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Chinese is the language of the future and the vehicle of communication in important parts of Asia. LONGUA offers you a short list of the most important textbooks and self-study material:
LONGUA offers you support when you are looking for language classes or textbooks, whether in China, Germany or the rest of the world. Just contact us.
Chinese classes with LONGUA in Germany, China and the rest of the world. Study Chinese with LONGUA.
Chinese TV offers you a perfect opportunity to get a true picture of China.
US and British citizens do not need a visa for entry to Hong Kong (香港) or Macao (澳门).
When travelling to Mainland China a visa is required. Before applying for a visa, you should download the following form, fill it out and send it along with your passport to your Chinese embassy or a Chinese consulate. If you have any further questions LONGUA would be glad tto assist you. LONGUA would be glad to assist you.
Like everywhere else in the world, you can find all the international hotel chains in China. Youth hostels and and some Chinese hotel chains like Jin Jiang Zhi Xing or Motel168.com offer a good and relatively cheap alternative. You can find more options at www.ctrip.com and www.elong.com.
Plane: Tickets to China can be bought at travel agencies, as well as over the internet: e.g. directly on the airchina website. Domestic flights can be booked on the internet through www.ctrip.com, www.china-sss.com or www.elong.com or at a local Chinese travel agency. You can often receive high price reductions by booking early.
The following airlines can be recommended: China Eastern, China Southern, Shenzhen Airways and Hainan Airlines.
Train: You can buy train tickets at all stations, at some hotels, and also at special shops, often located on main streets of bigger cities.
Bus: A relatively cheap alternative to trains are buses. There is a bus station in every big city, where you can also buy tickets. Buses are often faster than trains.
Inside the city, buses are the cheapest means of public transportation. The price is often between one and two yuan. When getting on the bus, you should always have a few coins, as there is no change. China has an extremely good bus system. You can reach almost any destination without changing buses.
Underground/Subway: You can find subway lines in only a few cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The subway network is being improved constantly, and smaller cities have begun to build their own networks. Subway prices are a bit higher than bus prices, but they are still relatively cheap.You can buy tickets in the station.
Taxis: Taxis are generally a very cheap form of public transportation. There are a lot more taxis on Chinese streets than on European ones. You should make sure to only take taxis which have visible service numbers, so you will be able to complain about any possible incidents. The taxi driver also has to give a receipt. That is also in your interest.
Bicycle Taxis: These are another interesting way to move around town. They are also quite cheap.
You can travel easily from Shenzhen to Hong Kong by train (subway stop Luo Hu in Shenzhen / subway stop Lo Wu in Hong Kong). There are also buses that you can take. You can also easily go from Zhuhai to Macao by bus or even by walking.
Public transport in Hong Kong and Macao is very cheap (german text).
There is a very fast ferry between the two special economic zones. It runs on a 15-minute cycle and takes approximately one hour.
LONGUA supports you with all questions about Hong Kong and Macao. Use the LONGUA-Travel Service.
China is one of the oldest nations in the world. It offers a multitude of cultural and historic highlights. Furthermore it offers breath-taking natural beauties.
Peking (北京): the Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square, Summer Palace. The Greaat Wall is situated less than one hour from Beijing.
Shanghai (上海): Yu Garden, Peoples‘ Square, Oriental Pearl Television Tower, Nanjing Street, Xin Tian Di, Xu Jia Hui
Xi’an (西|安): the Old City, the world-famous Terra Cotta Army (兵马俑)
Further interesting sites and cities for tourists are Suzhou (with its famous gardens), Wuxi, Nanjing, Shenyang (with its imperial palace from the Qing Dynasty), Harbin (its ice-world), Ningbo (great temple), Xiamen, Guangzhou (Canton)
The Great Wall north of Beijing, the Terra Cotta Army near Xi'an, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in eijing, the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the gardens of Suzhou, Dun Huang. Here (german text) you can find more information about the history of China.
Hainan Island, the Yangtse River and the famous Three Gorges, the mountains of Guilin, Huang Shan (easily reachable by bus or by train from Shanghai), Tai Shan and Tian Shan, Tibet, Qinghai in Central China, the mountainious regions in Sichuan and Yunan.
The next global event comes to China: The 2010 Expo in Shanghai will be another must-see. Visit the Website.
China is an internet nation. A lot more frequently than in other countries, you can find internet cafes and cyber bars (网巴) They are usually open 24 hours a day. They are the best and cheapest way to go online: You can buy there snacks as well.
Money can be exchanged from Euro (欧元), Dollar (美元) or Pound (英元) into Yuán (¥,RMB) in every bank; ATMs accept most European and American cards.
Prefix: from China to Britain 0044; from China to the US 001 from Britain or from the US to Mainland China 0086; from Britain and the US to Hong Kong and Macao 00852.
Nowadays; phoning is becoming cheaper and cheaper, in telephone shops you can find special low-price telephone cards.
When staying in China, you should by a Chinese sim-card. Both big mobile phone companies (China Mobilcom and China Unicom [Liantong]) provide them. You can also buy a cheap telephone card, if you wish to call from a landline. Unlike in the US and Europe, Chinese sms rates are very low.
LONGUA would be glad to answer any of your questions.
China is the ultimate shopper's paradise. China has both excellent markets, as well as great department stores. Department stores: extremely customer-oriented staff are there to help you. There are often many sales to keep an eye out for. Look for the character 折 when shopping, to know when one is going on. Markets: On the street and in the market, it is normal to bargain. But, you should not be confused by the sellers' temperament. You can find some great gems, as well as a lot of junk, at the market.
Almost every city or region has its own culinary speciality. The most important thing is that you be open to try new dishes and tastes. There are restaurants for every taste and every wallet. Don't be afraid to try the street food. Good things can be very cheap in China!
Most Chinese are less active at night (this is not the case in Hong Kong and Macao), so they prefer going to restaurants for hours, and they seldom go to Western-style bars. Young people often go to so-called KTVs (Karaoke-Bars), go eating or meet in internet cafés or cyber bars.
In bigger cities, there are party areas, of course, with bars and clubs. For example, Xin Tian Di (新天地) and Xu Jia Hui in Shanghai. LONGUA Linktip: www.asiaxpat.com
China offers plenty of employment opportunities. Job-seekers may visit the following websites
The LONGUA-Team would be glad to give you further advice.
Apply for LONGUA-Jobs here.
Some more useful websites about China are:
If you need more information, the LONGUA-Team would be glad to assist you.
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