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Transportation

Civil Aviation

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) provides safe and quality service. A network of 750 domestic airlines is in operation in China, reaching 136 cities across the country with Beijing in the center. There are also 100 international airlines and 21 regional airlines, radiating to 58 cities in 39 countries. The aircraft in service are at advanced world levels in terms of type and specification, and all the major airports are equipped with the world’s best facilities. Air China is one of the safest air companies in the world.

Land Transport

(1)Railways China’s extensive railway network contains domestic and international operations. Domestic services fall into such categories as quasi-high speed trains, fast trains, travelling trains, expresses, and through passenger trains. Quasi-high speed trains running mainly from Guangzhou to Kowloon and from Guangzhou to Shenzhen. Tourist trains shuttle between major tourist cities. The sleeping carriages running on China’s railways are partitioned into compartments each containing four cushioned berths arranged in upper and lower levels.

Int’l Railway Through Transport International Railway Through Transport is available on the following routes; Beijing-Ulaan Baatar-Moscow; Beijing-Manzhouli-Moscow; Beijing-Pyongyang; Urumqi-Alma Ata; Beijing-Hanoi; Beijing-Ulaan Baatar. On these routes express passenger train run inapposite directions. Just to remind European passengers: It takes six to seven days for an express train to reach Beijing from Moscow by way of Ulaan Baatar or Manzhouli. Valid passports and certificates for Hong Kong and Macao compatriots returning to the motherland are requested when purchasing tickets for Beijing-Kowloon and Shanghai-Kowloon through passenger trains; when a ticket is bought in China, the fare is calculated in Hong Kong dollars but paid in Renminbi.

(2) Highways China has built a total of 1.18 million kilometers of highways, which include 70-odd state highways and 1,600-plus provincial highways. Passenger service is excellent on China’s expressways, featuring frequent dispatches of high-grade, fast –running vehicles, and simplified check-ins. Buses, which generally run along through lines at an average speed of 100 kilometers per hours, are dispatched in a streamlined fashion.

(3) Getting around in a City taxi is a convenient means of transportation in large and medium-sized tourist cities in China, with fares ranging from one to two yuan per kilometer. Simply raise your hand, and the taxi stops immediately for hotels in Beijing and other tourist cities. Riding old-fashioned pedicabs through Beijing’s hutongs and back alleys is a fascinating tourist experience.

(4) Waterways China’s vast maritime territory encompasses the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas in the east and the South China Sea in the south. While the Bohai Sea nestles in the arms of the mainland, the Yellow, East China and South China seas are linked with the Pacific Ocean. The country’s long and winding coastline is clustered with extensive and deep harbors such as those in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Yantai, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Dalian, Beihai, and Hong Kong.

Maritime Shipping Lines The new Jianzhen, a luxury passenger and cargo liner operated by the Sino-Japanese International Ferry Company, sails once a week from Shanghai to Japan’s Kobe, Osaka and Yokohama-and a one-way trip along the route takes about 45 hours. The Yanjing is a passenger liner run by the Jinshen Steamboat Company, which shuttles once a week between Tianjin and Kobe. The Daren passenger and cargo liner owned by the Dalian Daren Steamboat Company, sails twice a week between Dalian Daren Steamboat Company, sails twice a week between Dalian and Inchon in South Korea, with a one-way trip taking 15 hours. Operated by the Weihaiwei Eastern Shipping Company, the two luxury passenger liners, the Xinjinqiao and Xiangxuelan, sail three times a week from Weihai and Qingdao respectively to Inchon, with a one-way trip lasting for 14 hours.

Domestic Ocean Liners China’s port cities are covered by a labyrinth of maritime shipping lines. The most important of these are the Shanghai-Dalian, Dalian-Tianjin, Dalian-Yantai, Shanghai-Qingdao, Shanghai-Guangzhou, Beihai-Guangzhou, Shenzhen-Zhuhai, and Zhuhai-Hong Kong lines. Tracing these well-arranged domestic maritime shipping lines are many luxury pleasure boats and passenger liners.

Inland Waterways The mainland of China is crisscrossed by a total of 226,800 kilometers of rivers, including 136,000 kilometers of inland waterways. The Shanghai-Chongqing line along the Yangtze River extends for 2,399 kilometers. On a given day the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River are being plied by more than 50 luxury tourist boats.