Local Updates

Overview

China -With a landmass of 9,600,000 sq km, China is the third largest country in the world. As of mid-2008, China has a population just over 1.3 billion (1,330,044,605). Currently, there are 34 provincial-level administrative areas in China: 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, 23 provinces, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions. Click on http://english.gov.cn/ for more information about China.

Beijing-As the capital of China, Beijing is one of the world's truly imposing cities, with a 3,000-year history and a permanent population of 16 million. Covering 16,808 square kilometers in area, it is the political, cultural as well as economic center of China. Click on http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/BeijingInformation/# for more information about Beijing.

Venue-Beijing International Conference Center, located close to venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics-Beijing National Stadium (also known as the bird's nest), is a 5-star tourist service unit with 48 different conference rooms and an exhibition hall of 5,000 square meters. North Star Continental Grand Hotel is a 4-star hotel with 538 guest rooms and 5 different styles of restaurants. Click on http://www.bicc.com.cn/English/huiyi/qyjs.html for more information about the venue.

     Autumn is the best season in Beijing, with the mild temperature and clear and crisp days. The temperature in early September fluctuates between 15ºC and 30 ºC. Click on http://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/weather.htm for live weather forecasts and traveling tips.

     Major credit cards such as Master, Visa, JCB, American Express and Diners are acceptable in Beijing with star hotels, large restaurants and department stores. Bringing some cash is always necessary in the event that you'd like to buy souvenirs from the street vendors at the best price.

     You may convert your money into Renminbi (RMB, literally "People's Currency") at the airport terminal, hotel front desk or bank branch in the city with the sign. You may need to present your passport. For your reference, one US dollar is equivalent to 6.82 RMB yuan. Click on http://www.boc.cn/sourcedb/whpj/enindex.html for real- time exchange rate.

     RMB is issued in both notes (denominations: 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 yuan; 5, 2 and 1 jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 fen) and coins (denominations: 1 yuan; 5, 2 and 1 jiao; and 5, 2 and 1 fen).