Cellphone
Most of the cellphones bought in foreign countries like US, Germany,
Japan and South Korea, even the 3G (the third generation) cellphone,
can not be normally used in China since different countries in the
world have different network service systems. In China, only GSM
and CDMA systems are available. Besides, the working frequencies
are different for different countries. A frequency of 900/1800Hmz
only can be recognized in China. So the best thing is to purchase
or rent a cellphone in China itself when you are here for your trip.
Many well-known world class brands of cell-phone like Nokia,
Motorola, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, NEC, Philips, Panasonic,
among others, are sold in franchised stores or large-scale emporia
of China. After you purchase a new cellphone in China, it will
be necessary to have a new Chinese SIM card inserted in the cellphone.
Different mobile carriers have different SIM cards. You can shop
around and choose the one that suits you.
Mobile lease is also available in China though fewer people now
use it. In the business halls of the mobile carriers, roadside
cellphone shops or secondhand markets even at the airports, you
may rent a cellphone. Besides, some companies will also offer
you the mobile rental service through internet. You can have an
online reservation to rent a cellphone. Generally, a certain amount
of deposit is required ranging from 50 to 100 US dollars based
on different mobile phones while 1 to 3 US dollars is needed as
the daily rent excluding the first several days' rental.
The charging cost of your mobile varies, based on the different
SIM cards. There are two big mobile carriers in China: China Mobile
and China Unicom. Any of them can provide you with good service.
Generally speaking, it is much cheaper for you to use cellphone
in China. The phone bill is required to be paid in advance at
the business hall of the carriers or through the bill-paying card.
All kinds of affairs related to your cellphone can be handled
at the business outlets of your Service Provider. Besides, the
free 24-hour hot lines 10086 (China Mobile) and 10010 (China Unicom)
for the customer service are prepared for your consultation to
answer all your questions at any time.
Whether operated by China Mobile or China Unicom, the mobile
phone number in China has 11 Arabic numerals usually beginning
with 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139 and 159.
In China, you can directly dial the local number of the mobile
phone by using your cellphone. If you want to dial a stationary
phone out of the city where you are, area code should be added
in front. In reverse, if you use a stationary phone to dial the
cellphone, '0' sApril 8, 2008 of other cities. For dialing countries overseas from China, the
international access number '00' should be dialed first, then
the code of your destination country and your local telephone
with area code in front.
Postal Service
Although the mobile phone, internet or other even more advanced
contact ways emerges as the times require and they have been developing
fast, the postal service, a traditional communication way that
can not be ignored today, still plays a very important part in
people's daily life nowadays. In China, post offices, with a striking
green logo, can be easily found everywhere in the cities. The
operation time usually is 08:00 - 18:00 during the whole week
from Monday to Sunday, but in some remote areas, the post office
may be closed at weekends.
Envelopes and Stamps can be easily bought in any of the post
offices. Do remember to stick the adequate-value stamp firmly
on the envelope and write the address clearly. Besides, the zip
code of the destination is required.
It is not expensive at all for you to mail a domestic letter
in China. The price varies according to the weight of your mail
and the delivering distance. Your letter should be less than 100g.
For each 20g, 0.6 Yuan is charged if the mail is delivered in
the same city, while 0.8Yuan is for the intercity mail delivery.
If the letter is over 100g, for each extra 100g, 1.2 Yuan should
be added for the mail delivered in the same city and 2.0 Yuan
for the intercity mail. The delivering time is different based
on the distance. Generally speaking, it will take 5-7 days for
domestic mail. Registered post is much safer but another 3.0 Yuan
will be charged for each mail as the registration fee. EMS (Express
Mail Service) in China basically is the best way to mail the letter
or parcel. Within 3 days, the mail will be successfully delivered.
Besides, International postal service is also offered widely in
China. Under normal circumstances, it will take about 1 week to
3 months for your mail to arrive according to the different delivering
ways, but it only takes about 15 days if you use EMS service.
Generally, airmail is the quickest way for delivering the international
mail. 11185 is the 24-hour hot line as the customer service offered
to you for your consultation about the mailing. Hereunder is the
postal rate for the international mail delivery.
International Postal Rate |
| Category |
Charging Standard |
Postal Rate (Yuan) |
| International |
Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan |
| Letter |
Less than 20g and 20g |
4.40 |
1.50 |
| 21g-50g |
8.20 |
2.80 |
| 51g-100g |
10.40 |
4.00 |
| Over 100g -250g |
20.80 |
8.50 |
| Over 250g-500g |
39.80 |
16.70 |
| Over 500g-1,000g |
75.70 |
31.70 |
| Over 1,000g-2,000g |
123.00 |
55.80 |
| Postcard |
Each |
3.20 |
1.00 |
| Airmail |
Each |
5.20 |
1.80 |
| Presswork |
Less than 20g and 20g |
3.00 |
0.80 |
| 21g-50g |
4.00 |
1.50 |
| 51g-100g |
6.80 |
2.30 |
| Over 100g -250g |
12.50 |
3.80 |
| Over 250g-500g |
22.40 |
7.50 |
| Over 500g-1,000g |
37.50 |
14.30 |
| Over 1,000g-2,000g |
59.50 |
25.50 |
| For Each extra 1,000g (mail is over 2,000g ) |
26.10 |
11.50 |
| Packet |
Less than 100g and 100g |
7.80 |
4.40 |
| Over 100g -250g |
15.70 |
9.00 |
| Over 250g-500g |
28.3 |
16.20 |
| Over 500g-1,000g |
46.9 |
27.00 |
| Over 1,000g-2,000g |
87.8 |
50.40 |
For more information about EMS service and its postal rate,
please refer to the official website of China EMS in English:
http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp
Telephone and Fax
Making
a telephone call - local, long-distance or international - is
very easy in China. The phonebooths and other public telephones
can be easily found on the roadside, hotels, railway stations,
airports and large-scale emporia. Most of the public telephones
in China are operated by inserting a phone card, whose par value
ranges from 20 to200 Yuan. There are also other stationary telephones
offered by the peddlers of the small roadside shops and here you
should pay cash. Phone costs vary depending on the carrier - China
Telecom, China Netcom, China Tietong as well as the place and
the length of the call. IP phone cards can save you much if you
make the long-distance calls. If you call overseas, do please
dial the international prefix '00' first, and then the country
code, area code and the telephone number of your destination.
You may also fax your message in China. There are public fax machines
in many places. Scanning services etc are also available. The cost
of faxing is akin to that for phoning, basically ranging from 3
to 5 Yuan.
Internet
Along with the advancement and development of China, internet access
nowadays is widely available. Many cyberbars with quality computers
and high-speed access can be easily found in places like the leisure
area, busy street, schools and universities. The cost will vary
from city to city, but generally it is 1-5 Yuan per hour. In most
of the starred hotels, internet service is offered in a special
area to guests. The cost will be somewhat higher, of course.
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