Collins Gem

Train

Trains are the most common form of long-distance travel in China. There are two ways of buying tickets: on the national website or at ticket offices in streets and stations.

There are three types of tickets: hard seat, hard bunk and soft bunk. A hard seat ticket is often cheap, about half the price of hard bunk, while a soft bunk ticket is about the same as a plane ticket.

The system is nationalised, it is called China Railway. In the last ten years, China has built over 20,000km of 250km/h High Speed Railways. There are 8 S-N and 8 E-W routes, the trains are normally called CRH-xxx. The tickets for these trains are more expensive.

站台 zhàn-táiplatform售票处 shòu-piào-chùticket office时刻表 shí-kè-biăotimetable误点 wù-diăndelay (appears on train noticeboards)行李暂存 xíng-li zàn-cúnleft luggage电子票 diàn-zǐ piàoe-ticket电子预订 diàn-zǐ yù-dìnge-reservation FACE TO FACE下一趟去 … 的火车是什么时间?xià-yī-tàng qù … de huŏ-chē shì shén-me shí-jiān?When is the next train to…?下午五点十分xià-wǔ wǔ-diăn-shí-fēnAt 17.10我想买三张票wŏ xiăng măi sān zhāng piàoI’d like 3 tickets, please单程还是双程?dān-chéng hái shì shuāng-chéng?Single or return?

On trains, if a child is no taller than 1.2 metres, the ticket is free; between 1.2–1.5 metres, it’s half price; over 1.5 metres, it’s full price.

Where is the station?车站在哪里?chē-zhàn zài nă-li?1 ticket/2 tickets to...一/两张去 … 的票yī/liăng zhāng qù … de piàofirst/second class头等/二等tóu-dĕng/èr-dĕngI booked online我是在网上预订的wǒ shì zài wǎng-shàng yù-dìng deIs there a supplement to pay?要付附加费吗?yào fù fù-jiā-fèi ma?Do I have to change?我要换车吗?wŏ yào huàn-chē ma?Which platform does it leave from?从哪个站台出发?cóng nă-gè zhàn-tái chū-fā?Is this the train for...?这是去…的火车吗?zhè shì qù … de huŏ-chē ma?Does it stop at…?它在 … 停吗?tā zài … tíng ma?When does it arrive in…?它什么时候到达…?tā shén-me shi-hòu dào-da…?Please tell me when we get to…到达 … 时请告诉我dào-dá … shí qĭng gào-sù wŏIs there a restaurant car?有餐车吗?yŏu cán-chē ma?Is this seat free?有人坐这个座位吗?yŏu rén zuò zhè-ge zuò-wèi ma?Excuse me! (to get past)请让一让！qĭng ràng-yī-ràng!

Taxi

Chinese taxis are cheap, convenient and operate on meters. It is not advised to take a taxi in major cities at rush hour, as bad traffic can result in large bills. The basic fee is 10-15rmb for 3kms in most cities. There is no need to tip. There are taxi stands at stations, airports and major hotels but taxis can also be hailed from the roadside. There are a number of popular taxi apps in China that can be pre-booked or called for immediate use.

I want a taxi我想叫一辆出租车wŏ xiăng jiào yī-liàng chū-zū-chēWhere can I get a taxi?我在哪儿可以叫一辆出租车?wŏ zài năr kĕ-yĭ jiào yī-liàng chū-zū-chē?Please order me a taxi请现在为我叫一辆出租车qĭng xiàn-zài wèi wǒ jiào yī-liàng chū-zū-chēHow much will it cost to go to…?去 … 要多少钱?qù … yào duō-shăo qián?the station车站chē-zhànthe airport机场jī-chăngthis address这个地址zhè-gè dì-zhĭHow much is it?多少钱?duō-shăo qián?Keep the change不用找零钱给我bù yòng zhăo líng-qián gĕi wŏSorry, I don’t have any change对不起, 我没有零钱duì-bù-qĭ, wŏ méi-yŏu líng-qián

Boat and ferry

Boat and ferry transportation is hardly used by Chinese citizens, since the country has a vast inland territory. Most of the time, on a body of water, there will be several bridges.

How much is a ticket…?一张去…的票要多少钱?yī-zhāng qù …de piào yào duō-shăo qián?Single/return单程/双程dān-chéng/shuāng-chéngWhen is the last boat?最后一班轮船是什么时 间的?zuì-hòu yī-bān lún-chuán shì shén-me shí-jiān de?

Air travel

The three busiest airports in China are Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

抵达 dĭ-dáarrivals起飞 qĭ-fēidepartures国际的 guó-jì-deinternational国内的 guó-nèi-dedomestic登机口 dēng-jī-kŏuboarding gate How do I get to the airport?我怎么去机场?wŏ zĕn-me qù jī-chăng?Is there a bus to the airport?有公共汽车去机场吗?yŏu gōng-gòng-qì-chē qù jī-chăng ma?Where is the luggage for the flight from…?来自 … 航班的行李在哪里?lái-zì … háng-bān-de xíng-li zài nă-li?Where can I change some money?我在哪里可以换钱?wŏ zài nă-li kĕ-yĭ huán-qián?checked luggage托运行李tuō-yùn xíng-lihand luggage手提行李shǒu-tí xíng-liWhere can I print my ticket?我可以在哪里打印我的 票?wǒ kě-yǐ zài nǎ-li dǎ-yìn wǒ de piào?I have my boarding pass on my smartphone我的登机牌在我的智能手 机上wǒ de dēng-jī-pái zài wǒ de zhì-néng shǒu-jī shàng

When buying plane tickets, note that children are categorised by their age: below 2 (free), between 2 and 12 (half price), then older than 12 (full price).

YOU MAY HEAR…请在 … 号登机口 登机 qĭng zài … hào dēng-jī-kŏu dēng-jīBoarding will take place at gate…请迅速去…号登机口 qĭng xùn-sù qù … hào dēng-jī-kŏuGo immediately to gate number…禁止液体 jìn-zhǐ yè-tǐNo liquids你的行李超重了 nǐ de xíng-li chāo-zhòng leYour luggage exceeds the maximum weight

Customs control

Visitors to the mainland of the People’s Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. ID is essential when travelling, you need it to buy train/plane tickets and book hotels.

It is sometimes possible to spend up to three days in China as a stop-over without acquiring a visa. This suits those in transit only, as the visitor is not permitted to leave the city in which they’ve entered China.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.