fee to have a lost or stolen passport replaced. In some cases, the Government may also restrict the length of validity or type of replacement passports.

Compared to many other countries, serious crimes against foreigners who come china for travel is rare. However, you should take care of yourself and take notice of the safety when travelling in China.

Hope these tips useful to you.

We had no problems exchanging money in all the big hotels that we stayed in. Some of the travel books will tell you to go to the official banks to get a better rate, but there didn’t seem to be enough of a difference to make us want to 1) find the banks, 2) find out the operating hours, 3) venture in there and hope that we found someone that spoke English (once you get out of the big American hotels it can be very difficult finding someone who speaks English).If you travel to China, take note of the basic problem.

Also, be sure to get some of the small bills/coins (China has tiny paper bills that are worth about 1 cent). There are plenty of things that are very inexpensive, and people/vendors are not always able to change big bills. (I’m talking here about bills the equivalent of our $5 and $10 – they are too big in many cases).

As far as prices in China, things are less expensive there than here. Taxis are very, very inexpensive. Guided China tours are about half what you would expect to pay most anyplace else. Hotels (Sheratons, Hyatts, etc.) are also about one half of what you would pay here. Restaurants are very reasonable. We were able to get some good prices on some gold jewelry; but jade was very expensive.

 You should be aware that the theft of British passports, particularly in the larger cities, is on the increase. Major China tour cities attract thieves and pickpockets.

  Take extra care around street markets after dark.

  In fact, travelling in China is quite safe, except thefts. As Shanghai World’s Fair is drawing near, many people come to Shanghai for business trip or something like that. So if you come to China for Shanghai tours, take care of your wallet. If you take a lot of cash with you, you can find a China tour agent so that your life and possession security can be insured.

Here are some tips for fun and free things for visitors to Beijing to do:

1. Make a list of weirdly-named dishes found on restaurant menus
Menus in top Western restaurants will be error-free, but not as much fun as those found in neighborhood restaurants where the menu may have been translated by someone with limited English. How about a bowl of “three fried things?” A plate of “three odd fellows” certainly has possibilities. Many restaurants these days provide picture menus with the English translation below the dish’s picture. This cuts a lot of mystery out, but lets diners see what they’ll be eating.
2. Work out on street “gyms”
No time for a workout at the gym? Not to worry. There’s exercise equipment located throughout Beijing’s residential areas. The Beijing government put the equipment there in an effort to stem growing obesity among its citizens. The equipment is pretty basic, but gets the job of working off last night’s Peking duck dinner done. Two good areas to look for the exercise equipment are between the Drum and Bell towers on Gulou Dajie, and along the east side of Houhai Lake. There’s even a ping pong table there, but paddles and balls are not provided.

3.Take a walk
Not only is walking good exercise, but it allows visitors to get up close and personal with Beijing. Good places to walk and people watch are Tian’anmen Square and the Olympic Green (there are charges to tour the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube, however). Take a leisurely stroll along Houhai Lake and the lakes north, with detours to explore what’s left of the hutongs. Hutongs are quaint residential neighborhoods which are falling prey to the wrecking ball as Beijing rushes to modernize.

There are a lot of things for free to do in Beijing. If you take your attention to notice while travelling in Beijing, you will see.
Shanghai:
1. Ancient culture: Shanghai museum
The Shanghai Museum is one of mainland China’s best collections of treasures. With four floors to explore, you can easily spend half a day or more learning about Chinese culture as you browse through bronzes, jades, calligraphy and porcelain (to name a few). There is also a wonderful book/gift store (free to enter) and a good audio tour (inexpensive).
Address: officially #201 Renmin Avenue, Shanghai. Practically speaking, it’s on the southern end of People’s Square.

Opening Hours: daily 9am-5pm

2. Art: M50 Moganshan Road contemporary art galleries

M50 is the name of the complex that has become the Moganshan Road Art District in Shanghai. Formerly a set of dilapidated warehouses, the complex, just south of Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek, has been turned into the premier location for Shanghai’s modern art movement. Take a nice stroll around and look at what China’s contemporary artists are up to.

Address: 50 Moganshan Road near Suzhou Creek.

Opening Hours: daily (approximately) 10am-6pm

3. Shanghai parks

Most of Shanghai’s parks don’t charge an entry fee (some do, usually between 5-20rmb). Parks are a wonderful way to observe and even participate in Chinese culture. Folks head to parks early to exercise and walk. Kids play and grannies walk hand in hand while minding children. You’ll usually encounter a group of oldies singing or dancing and you may even be asked to join. Bring a badminton set and hit the shuttlecock back and forth, you’ll definitely attract some attention and probably a challenge match – but watch out, the locals are good!

4. Free Shows

Free shows in Shanghai come and go. The best way to get information is to pick up a copy of one of the great (and also free) English-language magazines at bars, restaurants, shops, and cafés around Shanghai.

Shuffle Bar is a dark, bare bones kind of bar, but it’s actually one of Shanghai’s better music venues. You might have to pay a cover charge on some nights, but on others you can check out all kinds of music—from blues to punk—for absolutely nothing.

Tanghui has an open-mike night on Wednesday from 9 PM on where all kinds of music are welcome.

Below are some travel tips to make your travel in China easier:

Entry Visa
China require entry visa from most countries. Apply at the Chinese consulate or through your China travel agency before travelling to China.
Foreign Exchange
The unit of currency is known as Renmembi (RMB) or Yuan. Get some Chinese Yuan in your local country before travelling. When in China, exchange foreign currency for local currency in the banks or at the hotel. Banks tend to give slightly better rates than hotels. Take note that some banks close for a noon siesta between 12:00-2:00PM. If you go on a China tour package, let China tour operator handle it.
Payment Facilities
Most better class hotels and shopping centers take Credit Card or Travelers’ cheques. Smaller hotels and shops take cash only. Once out of the bigger cities, credit card and ATM cards tend to be almost impossible to utilize. Cash is still king in Chinese business and trade. Counterfeit notes are common in China. Check carefully before accepting change, especially if it consists mostly 100RMB notes. You can feel a texture difference where counterfeit notes are concerned.

Understanding of English
Most civil servants, custom officials, police, hotel staff and men in the street do not speak English or at best a smattering of English.
Most signboards and notices will carry both English and Chinese. However, be aware that some translations can be so notorious that one can hardly understand what was it’s original Chinese intention.
Do not expect hotels or shops to understand English. Only the very big hotels will have staff that will understand English.
Most young people can understand basic English if you speak slowly.

Social Security
China is generally a safe country. However, hang on tight to your wallet especially in crowded, popular tourist sites in tourist cities such as Beijing and Xian.
These tourist cities also have a lot of touts in the streets touting tourist from currency exchange to jewelleries to female companionships. Avoid at all cost!

Domestic Travel
Bus, train, ferries and domestic flights are quite well developed. Avoid the crowd at the stations and book your tickets through the hotel tour desk or the nearest tour agent. Prices are likely to be competitive and tickets will be delivered to your hotel room. Again, avoid ticket touts who approach you in the streets.
Local buses are cheap (US$0.10 or YS$0.20) and you may want to try out. Taxis are convenient and are available at all hours. Starting fares differ from each city and may be as cheap as US$0.70 in Weihai and US$1.50 in Shenzhen.
Avoid travel in China during peak holiday seasons or book tickets well ahead.

Local Hotels
There is a good choice of hotels in China ranging from one star to the most luxurious 6 stars. Most of the time, the rooms are safe and clean and in my opinion, cheap does not mean bad. There are many websites selling China hotel rooms on the internet. You can also check out the travel counters which are available in most train, bus stations as well as airport. Book ahead if travelling in peak seasons.

Peak Tourist Seasons
Chinese New Year: Date varies but generally late January or early February.
May Day: First two weeks of May
China National Day: Middle two weeks of October
Avoid travelling during these period. Book rooms and travel modes way early if need to travel. Believe me, the crowds during these period of time will be scary. What do you expect when the entire Chinese nation of 8 billion people are on holiday as well!

Chinese Food
Local food is absolutely fabulous. If you go on a China holiday, try as much Chinese food as your wallet or stomach can afford. Restaurants are available everywhere and open to late hours. Most restaurants will have a menu that includes photographs of the various dishes. Better yet, simply point at the food that your next door table is having, especially if it looks delicious!
However, avoid street side stalls and drinking directly from the taps if you have delicate stomach.

Telecommunications
Mobile phone coverage in China is good in most locations. Global auto-roaming within China is not a problem.

Internet
There are cyber-cafes everywhere in China, especially in tourist areas. Most are patronized by young people playing online games but you still can check your Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail. Access may be a bit slow for international websites.
You will need to show your passport as China has tight regulations at Internet Cyber Cafes.

Washroom facilities
One of the worst experiences many have with China is the atrocious toilet facilities. Things have improved very much but it may still be a good idea to empty your stomach or bladder at every opportunity in a hotel, restaurant or departmental store. Public toilets and toilets in small shops can be a nose hazard!

* Useful China travel tips *
Try to get an English speaking tour guide at every opportunity you can. China has a rich and wonderful history and culture and without a guide, somehow, the flavor and significance of most tour sites can be lost.
*Sneaky tip: Hang around a group that has a English speaking guide if you cannot afford one! Always ask for a receipt from a taxi driver so that you can complain if you have been cheated or for tracing purposes if you happen to leave your camera behind in the taxi.
Try to take the “name card” for each hotel that you are staying at as these cards will have a Chinese address and the map of your hotel location. This is useful if you need to seek assistance to find your way back as the English version or pronunciation of a hotel or a street name may be quite different from the Chinese version.
After a tiring day, check out Chinese foot reflexology or Chinese TuiNa (Chinese massage). Wonderful for the body after a hard day and very cheap to boot. Simply look out for shop signs that show two feet! They are everywhere.
Make friends with the Chinese whenever you can. They love to meet foreigners and will make good tour guides. Just buy a small present as a small token of appreciation.

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