CHINA
Asia | China
China is big, huge and populous. It has a vast landscape from grassland,s deserts, mountains, lakes, rivers and more than 14,000 km of coastline No wonder we had difficulty pinpointing where exactly we wanted to go. But true enough, the sights, the people and the food will never disappoint the traveler in you.
THINKING ABOUT CHINA?
Depending on which part of China you are heading to, there are direct and connecting flights available if coming from Manila, Philippines. Flights are serviced by several carriers such as Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, China Eastern, Air China, Philippines Air Asia and Xiamen Airlines. Inside China, the most efficient way to get around in city hubs is via train; while in the provinces it would be taxis and public buses.
The main currency used in Yuan (CNY) or Renminbi (RMB). Remember that Chinese only accept their own currency so have your money exchanged prior to travelling to China, in airports or established foreign exchange facilities. Business establishments do not accept US Dollars or Hong Kong Dollars. Credit card use is also seldom accepted, but mobile wallet such as WeChat Pay is dominant in the country (though you need a Chinese bank account for this).
Visa prior to travel to China for Philippine passport holders is REQUIRED. The process is very straightforward and easy as long as you follow the requirements on this link. with requirements found on the Chinese Embassy website. In our experience, we received the results of our application in less than 4 days.
Chinese speak Chinese. And that is it. Our recommendation is to download a translator like Google Translate prior to travel. This will help you tons when ordering from a Chinese only menu and talking to people for guide in the subway.