Taking a business trip to China? Veteran travelers recommend thorough planning

AgExporter, April, 1995

Outside the major cities, it's strictly Chinese-style. Street vendors offer a tempting array of cooked and fresh items, but be cautious about eating them. Clean all raw fruits or vegetables in hot soapy water or peel them before eating.

With the great influx of foreign travelers to China, the practice of tipping is on the increase. Many hotel restaurants add a 15-percent service charge to the bill. In most other instances, tipping is not expected and may cause embarrassment for the staff.

Never drink the tap water in China. Most hotels supply bottled water or boiled hot water. Distilled and mineral water in plastic bottles can be found in most cities at a reasonable price.

* Measurements: China uses the metric system for all weights and measures, including temperatures. If you are not familiar with metric measures, a pocket conversion calculator or chart will come in handy.

* Currency: The official Chinese currency is the Renminbi (RMB), translated literally, "the people's currency." All bills and coins are marked with "western" numerals denoting their value.

The RMB is not traded on international markets. It can be bought or exchanged within China and Hong Kong and along some northwestern borders. Any RMB you have left should be converted before leaving the country. Make sure you keep enough to pay for transportation to the airport and the required departure tax.

Current exchange rates are published in China Daily. This rate applies in all banks, hotels, airport and retail (Friendship Store) exchange counters. Travelers' checks bring a slightly better rate; however, some banks and hotels add a small fee, which may offset the advantage.

Banking hours are generally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Hotel exchange counters are open longer, seven days a week, so your hotel will likely be the best place to exchange dollars.

* Language: Mandarin Chinese is the official language of China. However, in some areas, people speak a local dialect or a regional language (Cantonese, Shanghainese, Sichuanese), although nearly all also speak Mandarin fluently as a second language.

Most of the staff at leading hotels will speak some English, but they may not be fluent. Remember to speak slowly, articulate carefully and take extra care when leaving messages, spelling names and providing return phone numbers.

Many Chinese government officials and business executives have studied English; however, few are fluent.

If your host organization does not provide an interpreter, your travel agent or hotel concierge may be able to help you find ore.

Consider carrying a small traveler's guide to Chinese words and phrases - a good primer for learning to speak a few civilities like "thank you" (xie xie, pronounced like "shay-shay"), "hello" (nin hao, pronounced like "neon how").

* Communications: Intra-city phone calls are usually free in hotels. Domestic and international long distance calls can often be made through direct dialing or hooked through your hotel.

If you are unable to place a long distance call from your room, even when such services are noted in hotel literature, contact the front desk or operator and tell them you wish to have your room phone reconnected to long distance service. Some hotels turn off long distance service to unoccupied rooms and forget to reconnect promptly once a guest has checked in.