Active Guide To China

Active provides detailed and wide-ranging advice to guide you through the differences between conducting business in the UK and in China. You may also find the following information interesting as a brief introduction to the country.

Key Facts and Figures:

General/Practical

• Language
  The official language is Mandarin (Putonghua) and it is spoken throughout China. A completely different sounding dialect, Cantonese (Guangdonghua), is spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong and by many overseas Chinese immigrants. However, Mandarin, Cantonese and other dialect speakers write the same Chinese characters.
  
• Population and Geography
  China is the most populous nation in the world with 1.3 billion people. China’s Capital City, as well as its cultural and political centre, is Beijing (Peking) with a population of 14.5 million.
  Other major cities include: Shanghai; Shenyang; Wuhan; Tianjin; Guangzhou; Harbin; Chongqing and Chengdu.
  China spans 9.5million square km and is geographically the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and the United States
  
• Public Holidays
  Almost all government departments and companies are closed for the entire week of the Spring Festival and the entire week for National Day. Be aware, Chinese embassies are also closed for visa applications.
  
  Holidays observed by Chinese Government departments and businesses

– New Years Day - 1st January
– Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) - January 29th 2006
––(it changes every year); 2006 is the Year of the Dog.
– International Labour Day - 1st May
– National Day - 1st October

People

• Education
  Nine years of education is compulsory and the rate of literacy in China is approximately 85%
  
• Workforce
  The Chinese workforce is in excess of 705million with approximately 50% in Agriculture; 22% in Industry and Commerce and the remaining 28% in other fields.

History

Chinese civilisation spans more than five thousands years of history. China as a Nation is considered to have emerged during the Qing Dynasty with the uniting of a number of warring kingdoms around 221-206 B.C. The Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Soldiers also originate from this dynastic period.

The Communist party has ruled China since defeating the Nationalists in the Civil War in 1949. The Peoples Republic of China was established on 1st October 1949.

China is now one of the most dynamic “capitalist” countries in the world with its gross national product growing at an average rate of 8-9% per year. It has been expanding at this rate for the last two decades and looks likely to continue to do so for some considerable time to come.

Religion

The Chinese Government is officially atheist and official policy is to tolerate but not to encourage religion. There are five State-Registered Religions:

• Daoism
• Buddhism
• Islam
• Catholicism
• Protestantism

Trade

China has recently become the world’s 4th largest economy (ahead of France and the UK) and the UK is the largest European foreign direct investor into China.

Industry and construction account for 50% of China’s GDP, but other major imports and exports include the following:

Major Exports to China:

• Commodities: Petroleum products; Industrial machinery;
• Telecommunication/Sound recording equipment; Power generating machinery.
• Partners: Taiwan; South Korea; Hong Kong; Japan; US; Germany.
• Total exports in 2004 were approx. £317 billion (UK £2378million)

Major Imports from China:

• Commodities: Electrical machinery and appliances; Apparel and clothing; Textiles; Footwear; Toys.
• Partners: Hong Kong; Singapore; Japan; US; Germany.
• Total imports in 2004 were approx. £335 billion (UK £10628million)

Travel

• Local Time
  China is eight hours ahead of GMT (seven hours ahead of BST)
  
• Currency
  Renminbi or RMB Yuan ¥ (“the people’s currency”), there are approximately 14 Renminbi or Yuan to the pound. There are 10Jiao to a Yuan and 10 Fen to a Jiao.
  
• Dialling Code
  Dialling code from the UK is +86 or 0086
  
• Visas
  Visitors to China require a valid passport and a visa. Forms for visas can be obtained from www.chinese-embassy.org.uk or you can apply for a visa from the Chinese embassy in London. The cost of a visa varies dependent on your nationality and the intended duration of your stay in the country: for Britons, a single en try is £30, double is £45, six months will cost £60 and one year is £90 (six and twelve month visas are multiple-entry).

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