GETTING AROUND

"China is huge, and unless you concentrate on a small area, you're going to spend a good deal of your time - and budget - just getting around. Fortunately, public transport is very comprehensive and reasonably priced considering the distances involved, and there's usually a choice of travel options available. You can fly to all regional capitals and many of the larger cities; the rail network extends to every province except Tibet; while if you're up to slow hours of rough riding, you can reach almost all corners of the country on local transport - which covers everything from buses to tractors. There's even a fair number of rivers still plied by passenger ferries, and a few vessels chugging between coastal ports and down to Hainan Island. Tibet is the one region where there are restrictions on independent travel. Tours are one way of taking the pressure off travel, and in some cases are the only practical way of getting out to certain sights; they're never cheap, but can be good value.

While there are plenty of options, travel can also take some planning and patience. Bus timetables are unpredictable, with scheduled state services losing out to ad hoc private operators, while train journeys have their own peculiar pitfalls. You also want to weigh up the mental and physical rigours involved if you insist on travelling the cheapest way all the time - it's well worth covering long distances in as much comfort as possible

Trains
Mainland China's first rail lines were laid in the nineteenth century, and it was popular resentment against foreign involvement in them which led directly to the successful 1911 revolution establishing the Chinese Republic. Much of the original network...

Buses and minibuses
Despite the ever-widening net thrown by the rail lines, there are still many parts of China unreachable by train - in which case bus is the cheapest (and often only) way of getting there. The huge numbers of private operators who have sprung...

Planes
China has some fourteen regional airlines linking all major cities and many important sites, overseen by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC . It's a luxury worth considering for long distances, but you'll have to...

Ferries
There are any number of river and sea journeys to make while in China, though passenger ferries are generally on the decline as new roads are built with buses providing a faster service between points. The Yangzi , one of Asia's...

Driving and car rental
Driving a car across China is quite an appealing idea, but an experience as yet forbidden to foreigners - though bilingual road signs going up along new expressways suggest that the notion is being considered. It is possible, however, for foreign...

Bicycles
China has the highest number of bicycles of any country in the world, with about a quarter of the population owning one. In a land where private car ownership is beyond all but the most affluent, it's how the majority get around. Few cities...

Hitching
Hitching around China is basically possible, and in remoter areas might save some time in reaching sights. However, drivers will usually charge you the going bus fare, and, given the added personal risks inherent in hitching, and the fact that...

Organized tours
Chinese tour operators , such as the CITS, can almost always organize excursions, from local city sights to river cruises and multi-day cross-country trips. While you always pay for the privilege, sometimes these tours are not bad value: travel,...

City transport
Most Chinese cities are spread out over areas which defeat even the most determined walker, but all have some form of public transit system . Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai have efficient underground metros , while Guangzhou's is¡­"