MONEY
The Chinese money is called Renminbi (meaning "People's Currency"). Its basic unit is Yuan. The current official exchange rate between the U.S. Dollar and Chinese Yuan (CNY) is 1:6.8 (1.00 Dollar = 6.8 Yuan). 1 Yuan equals 10 Jiao, and 1 Jiao equals 10 Fen (cent). You may change foreign currencies into CNY at banks or hotels according to the exchange rate of the day. Credit cards such as Visa, American Express and Master Card are acceptable at large hotels, restaurants and shopping centers.

ELECTRICITY
The electricity in China is 220V/50Hz. The standard wall socket has three-connectors in the shape different from that used in the US and Europe so that you need to bring a universal socket. However, in hotel bathrooms there is usually a socket of 110V for electric razors only. If you need to use electric appliances of 110V, you need to bring with you a 220V/110V converter.

TELEVISION PROGRAMS
English TV programs are available in many hotels via satellite relay. China Central Television Station (CCTV-9) and some local TV stations also provide news and other programs in English.

TELEPHONES AND POSTAL SERVICE
IDD and postal services are available in all hotels and post offices. Phone cards can be purchased at post offices inside hotels, on newsstands and at airports. Telephone booths in the streets are mostly for local calls. The country code for China is 86 (Beijing 86-10; Shanghai 86-21; Chengdu 86-28;).

INTERNET ACCESS
Most hotels in big cities provide broad-band internet services 24 hours at rooms with or without charges.

WATER
It's not recommended to drink the tap water in China. Drink bottled water only or cool boiled water offered by hotels instead. You may use an electric water kettle to boil water or hot water in thermos provided by hotels for making tea or coffee.

TIME DIFFERENCE
China uses one Time Zone (Beijing Time) which is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. When it is 00:00 in Beijing, the standard times in different cities of the world are as follows:

HEALTH CARE
If you need to see a doctor during your stay, ask your travel agent or hotel concierge to help you locate one. Hotels usually have access to doctors or they may have a clinic. Hospitals provide both Western and traditional Chinese medical treatment. SOS First Aid centers operate in most cities and counties. The phone number is 120.

OFFICE HOURS
In China, standard working hours are 8 hours a day, usually from 8 am to 5 pm, and 5 days a week. Major malls are open daily from 8:30am or 9:00am and close around 8:30pm during winter and 9:00pm or later in summer.

LUGGAGE
While traveling in China, check-in luggage limit is 20 kg and hand carrying baggage limit 5 kg per person on airplanes. Carrying luggage on trains is limited to 20 kg per person. It is wise not to overload your luggage with common daily articles and foodstuffs as they are available in many world-brand supermarkets in big cities.

CLIMATE AND CLOTHING
Chengdu’s climate is rather steady and predictable, albeit tough to take at times.
Spring and fall are generally very pleasant. Spring sees a bit of rain, but not an overwhelming amount. Local citizens flock to parks, teahouses, and other outdoor locales to drink tea, play cards, exercise, or just the laze the day away. The only down side is the lack of blue sky and sun that sometimes plagues Chengdu. A combination of humidity, pollution, and clouds blowing off the Tibetan Plateau contributes to Chengdu’s numerous overcast days. Spring and fall temperatures are roughly 15-25 °C (60-80 °F).
A lot of locals are actually quite fond of Chengdu’s seemingly year round humidity, as they believe it is very beneficial to their skin.

TAXI
It is easy to hire a taxi wherever you want to go. Non-Chinese speaking visitors are advised to have their destinations written down in Chinese and show the address to the cab driver, since most of them do not speak English. Simply pay the amount appeared on the meter or receipt. Tips are not necessary.

TIPPING
There is officially no tipping in China, but in reality it has become quite commonplace in the hospitality industry, especially where bellhops (four- and five-star hotels), tour guides and tour bus drivers are concerned. Restaurant waiters and waitresses and taxi drivers usually do not expect tips, and will return any change due to you.

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS(in Shanghai)
Police: 110
Telephone Numbers: 114
Weather: 121
First Aid: 120
Ticket Service, Southwest Airways Ticket Office
Address: No.41, Erduan, Southern Renmin Street, Chengdu
24-Hour Inquiry and Ticket-delivery Hotline: 028-8666 8080
Ticket Service, Sichuan Airways Ticket Office
Address: Tianfu Square, Chengdu
Hotline: 028-8667 8541
Chengdu Shuangliu international Airport: 86 (0)28 8520
The train ticket hall at Chengdu Railway Station: Telephone: 028-8662 4758