1. PASSPORT AND VISA
According to the China visa regulation, all nationalities are required to have visa before getting into China. Tourist visas for individuals can be obtained directly through Chinese embassies or consulates. Two passport photos and a complete application form are necessary. Visa fees vary considerably , depending on the source of visa , and on the time taken to get it. The visa gives you access to all open cities and areas of China. The internal travel permits to closed or restricted areas are generally obtained through the Foreign Affaires Bureau or the Public Security Area in the provincial capital. In the event of a group tour of more than nine persons, The trip operator will take care of all the formalities. To apply for Chinese tourist visa, visitor must has passport with at least six months validity beyond the expiry-date of visa. A foreigner holding the tourist visa should go to an appointed port of entry or one which is opened to foreigners, receive the examination by a frontier inspection station, submit a valid passport and visa for inspection, and fill in an entry card; entry into China is granted only after the frontier inspection has approved all the documents and stamped them with an entry seal.

3. CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Money, travelers cheques can be exchanged into RMB in major hotels as well as most branches of the Bank of China and the Bank of Communications. The exchange rate fluctuates with international market conditions. You should keep the form you fill in when changing money, because you will need to show it when you change RMB back into foreign currency. Credit cards are accepted in major hotels. Except for a few rare places like shopping centers, the use of credit card for payment is not yet common in Yunnan.

4. CURRENCY
The RMB (Renminbi) is the sole legitimate currency of the People's Republic of China. The basic unit of RMB is yuan, (pronounced in local dialest as kuai), which is divided into 10 jiao (pronounced as mao), which is again divided into 10 fen. RMB paper notes include 1, 2, 5, 10, 50 and 100 yuan, and the smaller 1, 2 and 5 mao. There are also 1,2, 5 yuan, 1, 2, 5 mao and 1, 2, 5 fen coins.

5. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
The electric current in Cambodia is 220 volts AC at 50 Cycles per second. To operate small appliances, laptop computers or other electronic gadgets, you will need a multi-adapter. You should check with an electronics store before leaving your home.

6. HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
No vaccinations are required except for yellow fever if you are coming from an area where the disease is present. However visitors should be inoculated against typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A & B, tetanus and polio. The malaria is present in most of the region and it is advisable to take precautions especially if traveling off the beaten track. The medical facilities are rather limited in all countries and it is essential to take out a good medical insurance policy before traveling in case evacuation is needed.

7. CLIMATE
The climate in China varies from tropical conditions in the south to a sub-arctic climate in the north. Yunnan lies in a subtropical, hot and humid climatic zone, but due to its wide range of altitudes, the weather pattern varies considerably from the north to the south. In winter, minus-zero temperatures can be expected in the mountainous (northern) part of Yunnan, while the south is enjoying tropical climate all year round. Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, is known as "Spring City" for its mild year-round climate

8. FOODS
Yunnan Cuisine is one of the best regional eating experiences in China. Many dishes borrow hot, spicy flavours from neigh-bouring Sichuan. Others, influenced by periodic mirgrations provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, reflect the subtle, rounded taste of eastern and southeast Chinese cuisine. The Year round availability and variety of vegetables provides a seemingly limitless menu.

9. TELECOMMUNICATION
The telephones and fax facilities are available in most hotels in Yunnan. Mail in Kunming, incoming and outgoing, is reliable and quite fast if sent by air mail. Telegrams can be sent from post offices, the international telephone service is getting steadily better and is best from major hotels.

10. DOMESTIC FLIGHTS
The domestic air services have improved greatly over recent years. China Yunnan Airlines run regular flights between Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Jinghong and and most major cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Haikou, Chongqing, Shenyang, Harbin, Wuhan, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Nanning, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Changsha, Guilin, Lhasa and Hong Kong; eight provincial air routes from Kunming to Jinghong, Mangshi, Lijiang, Dali, Zhongdian (Shangri-la), Zhaotong, Baoshan and Simao.

11. INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
The Wujiaba Airport in Kunming is a national first-class airport and the other airports are second-class terminals.
+The cities with directs flight to Wujiaba Airport in Kunming are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Vientiane, Yangon, Singapore, Seoul, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Vientiane . The airline companies currently serving Kunming are China Yunnan Airlines , Vietnam Airlines, Lao Airlines, China Southwest Airlines or Dragon Air. Singapore's regional airline, Silk Air and Bangkok Airways.

12. AIRPORT TAX
The airport tax for domestic flights is RMB 50.- per person (US$6 ). Passengers departing Yunnan on international flights are required to pay a departure tax of RMB 90.- per person (US$12) .

13. RAIL TRANSPORT
The first railway was built in 1910 operated between Vietnam and Kunming. Only till 1966 and 1970 when the Gui-Kun and Cheng-Kun railroad lines were in place, Kunming became part of the National railroad network. Besides the local tranportation from town to town within Yunnan province, there are a number of trans-provincial express trains starting from Kunming. Train No K88 leaves Kunming daily for Beijing at 0403pm and arrives in Beijing after around 46 hours. Train No 110 leaves Kunming daily for Wuhan at 0419pm and arrives in Wuhan at 0817am next morning. Train No 182 leaves Kunming daily for Shanghai at 0838pm and arrives in Shanghai after approximately 40 hours ride. Kunming has the largest train station in the southwest of China. The new railroad (train with overnight soft sleeper) has also been extended to Dali, one of the famous tour cities. Kunming could also be reached from Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Guiyang by rail. The trains are safe and comfortable, and are spectacular way to enter Yunnan. There are three classes of accommodation on all long-distance journey, known as "soft sleeper" (first class), "hard sleeper" (second class) and "hard seat" (third class).

14. ROAD TRANSPORT
Thailand has, depending on the season, up to 1600km (1000 miles) of navigable inland waterway. Services operate between Thanon Tok and Nonthaburi, and luxury cruises are available on the Oriental Queen. Long-tailed motorboats and taxi-boat ferries also operate. Strong competition on all of the major routes ensures that fares are kept low. Reduced services operate during the monsoon season from May through to October along the east coast and Andaman coast, and from November through until January on the Gulf coast. The more remote spots become inaccessible in these periods.

15. RIVER
Generally, rivers are obstacles to transport in Yunnan. Only very small parts of Yunnan's river systems are navigable. At this time, visitors can travel along the Mekong River into Laos and Thailand

16. OVERLAND TO YUNNAN
The province of Yunnan is bounded by Tibet, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi. The bordering countries are Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. The main border crossings are Hekou opposite Lao Cai Province in Vietnam, Boten opposite Luang Namtha Province in Laos and Ruili opposite Muse in Myanmar,

17. PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
In contrast to the long calendar of traditional Chinese festivals, modern China now has only three official holidays: May Day, 1 October, marking the founding of the People's Republic of China, and Chinese New Year, often called the Spring Festival which comes at the lunar new year, usually in late January or early February.

18. BUSINESS HOURS

The opening time of offices varies depending on business sectors. They are usually open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 until 17:00 and often close for lunch between 11:30 and 13:00. In some business sectors, also open Saturday morning. The banks are generally open from Monday to Friday from 8h00 to 15h30. The shops open early and close any time between 18:00 and 22:00 during 7 days a week.

19. TIME ZONE
The time in Yunnan is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and lies in nearly the same time zone as its neighbors provinces.