I just had a business trip to Shanghai, Beijing, and Suzhou, and my clients ask me to purchase the high speed rain ticket from Shanghai to Beijing, and from Beijing to Suzhou, because they want to feel how the high speed train of China because that is the very well known in the world.



I got some experience for purchasing the train ticket and I would like to list below:



The train ticket is very limited and many people want to purchase, so you have better purchase the train ticket online at least 3 days before the departure date to avoid the possible sold out of the ticket.


If you want to purchase the train ticket for your foreign clients on the English Version of ctrip.com, then you need to ask following information of your clients:


Their passport number
Their name shown on the passport.


If you want to purchase rain ticket for the your foreign clients on the Chinese version of ctrip.com, then you need to ask the following information from your clients：



Their passport number.
Their name shown on the passport.
Their date of birth.


You can pick up your train ticket from the ticket taking machine of rain station if you are Chinese citizen and use your Chinese national to purchase the rain ticket. However, you only can pick up the train ticket on the ticket office if you purchase the train ticket by entering your or your client’s passport information.


You need to come to ticket office to pick up the train ticket then is much more better you can come to the train station a little bit earlier ( at least one and half hour before the departure time) because you need to spend the time for line up, sometime it cause you so much time for line up.


Please keep your train ticket even you had already get on the train, because the train station of the destination need you to show the train ticket after you arrive the destination.


Most of the high speed train runs 350 Kilometer per hour, and is fast, comfortable and stable.

Chinese Food

For those who travel to China, not only are the scenic spots and ancient civilization fascinating, but so too is Chinese food and drink.


Like music, dance, calligraphy and painting, eating is also an art in China and Chinese cuisine is listed as one of the top in the field of world cuisines.


Nobody could tell exactly how many restaurants a specific city has, to say nothing of the roadside eateries distributed in streets and back lanes. No matter where you would like to eat, in the slap-up restaurants or in the roadside eateries, make sure that the restaurant is clean and the food has been freshly prepared and is hot.


It is a good idea to take your own chopsticks if you decide to dine in roadside eateries.


Chinese regard eating as an art, which is a comprehensive combination of sight, smell, touch, taste and even sound. Chinese cuisine is a dominant branch from the Chinese culture - the core is taste while the purpose is to preserve health.



It is a perfect fusion of color, shape, appearance and flavor. Delicious and nutritious food has been regarded the basics of ordinary life.



In a nutshell, there are eight schools of cuisine, which are popularly known as the 'ninth art'. These include food from Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui and Fujian.


Chinese cuisine has a long history and is famous worldwide for its rich flavor and delightful colors. The difference in local climate, history and eating customs in each region has produced local dishes and snacks with their own characteristics and specialty.


Variety


In China, eating is the psychological motor for everything. The Chinese possess enormous powers of concentration as long as the stomach is full, for when the digestive process has done its work, all ability to concentrate disappears. The variety of styles and ingredients involved in Chinese cooking is a marvel.


There are three principal regional cuisine familiar to experienced visitors. Firstly, there are the hot and spicy chili dishes from Sichuan Then comes the northern style cuisine, which uses steamed bread and pancakes in lieu of rice, and preserved vegetables such as salted, pickled cabbage for freezing winters. And finally, there is the southern style cooking, which involves light stir-fry dishes made from a vast array of ingredients that include pork, seafood and chicken.


Freshness


It is essential to use food as fresh as possible for Chinese cuisine and they have developed a style of cooking that obviates refrigeration despite the rigors of the climate. Blessed with an abundance of good ingredients in the most fertile areas of the country, the Chinese have become expert at extracting the essence of flavor.


Methods


Cooking methods are vital to the craft of the Chinese chefs. The skill of being able to control the precise heat is considered crucial to yield the best results. Although all methods of cooking are used, from braising and baking to boiling, steaming and roasting over a spit, there is one that is native to China - stir-frying. This method involves cutting the ingredients finely and rapidly cooking them in a small amount of oil in a preheated wok so that they are quickly and evenly cooked. It is advised that stir-fried dishes be eaten immediately to benefit from their huoqi or vital essence.

China is a huge country with varied climates. In general, the north is cold and dry in winter. In the south, summer is hot and humid.

China's climate ranges from year-round tropical heat in Hainan to Siberian conditions in the far north and typical desert weather in the far west. What to wear usually depends on the weather where you are at.

In winter, most parts of China would be in a cold spell, especially more so in the northern part . So it is advisable to wear layers of garments, normally, thermal or silk underwear with a sweater and padded jacket outside. Padded jackets and wool-lined boots are one of the best buys in China, you could easily buy one when you need.

For travel during spring or summer, your clothing should be casual and designed for comfort, without being too revealing. Take light cotton clothes that are easily washed and not too delicate.

Trousers are still necessary for women traveling to China, since many temples are forbidden to those who wear skirts.

For travel during the rainy season, from May to August, a raincoat is recommended.
Bring clothes that are easy to hand wash and dry. Dark colored clothing allows you to not wash every day. Remember that you can purchase almost any kind of clothing in China. A good pair of comfy, well broken in, hiking shoes are highly recommended.


Clothing Suggestion: Weather Forecast
Spring (Mar - May, Temperature (F): 50 - 71.6 )
Suggested Clothing: Western suits, jackets, sports coats, woolen jackets, long sleeve shirts and travel shoes

Summer (Jun - Aug, Above 71.6 )
Suggested Clothing: T-shirts, short sleeve shirts, skirts, sandals, caps, rain wear

Autumn (Sep - Nov,50- 71.6)
Suggested Clothing:Western suits, jackets, sports coats, light woolen sweaters, rain wear and travel shoesThe

Winter (Dec - Feb,Below 50 )
Suggested Clothing:Overcoat, thick woolen sweaters, lined coats;In northern China, cap, gloves and cotton-padded shoes are required

This article is from www.freeiva.com
When you travel to China, and need a reliable personal tour guide or professional business interpreter for your business, you are suggested to view their website ( www.freeiva.com )
or send them an email at freeiva@yahoo.com

Written by Leo (a professional tour guide in Beijing with 10+ experiences)
Leo's profile at http://www.freeiva.com/chinaguide/iva_details/701091

8 places you can not miss in Beijing
1. Forbidden City.as the largest and best preserved imperial palace in china,you will be impressed by it .

2. great wall.as a Chinese saying goes,the people who come china never go to the great wall are not real man,when you stand on the wall ,,it is hard to image how ancient Chinese people built it during that backward society.

3. summer palace.it is the largest imperial garden in Beijing .big lake and big mountain, it is made artificially .

4. temple of heaven ,the biggest imperial worshipping area,the Eco wall , the heavenly heart stone , you will know how much people believe in the god during that time .

5. hutong,only here, you can see the old Beijing , to know what is local peoples life look like.

6. acrobatic show .peking opera show at night,.it is very good area to visit at night , it is special feeling about Chinese culture.

7. wangfujing,night food market.people eat all the wearied food , Scorpio , cricket. Snake,crab, barbarcue.....

8. sanlitun bar street.
If you like bar , it is a good place .there are all bars around the street.

More helpful travel tips at http://www.freeiva.com/chinese-interpreter-china-guide/all-tags.htm

Written by Shirley R. http://www.freeiva.com/chinaguide/iva_details/16896

As experienced business assistant in Guangzhou,I would like to share some tips about travelling in China regarding transportation,food,shopping and sightseeing.
Hope it is useful for business people who come here for visit.
Transportation
1, Hi Shirley,how can I go to my downtown hotel from Baiyun airport (Guangzhou)?
Well,Baiyun airport is located in the suburb of Guangzhou. If your hotel is located in downtown, you can take a taxi which takes around 45minutes to 1 hour to reach and it depends on your hotel location and the traffic conditions. If you are not in a hurry, you can inquire from the airport staffs to find a bus which goes to the nearest area from your hotel. But mostly the case is that some staffs don\'t know or don’t have enough English skills to tell you. but no worries, you can contact me for help before your trip.

2, Hi Shirley, if I fly to Hong Kong first, how can I go to Shenzhen or Guangzhou?
a. If you go to Shenzhen, you can take the metro to Luohu station(shenzhen), and then take a taxi or metro to your hotel in Shenzhen. And from Luohu metro station, you can take fast train to Guangzhou East station which takes about one hour.
b. If you go to Guangzhou directly, you can take a train from Hong Kong(Hung Hom Station) to Guangzhou East station(2.5hr's trip), GZ east is located in Tianhe district and you can take metro or taxi to your hotel directly from there.

3, I'm attending the Canton Fair,how to go to Pazhou Exhibition hall?
During Canton Fair time,in case it's not easy to find a taxi, you can take the metro to get off in Pazhou station or Xingangdong station by transferring line 8--depends on which Zone number you need to visit(Zone A,B or C)

4,I am new here and do not familiar with the transportation.Can you give any advise?
Sure. You can take metro or taxi to anywhere you want.If you have enough budget,I would suggest you to take taxi which would be more comfortable and fast.If you are coming to China for first time,you could take metro for enriching life experience which can also save transportation cost but crowed as well

Food
As I am not use to Chinese foods and don't know how to handle chopsticks,I have to find some special restaurants, any suggestions?
People from different regions with different tastes would favor different foods such as Indian food,Arabic food,Thai food,,Korean food,Japanese food,etc.I suggest you source from the internet first.These restaurants usually have English websites so that you can contact them for the directions or I can guide you there since I am very familiar with the area and restaurants.

Shopping

Hi I want to buy some Chinese gifts for my families-something exotic,any suggestions?
I suggest you go to Beijing road or Shangxia Jiu Road which are the most famous shopping center in Guangzhou, you can find the exotic gifts in those shops definately.

Sight Seeing
I get 2 days off from my business, any tourist attractions that worth visit? I prefer some historical places.
Sure.Guangzhou city is not only famous for business but also have many tourist places for visiting such as The Chen Clan Academy,Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall,Yuexiu Park,LiuRong Temple,Huangpu Ancient Temple etc.In the night,I would suggest you can take a night tour by cruise to experience the beautiful night of Guangzhou and I assume you would love Guangzhou city!
Small tip for you.If you are interested in Chinese culture,you had better find an interpreter who speaks excellent English and capable to tell Chinese history or relevant legends of the attractions so you will enjoy the trip better in China!

If need any assistance about interpreter/tour guide or business assistant,please feel free to contact me!

More helpful tips for travelling in China: http://www.freeiva.com/chinese-interpreter-china-guide/all-tags.htm

written by Michael H. (a professional interpreter and sourcing agent in China) http://www.freeiva.com/chinaguide/iva_details/811509

Many sourcing agent start to sourcing the product only after their clients arrive in China, however, I think that is a big mistake. Unless the clients contact the sourcing agent after they arrive in China, the sourcing agent must do lots of preparation for the sourcing if they know the clients before their clients come to China in stead of just doing nothing and start to do everything only after their client’s arrival in China.

As a sourcing agent if you only start to do sourcing after your client’s arrival, then in most case you will not have enough time, because many clients only stay in your city in just 2 to 5 days or even 1 day, and everyday is 24 hours, and most of the factories would only open for 12 hours per days, and that means your working hour must less than 12 hours per day as well. So if you try to contact with your client and know what he really wants and do the research, and find the alternative options for the factories you may work with, and do the comparison, and arrange for your factory visit, negotiation, and I am sure that 12 hours is not enough for you handle too many things like I just mentioned.

So it is vey important that you have very efficient and sufficient communication between you have your clients before they come to China. You must know which products he want to purchase in DETAIL, and not just a general concept. For example, some clients said they want to purchase the TV, and you must ask them the brand name, quantity, size, material, production lead time, shipping lead time of the TV they want, and ask them to send you the specification and photo in detail.

You need to find and negotiate with the supplier and arrange the factory visit before your client come to China, and is always much more better to let your clients know everything in detail before they come to China. So this avoid to start everything only after you meet your client in China, and you have sufficient time to guarantee and flexibility and minimize the risk.

More details can be viewed at [url]WWW.FREEIVA.COM[/url]

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1. In China, it is a custom to go to business lunch, or dinner or both with your Chinese business partners. Usally lunch is big, but dinner is bigger. It is a great chance to get known of your business partners, and strengthen the relationships.

2. China is a vast countries, 5500km north to south and 5000km east to west. Do not think you can visit a factory in Shang hai in the morning and another in Guangzhou in the afternoon.

3. Literally there are millions of suppliers, agents and individuals out there willing to say everything to try to get your business. Verify your supplier before you place order with them.

4. For most of products, China can make Wallmart quality, also can make Bullet train quality. It really depends on how much you want to pay for it and how well do you manage your quality control.

5. When a native Mandrin speaker says YES, it probably means NO in English.

6. Chinese food has lots of varieties, you will always find something suit your stomache. Do NOT worry, just be sure to tell your translator what you dont eat or allergy to.

7. Horn beeping is just as normal as fire crackers in Chinese cities. Do not panic.

8. Whenever there is a Chinese people starring at you in China, it is not because you are prettier, but weird.

9. Learn how to bargin in Chinese market shall be on your must-do list.

10. International Credit Cards are not always usable in China, better prepare some cash in Chinese Currency, but we take USD.

More tips:
how to bargain and negotiate the price when buying in China?
http://www.freeiva.com/chinese-interpreter-china_guide/how-to-bargain-and-negotiate-the-price-when-buying-in-china_T1238.htm

Travel Tips for business people who come to China
http://www.freeiva.com/chinese-interpreter-china_guide/travel-tips-for-business-people-who-come-to-china_T1179.htm

How to arrange your business trip more efficiently?
http://www.freeiva.com/chinese-interpreter-china_guide/how-to-bargain-and-negotiate-the-price-when-buying-in-china_T1238.htm