Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sonicmatt]

I was wondering if anyone on here has ever done China by using the ferries out of Inchon. Or are there better ways to travel there? Also, is it hard to get a tourist visa if I am a US citizen and my travel companions are Canadian. Finally, how far are those terra cotta warriors from Beijing or other big cities?

[D.D.]

Flights are not that more expensive and it would be cold on a boat during the winter. Warriors are in Xian which is not that far from Beijing when you consider how big China is. I think it's like 4 hours or more by train or bus. Visa's just make sure you apply about a month before.

[bewolff]

Boat
The boat from Incheon to Tianjin costs like 150k round trip. But the boat takes a full 24 hours each way, and it stops being interesting after about 8 hours. The boat leaves on two different days. There is a sticky called "slow boat to China"

Airplane
My Korean friend recently booked round trip tickets to Beijing for just over 300K, and the flight is like 2 hours each way. You can TRY to get a train ticket to Xian...the train ride from Beijing to Xian (Terracotta Warriors) is about 20 hours. The better thing is to find a domestic Chinese flight on China Air or whatever. They go for around 1000rmb, sometimes less. It is worth it to do that.

Visa
Last year before the Olympics it was easy to get a tourist visa, but they made things much more difficult during the Olympics. I am not sure if things have gone back to the way they were.

[bewolff]

Does anyone know whether the process to get a Chinese tourist visa has gone back to what it was before the Olympics (easily done through a travel agency) or must it still be gotten from the embassy directly?

[ThingsComeAround]

There is a place in Seoul near Myeong-dong that pumps out visas rather efficiently.. call to verify this but you DONT goto the Chinese embassy (this cost me a morning running around)

It probably is easy, as many Koreans go to China and the office seems to have been established for a good amount of time

Consular Office
Address: 50-7, No.2 Street, Namsan-dong, Chung-gu, Seoul
Tel: +82-2-060-7045004 (Inquiry for Passport, Visa, Notarization & Authentication)
+82-2-7567300, 7550453, 7550456 (for Consular Protection & Overseas Chinese Affairs)

Office Hours:
Application for Visa: 09:00-11:30, Monday-Friday (except holidays)
Application for Passport, Travel Document, Notarization & Authentication: 13:30-16:00, Monday-Thursday (except holidays)
Pick-up and Payment: 09:00-11:30, Monday-Friday (except holidays)
For Overseas Chinese Affairs & Consular Protection:
09:00-11:30, Monday-Friday
13:30-17:00, Monday-Thursday

[Siesta]