The concept of a country
promoting itself by
giving out tourist
information for free has
not yet taken hold in
China. There is a very
thin scattering of
tourist promotion
offices in foreign
capitals, though these
government organisations
are officious and
generally unhelpful -
their only function
seems to be recommending
possible tour operators
and advising telephone
callers to listen to
long, useless and
expensive recorded
messages. A more
promising source of
immediate information is
the Internet.
Similarly, inside the
People's Republic, there
is no such thing as a
tourist information
office. CITS ,
the state-accredited
tour operator with a
special responsibility
for foreigners, was
originally dressed up as
such, but now it is just
one of a large number of
competing local
operators who have no
function other than
selling tours and
tickets, and renting
cars. However, it may
still be worthwhile
dropping in on the local
branch of CITS, or an
affiliated organization
(CYTS or CTS),
especially in out-of-the-way
places, as it is
sometimes here that you
will find the only
person in town who can
speak English - and he
or she may be delighted
to have the chance to
chat with a foreigner
about local tourist
attractions. But this is
probably the exception
rather than the rule.
You should assume that
most leaflets, brochures
and maps from these
places will not be free.
Other sources of
information are your own
hotel staff (in upmarket
places), or any local
English-speakers you
happen to meet.
Otherwise, in certain
tourist centres,
restaurant proprietors
have taken it upon
themselves to act as the
local information
office, giving advice in
exchange for custom.
In Beijing and
Shanghai you'll
find English-language
magazines with bar,
restaurant and other "What's
On" listings, aimed
mainly at the resident
expatriate population.
These are usually
distributed free in bars
and upmarket hotels. The
local English-language
newspaper, the China
Daily, also has a
few listings of major
cultural events
forthcoming in Beijing
and one or two other
large cities. In Hong
Kong and Macau
you are beset with
information on all sides.
Maps
Street maps are
available in China for
almost every town and
city. You can nearly
always buy them in
street kiosks, hotel
shops and
Xinhua
bookshops, or from
vendors in the vicinity
of train and bus
stations. The vast
majority of maps are
unfortunately in Chinese
only, which is a pity
because the maps are a
mine of information
showing bus routes,
hotels, restaurants and
tourist attractions.
You'll nearly always
find local bus, train
and flight timetables
printed on the back as
well.
However, cities most
commonly visited by
foreign tourists do
produce English-language
maps for foreigners.
You'll find these on
sale in upmarket hotels,
at the principal tourist
sights, such as big
museums, or in CITS
offices. In Beijing
and Shanghai
you'll find various
editions of such maps,
issued free in smart
hotels and paid for by
advertising. The
situation is similar in
Hong Kong and
Macau , where the
local tourist offices
provide free maps which
are adequate for most
visitors' needs. For
very detailed street
maps of Hong Kong, have
a look at the Hong
Kong Island Street Map
and the Kowloon
Street Map for sale
in English-language
bookshops.
Countrywide maps
, which you should buy
before you leave home,
include the excellent
1:4,000,000 map from
GeoCenter, which
shows relief and useful
sections of all
neighbouring countries.
If you want very high-resolution
maps showing details of
terrain, especially
useful for cyclists and
trekkers in the
wilderness parts of
western China, the
Operational Navigation
Charts (Series ONC)
- actually designed for
pilots - are worth
having a look at. One of
the best maps of Tibet
is Stanfords Map of
South-Central Tibet;
Kathmandu-Lhasa Route
Map, published by
Stanfords in London.
Chinese tourist
promotion offices
Australia 19th floor, 44
Market St, Sydney, NSW
2000 (tel 02/9299 4057).
France 116
Avenue des Champs-Elysees,
75008 Paris (tel
1/44218282).
Germany
Ilkenhanstra. 6, D-60433
Frankfurt am Main, (tel
069/520135).
Japan 6F
Hamamatsu Cho Building,
1-27-13 Hamamatsu Cho,
Minato-Ku, Tokyo (tel
81/03 3433 1461).
Singapore 1
Shenton Way, No 17-05,
Ribina House, Singapore
0106 (tel 65/221 8681).
Spain Gran Via
88, Grupo 2, Planta 16,
28013 Madrid (tel
01/5480011).
UK 4
Glentworth St, London
NW1 (tel 020/7935 9787).
USA Ste 6413,
350 Fifth Ave, Empire
State Building, New York,
NY 10018 (tel
212/760-1710 automated
or tel 212/760-8218);
Ste 201, 333 W Broadway,
Glendale, CA 91024 (tel
818/5 45-7505).
China online
China Today
www.chinatour.com
A big,
colourful map of China,
cultural background,
list of tourist
hotspots, current
politics (nothing
exciting), real
estate estimates,
tour operator details,
some festivals,
and much more.
Patchy, but
fairly detailed in what
it chooses to cover.
General
www.cyberway-to-china.com/index.html
Well-structured,
regularly updated and
comprehensive articles
on business,
travel and historical
background. A
good browse.
www.travel.com/country/ch4/index.html
Good general
information, plus
you can book hotels and
make travel reservations.
Beijing
beijingscen.com/cissue/index.html
Irreverent and
informative magazine for
foreign residents in
Beijing,
including jobs,
cartoons, housing
and listings.
Hong Kong
darkwing.uoregon.edu/~felsing/hkstuff/hkshelf.html
Business-oriented
magazine including
currency conversion
rates, city
practicalities,
daily news,
entertainment listings
and a bit of colonial
history.
Shanghai
www.shanghai-ed.com
Online listings
magazine aimed at expats.
Tibet
wwwtibetinfo.net
Currently the most
authoritative source of
information on
contemporary Tibet,
with excellent news
and travel reports.
