The transportation in Beijing

The Beijing Capital International Airport is 27 kilometers from the city center. Civil Aviation Department buses depart every 30 minutes from the Xidan ticket center and Airport between 5:30am and 8:00pm.Buses also leave the Chinese Art Gallery at Wangfujing Dajie and Chaoyangmennei Dajie and the Friendship Hotel on Zhongguancun every hour. The ticket price for the Civil Aviation Department buses is 16 Yuan between the airport and downtown. Taxis are also available to or from the airport and cost approximately 70 Yuan.

There are more than 750 domestic airline, 98 international airlines and 21 regional airlines authorized to operate by the China Civil Aviation department. You can fly directly to the main cities in each province and autonomous region in China (except Taiwan Province) and 54 cities in 39 counties around the world from the Beijing Capital Airport. Over 40 foreign airlines airline companied have established offices in Beijing.

The Ticket Center for seat reservations is located at No. 15, West Chang'an Street, providing service for fellow countrymen from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan as well as foreigners. Passengers must present their valid identification when purchasing tickets. Be sure to pick up the free travel information provided at the airport and Ticket Center to read. That's one good way to begin to understand Beijing quickly.

All foreign visitors to China must apply for a visa with a valid passport before entering China through a local diplomatic agency, consular establishment or other overseas offices authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

Fellow Countrymen from Taiwan can come to China through America, Japan or other countries by getting their visas from an overseas embassy or consular establishment authorized by the PRC. There are also two agencies authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affair of the PRC in Hong Kong responsible for issuing visas to fellow countrymen of Taiwan. They are: Hong Kong China Travel Service, and Hong Kong Visa Office.

Fellow countrymen of Hong Kong and Macao may enter and exit mainland China by holding an Inland Travel Permit of Hong Kong and Macao Residents or a Reentry Permit of Fellow Countrymen in Hong Kong and Macao.

Overseas Chinese citizens don't need to apply for a visa when returning to China. They can enter and exit China with a valid passport and other document issued by the appropriate departments of the PRC.

Passengers are not allowed to carry more than one of the flowing personal items when traveling: camera, portable radio-cassette recorder, camcorder or laptop computer. Extra items must be declared at Customs. Passport items used while traveling in China must be taken with you when you leave the country.

A traveler may bring a reasonable amount of gold, silver or their products into the country for personal use. If the amount is over 50 grams, it must be declared at Customs. Customs will check the quantity declared when the traveler exits the country. Visitors carrying or consigning gold, silver or their products out of China must have a "special invoice" issued by the People's Bank to exit the country with them.

There is no limit on the amount a travel a may have in foreign currency, traveler's checks, credit card etc.

If a traveler wants to take cultural relics out of China, they must be authenticated by the Culture Administration Department of the PRC and declared in detail at Customs.

Travelers are allowed to take reasonable amount of Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients and finished products out of China that was purchased with foreign currency after showing the relevant invoice and currency exchange memo.

• Beijing Important Information:
Valid documents, Such as passport, Reentry Permit etc. must be taken with you. These documents are essential when staying in hotels or booking airline tickets, if yon happen to lose your passport, report this immediately to yours embassy or consular establishment in China and to the Entry and Exit Administration Department of the Beijing Publish Security Bureau. (Telephone: 64047799 ext.2061/2062)

Beijing Train

There are 5 passenger train station in Beijing. Beijing West Railway Station is the largest one. There are more than 30 routes on the Jingguang Line that depart and arrive from the Beijing West Railway Station. Tourists can get to the capital city of each province, autonomous region (excluding Tibet, Hainan and Taiwan) and other cities in China by train from Beijing.

Though train travel is slower than flying, there are many good reasons to take the train. You do have a choice of soft or hard sleeping berth as well as the hard seat. Good meals are provided at a reasonable price by the dining car. Train travel is also sage and comfortable, and by sitting by the window, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery as you travel. You can chat with the other passengers, or play cards with; either way is a pleasant way to pass the time while traveling.

Furthermore, the ticket price of a hard sleeping berth is only half the price of an airline ticket. Once you've reached your main city, you can take a bus to visit some of the scenic spots nearby or a special touring train to reach those tourist destinations a little further away. There are ticket offices for foreign guests, fellow countrymen of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and oversea Chinese in the international soft-seat waiting room at the Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station where tourists can buy tickets one week in advance. You can also get a refund of 80 percent of the purchase price if your plans change.

Passport or other traveling document must be shown when buying or booking a ticket. Please be aware that ticket demand always exceeds supply during the Spring Festival and other festivals, winter and summer vacations. There are the peak tourist seasons. One should always reserve their seats in advance when coming to Beijing during these times to avoid delays or problems in their traveling plans.

Beijing Subway

The subway is the fastest and most convenient means of transportation in Beijing. Currently Beijing Metro is divided into Line 1, Line 2(The Loop Line), Line 13 and Line Batong. By 2008, there will be 11 routes in the city of Beijing.

The entrances to the subway are square, gray cement structure with a symbolic lamp with a stylized letter" " on top of the structure. The ticket offices are mostly located underground at the entrance to the subway. The price of a single trip ticket on Line 1, Line 2 and Line 13 is 3 Yuan each. You can transfer between Lines 1 and 2 at no extra charge, but to transfer between Line 2 and Line 13 the cost is 5 Yuan. The price of a single trip ticket on Line Batong is 2 Yuan. You can transfer between Line 1 and Line Batong, but the price is 4 Yuan.

Line 1 runs east, west between Sihui Dong and Pingguoyuan from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm. Train leave regular every 3 to 5 minutes. Passengers can transfer between Line 1 and Line 2 without leaving the station at Jianguomen in the east, and Fuxingmen in the west. Line 2, known as the Loop Line, also operating from 5:00am to 11:00 pm, circles around Beijing with major stops at Beijing Railway Station, Jianguomen, Dongzhimen, Xizhimen and Fuxingmen. The 18 stops on the Loop Line allow the tourist to explore every direction of Beijing. Trains depart regular every 3 to 5 minutes. Line 13 opened in January 2003 and is 40.8 km long, making in the longest express railway line in China. It operates from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm, passing through 16 stations with train departing every 10 to 17 minutes. The interchange stations with Line 2 are at Dongzhimen in the east and Xizhimen in the west, but you must leave the station to make the transfer. The trip takes 56 minutes. There are large, lighted displays on each platform showing the immediate vicinity and the metro route. Passengers may also ask the metro staff for help, if they still have questions, to avoid going in the wrong direction and wasting time

Beijing Bus

Beijing Bus Company had more than 700 bus routes by the end of 2000. Bus Numbers (No's) 1 to 122 are city routes. Bus No's 201 to 212 are night buses. Bus No's 300 to 949 are suburban routes. Buses beginning with number "8" are air condition. Monthly bus passes are invalid on buses beginning with numbers "6, 7, 8 or 9". The bus and electric trolley routes extend in every direction in Beijing, making it very convenient method of transportation. Passengers can also enjoy the view as they travel. There are more 300 routes with large buses, special routes or air conditioned buses.

Bus fare is 1 Yuan on the city routes, but the minimum fare on an air conditioned bus is 2 Yuan. Other routes have different price, but it is still inexpensive. Please note that if there is no ticket seller on the bus, you should get on the bus at the front door, pay the appropriate fare into the fare box and then exit through the rear door.

There are also 20 special touring buses to take you to some of the suburban areas. You can start your travel to the outskirts easily by consulting Appendix 6 on page 172 at the back of this book.

One last caution: try to avoid taking the bus during the rush hours from 7:00 to 8:30am and from 5:00 to 6:30pm. Traffic jams and overcrowding will spoil your good mood for the whole day

Self-driving

If you come to Beijing by driving yourself, you'd better have a slight knowledge of notice for driving in Beijing.

There are more than 2,000,000 motor vehicles and more than 3,000,000 drivers in Beijing at present. Traffic jam occurs in particular road section at rush hour. You'd better leave one flexible hour when driving out at that period of time in order to avoid the awkward for arriving late. Vehicles entering Beijing are required to have tail-gas analyzing. Drivers can only transact Entering Beijing License for vehicles of other places by holding the letter of introduction after qualified in the analyzing.

There are tail-gas-analyzing places appointed by the Environmental Protection Bureau at every license-issuing place for entering Beijing vehicle of other places. The unqualified vehicles shall not transact the license until qualified after maintenance. Driving license of driver, travel license of vehicle entering Beijing and introduction letter for entering Beijing issued by the province or city where you are in are required to show when transacting Entering Beijing Permit.

In addition Beijing is a big city and the road condition in Beijing is quite complicated. The exit and entrance of newly built fly-over bridges are also confusing. Traffic enforcement in Beijing is very strict. Many sections of the road are forbid to turn left, turn right, pass, and pass in particular period of time, transport goods. Many Beijing natives will violate the traffic rules for lapse of attention. Drivers of other places shall pay more attention to various traffic signs. Don't park as your like. It will be upset if the car is pulled away.

Coach
Beijing Coach Station includes many long distance routes. The completion and open of Jingshi, Jingshen, Jingtong and Jingjintang expressways help you to get to the peripheral provinces and cities of Beijing quickly and safely. Please buy ticket in advance at the ticket office of the long distance bus station when you need to go on a long journey. Please check out the coach station and the information about bus departure in appendix 2.

Car Rental
You could transact car rental if you haven't drive to Beijing by yourself but owning driving license, ID card and other lawful document. It will be more convenient and agreeable by driving yourself to travel in the big city of Beijing. Several car rental companies are listed as follows. You could inquire and compare them by telephone in advance and choose one. It is recommended to buy All-in-one Map for Drivers in Beijing. To be familiar with the road condition in Beijing and you could visit Beijing by driving yourself quickly.

Beijing Taxi

Taking taxi is a convenient choice. The total number of Taxi is 6,3000, there into 35,000 Xiali and 25,000 Fukang and Jeta, 3,000 top-grade car. Fees are charged according to driving mileage. Taxi-takers will be charged 1.20 Yuan per kilometer by taking Xiali. Basic charge 10 Yuan shall be charged by supposing to drive 4 km. Taking Santana and Fukang charges 1.60 to 2.00 Yuan per kilometer and the basic charge is 10 to 12 Yuan. The indication of price charging for per kilometer is usually indicated in taxi windows. Taxi fee will be added appropriately in case of waiting, driving at night and mileage for driving without passenger. Please form the habit of asking for bill when getting off the taxi. Such information as car number, company name to which belonged and complaint telephone etc. are listed in the bill. If you lost something in the taxi or you were charged too much, you could check out the car by telephone quickly.

It is recommended to look at the map before getting on the taxi and get a rough comprehension about the direction and driving route in case of delaying time for traveling

- Capital Car-rental Company:
    No. 1A,Qinghuadonglu     62328701
- Car-rental Department of Scitech Taxi Company:
    No.22, Jianguomenwai Street, B1-B2 interlayer, Scitech Shopping Center     65123481, 65124488-6019
- Beijing Swift Horse Car-rental Co, Ltd:
    Building 710, Area 7, Jinsong Xikou, Chaoyang District     67736851, 67791341