The flight includes a stopover in Shenyang, located in the North-East of Liaoning province. With this, the tourism traffic between Canada and China will increase the service quality among the competing Chinese Airlines like Air China, Chine Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines and make the ticket prices cheaper, providing a gateway to the students, immigrants and travellers to Canada. On the other side, more Canadian travellers are encouraged to visit China more frequently. The increased flights will boost tourism as well as give travellers a greater choice which will have a significant impact on the economy.

Due to the incident caused by a British tourist assaulting a Chinese woman, a 100 day campaign of detecting illegal overstays or work application. Therefore, foreigners are required to carry the passport and accommodation registration documents at all the times with them.

For foreign visitors, applying for a job without permissions form the county’s administrations, are considered as illegal employees. According to the regulations, they will be fined of 1,000 Rmb.

Companies or independent individuals caught hiring foreigners without work permissions will be required to terminate employment. Furthermore, they will face a monetary penalty of 5,000-50,000 Rmb including possible responsible of the foreign employee’s deportation expenses. For landlords hosting illegal foreign residents will face severe penalties as well.

The fine for foreigners trying to enter Beijing illegally will be between 1,000-10,000 Rmb plus at least three days of administrative custody. If the illegal entry, stay or employments are serious, the police have the right to order them to leave within a timeframe or deport them.
The control will not only be at customs, railway stations, or airports but also on the streets and places frequently visited by foreigners.

The climb to the summit of Emei Mountain or 峨眉山, is extremely popular. It is important to take enough time for the climb and descend. Normally, it takes one day to climb up and one for coming down. Monasteries and at the summit, you will come across some reasonably priced accommodations for travelers. It is important to bring some spare food and wear enough warm clothes because the temperature is lower than at the foot.
The mountain can be reached by train as well as by bus. The “Chengdu-Kunming” line (train) will take you directly to the mountain. If you prefer by bus, you can get on the bus at Chengdu’s Xinnan Men Bus station or from Leshan to Emei Mountain.

The Giant Buddha of Leshan, the tallest stone statue of the world, is close to the Emei Mountain. For interested travelers, the bus at the Xinnan Men Bus Station will go to Leshan and will begin to operate at 8 am and the last bus departs at 7pm. For visiting the giant Buddha, a ticket is required. Furthermore, there are bus rides to Emei Mountain at Shiyangchang Transportation Center from 7.30 am. – 7.00 pm. Also, the Jinshan Station also offers buses to that area. Most buses to Leshan or Giant Buddha operates on a regular interval between 7.30 am. – 7.00 pm.

In Dujiangyan (都江堰), there is the oldest water conservation project in the world. The irrigation project was established around 250 BC during the warring states period. It is easy to get to Dujiangyan because there are regular bus rides.

Near the border of Yunnan, a four hours ride from south Chengdu, is the Yibin Bamboo Sea (宜宾竹海). This area can be explored by numerous ways from well visited paths which can be traveled within a few hours to small passages taking one day. The trip can be done in one weekend but for a more leisure visit, a four day travel is ideal. Take the train from Chengdu or Chongqing to Yibin city then transfer to the bamboo sea of CMB. It is about 2-3 hours car ride.

For all places mentioned above, an entrance ticket is required. The following table will show the entrance price for the respective places mentioned above.

峨眉山 – Emei Mountain:
150rmb/person

青城山 – Qingcheng Mountain:
150rmb/person

乐山大佛 – Giant Buddha of Leshan:
90rmb/person

都江堰 – Dujiangyan:
90rmb/person

宜宾竹海 – Yibin Bamboo Sea:
85rmb/person

One question we often receive is how foreigners can obtain their driver’s license in China. In order to be allowed to drive a car you will need a local driver’s license.  Your current foreign driver’s license is not enough as you will be required to obtain a Chinese license as well (although, when you don’t hold a foreign driving license it’s even more difficult).

If you hold a foreign driving license, the Chengdu Traffic Management Bureau can provide the Vehicle License Protocols signed with other countries and other related agreements. Almost all the countries have the following regulations (except for example lucky Belgians, they have a special -easier- process). Preconditions: foreigners should bring the driving license from their home country. If the driving license is not already in Chinese, the applicant should also provide the Chinese translation. For translations, please contact a certified local translation agency, like ClC lnterglobal (E-mail: clc@clc-interglobal.com). You need to have: a physical test form filled and verified by hospital staff, your residence verification form by local police station, a visa which is more than 6 months from expiration, your passport and one copy, four 1-inch photos, your driving license (one copy of the driving license and the translated version of the driving license from the notary office, foreign affairs office or local translation agencies) and the completed application form. Then it’s a matter of getting some stamps and there you go. Note: you can only apply to local driving licenses for the same kinds of vehicles, providing that you meet the application requirements.

For those who do not have driving license, you need to register in a local driving school and get the training from the school before passing the examination. Note: a translator can be provided for those languages that are not available in the data bank. Available foreign languages: English and Japanese. Getting the local driving license: at the Vehicles Management Office, ask for the “Driving license application form” and “Vehicles driver physical condition form” and fill them out. After that, you will take the physical examination. Hand in the two forms from the exam, and the required documents mentioned above before paying the related fees at the counter. Hand in the bill in the hall and reserve the date for the examination. Then, obviously, pass the examination to get your Chinese driving license. Examination fee: applying car driving license: 280 RMB/ person (can take written test two times before having to pay again), applying motorcycle driving license: 140 RMB/ person/ times.

Contacts: Vehicle Management Department, Traffic Management Bureau, Chengdu. Tel: 028-87850133/134.

We wish you all the best obtaining your Chinese driver’s license & please, drive safely!

1. Dazu Rock Carvings

Located 167 kilometers east of Chongqing, Dazu county is known as the county of rock carvings.

Started around 650 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and continued through the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the Dazu Rock Carvings contain all the cliff-side carvings in Dazu county and demonstrate the peak of ancient artisans’ skills in the area.

The collection is composed of rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan and Shizhuanshan. There are more than 5,000 statues and 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs among the rock carvings, with Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian figures showcasing the artistic achievements of the area and its people.

2. Ciqikou

On the banks of the Jialing River, not far from its junction with the Yangtze River, lies the ancient village of Ciqikou (porcelain village). Covering an area of about 1.2 square kilometers, it is 14 kilometers west of Chongqing.

Ciqikou can be traced back more than 1,000 years. It gets its name from the classic porcelain handicrafts made in the village.

Formerly a busy port at the lower reaches of the Jialing River, Ciqikou remains a symbol and miniature of old Chongqing. In 1998 the State Council listed Ciqikou as a protected cultural site.

Tourists will find that the locals are still devoted to their traditional lifestyles and unaffected by the trappings of modernity in the city. A major attraction is the Shu Embroidery workshops.

3. People’s Assembly Hall

As one of the largest public assembly buildings in China, the People’s Assembly Hall in Chongqing is one of the landmark buildings in the city.

Standing at Xuetian Wan, Renmin Road, the auditorium is built in the traditional Chinese style.

The main complex is a cluster of attached structures, which contain the hall and three attached buildings to the east, south and north. It is spanned by a greenish-glazed tile dome, supported by scarlet columns. The building’s pillars and other structural elements are sculpted in a delicate and refined way, all framed amid lush greenery.

4. Eating and drinking

As one branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine, also called Yu cuisine, is famous for its distinctively spicy and strong flavors.

The city has a humid, cloudy climate with an annual mean temperature of 18.6 C, leading the locals to become addicted to spicy dishes that they reckon are stronger in taste than their Sichuan neighbors’ offerings.

Chili pepper, sesame, scallions, ginger, garlic, wine, soy sauce and seasoning are employed in almost 40 different cooking methods, including drying, salting, spicing, frying and smoking. Smell, taste, presentation and nutrition are all delicately coordinated in Chongqing dishes.

Many local specialties such as steamed sticky rice sparerib, taoran chili chicken with taro are popular with residents and visitors.

Chongqing is touted as the birthplace of hot pot in China and the restaurants can be found in virtually every corner of the city.

Hot pot used to be a winter dish but is now eaten all year round.

With the catering business thriving, many food streets are developing. The pedestrian streets around Jiefangbei (called Jiefangbei Central Business District), Nanbin Road, and Bayi Street are full of restaurants.

Many eateries also dot Nanbin Road by the bank of the Yangtze. Tourists can pick a riverside table to take in the night view of the river and the city as they wine and dine.

(Source: Chongqing express/China Daily 2012)

In China, in order to be allowed to drive a car you will need a local driving license. Indeed, your home driving license is not enough as you will be required to obtain a Chinese license as well. Below you will find all the information you need to obtain this license in Chengdu and you can download it in pdf format.

For getting the driving license in Chengdu the Traffic Management Bureau has the following regulations:

Preconditions:

Foreigners should bring the driving license from their home country; if the driving license is not already in Chinese, the applicant should also provide the Chinese translation. For translations, please call local translation agency: 028-86283116.
Have your original driver’s license scanned(both sides) or photographed, send the pictures to

ClC lnterglobal:
E-mail: clc@clc-interglobal.com or quote@clc-interglobal.com

The Vehicle Management Bureau will execute the Vehicle License Protocols Signed with other countries and other related Agreements.

For the foreign driving license holders:

You need to have:

-physical test form filled and verified by hospital staff

-residence verification form by local police station 境外人员住宿登记表

- a visa which is more than 6 months from expiration

-your passport and one copy,

-four 1-inch photos;

-your driving license, one copy of the driving license and the translated version of the driving license from the Notary office, foreign affairs office or local translation agencies

-application form

Note: You can only apply to local driving licenses for the same kinds of vehicles, providing that you meet the application requirements. This means if you drive a car in your home country you will only be able to apply for a car license here, not one for large trucks or motorcycles. If you want to get a license for trucks/motorcycles you will need to attend driving school and complete all of the steps listed in the next section.

For those who do not have driving license:

You need to register in a local Driving School and get the training from the School before passing the examination.

Note: A Translator can be provided for those languages that are not available in the data bank;

Available foreign languages: English and Japanese

Getting the local driving license:

At the Vehicles Management Office, ask for the Driving License Application Form and Vehicles Driver Physical condition Form and fill them.

After that, you will take the physical examination. Hand in the two forms from the exam, and the required documents mentionned above before paying the related fees at the counter.

Hand in the bill in the hall and reserve the date for the examination;

Then, obviously, pass the examination to get your Chinese driving license.

Examination Fee:

Applying Car Driving License: 280 RMB / Person (Can take written test two times before having to pay again)

Applying Motorcycle Driving License: 140 RMB / Person / Times

Retake Examination Fee for Car Driving License: 140 RMB / Person

Retake Examination Fee for Motorcycle License: 70 RMB / Person

Driving License Issue Fee: 10RMB

Note: A translator can be provided for those languages that are not available in the data bank;

Available foreign languages: English and Japanese

Contacts:

Vehicle Management Dept, Traffic Management Bureau, Chengdu

Tele: 028-87850133/134

Information on how to obtain a Chengdu Drivers license –

If you have any questions or requests don’t hesitate to contact us at:
e-mail: info@maxxelli.net
tel: (86) 4000 150 600
or leave a comment on the blog

Hot Properties Chongqing April 2012

In our view, a city’s level of internationalization depends not only on how many people from overseas settle there as well. An increasing number of foreigners have already or plan to choose Chongqing as a place to live in the long-term. One impressive person, who is in his mid-twenties, told us that he hopes to stay in Chongqing for at least another 40 years. It is delightful to hear of more and more foreigners settling down in Chongqing, buying a property, or marrying a local, all of which prove Chongqing is developing a foreigner-friendly environment.

2012 will see more developments in Chongqing’s internationalization.