>>956679
>how long do L tourist visas last
There are different kinds, the standard is 30 days. You can get 60 and maybe 90 and definitely one year.

The stay is usually 90 days, then you visa run. Single entry is standard but you can get multi-entry on the one year visa.

The one year visa is complicated to get, unless you're in LA where it's handed out without question. You can get visa agents who will send your passport to LA to get a visa there.

The 30 day one can be easily obtained via travel agents in HK though some people say the consulate is easy to deal with. There is also a CTS at the airport that can handle it. A 5 day Shenzhen-only visa-on-arrival is available at the Luohu port though it's hard to find the right place go for it. 72 hours city-only transit visas are available in most major cities: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-72hour/

Even less popular countries can usually get 24 hours transit in the big cities.

china doesn't need a bunch of faggot foreigners zerg rushing the country like japan and korea

please stop making these threads

Im interested in travelling to china and doing the usual (drinking, eating street food and partying) but I'd also like to maybe speak or learn (from people) about the political side of things , and some cultural nuances unique to china. I guess anthropology type things if that makes sense.

Would I be able to get a government official to speak to me about china , I know itll be "propaganda" but I'm very interested in hearing about such things

>inb4 le communist anarchist


I dont know why but I want to sit down and just be pumped full of what the government wants the outside world to think of china, But I want to hear it in person. Sorry this is weird I guess but is this possible at all?

I know I could google it but it's really different to read something vs hear it in person from someone informed/trained to talk about it

>>956724
Also, is there a website or service or maybe a location where chinese locals are eager to talk to foreigners about chinese culture or the history of china? Someone in the old thread posted about how a tradition of calling people uncle/aunt/brother/sister came about from the han dynasty. Things like that just fascinate me so much and I want to learn so much more about all of that stuff but its hard to find such specific things online. I hope you guys dont think I'm just baiting or something, I genuinely love learning about this type of stuff

>>956727
Shit not dynasty , I meant ethnic hans

>>956679
What documents should I bring with me to apply for a visa as a US citizen (not in SF)?

It's a pain in the ass to get to the Chinese consulate here, and their hours for visas are strange, so I want to do it right and bring everything I need the first time.

Any tips/horror stories?

>>956731
Confirmed flights, confirmed hotel bookings, daily itinerary. That's the standard set.
You might also need bank statements and letter from your employer (saying you have a job in the USA basically).

Check the consulate website for more details.

Don't count on getting it right the first time though. If it works with your travel plans and you're just after a 30 day tourist visa, I would suggest applying in HK via an agent, it's way easier.

>>956724
>>956727
>>956728
>I want to sit down and just be pumped full of what the government wants the outside world to think of china
You can get that from the official english new sites. Even QQi has some propaganda-ish news articles on their splash page, they vary between complete propaganda about Japan or the Philipine islands, or politics-free human interest stories.

>I'd also like to maybe speak or learn (from people) about the political side of things
When I was a student in China, I invited a girl back to my dorm and she brought the class monitor as a chaperone and *she* was certainly a party member, or at least hopeful member and they regurgitated the line about Tibet being part of China etc. My gf was a lapsed party member and even she said the same sorts of things. It's not that hard. You could totally make friends with some cops or something and talk politics, so long as you're not being confrontational then they'd probably be happy to talk. Not many people are going to speak English well enough to maintain a discussion about politics though, you'd probably need to talk in Mandarin I think.

Your best bet is to study at a university, the students will have a higher level of English than most people and students everywhere are more likely to be politically concious, or at least it will be easier to find some that are then amongst say, construction workers in a bar.

If you're out-going enough, you could potentially just sit down in a restaurant at lunch and end up shooting shit with the locals doing the same thing, you'd need to speak Mandarin though.

>>956721
>china doesn't need a bunch of faggot foreigners
It's a big place, they'll cope.

I made the general because last time, there were like four threads on the board at once about China. If no one posts in this thread, it will die and I won't bother remaking it. If people reply then I save the board redundant threads.

Or just post bump replies on every thread on the board if you prefer. Was that you doing that?

>>956731

Most times you'll have to wait up to 2 hours or more when getting your visa. There are tons of people waiting in line every day usually. Generally a big pain in the ass

>>956736

pretty much already discussed everything there is to know on the last thread. at this point you're probably just trying to shill for your hostel. either way, there is no need to make this an ongoing thread like the japan generals.

i don't think you're even qualified to give out advice on most things there. how long have you lived there, 3-6 months?

>>956738
>just trying to shill for my hostel
ftfy

Are you that guy? Because I hadn't mentioned any hostel but you're clearly dying too.

>i don't think you're even qualified to give out advice on most things there
Fortunately, I went and got a certificate of being an Internet Expert on China. Now I'm qualified.

>>956732
Are they looking for a receipt or can I just print off some confirmations that I didn't actually pay for?

How detailed of a daily itinerary did you submit?

>Check the consulate website for more details.
It's frustrating because every site says something slightly different. Hell, some were saying I need a letter of invitation even for the 40 day tourist visa, which isn't true from what I later gathered.

>>956737
I've pretty much accepted that it's going to take the entire day.

Have you guys been denied for a visa before, if so, why?

>>956752
>Have you guys been denied for a visa before, if so, why?
I've never been DENIED a visa but I've been told I don't have the right paperwork and to fuck off until I do.

They generally don't accept the form until you've got everything so it saves the hassle of an actual denial I guess.

>Are they looking for a receipt or can I just print off some confirmations that I didn't actually pay for?

That's standard for backpackers. It seems to fly most of the time. I've had travel agents do that for me and I gave their pieces of paper with my form. Other times, I just went through them completely and they sorted it all out.

You could always edit the html within Firefox and remove the 'Pay now' button if you wanted (use Inspect Element and then Delete Node) then print it to PDF then make any other changes (maybe to a screenshot) and print that document. They're not going to check and they probably don't even have access anyway. The visa isn't actually linked to the bookings in any way, for a tourist visa only the entry and exit date/periods matter.

>How detailed of a daily itinerary did you submit?
I had to put down stuff like:
> 27th Feb - Visit ancient town near Nanning
> 28th Feb - shopping at local market
> 1st March - train to Guiyang

Stuff like that for the entire period I had said I'd be there for.

>>956776
Thanks man, this is really helpful! Much appreciated.

Heading to mainland China in April. Ive read about not drinking the water. How does one handle the bars with ice served in drinks? Is this a bad idea too?

>>957001
Nah even locals won't drink tap water, ice cubes are made from mineral water.
Usually they just chill the drinks and the glasses tho, restaurants seldom bother offering ice. If in actual bars (by international standards) you'll be pretty safe anyways.

when applying for a visa, are they very strict on the itinerary section of the form. I was thinking of having 5 nights booked in a hotel and making up the rest.