China Bound, Revised A Guide to Academic Life and Work in the PRC (1994) / Chapter Skim
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7. Services Available
7. Services Available
Pages 138-152
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From page 138... ...
The card is also useful if you lose your passport, develop a serious illness, or have other problems. If you live in a city where there is a consulate, you can also expect to be invited to functions hosted by the consulate— dances, movies, Friday afternoon happy hours, Christmas parties, and the annual Fourth of July gathering.
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From page 139... ...
The main compound houses the embassy's executive offices and the offices of the political, science and technology, and economic sections as well as the Foreign Commercial Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service. The following list of U.S.
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From page 140... ...
International parcel post and other special services are usually offered in specified post offices—in Beijing, at the Friendship Hotel and the International Post Office, located in Jianguomenwai, near the diplomatic quarter. In February 1994, airmail rates from China to the United States were Y2 for a letter and Y1.60 for a postcard.
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From page 141... ...
Mail in China sometimes shows evidence of tampering, but rarely goes permanently astray. Since mail at work units is often put into boxes for one or more persons or just laid out on a table or in a hallway, mail is lost usually between this point and the intended recipient.
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From page 142... ...
Ask your host unit to direct you to the nearest Bank of China branch with full services for foreigners. In Beijing, most Americans frequent either the office on Dengshikou Xijie just north of Wangfujing Dajie or the bank on the ground floor of the CITIC building in the .
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From page 143... ...
Most large work units in urban areas have a fax machine or access to one. Be aware, however, that while business communications will be free of charge to the recipient, some Chinese may be charged for both sending and receiving of personal faxes.
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From page 144... ...
Long-distance calls within China placed through an operator can take considerable time to connect from ten minutes to a couple of hoursparticularly during peak business hours, because the phone lines are often overloaded. Some cities now have domestic direct dial (000)
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From page 145... ...
The first, The China Phone Book and Business Directory, can be ordered from: The China Phone Book Company G.P.O. Box 11581 Hong Kong Telephone: 852-508-4448 The second, China Telephone Directory, is published annually by the Beijing Telecommunications Equipment Plant (telephone: 1-513-7878~.
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From page 146... ...
If you prefer Chinese medicine, the hospital associated with the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicine is good, particularly for people with back problems seeking a good therapeutic massage. The Worker's Hospital in Nanjing and the Huadong Hospital, the Huashan Hospital, and the Number One People's Hospital in Shanghai have a special wing for foreigners and usually have at least one English-speaking physician on duty.
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From page 147... ...
If you will be relying on your own medical insurance, the cost of a recent hospitalization in the Peking Union Medical College is instructive. In 1992, a two-week hospital stay!
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From page 148... ...
Most of the joint-venture hotels have exercise rooms and swimming pools. The International Club and Friendship Hotel pools offer monthly and daily passes.
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From page 149... ...
Every city also has a few old and famous restaurants that you will want to visit a few times during your stay. In Beijing, the Sichuan Restaurant, located in a "four-cornered courtyard" complex that once belonged to the Qing general Yuan Shikai, is still a charming spot to eat hot and spicy Sichuan food, and the restaurant in Ritan Park, long famous for its dumplings and now refurbished with outdoor tables in warmer weather, is still popular for anyone visiting the ~ianguomenwai area.
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From page 150... ...
The first step in arranging travel is to purchase train tickets at the local train station or airline tickets at one of the airline offices. As soon as you know when you will leave, it is a good idea to make hotel reservations, especially during busy tourist times (May through October)
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From page 151... ...
If you are on a route with less palatable food, you can still eat reasonably well by mixing a vegetable dish together with rice for improvised "fried rice." Or you can skip the arranged fare altogether and order a noodle dish for half the price or even the cheaper boxes of hot rice and vegetables that Chinese passengers often favor. Another option is to purchase food from platform vendors at scheduled train stops.
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From page 152... ...
Many charge relatively high service fees for such assistance and encourage the traveler to stay In more expensive hotels. While some foreign affairs offices are also willing to help teachers, many report that the waiban officials are now so busy that they cannot afford the time.
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