Before you take a trip to China, there is some essential information you must have. This information is that which will help and guide you throughout your stay in China. When you visit China, you will likely want to visit the popular tourist centres like Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Shanghai, just to mention a few. This information will aid your visit.

One of the most important things to know when travelling to China is that they do not offer Visas to arrivals. So before you travel, you will need to arrange your visa well in advance. It is a known fact that when applying for a tourist visa, some of the requirements needed include you providing a detailed itinerary of your intended trip and this includes return flights and confirmed reservations for your hotel bookings. It is necessary for you to know that China’s gateway airports are huge but easy to navigate.

The taxis in China are very cheap as a typical 40 minutes trip from an airport to a hotel costs less than $10, with no tip expected because the Chinese do not give tips so they do not expect it. When you use a taxi, however, it is imperative that you have the destination printed out or visible on a screen in Chinese to avoid any hassle and misinformation. It is advisable to have a language translator app on your mobile phone or to hire the services of a translator.

Local subways are easy to use as there are system maps, ticket machines, station names and recorded announcements are all presented in both Chinese and English language. The only problem is that metros are crowded at most times and busy at rush hours. Train fares are cheap and affordable; this makes it easier for you to navigate around China without breaking a sweat over the cost of transportation.

Also the hotel prices are low in comparison with other countries. Even the rates for four star and five-star hotels are lower than you might expect and this makes it easier for you to get a comfortable accommodation.

Although payments by cash are usually acceptable and are the only medium of exchange or transaction in some areas of the country, some other business organizations accept Visa and Master cards for payment. For payments made by cash, it is therefore pertinent to note that China only recognizes its own currency and nothing else. So it is advisable to exchange currency at the ATMs in China.

Larger cities in China have been said to have serious problems with air pollution, particularly in Beijing. Many locals swear by masks on days with hazardous air pollution and it is usually advisable to avoid those areas or wear face masks just like the locals, but it is safer to avoid exertion on days with particularly bad pollution.

And for communication, it is advisable to get a local SIM card in China and the major carriers include China Telecom and China Unicom.

 

The history of The Great Wall of China extends back to over 2,000 years, to a period before China was a unified nation. With a length of 21,196.18 km, it was estimated to be the longest wall in the world.

The wall comprises of various walls and fortifications, most running parallel to one other. It was mainly erected along an east-to-west line over the ancient northern borders of China to secure the Chinese states against the attacks and invasions of the different nomadic travellers of the Eurasian Steppe.

Some Detailed Structure of the Great Wall

To measure all sections built, a recent report proposed that the Great Wall of China could be a stunning 13,170.7 miles in length. The well-known (was said to be the best) section was raised amid the Ming Dynasty and was 5,500.3 miles between Hushan to the Jiayuguan Pass. Regardless of whether you just mull over the primary line length of the wall – around 2,150 miles, it is still the record-holding longest wall on this planet.

In case you are wondering about the height of the Great Wall of China, the height varies, ranging from 15 feet to 39 feet. In width thickness, the wall is up to 32 feet.

The Great Wall of China extends from Dandong (in the east) to Lop Lake in the west, in an arc that generally outlines the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. In a complete archaeological overview, with the aid of higher technologies has inferred that the walls of Ming were measured 8,850 km. This covered 6,259 km areas of the main wall, 359 km of trenches and 2,232 km of naturally guarded barriers – for example, hills and waterways. Another archaeological review found that the whole wall with the majority of its branches apportioned to be 21,196 km. In this modern day, the Great Wall is often perceived as a standout among the most amazing architectural accomplishments ever to be built.

Why the Great Wall of China Was Assembled

Aside from the purpose of defense (it was initially erected as a wartime defense), different motivations behind the wall have included, permitting the imposition of duties on merchandise transported within the Silk Road, controls of border, consolation or regulation of exchange and the control of migration. Moreover, the protective attributes of the Great Wall were improved by the development of troop barracks, watchtowers, stations for the garrison, indicating abilities through the methods fire or smoke, and how the Great Wall likewise useful as a transportation passage.

Who Built It?

The idea was said to be initially brought about by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) during the third century B.C. as a method for avoiding attacks from brute nomads into the Chinese Empire – the wall was a standout among the broadest construction tasks ever made. In the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries A.D., the best-known and protected area of the Great Wall was completed – amid the Ming administration (from 1368 to 1644). In spite of the fact that the Great Wall never viably kept intruders from entering China, it functioned more as a mental boundary between Chinese civilization and the world around and maintains a capable image of the nation’s great enduring strength.

The best times to visit the Great Wall of China are usually the first weeks of May and October – during these periods; you should be expecting a great group of travellers too.

 

Overall compared to many other countries, China is an extremely safe place. But even amongst Chinese cities, there are variations in safety and public security. To some people, the major features of safe cities include no fatal accidents, no frequent robberies and cases of kidnapping, good amenities for the citizens and a host of other things.

Although all these are quite true and necessary for a state to be considered safe, for it to be truly safe, it has to be able to cater and guide the lives and properties of tourists visiting the country. It is a fatal blow to any country that cannot protect the visitors in their country. Some of the places in China that are confirmed to be safe for tourists include the following

1.  The first city on the list is Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the safest city in China, according to the latest ranking of the safest Chinese cities released by Hong Kong-based China Institute of city competitiveness (CICC).

2. The capital, Beijing, leads in many areas and public security is one of them.

3. Shanghai which is the capital of China’s economy and so public security is a top priority as a result of the high efficiency of the government.

4. Nanjing is also one of the safest places in China.

5. Hangzhou is a city that has experienced a staggering economic development, where a good combination of good timing and the right people have earned the “good reputation of heaven”. The city has been said to be safe for tourists from around the world.

6. Qingdao is said to be one of the best examples in northern China of good economic development and low unemployment greatly contributing to stable public security in the city and this makes it extremely safe for tourists.

7. Xinyu is another safe part of China as theft and robbery are rare there proving its deserved reputation for public safety thereby making the city very safe for tourists as their lives and properties are sure to be safe.

8. Meizhou is said to be the original home of China’s Hakka majority.

9. Zhoushan, a rich city with a small and stable population, is also a safe place for tourists.

10. Weihai, a city founded on the promise of making the “city that is most suitable for human living”, is a safe place for tourists because of the firm hold the government have on the environment and the security.

11. Tianjin is another safe place for tourists. The people in Tianjin are humble and down to earth. Tianjin has been very welcoming for migrant populations and tourists, thus preventing the tensions that plague some Chinese cities.

12. Chengdu is the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

13. Guilin is a city in southern China known for its dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills. It does not only house beautiful sites for tourists, it also provides security for the tourist in the area.