Language Problems?

Yes, there is a bit of a language problem depending on what you are doing and where you go as well as how you go.  If you are on a tour your guide will speak English while on the tour.  The drivers seldom if ever speak English.  Taxi cab drivers almost never speak English.  At the train station few if any speak English.  The airport of course there are many connected with the airlines and airport that speak excellent English.  In most hotels, front desk people as well as some others speak English in the major hotels.  I myself after 26 years of travel in China found it much too difficult to learn Chinese with so many dialects.  Each area has its own dialect besides Mandarin which is spoken in most areas of the country with different accents.  I gave up years ago.  Shanghai people have a special dialect which most other Chinese do not understand as well as Sichuan people as examples.  They all try to speak Mandarin to communicate but again with different accents or some are unable to speak other than their own local language.  There are also 57 different minority peoples with sub cultures also with their own individual languages outside the large cities.  One tip I tell my clients is to have a map in your pocket if you get lost.  Take it out as if to study it and usually someone steps out of the crowd who speaks English and will help you.  If you wish to take a taxi some place, write out in English where you want to go and have someone in the hotel write it in Chinese so you can give it to the Taxi Driver.  Be sure to take a hotel card with you too so you will be able to get back to your hotel.  For more tips on language you are welcome to contact me with your questions at   interlak@eskimo.com   You won't be put on any mailing list or pushed to book a tour with us. 

Customs & Security Checks in China

First of all there is rarely a Customs check entering or leaving China unless you have something to declare.  You fill out a form on your international flight before you arrive so that you just give it to Security along with your passport check.  For internal flights it is similar to the U.S.  There is a security check to go through and the usual items that you do not pack in your carry-on or suitcase anything that is considered dangerous or not allowed.  You will see the list of things posted that are not allowed.  For some reason they will take away the hand sanitizers if you have them in your carry on luggage.  Better to put these items in your checked luggage.  Rules are enforced or sometimes not depending on the airport.  They limit the carry on luggage by size which is about the size of a thick brief case.  Not always enforced as you will see.  The weight limit for checked luggage per bag is 44 lbs.  If you are overweight you have a choice to pay a Fee which can be very high or remove something from your luggage to make weight.  If you choose to pay the Fee, you must go to a special desk or window to pay the fee and return to the check-in.  Best is to be below 44 lbs. rather than have to go through all that.   Leaving China again you will fill out a departure form and these days they do not seem to care how much you take out of the  country unless it is obvious.  For more information on Customs and Security feel free to contact me with your questions without any pressure to book a tour with me or receive any spam mail.  My friends call me ChinaDave   Contact me either by email or telephone.  Email:   interlak@eskimo.com   Tel. 206-368-9074   You will find me very helpful with any information on China or Tibet.  After 26 years I  have learned a lot first hand with my very curious mind.

 Click on the Photos for a Full Screen View

Subject of Money

You should be aware of the money exchange situation in China before you go.  The exchange rate lately is  $1.00 = 6.21 Yuan in China.  There is a high service charge by the banks outside       of China if you want to exchange money before arriving in China.   Credit cards are not widely used except for hotels, factory and main department stores.  Many restaurants do not take credit cards either.  There are ATMs available in most larger cities but not in the rural areas.  Hotels in the cities will usually exchange dollars for yuan but not in the rural areas. The hotel exchange is a service to the guests and there is a very minor charge.  Banks also exchange dollars for yuan in most larger cities but again not in the rural areas.  Some banks also do not deal in exchange at all.   Cash is King as they say.  You will see most Chinese dealing in cash and often have large amounts of money with them when they go shopping.  I myself have my credit cards and debit cards along with taking a fair amount of cash.  If you have a Stock Broker, check with them if they offer a Debit card for your account.  Mine does and there are no charges for its use domestically or internationally.  Hotels have safes in the room in which you set the combination and can keep your valuables during the day when you are out sightseeing.  While many things you will find are inexpensive you will also find many things on a par with the U.S. or HIGHER.   My Chinese friend from Chengdu recently spent a year in the U.S.  When she went home she could not believe how prices had increased so much since she had been gone.  For more information on MONEY, feel free to email me with your questions.  You will not be pressured to book a  tour with us nor will you be put on an email list for spam.   My name is Dave and can be reached at    interlak@eskimo.com

 China as you will find is a country of wide contrasts.

Click on the photos for full screen viewing

Best Times to Tour China

A question I am often asked is what is the best time to travel in China.   Weather of course is important for most people.  Spring months of late March and April are good times to tour for most of the country although expect more rain especially in southern China.  May can be good but can also be warm and humid in the south.   Summer months of June, July and August are generally warm and a bit humid however there are good places to tour in the mountains such as Sichuan and other provinces.  Otherwise expect temperatures above 85 with high humidity in most areas.   Fall months over all are the best months.  September and October are the most comfortable but also most popular.   The Silk Road in the far northwest is best in April and then again in mid August through early October.  Summers can be extremely hot and winters very cold.   Perhaps the times to avoid travel in China is during National  holidays of May 1st and Oct. 1st when people have a whole week off.  Transportation is quite full and hotels and restaurant prices are at their highest unless you book much in advance.  Spring Festival which is the Chinese New Year changes each year and can be from late January to late February period.  People have a full week off here too and it is the custom to return to your parents home for that period.  Transportation can be very difficult unless booked months in advance through a tour operator or travel agent.  I have avoided that time myself as everything is very crowded.  For my clients I try to plan their tours to avoid these periods during the year for their comfort and cost.  Winter is a good time to tour IF you do not mind the cold weather.  Snow is rare and sights are all but empty of tourists.   For more information on times to travel in China please feel free to contact me at    interlak@eskimo.com    My name is Dave and you will not have any sales pitch or follow up with spam mail. 

Interview of a Digital Marketing Agency in China (French)

I had the pleasure of interviewing Olivier Verot last week. Olivier Verot is the founder of Gentlemen Marketing Agency based in Shanghai, specialized in Digital marketing, SEO, Social Media, Buzz in China. We discuss marketing strategy on Chinese social networks for foreign brands.


 

more information

China’s smartphone market drops 4%

Analysts have warned us for some time that China's smartphone market is down, and today we have the most convincing evidence that the dynamics of the buyer move in the country.

A new IDC report says smartphone shipments in the last quarter fell for the first time in nine years. The research firm tracking 98.8 million smartphones shipped in Q1 2015 - which is down 4 percent year on year and by 8 percent on the previous quarter. IDC suggested that the excess inventory from the previous quarter was partly to blame. (This is something we heard in India earlier this year.) "China is often seen as an emerging market, but the reality is that the vast majority of phones sold in China are now smartphones, similar to other mature markets like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, "said Kitty Fok IDC in a statement. As a result, smartphone makers will have a more difficult challenge of finding new growth, as they will need to convince the owners of existing smartphones to spend money to upgrade their existing phone.

Apple takes top spot

This is much more difficult than converting a buyer for the first time. Nevertheless, the Chinese smartphone market is enormous. The largest in the world. Not surprisingly, given its latest blockbuster quarter in China, Apple took the top spot in the country, according to IDC. The Apple company has set forward with 14.7 percent of the total shipments in China, just ahead Xiaomi (13.7 percent) and Huawei (11.4 percent). Samsung (9.7 percent) and Lenovo / Motorola (8.3 percent) completed the top five. However, IDC warned that "the volatility of the brand consumer preference", rankings will be subject to rapid change and evolution

China, the world’s largest smartphone market, saw shipment volumes fall 4.3 per cent in Q1 to 98.8 million units, the first time in six years that the market has declined year-on-year.

sources : 

http://www.mobileworldlive.com/chinas-smartphone-market-drops-4-apple-takes-top-spot

http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/10/apple-top-but-chinese-smartphone-market-shrinks/#.qenndb:rqa7

http://www.legitreviews.com/chinas-smartphone-market-contracts-for-first-time-in-years_163322

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