Post
China's
international postal service is efficient. It generally takes 5-10
days for airmail letters or postcards to reach their destination.
Domestic mail is fast. Post offices are found throughout China.
For
faster service Express Mail Service (EMS) allows you to send registered
letters and parcels out of China and can be arranged at post offices.
Post
Restante services exist in every city and town. In addition, most
hotels have branch offices.
It
is best to buy envelopes in China as envelopes must be of an approved
size. Envelopes purchased abroad will reach their destination, however,
they will be given lowest priority and will move at a snails pace.
Post
offices are exacting about how you pack a parcel. Take the items
you want to post, to the post office and pack them there, as you
will have to get customs clearance for your parcel. If you have
a receipt for your purchases, enclose it, customs may re-open your
packet along the way.
Postal
Rates
Domestic
letters up to 20g cost RMB0.50, postcards RMB0.30.
International rates for letters up to 20g vary from RMB2.50 to RMB5.40
depending on the province.
Courier
A
number of international courier companies have offices in China.
United Parcel Service (UPS), DHL, Federal Express, and TNT Skypak
all have representatives in China. Inquire at your hotel to find
the closest office or to arrange pick up service.
Internet
The Internet is increasingly available throughout China. You should
be able find somewhere to access it in most major cities, though
at times it can be very slow to download. Business centers in 4
and 5 star hotels usually have Internet access. Cybercafes are popping
up in many cities in China. Your best bet for finding one is to
look near universities or in tourist areas.
Telephone
and Fax
China's
phone system works well. You can usually place both international
and domestic phone calls from you hotel room or hotel's business
center, but there is always a surcharge on long distance calls.
Local calls are generally free from your hotel.
Domestic
long distance rates are cheap. International calls are very expensive,
in the neighborhood of RMB20 per minute. Reverse-charge calls are
legal and are generally less expensive than calling overseas from
China.
Card
phones are fairly widespread in China and can be the simplest and
the cheapest way to make calls in China. There are two types of
phone cards, the older magnetic cards and the newer "Smartcards".
Smartcards are better to purchase. Magnetic phone cards may only
be used in the province in which you buy them, Smartcards may be
used all over China.
Local and domestic long distance calls, but not international calls
can generally be made from phone booths. Both long distance and
international calls may be placed from the offices of telecommunications
companies. Calls are charged by the minute.
Faxes
can be sent from most hotel business centers.
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