Briefing for Delegates and Parents

GDST Summer School 2008, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China

Visas
Visas are being obtained from the Chinese Embassy in London by the GDST during the week of 28 April – 2 May. Each participant will have a visa in their passport.

Travel Arrangements
We will leave from the Botanical Gardens on Friday 20th June in a Powell’s coach. The coach will arrive at 5.50 am for a departure time of 6 am. We will travel to the airport with students from Notre Dame, Silverdale and Nottingham High School and will then meet all the other students and mentors at Heathrow Airport at 11am as we need to allow three hours for check-in. We are using the airline Virgin Atlantic and depart from Terminal 3.

The flight details are as follows:
20 June 2008
Depart London Heathrow, 14.10
Arrive Shanghai (one day later on 21 June) at 8.25

28 June 2008
Depart Shanghai, 10.25
Arrive London Heathrow (same day on 28 June) at 15.45.

At time of printing this document, the maximum weight for luggage was 23kg and you are allowed to take one piece of hand luggage on board not exceeding 6kg. NB you cannot carry liquids greater than 100 ml in capacity through in hand luggage, they will need to go in your main bag at check-in. This applies to water, deodorant, make-up, moisturizers etc. (It would be worth checking revised guidance nearer the time.)

The flight will last approx 12 hours. Meals and drinks will be served on the plane. On the plane each pupil will be given an ‘emergency card’ in Chinese for use if they get lost, asking the reader to reunite them with the group at the accommodation or take them to the police station. Keep this somewhere very safe - it may prove very useful if you get separated from the group.

Entry to China
Before landing, forms will be handed out on the plane that need to be completed by each member of the tour, so make sure you have a pen in your hand luggage. There are three forms: entry/exit, health and customs. They need to be presented at the relevant desk on landing. These desks are all clearly signposted.

At the immigration desk we may be able to pass through as a group. If not, we will queue at non-Chinese passports. Throughout this process we need you to hold on to your passport and relevant documentation and behave in a quiet and sensible manner – let’s not get ourselves into trouble within minutes of arrival!

Our guide from Nottingham University, Ningbo will be waiting for us in the arrival area to help us transfer to Ningbo.

On arrival in Shanghai you will transfer from the airport to the railway station and take a train to Ningbo, approx a 3 hour journey. At Ningbo you will be collected from the railway station by a coach and brought to the university where you will have the rest of the day to rest and acclimatise!!

Accommodation
For the duration of the stay at Ningbo Campus you will be staying in single rooms with a bath/shower and toilet. This is situated in the International block. The tap water should NOT be drunk. Bottled water will be provided. Voltage is 220v, but sockets vary from 3-point to 2-point, so an international adaptor for use in Asia is recommended for electrical items. On the eve of our flight home on 27 June, we will stay one night in a hotel in Shanghai. In this hotel you will be in a shared room (2 students per room).

Meals
Most meals will be served in the Ningbo canteen. A lot of the food you will be served will be Chinese. When in China you will have the opportunity to eat delicious Chinese meals and be exposed to a new range of taste experiences. The table will normally be set with chopsticks.

It would be an idea to take something familiar to eat with you – perhaps some biscuits, cereal bars or sweets to have in your room.

Climate and Clothing
It will be hot. The average temperature during the day for Southern China in June is 28 degrees celsius and very humid. Bring insect repellent and please make sure you pack sun block, we recommend at least factor 30. Although most buildings and forms of transportation are air-conditioned you will need comfortable casual clothes for day to day wear.

Communications
Contact can be made with the UK via internet in the university. If you intend to use a mobile phone, make sure that you have tri-band and check on the tariff as calls to and from China can be very expensive. Airmail letters and postcards take at least 5-7 days to reach the UK. The time difference in China is GMT plus 7 hours.

If relatives need to contact you in an emergency they should contact Maureen Bosch, a member of the GDST team in the UK, on 020 7393 6603 (9am-5pm) or 07930 547901 (at other times in case of emergency only) and she will forward the message to the team in Ningbo.

Should you need them, the details for the British Consulate in Shanghai are:
Consulate General of the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in ShanghaiChancery: Suite 301
Shanghai Center
1376 Nanjing Xi LuTel: +86-21-62798103Fax: +86-21-62798254

Currency
We recommend that you take travellers cheques or Chinese currency (RMB). All meals and sightseeing are included in the visit, but you may wish to have some spending money for souvenirs, and we recommend that £50 is adequate. Chinese currency can be bought in the UK at major banks. You may have to order this. Keep your money in a waist or neck belt inside your clothes when on day trips.

Health
No compulsory vaccinations are required to enter China. Recommended vaccinations are typhoid, tetanus, polio and hepatitis A. Please check with your GP. Any special dietary requirements should be notified to us before departure, so that the information can be passed on to the university and hotel. Do not drink the tap water. We will supply bottled water throughout the trip. Drink bottled or boiled water only. Peel all fruit. Do not eat any food from street stalls. When leaving the campus for day trips, take toilet paper and refresher pads. Some public toilets do not have toilet paper. Some are non-western style toilets (hole in the ground).

Safety
Cities in china are like major cities anywhere in the world and there are risks. Traffic is very busy and pedestrian crossings are not a right of way for pedestrians as they are in the UK. Students should take care with their valuable possessions such as mobile phones, iPods and money. We recommend you carry money in a waist or neck belt inside your clothes.

Gifts
It would be great if you would take some small gifts to give to the students you will be working with at the university. Some suggestions are listed in the checklist of items to take. Also take some photos of your family and the area where you live to show to Chinese friends you will meet. All the Chinese students will speak good English. This is a good ice breaker to start conversation.

Buying souvenirs and bartering
You should only carry a small amount of money in your wallet and the rest in money belts around your waist/neck. Most local souvenir shops in China are now owned privately and bartering is normal. You should be very careful and only look interested in articles if you are seriously interested in buying. You should offer half the asking price as a starting point. Before you start bartering you need to know exactly how much you are willing to pay. Stall holders will enjoy bargaining with you, especially if you know some Chinese. You also need to be strong enough to walk away if the price becomes too high. Do not take your cash out until you have finalised a price or they will see that you can afford to pay more! Most of the branded goods are fakes and may be of poor quality. Many watches stop working by the time you have returned home!

Checklist of items to take
o Passport
o Air ticket (above two items to be held by school for safe keeping)
o Visa (held in passport by school)
o Travellers cheques or Chinese money for souvenirs (£50 will be adequate)
o Money belt
o One case/bag
o One small backpack which can be taken on to the plane as luggage and then on train to Ningbo
o Comfortable shoes for day trips
o Casual clothes – loose trousers, jeans, t-shirts, light jumpers, dresses/skirts etc.
o 1 smart outfit for the graduation ceremony
o Small towel
o Pyjamas/underwear/socks
o Sealed packet of biscuits or sweets packed in main luggage for duration of Summer School
o Photos of your family, friends, home to show Chinese students.
o A book
o Toiletries (and sanitary protection)
o Sun block (factor 30)
o Hand sanitiser (available in Boots, Superdrug etc)
o Padlock for bag or a secure travelling case that is lockable
o Electrical adaptor for use in Asia
o Camera and spare batteries/memory card
o Insect repellent and antiseptic/anti-histamine cream.
o A waterproof jacket
o Sun hat and sunglasses
o Small gifts for Chinese students, key ring, postcards, mouse pads, pens, stamps, coins, magazines.
o Travel sickness medication as necessary
o Personal medication as necessary – very important!
o Flight socks if you are at risk of DVT
o Mandarin/English dictionary/phrasebook
o Pre-reading

The address for where you will be staying is -
International Student Accommodation
University of Nottingham, Ningbo Campus
199 Taikang East Road, Ningbo, 315100
China