General View

Transportation plays a very important part in travelling. Throughout its vast territory, China has a very comprehensive system of transportation, which includes civil aviation, railways, road traffic, and water transportation. Although the terrain is complicated in China, the transportation is very convenient. As transportation in China becomes more accessible and more reliable, it is also becoming more technologically advanced. Modern modes of transportation such as express highways, electrified railroads, metros, light railways, and maglev railways are becoming increasingly common, especially in larger cities.

Introduction of Different Means of Transportation

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, great efforts have been made by Chinese government to establish a comprehensive transportation system that comprises civil aviation, railways, highways, and water transport.

Civil Aviation

Apart from the economic factors, traveling by air is probably the first choice of most travelers.During the reformation, China made great efforts to build and expand airports. By the end of 1999, more than 140 airports had been opened to civil aircraft. Over 80 of these can accommodate large airplanes such as Boeing 777s, 767s, 757s, 747s and A340s. Over 750 domestic, 128 international and 21 regional air routes have been set up, which in total cover a distance of some 1.522 million km. With Beijing as the hub, domestic airlines cross the whole country linking 136 cities. The international airlines link 58 cities, including Bangkok, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Jakarta, Karachi, London, Los Angeles, Milan, Moscow, Nagoya, New York, Paris, Singapore, Tashkent, Tokyo and Vienna in 39 countries and regions.China's civil aviation has justifiably won universal praise. The entire staff has been trained according to international standards. The majority of the aircraft fleet has been imported from the U.S., Britain and Russia. There is no language barrier aboard the planes since all staff can speak fluent English and flight announcements are made in English as well as Mandarin.In major cities in China, plane ticket booking is available via a computer network or the Internet. Plane ticket booking is available at all civil aviation ticketing offices, travel agencies and hotels. Airport tax is required for domestic flights and international flights. 

Long Distance Buses

Overland buses are the most important means of transport in many parts of China, especially where there is no railway line. By 1999, over 1.352 million km highway has been put into use. The overall length of expressways has reached 9,083 km. Now, all counties, towns and townships are easily accessible by road.Bus is the cheapest means of transport, but also is correspondingly slow. Long distance buses can be divided into soft-seat and soft-sleeper buses. Some are equipped with TV, air conditioning and a toilet. Compared with the train, travel by bus is more flexible as there are regular breaks during the journeys.Seats on the bus are numbered, so it is advisable to book a ticket and seat well in advance. The booking could be made through the travel agencies and hotels.

Subway

The four cities - Beijing Subway, Shanghai Subway, Guangzhou Subway, and Tianjin Subway - all boast well-equipped subway systems, with all the stations, ticket-booking offices and Shanghai Subway transit points clearly marked with their names both in Chinese and English. In every subway train, travel information is read alternately in Chinese and English.The subway transportation operates 18 hours per day, normally between 5:10 and 23:30 local time, with an interval of four to six minutes between every two trains. The hours between 6:30 and 8:30 and between 17:00 and 19:00 are the morning and evening rush hours respectively. 

City Buses and Taxis

All China's major cities have good transport networks. As well as public buses, there are the tour buses, mini buses, and taxis. Buses in Chinese towns are always crowded. The fare depends on distance, and is payable to the conductor. A taxi is often the most convenient means of travel in the city. They are available at airports, railway stations and hotels and can be flagged down in urban areas. The total fare depends on the starting meter price, which can range from 5 to 12 Yuan, and the distance. Extra fees are charged for waiting and low speed driving during traffic jams. The minibus is a compromise between the relatively expensive taxis and crowded public transport. Charges are a little more than on the bus, about 2 Yuan or more depending on distance, but it is very convenient for it can stop at any point you want along the route. Tour buses are managed by travel agencies, hotels and airports and are provided for short tours. They are normally equipped with air conditioning and TV. A tour guide is usually present on these buses.

Bicycle

There are bicycles for rent in some hotels in Beijing and some other tourism cities. Riding old-fashioned pedicabs for a tour of Beijing's Hutongs and back alleys proves a unique tourist experience. You should be able to purchase a reliable Chinese bicycle for about 30 USD.

Trains

The rail network forms the backbone of the Chinese transport system and serves most of cities. Visitors can explore much of China by train and many find it an efficient and inexpensive means of travel. The cost is around 25 percent less than comparable air services. The railway traverses the whole country. Beijing is the hub of the north-south lines while the west-east line centre is at Zhengzhou.Chinese trains differ from those in other countries as the seating is not separated into first and second class areas. In China, the accommodation on the trains is divided into four categories, namely, soft-sleeper, soft-seat, hard-sleeper and hard-seat.There are washrooms on the trains. The toilets, irrespective of class, are not usually very hygienic and it is a good idea to bring your own toilet paper. Boiled water is available on trains and dining cars on long distance routes only.Reservations should be made in advance, especially during the holidays and travel season. Tickets may be purchased directly from rail stations or booked a few days in advance from your travel agencies, hotels, or ticket office. 

Waterways / Cruise

Another method of travel in China is via the waterways. Navigable inland waterways in China total 111,000 km and there are some 5,000 berths in the harbors, of which over 1000 are 10,000 ton class berths. The major inland navigable rivers in China include the Yangtze River, the Li River, the Pearl River, the Heilongjiang, the Huaihe, the Qiantang, the Minjiang and the Huangpu, as well as the Grand Canal. The most famous cruises in mainland China are the Yangtze Cruise and the Li River Cruise. The Yangtze River, known as the golden waterway of China's inland river transport, is of 6,300 km (about 3937 miles) length. The annual water transits of both freight and passengers account for over 70 percent of China's total capacity. It generally flows from west to east.

The whole Li River cruise may be divided into three sections. The first part is from Guilin to Ox Gorge (about 46km, 4 hours' voyage); the second part from Ox Gorge to Water-Dropping Village (17km, 40 minutes' voyage) and the third part from Water-Dropping Village to Yangshuo (20km, 2 hours' voyage). There are professional travel ships that serve these cruises. The main ships are East King, East Queen, Victoria Series, Regal China Cruises, and Presidents, which are all five-star travel ships, Yellow Crane, Splendid China, which are four-star travel ships, and so on. Ocean shipping in China is divided into two major navigation zones: the northern and the southern zones. Shanghai and Dalian are the main ports in the northern zone, and Guangzhou in the southern zone. Today, there are more than twenty major coastal harbors in China. Shanghai Harbor ranks among the 10 largest in the world, with an annual capacity of over 100 million tons. Nanjing Harbor, with an annual capacity of 40 million tons, is China's largest river harbor.