Transportation in China

Air

It provides high-quality and safe transport services.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is a functional department for the management of air tramport in China. Today, the Chinese aviation has opcned 983 domestic airlines, 131 International airlines, and 24 regional airlines, linking 64 cities in 34 countries.

The domestic airlines, with Beijing as the center, serve 135 cities in China. The types of aircraft of Chinese airlines have reached world standards. Principal airport facilities are sophisticated. Air China has become one of the safest airlines in the world.

Land Transportation

Railwav

Railway in China have developed rapidly, and many new domestic and international lines have been opened. The domestic rails include high-speed trains, quasi-high-speed trains, cxpress trains, tourist trains, special expresses, and through expresses.

The high-speed trains shuttle between Guangzhou, Shanzhen and Kowloon. The quasi-high-speed trains include the Guangzhou-Kowloon and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen trains; Express trains strating at ning and arriving in the morning run between major cities; Tourist trains serve main tourist cities, offering convenient transportation for travelers in China; Railway coaches in China have two soft upper berths and two lower berths in each private room.

International Railway Through Special Expresses

The international railway through special expresses shuttle between Beijing, Ulan Bator, and Moscow, and Beijing, Manzhouli, and Moscow; Beijing and Pyongyang; Urumqi and Alma Ata; Beijing and Hanoi; and Beijing and Ulan Bator.

It takes six to seven days from Moscow to Ulan Bator and from Manzhouli to Beijing.

The Bekling- Kowloon Shanghai- Kowloon Through Expresses

Train No. K97, the Beijing-Kowloon Through Express, departs at 9:11 from Beijing every other day and arrives at Kowloon at 13:10 the next day.

Train No. K98 departs at 15:00 from Kowloon and arrives at the Beijing West Railway Station at 18:58 the next day.

Train No. 99, the Shanghai-Kowloon Through Express, departs at 9:19 from Shanghai every other day and arrives at 13:10 at Kowloon.

Train No. 100 departs at 15:00 from Kowloon and arrives at 19:10 in Shanghai the next day.

Passport and return certificates for compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao are requested to buy tickets of these through expresses. Payment for these tickets is accounted in Hang Kong dollars and is paid in RMB on mainland China.

Highways

The highways in China have a total mileage of 1.18 million kilometers.

These include 70 national highways and 1,600 provincial highways. Great efforts are being made to construct more expressways and Class I and Class II highways for motor traffic. The following expressways and Class I and Class II motor highways are convenient for tourists:

Shenyang- Dalian, Beijing-Tanggu, Nanjing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Hangzhou-Ningbo, Xi'an-Lintong, Xi'an-Baoji, Guiyang-Huangguoshu, Beijing-Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan-Shijiazhuang, Yichang-Huangshi, Jinan-Qingdao, Guangzhou-Shenzhen, Guangzhou-Foshan, Chengdu-Chongqing, Fuzhou-Xiamen, Hainan Island Ring Road, Guilin-Liuzhou, Guangzhou-Shantou, and Luoyang-Kaifeng.

The expressway transportation is featured by high grade, quality service, high speed, and simple procedure. Most coaches for this transport are comfortable, well equipped, either imported or jointly made with foreign companies. The average speed is 100 km/h.

Getting Around a City Taxicab Service

Taxicabs of varying types are available in large and medium-sized cities. A ride costs one or two yuan per kilometer.

Subway

Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have subways going through the downtown areas. A subway ticket costs 3.00-5.00 yuan.

Bicycles

In many tourist cities, such as Beijing, bicycles are for rent in hotels. People can also look around in Beijing by a three-wheeled vehicle driven by man.

Water Transportation

China has a vast sea area with the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea in the east, and the South China Sea in the south. The latter three border the Pacific Ocean. China's long coastline has ports in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Yantai, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Dalian, Beihai, and Hong Kong. These ports are vast and deep, with beautiful surroundings, making them another choice for sightseeing in China.

International Lines on the Sea

A regular weekly line of the Sino-Japanese International Ferry Company runs between Shanghai and the Japanese cities of Kobe, Osaka, and Yokohama. A one-way trip takes 45 hours.

The Yanjing Luxury Liner of the Jinshen Ship Company shuttles between Tianjin and Kobe once a week.

The Daren passenger and cargo liner of the Dalian Daren Ship Company runs between Dalian and Inchon in South Korea twice a week. A oneway trip takes 15 hours.

Every week there are three regular runs between Weihai and Qingdao and Inchon by the luxury liners New Golden Bridge and Xiangxuelan. A oneway trip takes 14 hours.

Domestic Sea Lines

Domestic sea lines link all Chinese port cities. The main lines include Shanghai-Dalian, Dalian-Tianjin, Dalian-Yantai, Shanghai-Qingdao, Shanghai-Guangzhou, Beihai-Guangzhou, Shenzhen-Zhuhai, and Zhuhai-Hong Kong.

These lines are well-arranged and equipped with luxury passenger ships.

Routes on Inland Rivers

China's mainland is crisscrossed by 226,800 kilometers of rivers, of which 136,000 kilometers are navigated.

The main routes on inland rivers include:

1. The Grand Canal between Suzhou and Hangzhou, 146.6 kilometers long, where tourists can enjoy the beauty of regions of rivers and lakes.
2. The Grand ('anal-the Yangtze River-Taihu Lake from Nan,jing, Wuxi or Yangzhoa.
3. Guilin via the Lijiang River to Yangshuo, 83 kilometers long.
4. The Shanghai-Chongying line, 2,399 kilometers in length, along the Yangtze River. There are 50 luxury boats traveling in the Three Gorges.