The City

Beijing is the nation's political, cultural and economic center. Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +8 hours.

Venue

The venue for ICAS-4 is Beijing Friendship Hotel, which is the largest garden-style hotel group in Asia covering an area of 335,000 square meters.

Airport

The main airport in Beijing is the Beijing Capital Airport where all national and international flights arrive at. It is about a 40-minute drive from the airport to the city. At the exit of the airport, taxi station is available. Please show the Chinese address of the Friendship Hotel (shown below) to the driver when you get into a car.

Arrival in Beijing

Taxi service is available at Beijing International Airport. The cost from the airport to the Hotel is about US$15 or 120 yuan (Chinese RMB) (including the Highway charge RMB 10 yuan per car). Our staff will be at the airport with conference logo to help you with transportation at 08:30-18:00, Oct. 20-22, 2007. If you arrive on other dates and wish to take the airport shuttle, please see the page Frequently Asked Questions.

Please show the following hotel address note to the taxi driver to get to the hotel (Please fill in the appropriate building number below in both English and Chinese texts and show the hotel address to the taxi driver):

We will offer pickup service at US$15.00/person.

Passport and Visa

A valid passport and visa for visiting China are required. Upon receiving your Registration Form, the China International Conference Center for Science and Technology (CICCST) will send you an invitation letter with which you can apply for an entry visa at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General designated in the invitation.

Money Exchange

There are banks at the airport so you can change some money there before you leave the airport and take a taxi. In the Friendship Hotel, the cashier at Building 1 will provide money exchange service. Please check the amount of exchange before you leave the counter. You may change back your leftover RMB into foreign currencies with the receipt of money exchange with your passport. Opening hours: 07:00-23:00, Monday - Sunday.

ATM Machine

Beijing is a very ATM friendly city. There are many banks with many ATMs. Only about 50% of these accept foreign cards. The main foreign friendly ATMs are controlled by the Bank of China. Bank of China ATMs work in both Chinese and English (depending on your card), use the latest equipment, and are pretty easy to find. Also, the connection to the overseas banking network tends to have a high down time.

Currency/Banking

In China, only RMB (Yuan) is used. However, exchange centers can be found at airports, most hotels and large shopping centers. The exchange rate is about 1 US dollar =7.6 Chinese yuan in early July 2007. Visa, Master card, American Express, Diners Club and JCB are accepted in many hotels or department stores.

The Bank of China and most hotels can cash a traveler's check issued by any foreign bank or financial institution. Participants will need to show a passport and pay a 0.75 percent commission. Traveler's checks signed over to a third party cannot be cashed in China, but can be presented for collection through the Bank of China.

The main thing to remember when dealing with Chinese currency is that the 5 Jiao note is not 5 RMB. We've seen foreign tourists at the subway station confused as to why the 3 RMB ticket is not covered by their 5 Jiao (0.5 RMB) note. The next thing is to watch out for fake currency. Please be aware of fake bills.

Safety and Security

Security is difficult to judge as the reporting of crime is not as extensive as you would find in many other countries. The general impression you get though, is that the streets are very safe. Without a doubt the biggest danger you face when visiting Beijing is being involved in some kind of traffic accident. Crossing the road is an often frightening experience, and so is riding in a taxi for most foreign tourists. There are many unwritten rules and customs about traffic but the average tourist is completely unaware of these and just knows fear and confusion.

The next is pickpockets. Although none of us here has experienced this, and its nowhere near as big as a problem as in mainland Europe, Beijing people consider this one of their biggest crime problems. Pickpockets usually operate on crowded buses but do not tend to be as organized as in other countries. Be asure that you have one copy of first page and visa page for your passport and seperately kept.

As anywhere, leaving your bag or coat unattended or out of your direct line of sight is not recommended. We hear that places like Starbucks and KFC are famous for people having their bag taken from beside their seats.

Transportation

Airport

The main airport in Beijing is the Beijing Capital Airport where all national and international flights arrive at. It is about a 40-minute drive from the airport to the city. At the exit of the airport, taxi station is available. Please show the Chinese hotel address, which can be found in the General Information, to the driver when you get into a car.

Bus

Buses are the main means of transport in Beijing. Pls prepare small bills in case of no-change bus lines. It would be very crowded in rush hours at 0700h-0900h, 1600h-1800h.

Subway

The subway system in Beijing has three lines, Line 1 runs from west to east through the center of Beijing city, line 2 (loop line) runs around of the center of the city. Line 13 runs circle of the north part of the city. which is the only automatic-ticket checkin . The fare is 3yuan per entry for Line 1 and loop, 5yuan for Line 13. There are trains from 5:30 in the morning until 23:00 in the evening. You will buy a ticket at the ticket office at each station. Subway stops are announced over the train's speaker system in Chinese and English.

Taxi

Taxis in Beijing have several colors. All of them show a taximeter inside. You can easily find them in every part of Beijing. All Taxis will charge 2yuan per kilometer with a base of RMB10 yuan.

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 220V, 50Hz AC throughout China.

Liabilities

The conference is not liable for any personal accidents, and losses or damages of private properties and belongings, to all participants during their stay in China. Participants should make their own arrangements with respect to personal insurance before commencing their journey to ICAS-4.

Weather (Degrees in Fahrenheit)

Reconfirmation of Departure Air Ticket

The departure for international flight should be reconfirmed 72 hours in advance by calling the airlines office in Beijing.