Answer to One China Travel Question
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Q: 1. In case of lost of Passport while in China, how can I get another one and get back to the USA? 2. In case of car or travel accident, how to handle them? What treatment we can get and how to pay for them? 3. Can we bring some fresh fruits to China? 4. Can we drink their local water and if not, what do we need to do to prevent stomach problems?
| | A: If you have lost your passport, you should first report to Chinese police and then register with the closest consulate of your country (in your case, the U.S. consulate general in Guangzhou) to get your replacement papers so that you can continue to travel. The local police offices are called Paichu Suo (Outpost), which are branches of the Bureau of Public Security (Gongan Ju).
When you report the loss of your passport to Chinese authorities, you should have copies of your passport and/or other identifications such as your driver's license. (It is of course always a good idea to keep a copy of your passport with you, placed at a separate place form your original). If you're staying at a hotel, bring your room card or similar evidence. If you're in China on the invitation of some organizations or individuals, have them provide a letter some other evidence to that effect. You probably need to go see at least two offices of the Chinese government. First it is the local police; you get a report from them a report to the effect that you've lost your passport. Then you go to the Chinese authorities in charge of border control, which will do the paper work so that you can get out of China. You probably also need two photos of yourself as you go through this process.
Then you should go to the consulate of your country, which takes care of the home end of the business so that you can re-enter the U.S.
As for accidents, check your insurance policies to see if they cover you already. You can also purchase travel insurance.
It is unlikely that the U.S. customs will allow you to bring fresh fruits into the U.S.
As for water, buy bottled water while you're out touring outside. Drinks such as Coca Cola or Sprite are readily available in Chin (Coca Cola - Kekou Kele; Sprite - Xuebi, meaning "snow white"; Pepsi Cola- Baishi Kele). Many tourists report stomach problems, so it is a good idea to bring some anti-diarrhea medicine such as Imodium. While medicine is not all that expensive and is readily available at local drug stores, you may want to bring a few kinds that you know that you're going to need simply because sometimes it is difficult to talk about medicine in two different languages and two medical environments.
China is officially known as People's Republic of China. The state base in Taiwan is known as the Republic of China. Mainland China considers Taiwan part of China, and many Chinese in mainland China feel rather strongly about this.
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