TRAVEL

1. ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: 

A valid passport and visa are required to enter China and must be obtained from Chinese Embassies and Consulates before traveling to China.

To apply for Visa

1). Address:

Visa Office
Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago
One E. Erie, Street, Suite 500
Chicago, IL, 60611

Our travel agency can take care of your visa application with a fee ($30.00 per person last time we used them), in addition to the $130.00 visa application fee charged by the Chinese Visa Office.

 

2). Office Hours: Monday – Friday:  9:00am - 12:00pm & 1:00pm - 2:30pm

3). Visa Application form:

 http://www.box.net/shared/static/ia8aliz8ne.pdf

4). More information can be accessed from the website of Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago (http://www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/eng/).

 

2. SAFETY AND SECURITY: 

(Mostly excerpted as being relevant from the US Department of Sate Website, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1089.html )

Americans visiting or residing in China are advised to take the normal safety precautions travelers take when in any foreign country. Specifically, travelers should remain aware of their surroundings and of events that are happening around them. Travelers should respect local police requirements to avoid travel in some areas.

Terrorism is rare in China, although a small number of bombings have occurred in areas throughout China. Recent bombings have largely been criminal activity, frequently the result of commercial disputes. Last year there were over 80, 000 incidents of social unrest according to the Chinese government. The vast majority of these local incidents related to disputes over land seizures, social issues or environmental problems. While some incidents have grown to larger scales and involved some violence, these demonstrations have not been directed against foreigners.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site, where the current Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements can be found.

Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling (888) 407-4747 toll free in the United States., or for callers outside the United States and Canada, a regular toll-line at (202) 501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

3. CRIME:

(Mostly excerpted as being relevant from the US Department of Sate Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1089.html)

China has a low crime rate. Pocket-picking is the most common crime, often targeting tourists at sightseeing destinations, open-air markets, airports, and in stores. Violence against foreigners is rare. However, incidents of violence against foreigners, including sexual assaults have been reported, usually in urban areas where bars and nightclubs are located. Special caution should be exercised when visiting bar districts late at night, especially on weekends. Robberies, sometimes at gunpoint, have occurred in western China and more recently in Beijing.

You should always exchange dollars for RMB at banks, hotels and official exchange offices because it is illegal to exchange dollars through unauthorized agencies and because of the existence of considerable volume of counterfeit currency in China. You should decline when asked by locals to exchange money at a preferential rate, because unofficial exchanges usually result in receiving counterfeit currency and possibly left to face charges of breaking foreign exchange laws. It is also advisable to carry small bills (RMB 10, 20 and 50 notes) for travel by taxi to avoid receiving counterfeit money from taxi drivers as change when you pay with large bills.

For your safety, you should always apply common sense regarding safety and security issues, such as refusing to open your room door to anyone you do not know personally while staying in hotels and not allowing yourselves to be driven to bars or an individual's home unless you know the person.

You should carry your passports with you out of reach of pickpockets. You are also encouraged to make photocopies of their passport bio-data pages and Chinese visas and to keep these in a separate, secure location. You are also encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate General through the State Department's travel registration website so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within China. By registering, you also make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact you in case of emergency.

4. HEALTH ISSUES

Food Safety: In the area of China we will be visiting, there are few concerns related to eating and drinking, all of which are easily managed.
 

Drink water: We will insist that you drink only bottled water or adequately boiled water, regardless of location. Every residential facility in China, from the most elegant 5-star hotel to the most basic dormitory, provides its guests bottled water or an electric pot for boiling water.

Food: We will insist that you only eat foods that have been cooked, or that you can peel yourselves. The typical Chinese meal consists of a wide variety of vegetables, meats, and rice or steam bread that are piping hot, many of which will be new to students. Raw foods are rarely encountered.

Medical Travel kit: You are encouraged to schedule meetings with your own physician or the university Human Service to obtain counseling and the standard travel kit, which includes a variety of over-the-counter remedies for gastrointestinal discomfort.

 

5. DISEASE CONCERNS:
 China does not require any vaccinations for entry. However, all participants will be directed to Human Service or comparable health services to be evaluated for the following vaccinations:

 • Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG),
 • Hepatitis B,
 • Japanese encephalitis,
 • Rabies,
 • Typhoid fever, and
 • Booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles.
 

SARS: Outbreaks of severe acute pulmonary syndrome (SARS) occurred in mainland China in 2003. Since there is no evidence of SARS transmission anywhere in the world right now, there is essentially no risk of acquiring SARS.

 Avian ( / Bird) Flu: Poultry and swine infected with Avian Flu were reported in southwest China in summer of 2006. The infection involves Influenza A (H5N1), a subtype of the type A influenza virus. The virus is so named because of its natural hosts wild birds. Although not typically infecting humans, the virus was found to infect human through direct bird-to-human transmission during an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry in Hong Kong; the virus caused severe respiratory illness in 18 people, of whom 6 died. There have been other instances of H5N1 human infection since then, but the virus thus far has not been capable of efficient human-to-human transmission.  We will not travel to areas where avian flu has been reported and will not visit any operation where groups of birds or swine are kept in confinement.
 

Malaria: The disease is considered to have been eradicated from Hunan according to a 2002 report of the Hunan Department of Health, and has never been an issue for Beijing.
 

Yellow fever: There is no risk for the disease in East Asia.

 

6. TRANSPORTATION:

Mobility to access the mountains, adjacent field sites, and various cultural sites in the cities is required because of the nature of the course. We will use hired bus for transportation. Most of these areas have good public transportation, and paved roads.

We will fly to China directly from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to Beijing Capital International Airport by an international air carrier. Within China, we will travel by hired bus, train, and domestic air carrier.

China has an extensive rail network, and trains are modern and comfortable, and we travel from Beijing to Zhangjiajie in overnight sleeper trains, with four passengers per sleeping compartment in individual bunks. West Beijing Train Station requires luggage be x-rayed and you will need to present your ID when check in your sleeping compartment.

In most of the areas we will visit, there is a modern and lightly used toll highway system that is comparable in quality and safety to the United States Interstate Highway system. Taxi cabs are ubiquitous, safe, and well regulated. We will rent buses with driver from reliable companies and from bus fleet owned by local universities.

7. EMERGENCY PLANS

Meeting places will be the lodging for the evening. Every participant will be issued a card that states the name, location, and phone number of the lodging in both Mandarin and English. If someone is inadvertently separated from the group, any taxi driver can use the card to transport them back to the lodging.

Cell phone service is ubiquitous and inexpensive in China, and even remote villagers generally have or have access to these phones. We will carry with us at least one cell phone from a Chinese cell phone company at all times. Every participant will be given a card with this number and instructions in both Mandarin and English on how to contact the group as well as our hosts in each place we will visit.