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Useful info

Updated: 2012-12-08

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Money and Costs

The currency in China is known as the renminbi or yuan. It is not a freely convertible currency, but its value has been allowed to rise and fall within a wider range in recent years. The official exchange rate was 6.78 yuan per $1 on July 21, 2010, compared with 6.81 yuan per $1 on September 15, 2009. Costs vary, with plenty of opportunity for extravagance or prudence depending on your budget. A hotel can cost $300 per day or more, while a hostel may be found for about $6 a night for a basic single. Meals can easily cost $50 or more in an expensive restaurant or $3 for something equally delicious on the street. Taxis are inexpensive: you can ride right across the city's urban area for about 50 yuan ($7). A growing number of international ATMs can be found around the city. Most internationally recognized credit and debit cards can draw money from machines with the appropriate logo. Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are increasingly becoming accepted in big department stores, hotels, shopping centers and up-scale restaurants, but keep some cash handy just in case.

Photography

Photography is very popular in Beijing, and it is quite convenient to buy photographic accessories such as digital cameras, memory cards and accessories or to get film (black/white, color negatives/slide) processed at stores operated by chain stores such as Kodak, Konica, Fuji and Jinglida. Negative/slide scanning services are available to print directly from your digital camera or media device. Enlargements are easily made. For professionals, there are professional photo labs that can handle prints, slides or high-quality digital imaging. The average price for ordinary film development is 0.6 yuan, and 1 yuan for a digital photo.

Office Hours

Offices of government organizations offer services from 8 am to 5 pm, or from 9 am to 6 pm. Shopping malls and supermarkets open from 8:30 am to 9 pm.

Electric Current

China uses a 220-volt power supply for standard domestic and business purposes. Hotels generally provide wall sockets in every room, accommodating both "straight two-pin" and "triangular three-pin" Chinese plugs. Inexpensive adapters and power transformers can be found in almost any electrical store.

Numbers and Websites

Police: 110

First aid: 120 and 999

Fire alarm: 119

Traffic accident: 122

Weather forecast: 12121

Inquiries: 114

Tourist Information: 12301

EMS: 11185

Belling Consumer Association Complaint Number: 96315

General, Directories and Classifieds:

http://www.btmbeijing.com