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19 Aug 2010
Planning your first business trip to China? Here a 7 travel tips to help make your trip go more smoothly.
1) Bring an unlocked mobile phone
You're going to need a mobile phone while in China, and a local telephone number. Bring an unlocked phone with you, then purchase a SIM card at China Mobile. For 100RMB (about US$15) you can get the SIM card and 50 minutes of prepaid talk time. Later you can recharge the phone with more minutes by purchasing a recharge card at a local convenience store.
A booth located in the baggage claim area at Beijing airport sells SIM cards.
At the Shanghai airport, there is a vending machine that sells disposable mobile phones with prepaid minutes.
2) Take taxis everywhere
Chinese taxis are cheap and efficient. Take them everywhere. You will rarely pay more than the equivalent of US$5 to get from meeting to meeting in major cities in China.
Of course, if money is no object, you may prefer to hire a private driver.
3) Use Mguanxi to get around the city
Mguanxi (www.mguanxi.com) is a useful and inexpensive service for your mobile phone. I use it to get Chinese language directions that I show to taxi drivers.
Here's how it works: First I text Mguanxi with the location of where I want to go. It then texts me back with several options. I pick the right one, then request the address in Chinese. When I get the reply, I show the Chinese address to my taxi driver so there is no confusion.
4) Program 962288 into your phone, in Shanghai
962288 is the number for the Shanghai Visitor's Bureau. You'll see this number advertised in many taxis. Sometimes I call this number for interpretation assistance when trying to communicate with a taxi driver. But they will also give you all kinds of help and advice. You could even ask them where to go for pizza in your neighborhood.
5) Register with Ctrip
Ctrip (www.ctrip.com) is the Chinese equivalent of Expedia. It's one of the best sites for booking hotels in China. Their prices are competitive and the service is reliable. You can even receive immediate booking confirmation by text message to your mobile phone.
6) Know that some hotels cater to the domestic market, not foreigners
For some business people, it's much more convenient to stay in a name-brand hotel that caters to foreigners such as a Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott. Staff at hotels like these, including those who work in the business center, will speak English.
Staying at a hotel that caters to domestic Chinese tourists can be frustrating and disorienting since they may not have English-speaking staff or English television channels. However, these hotels are often cheaper.
So how do you identify whether a hotel caters to the Western or domestic market? Check Tripadvisor (www.tripadvisor.com). Chinese-style hotels usually have lots of Chinese reviews from DaoDao and few reviews from Tripadvisor members.
7) Treat yourself to a tailor-made suit
Chinese tailors are top-notch and their custom-made business suits are inexpensive. One good, inexpensive Shanghai tailor is Sam's Tailor in the South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market. In Beijing, go to the Silk Market. Expect to pay about 700RMB (US$105) for a 2-piece suit or about 100RMB (US$15) for a shirt.
Comments
Nice tips for business travel in china. China is one of the high population country bet one of the best place for business or vacation travel. There are number things to do and to see in China. Some very famous cities of China are the real treasure of china.
Luke, I shared a cab with this Dutch guy who took pictures of the address to show the driver. Smart guy.
Communicating with taxi drivers is a problem if you don't speak Chinese and are unsure of the location. I sometimes call the office I am going to and tell them to tell the driver where to take me. I hand him the phone, they talk, and there is no confusion. I get to my meeting on time.
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19 Aug 2010
7 Tips for Business Travel to China
by Stephen Choi, dragonbn.com|
|
|
1) Bring an unlocked mobile phone
You're going to need a mobile phone while in China, and a local telephone number. Bring an unlocked phone with you, then purchase a SIM card at China Mobile. For 100RMB (about US$15) you can get the SIM card and 50 minutes of prepaid talk time. Later you can recharge the phone with more minutes by purchasing a recharge card at a local convenience store.
A booth located in the baggage claim area at Beijing airport sells SIM cards.
At the Shanghai airport, there is a vending machine that sells disposable mobile phones with prepaid minutes.
2) Take taxis everywhere
Chinese taxis are cheap and efficient. Take them everywhere. You will rarely pay more than the equivalent of US$5 to get from meeting to meeting in major cities in China.
Of course, if money is no object, you may prefer to hire a private driver.
3) Use Mguanxi to get around the city
Mguanxi (www.mguanxi.com) is a useful and inexpensive service for your mobile phone. I use it to get Chinese language directions that I show to taxi drivers.
Here's how it works: First I text Mguanxi with the location of where I want to go. It then texts me back with several options. I pick the right one, then request the address in Chinese. When I get the reply, I show the Chinese address to my taxi driver so there is no confusion.
4) Program 962288 into your phone, in Shanghai
962288 is the number for the Shanghai Visitor's Bureau. You'll see this number advertised in many taxis. Sometimes I call this number for interpretation assistance when trying to communicate with a taxi driver. But they will also give you all kinds of help and advice. You could even ask them where to go for pizza in your neighborhood.
5) Register with Ctrip
Ctrip (www.ctrip.com) is the Chinese equivalent of Expedia. It's one of the best sites for booking hotels in China. Their prices are competitive and the service is reliable. You can even receive immediate booking confirmation by text message to your mobile phone.
6) Know that some hotels cater to the domestic market, not foreigners
For some business people, it's much more convenient to stay in a name-brand hotel that caters to foreigners such as a Hilton, Hyatt or Marriott. Staff at hotels like these, including those who work in the business center, will speak English.
Staying at a hotel that caters to domestic Chinese tourists can be frustrating and disorienting since they may not have English-speaking staff or English television channels. However, these hotels are often cheaper.
So how do you identify whether a hotel caters to the Western or domestic market? Check Tripadvisor (www.tripadvisor.com). Chinese-style hotels usually have lots of Chinese reviews from DaoDao and few reviews from Tripadvisor members.
7) Treat yourself to a tailor-made suit
Chinese tailors are top-notch and their custom-made business suits are inexpensive. One good, inexpensive Shanghai tailor is Sam's Tailor in the South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market. In Beijing, go to the Silk Market. Expect to pay about 700RMB (US$105) for a 2-piece suit or about 100RMB (US$15) for a shirt.
Comments 
Puri India
@ http://www.traveladda.com/east_india/orissa/cities/puri_c...
| posted 4 months ago
Nice tips for business travel in china. China is one of the high population country bet one of the best place for business or vacation travel. There are number things to do and to see in China. Some very famous cities of China are the real treasure of china.
Stephen Choi | posted over 1 year ago
Luke, I shared a cab with this Dutch guy who took pictures of the address to show the driver. Smart guy.
Luke Wiley | posted over 1 year ago
Communicating with taxi drivers is a problem if you don't speak Chinese and are unsure of the location. I sometimes call the office I am going to and tell them to tell the driver where to take me. I hand him the phone, they talk, and there is no confusion. I get to my meeting on time.
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