Arrival in Beijing

Most people want to see Beijing and its sights especially as the Great Wall of China is one of the wonders of the world. It will be essential for those who are going to the Olympics, to know something about Beijing, even though some of the events are going to be as far away as Hong Kong.

The best way to arrive in Beijing is by air. You can fly to one of the other main airports in China (Hong Kong or Shanghai) from most parts of the world, but with the large distances between places a flight is easier to organize and more practical. You might want to try the new Chinese version of the Bullet train which goes from Shanghai to Beijing. You will find that most of the time it is only possible to book train tickets within China, or if you can book the tickets outside of China then you will be paying a premium for them.

You will arrive at a large modern airport outside the city of Beijing. Often there are large queues at the immigration checks as the details of your passport and a valid visa are required to enter China. The Chinese border guards take themselves very seriously and do not react well to even polite smiles. The guard will take his or her time to examine your passport and then enter the information about your visa and arrival into their computer. You can then proceed to hand over your health forms. Do not be surprised if there is an area where you need to pass through in single file and remove any hats. This will be to check your temperature and ensure you are not suffering from SARS. They are very careful about SARS since it caused so many deaths a few years ago. The Chinese take great care over the transport of meat as they have so many problems with bird flu. All the checks are there to ensure the safety of air travelers and the prevention of dangerous substances and literature being carried into China.

For the experienced traveler there are some unique features of traveling into China. Firstly, your baggage may well be scanned as you leave the customs hall. This has been common practice on incoming international flights but you may find the scanner closed for cleaning or the operators having a tea break. Secondly, there may be a request to check the tags on your baggage against the tags you have attached to your ticket. This may come as a shock to western travelers who just collect their baggage and go, but it has been common practice in most airports in China.

At last you are past all the formalities and you have finally arrived in China.