Divided by mountains, the southern China has been isolated from the political mainstream of the center and north of the country.  Consequently, the south has tended to look outwards...

Visas
Passport valid for at least six months and visa are necessary to enter China, though you don’t need a visa to enter Hong Kong and Macau. Please note the heavy fines on overstay in China.

Electricity
The electrical current in China is 220 volts. You are advised to carry a conversion plug and power surge cable, because laptops damage by voltages is common happened. Rechargeable batteries and battery charger are much better than cheap battery in the shop.

Currency
RMB is official currency in China. RMB is locally called “yuan”. Most major currencies are available to exchange in China. Credit Card is very useful in upmarket restaurants and hotels and in large shops.

Climate
Xiamen has a subtropical oceanic climate.  From July to September is warm with temperatures reaching 37'C.  Winter is cool with average temperature around 11'C.  Whole year climate is good for travelers.

Dialing
International calls can be made from most hotels telephone boxes, and office of China Telecom. Card phones on the street are accept a wide variety of phonecards in the large cities.
Useful Dialling NO.:
From abroad to China:
Your international access code + China’s country code (86) + area code omitting the first 0 + local number. Neither Hong Kong nor Macau have area codes; they only have country codes – 852 and 853.
From China to abroad:
00 + country code + area code omitting any initial 0 + local number
Dial 115 for international directory assistance.
Dial 114 for local directory enquiries in Chinese.

Road Names
Main roads, avenues are often divided into different sections based on the four cardinal points. For example, Zhongyang Lu (Zhongyang Road) may be divided into Zhongyang Dong Lu (Zhongyang East Road) and Zhongyang Xi Lu (Zhongyang West Road) . Similarly, you will probably meet Zhongyang Bei Lu (north road) and Zhongyang Nan Lu (south road). In large cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, Road names also display the pinyin translation with Chinese.

Bargaining
In our opinion, the bargaining is essential in China, especially for English speaker. Sometime, you may be overcharged several times of original price. Therefore, travelers should be very careful when shopping in markets or anywhere else where prices are not indicated. We intensively suggest you to bargain and firmly state your price and just walk away if the one doesn’t agree. Shopkeepers often agree once they realize they’re losing a potential sale.

Tipping
Tipping is not expected in Xiamen. Some restaurants include a service charge on the bill.

Time Different
You may refer to this web site;
http://www.worldtimezone.com/