More and more American people have found that China is one of the most attractive travel destinations in the world now. 1 dollar equals to 6.8 RMB and you can get a five star hotel for only 100 dollars.(60 dollars for the 3 star hotel) If you are a student, you can also find a decent hotel for only 30 or 40 dollars. It is a cheap but very attractive destination. China has 5000 years of history and was the dominant country in the whole world for thunsands of years. You can see lots of unique things here,like the Great Wall,Forbidden City,Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses Figurines. In a word, what attracts millions of tourists to China is the unique Chinese culture.
The Chinese Visa is not difficult to get for an American citizen. There are 8 types of Chinese Visas.
1. L visa: visa for the tourists.
2. F visa: visa for the vistors. (For the visiting scholars, business men or short term visiting and internship.) You will need the invitation letter from the Chinese companies or schools.
3. X visa: visa for the students.
4. Z visa: visa for the Non-Chinese citizen who is going to work in China.
5. G visa: visa for people who needs a connecting flight from China to another country.
6. C visa: visa for the airline company employees.
7. J visa: visa for the Journalist.
8. D visa: the Chinese Green Card.
One thing you need to realize is that the Hong Kong visa and Macao visa are independent from the Chinese visa. This means you can not enter China if you only have the Hong Kong or Macao visa. Generally you don’t need a Hong Kong visa to enter Hong Kong if you are holding the American passport. (Stay in Hong Kong for less then 90 days) But you will need to apply for a Chinese visa if you are planning to visit China from Hong Kong.
The cost is 130 dollars for the Chinese visa application. (From 1/20/2008)
The web site of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America is : http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/
The people’s Republic of China currently maintains one Embassy in Washington D.C., but also maintains 5 consulates-general in the following U.S. cities: New York, NY; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX.
The addresses are:(China vacations information)
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 110, Washington D.C. 20007,tel:(202) 338-6688,fax:(202) 588-9760.
520 12th Ave. New York,NY 10036,tel:212-244 9456.
1 East Erie Street,Suite 500,Chicago,IL 60611,tel:312-573-3070/3071,fax:312-803-0122.
1450 Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA 94115 ,tel:415-674-2940 .
3417 Montrose Boulevard,Houston,Texas 77006,tel:7135201462,Fax:7135213064.
3rd Floor, 500 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020 ,tel:213-807-8006,visa@chinaconsulatela.org
Some tips here:
If you only need a L visa, you can use a Chinese travel agent in the USA. They can help you to book cheap air ticket and handle all the visa things. It is very convenient. (You will need to provide your passport,birth certificate, no crime record certificate,etc)
By Shane Lee