Dress

It is cold in Peking from December to March and visitors are advised to dress warmly. In summer in north China and during the greater part of the year in the south, tropical or light-weight clothing may be worn. Visitors to the Kwangchow Fair dress informally in open-necked sport shirts and lightweight trousers. Women will probably feel most comfortable wearing pantsuits or slacks. A lightweight pullover may be useful in the evening. It is also advisable to take cool, comfortable footwear, a lightweight hat, and mosquito repellent.

Climate

In North China the temperature ranges from 5°F in January to 104° in July and August. Exceedingly dry and dusty for most of the year, Peking becomes rather humid during the rainy season of July and August. South China is subtropical and fairly hot until the end of October. The climate around Shanghai in East China is very similar to South China with much higher rainfall than Peking. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit China, from the point of view of temperature. Dust storms can be expected in north China during April and May.

Language

Chinese (also called Mandarin, Kuo Yu, and P'u T'ung Hua-common speech) is the national language, although several other dialects are frequently used, especially Cantonese in the South. The written language is uniform. Businessmen will find that the people with whom they negotiate either speak English or will have interpreters available. The Chinese Travel Service can advise businessmen on reliable translation services.

Time

All of China as well as Hong Kong are on Peking time, 12 hours ahead of EDT.

Public Holidays

Official public holidays are Jan. 1-New Year, May 1-Labor Day, Oct. 1, 2-National Days. The 3-day Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) occurs in January or February, varying from year to year.

Hours of Business

Government offices and corporations are open 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday (with minor variations during the cold and hot seasons). Sunday is treated as a holiday. Appointments are rarely made before 9 a.m. and it is not advisable to seek a Friday afternoon appointment. The Chinese negotiate both in the morning and the afternoon. Business discussions tend to last longer than in the West.

Shops are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. everyday, including Sunday. "Friendship Stores," for foreigners only, are located in major cities and carry a wide variety of Chinese goods, especially arts and crafts.

The U.S. Liaison Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A security officer is on duty 24 hours a day and may be contacted in an emergency. (See Appendix 3 for telephone number.)

Weights and Measures

Most of the PRC's foreign trade is conducted in the metric system but domestic Chinese weights and measures should be understood:

1 jin (catty) 1.102 pounds

1 dan (picul) = 0.0492 tons
1 mou = 0.1647 acres

The domestic Chinese measuring system is limited to agricultural accounting and shopkeeping.

Electricity

Both single phase, 220V AC, 50 cycle and 3phase 380V AC, 50 cycle power are in use. Plugs are normally 2 or 3 pin flat (5 amp), but in hotel rooms there is usually one connection for a 2-pin round continental-type plug.

Communication Facilities

Telephone, telex and cable can be used for communicating with China's Foreign Trade Corporations and with visitors to China. Telex and cable facilities at the Kwangchow Trade Fair may involve considerable delays due to the large number of businessmen at the fair. Telephone services to Hong Kong have been excellent since the installation of a new coaxial cable. International telecommunications facilities in Peking are easier to use because of the smaller number of foreign businessmen.

Telephone charges for a three minute call to China are $12 plus tax (mid-1976). Telex facilities cost $3 per minute and there is a three minute minimum usage. Cable charges are 34 cents per word for the full rate and 17 cents per word for the night rate. (Charges from China to the United States appear to be similar).

Head offices of foreign trade corporations have both cable and telex facilities. Branch offices can be reached by cable. International cable credit cards are accepted.

Visitors to China can utilize public telex facilities in Peking and Canton but must punch their own tape. However, there is no provision for two way telex service unless the receiving party is able to send a telex back immediately upon receipt of the incoming message before the direct circuit is closed.

The telephone system in Peking and other cities is automatic. Domestic telecommunications charges are relatively inexpensive. In some cases a domestic cable to a Chinese Foreign Trade Corporation from a businessman in China may facilitate communications.

Mail Service

Mail from the United States can be sent directly to China either by surface or air. The

rates are:

Airgram - 224.

Letter (surface) - 18g for 1 oz.; 31¢ for over 1 to 2 oz.; 41g for over 2 to 4 oz.; 82¢ for over 8 oz. to 1 lb.

Letter (air) 31¢ per 1/2 oz. up to 2 oz.; 26¢ per additional 1/2 oz.

Parcel (surface) -$1.90 for first 2 lbs.; 57¢ each additional pound or fraction thereof. Parcel (air) $3.08 for first 4 oz.; $1.37 for each additional 4 oz. or fraction thereof. Surface mail takes 6-8 weeks for delivery; airmail takes 4-7 days. Be sure to show the People's Republic of China as the country of destination when mailing to China.

Emergency Contact of Visitors

In the event it is necessary to contact a traveler in China on an emergency basis, it is best to notify the China Travel Service in Hong Kong or the U.S. Liaison Office in Peking. (See Appendix 3 for phone numbers).

Exit Procedures

Before leaving the country, the traveler should exchange Chinese Yuan for foreign

currencies, since Chinese money may not be taken out of the PRC.

Before exit, the traveler's declarations of personal belongings will again be checked. Valuable items such as watches, cameras, pens, and radios registered at the customhouse at entry must be brought out again on the visitor's return trip. Items forbidden to be taken out of the PRC will be confiscated. These include:

Chinese national money; gold, platinum, silver and other precious metals such as personal ornaments (unless they had been declared at entry), any books, photos, tapes, or other media which pertain to Chinese national secrets; items of artistic value pertaining to the Chinese Revolution, history or culture. Permission of the Chinese Cultural Agency is necessary in order to export any ancient artistic items or books. After clearing customs, the visitor must walk from the Chinese side of the border to the Hong Kong side.

Bibliography

Books

Barnett, A. Doak. Uncertain Passage: China's
Transition to the Post-Mao Era. Washing-
ton, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1974.
Cahill, Harry A. The China Trade and U.S.
Tariffs. New York: Praeger, 1973.

Cail, Odile. Fodor's Peking. Edited by Eugene Fodor., rev. ed, New York: David McKay, 1973.

Chao, Kang. The Construction Industry in Communist China. Chicago: Ald ne, 1968. Chen, Nai-Ruenn and Galenson, Walter. The Chinese Economy Under Communism. Chicago: Aldine, 1969.

Cheng, Chu-yuan. China's Petroleum Industry: Output Growth and Export Potential. New York: Praeger, 1976.

Cheng, Chu-Yuan. Machine Building Industry in Communist China. Chicago: Aldine, 1971. Eckstein, Alexander., ed. China Trade Prospects and U.S. Policy. New York: Praeger, 1971.

Eckstein, Alexander. China's Economic Development: the Interplay of Scarcity and Ideology. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 1975. Fairbank, John K. China Perceived: Images and Policies in Chinese-American Relations. New York: Knopf, 1974.

Fairbank, John K. The United States and China. 3d ed., Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1971.

Felber, John E. The American's Tourist Manual for the People's Republic of China. Newardk N. J.: International Trade Index, 1975.

Goodstadt, Leo. China's Search for Plenty:

The Economics of Mao Tse-tung. New York: Weatherhill Press, 1973.

Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). How to Approach the China Market. New York: John Wiley, 1972.

Li, Victor. Politics and Economics in China's Foreign Trade. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 1976.

Lin, Hsien C. The Petroleum Industry of the
People's Republic of China. Stanford, Cal-
if.: Hoover Institution Press, 1975.
Liu, Jung-chao. China's Fertilizer Economy
Chicago: Aldine, 1971.

Nagel's Encyclopedia-Guide to China. New York: Paragon Book Gallery, Ltd.,: 1974 Perkins, Dwight H., ed. China's Modern Economy in Historical Perspective. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1975. Richman, Barry. Industrial Society in Communist China. New York: Random House, 1969.

Snow, Edgar. Red China Today: The Other Side of the River. rev. ed., New York: Random House, 1971.

Terrill, Ross. 800,000,000: The Real China.
Boston: Little and Brown, 1972.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. People's
Republic of China: Atlas. Washington, D.C.:
Government Printing Office, 1971.
People's Republic of China: International
Trade Handbook. Washington, D.C.: 1975.
U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
China: Reassessment of the Economy;
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing
Office, 1975.

Whitson, William W. Doing Business with China: American Trade Opportunities in the 1970s. New York: Praeger, 1974.

Periodical Literature

American Industrial Report published bimonthly by China Consultants International, Ltd. in cooperation with the National Council for U.S.-China Trade. Journal is in Chinese and is directed at end-users in China. Address: American Industrial Report, Ltd., 801 Kam Chung Building, 54 Jaffe Road, Hong Kong or China Consult

ants International, Ltd. 3286 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007.

China Exchange Newsletter published six times a year by the Committee for Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China, National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418.

The China Quarterly published by the Contemporary China Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, Malet Street, London WC1E 7Hp.

China Reconstructs published monthly in the People's Republic of China, distributed by Guozi Shudian, P. O. Box 399, Peking, People's Republic of China.

China Trade and Economic Newsletter published monthly by Monitor Consultants, 25 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4HE, England. China Trade Report published monthly by the Far Eastern Economic Review, Ltd., P. O. Box 47, Hong Kong.

China's Foreign Trade published quarterly in English in the People's Republic of China, distributed by Guozi Shudian, P. O. Box 399, Peking, People's Republic of China. Current Scene published monthly by the Current Scene, G. P. O. Box 66, 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong.

The Far Eastern Economic Review published weekly by the Far Eastern Economic Review, Ltd., P. O. Box 160, Hong Kong. Japan Economic Journal published weekly by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, International P. O. Box 5004, Tokyo, Japan.

Jetro China Newsletter published monthly by the Japan External Trade Organization, 2, Akasaka Aoi-cho, Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan. Market studies are published by the Domestic and International Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402. Published studies on China include:

Construction Equipment; a Market Assessment for the People's Republic of China by JeNelle Matheson, Electric Power Equipment; a Market Asssessment for the People's Republic of China, by William W. Clarke. Metalworking and Finishing Equipment; People's Republic of China.

National Council for U.S.-China Trade Special Reports published irregularly by the Council, Suite 350, 1050 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.