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Mail :
Post Restante can be found at main post
offices in every city. Post will be kept for
several months and can be collected upon
payment of a nominal fee. You may need to
present some form of ID when picking up
mail. Letters should be addressed clearly to
you c/o Post Restante, GPO, town or city,
province, China. Smaller post offices are
easy to find, and all large hotels have
posting facilities. Delivery times to Europe
and the US are about 1-2 weeks. Express Mail
('EMS') cuts down delivery time and the
letter or package is automatically
registered.
Telephone :
When calling China from abroad, dial the
country code (86 for the mainland, 852 for
Hong Kong and 853 for Macau), followed by
the city code (10 for Beijing, 21 for  Shanghai,
20 for Guangzhou, 755 for Shenzhen, 22 for
Tianjin). When making domestic calls, place
a zero on the front of city codes. For help
with international calls, talk to
International Directory Assistance (115), or
1081 in Hong Kong.
Internet
Protocol (IP) phone cards introduced in 1999
make China's exorbitant IDD calls far
cheaper. Available in RMB50, 100, 200 and
500 form, IP cards can be bought at main
post offices and some smaller shops. A
Rmb200 card gives you about 40 minutes
talking time to Europe and the US. Line
quality can vary: if the connection is bad,
hang up and try again.
Internet :
Internet cafes are springing up in cities
across China, though periodic official  clampdowns
on unofficial operations have hampered their
growth. Don't expect luxury, however: most
'cafes' are usually little more than small,
cramped rooms packed with old PCs, offering
nothing except an internet connection. |
China in Brief
