Synopsis: There are two types of standard Chinese phone numbers; land line and cell phone numbers.Land line numbers for local and long-distance calls:A land line number always has 8 digits, and you will see the number preceded by the city code. The Suzhou city code is 0512. When making calls from within a Chinese city, you never need to add the city code, only the 8-digit phone number. When you make inter-c...[ Read more ]
Synopsis: In China, shop discounts are advertised with the characters 'dazhe'. (打折) However, this system can be quite confusing to non-Chinese speakers. Unlike in English, the percentage quoted is the amount that you have to pay, not the amount off the price.
da 5 zhe 打5折 is 50% off,
da 8 zhe 打8折 is 20% off (you pay 80%).
da 7 zhe 打7折 is 30% off.
Bargaining
Regardless of whether you shop at a s...[ Read more ]
Synopsis:
You can check your China Mobile phone credit balance by sending an SMS text message to the China Mobile service number 10086.
Type in the numbers 111 and hit send. Send to the phone number 10086.
Within a minute, a return text message will be sent to you stating the credit balance you have on your phone. The text message you receive back will be in Chinese, but even if you can’t re...[ Read more ]
Synopsis: When you lose your passport, you are required to report it lost or stolen to the Chinese Entry and Exit Bureau first. Then you visit your embassy or consulate to apply for a replacement passport. The next step after that is to return to the Chinese Entry and Exit Bureau for a new visa, or for an exit visa to leave China. This process may take several days. Please safeguard your passport at all tim...[ Read more ]
Synopsis:
Changing money in China
Be sure to ask for at least some smaller bills when changing money and receiving Chinese currency. The cost of living in China is low, so large bills (like 100’s) can sometimes be inconvenient to change once you are outside of the larger cities.
Do not change money on the street or black market. There are lots of counterfeit bills out there, and foreigners who don’t kn...[ Read more ]
Synopsis: Cell Phones: There is pre-paid cell GSM phone service all over China, but it does involve getting a SIM card for each local area. You can use the same SIM card (phone number) everywhere in China, but it does mean you will be in roaming mode, so it is more expensive. A SIM card plus 100 yuan of credit usually costs about 140 yuan.Phones: There is a great range of prices, and used phones are al...[ Read more ]
Synopsis: Tipping is not done in China at all. All service charges are included in the price that you are given. Most large hotels, however, will automatically add on a 15% service fee surcharge to the bill. In China, one does NOT tip taxi drivers, hairdressers, service personnel etc. The only exception to this rule is porters who carry your luggage in a hotel. It is considered appropriate to give the...[ Read more ]
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