Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mended that you also have this letter translated into Mandarin (simplified Chinese) and not-
arized. If your child is traveling with a guardian or other adult, this person's name should
also be included on the letter. Sample letters can be found at:
www.samplewords.com/child-
Children are not required to have any particular vaccinations before entering China.
For some special situations, people are issued a diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, or service
visa, but in most cases you'll fall under the category of “ordinary visas,” which are
broken up into 12 types as listed below. For the particular paperwork and steps required
for each visa, visit sites such as
www.ebeijing.gov.cn/visa
,
www.travelchinaguide.com
, or
www.visaforchina.org
.
Visa laws in China are in a state of constant change, so take the fol-
lowing as a guideline and check with your local Chinese visa office for the most up-to-date
information.
Tourist Visa—L (
旅旅游
, Lüyóu)
So your goal isn't to travel but to live and work or study in Beijing? Well, you still might
need to apply for a tourist visa to get yourself into the country. If you haven't been able to
secure an official role within China just yet, then this is a good way to start, as it's the only
visa that doesn't require some kind of business invitation or proof of relationship. Tourist
visas can be valid for up to one year, with a maximum of 90 days' stay before you need to
head out of the country to renew it. The amount of time you'll be able to get on a tourist
visa will vary depending on your country's current relationship with China.
THE BEIJING
HÙKǑU
HÙKǑU
The
hùk
ǒ
u
system is a “permanent residency permit,” held by each Chinese family.
It's like a national passport, which effectively classifies a family as citizens—or non-
citizens—of a given municipality or province, and limits movements by curtailing
benefits of trespassers and dishing out advantages to locals. The system has been
around in some shape or form since the Xia dynasty of 21st-17th centuries BC, and
has been strictly used in China since the coming of the Communist Party in 1949.
Over time it has been used to control the movement of the population. In the time of
the Great Leap Forward it was used to organize people into rural or urban groups of
