As with any destination we would advise guests to remain vigilant, but the general level of safety on China’s streets is surprisingly good. Beijing and Shanghai boast a measure of personal safety exceeding levels in cities such as London, New York, Paris or Los Angeles. Traffic safety has vastly improved and food safety much more stringent than in the past. One area to exercise caution when walking on the streets is with the abundance of electric scooters, which have increased amidst the popularity of food and courier deliveries.

No. International airfare is not included in the price. However, all domestic airfares within China are usually included. For some domestic destinations we recommend travel by high speed Railway. This would typically be in First or Business Class, and is also typically included in the price. Note that Business Class is the highest class of travel on the Chinese train network followed by First, then Second Class.

Many foreign nationals visiting China, including those from the United States or United Kingdom are still required to obtain a visa prior to arrival in Mainland China. However, since 2023 China has been gradually relaxing its visa policy with nationals from a growing list of countries now granted visa free access for 15 or 30 days. At present, this includes but is not limited to a large portion of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Gulf countries and Brazil. If a visa is required, this is typically handled by the Chinese embassy or consulate assigned to your region of residence. In some cases, this process is now handled by the official appointed agents Visa for China. The cost of and time taken in obtaining the visa is each traveler’s responsibility. Visitors from most countries do not require a visa for short visits to Macau or Hong Kong. For Taiwan, visa free access is granted to many nationalities, but currently excludes Brazil and Mexico. Please check with your travel agent, embassy websites or a visa service for up-to-date information. (Do not rely on general websites.)

Recently, China has also implemented a 10-day Visa-Free transit for visitors from 53 countries. According to this, travelers can spend up to 10 days in China provided they have confirmed onward travel to a third international destination (including Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan) within ten days of arrival.

The Chinese peoples’ national currency or Renminbi (RMB) consists of fen, jiao and yuan. There are ten fen in a jiao, and ten jiao in a yuan. The basic currency unit is the yuan, known colloquially as a kuai. The yuan is denominated in notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. Ten yuan or kuai is worth about US$1.40 or £1.

Hong Kong and Macau have their own local currencies, respectively the Hong Kong Dollar and Pataca. At present, these are roughly equivalent and loosely pegged to the US Dollar. Ten yuan is worth about $11 HKD.

A commission-paying shop/restaurant is one that pays local tour operators and ground handlers to bring tourist traffic to their business. The tourism business model in China has long depended on commissions paid by shops/restaurants to compensate for revenues lost through deep discount tour pricing. You need to be concerned about this since shops and restaurants which ‘pay for customers’ typically pay correspondingly little attention to product/service quality – as captive customer revenue is guaranteed by virtue of the commission arrangement. To be clear, Imperial Tours’ guests do not frequent such places.

Our Ultimate China (UC) tours are accompanied by a China Host to provide the best possible service, while our China Escapades (CE) tours have greater independence at a lower price. There is no difference in quality between Ultimate China & China Escapade tours, only between their service structure, inclusions and offered destinations. Please see Our Philosophy for more information.