Cultural Revolution in China
From the beginning of August, China will start accepting Russians without a visa. At the same time, experts from the Chinese tourism industry noticed that the “post-pandemic” Russian tourist has changed: his interests and needs have become different — and sometimes unexpected for the host country. But, apparently, a pleasant surprise, since the long-awaited «visa-free» we were still given. We found out exactly which tourists from the Russian Federation surprised the Celestial Empire, and what new hospitality awaits us from it in just three days.
In the glorious city of Beijing, as Vladimir Vysotsky sang almost half a century ago, the «revolution of culture» is honored today. Today, she is experiencing another renaissance, and the Celestial Empire is helping in this … Russian tourists! This is what the experts of the Chinese tourism industry note with satisfaction. And the domestic Ministry of Economic Development, represented by its head, said that from August 1, Russia and China will launch a mutual tourist “visa-free”.
– I'm interested in a Russian-Chinese tour operator.
— Of course. I mean not just a visa-free regime for any citizen of the Russian Federation or China, but specifically an exchange — tourist and cultural-educational within the framework of tourism.
— Visa-free entry on a reciprocal basis of the PRC and the Russian Federation is given not to every tourist, but to travelers united in groups. The details of this agreement are being worked out now, but in general it will be crossing the border according to the list submitted by the tour operator from the list agreed by the parties, for the period for which the trip is provided. And it, in turn, depends on its purpose.
It turns out that a “tourist group of interest”, which is considered to be any company of 2 people or more, united by a single program in the PRC, can apply for “visa-free travel”, and it can be not only purely touristic (excursion or beach, aimed at sightseeing or seaside vacations). ), but also «cultural». The concept of a “cultural group” includes any company that has common interests and is going to indulge in them in China. And, as it turns out, it is precisely such cult groups from Russia that have already managed to surprise the Chinese tourism industry.
— We resumed the exchange of tourists with Russia on February 6, — explains the Russian-speaking employee of the Shanghai travel agency Li Ying Mo. — And since February 20, there is also an agreement on group visas — that is, one for the whole group. And now it will be further refined so that a tourist as part of an interest group will not have any trouble with registration at all. By the way, the Russians have mastered the entry of interests faster than us. We were pleasantly surprised! After all, before the pandemic, we got used to the fact that if the Russians are a group, then these are shuttles.
— Shuttles, of course, also exist, but they are a minority. And there are groups of gardeners, fitness trainers, doctors, restaurateurs and other specialists who are interested in Chinese achievements in their field. There are especially many esotericists, they go to Avatar (the so-called «suspended» mountains in the Zhangjiajie forest park, where the film «Avatar» was filmed, after which tourists began to call the entire park Avatar — author) and to Tibet (formally, Tibet is called autonomy in the southwest People's Republic of China with the capital Lhasa — author), they have special practices there.
Apparently, it was these “interest groups” that the Chinese experts had in mind. Thematic tours have been launched from Russia to the Celestial Empire, which, in addition to the excursion program, include master classes — for example, on Chinese gardening for landscape designers, on the latest Chinese traditional medicine for those who are interested in non-traditional methods of healing, cosmetologists for those looking for alternative anti-aging drugs instead of departed Western brands, chefs of Russian restaurants with Chinese cuisine, etc. According to the domestic tourism industry, such group trips, having become completely visa-free from August 1, promise to become the most popular among Russian tourists. Also because they are much cheaper than traditional sightseeing or beach tours.
— A beach holiday in China is offered on the island of Hainan, — explain in a Russian travel agency working on new tour packages in China. – But there is no direct flight, only through Beijing. And in Hainan itself, prices are, let's say, resort prices. Together with the flight, 2 weeks in Hainan for two will cost under 400 thousand rubles, and this is only for breakfast. And a group trip to the mainland cities of China costs 80-90 thousand rubles per person, depending on its duration. On average, such trips are designed for 7-10 days. In addition to sightseeing, it includes thematic excursions — according to the interests of the group. All excursions on the spot are served by Chinese guides, they can place any request, most importantly, in advance so that they have time to prepare. It is an honor for them to receive a group order to get acquainted with some kind of Chinese culture.
Mainland Chinese cities have their own specifics: for example, health and beauty tourism is directed to Dalian (a port city-resort, founded by the Russians in 1898 as the port of Dalniy on the leased territory of the Chinese fishing village of Tsinniwa near Dalianwan Bay — author), famous for with its unconventional methods of rejuvenation and healing. Those wishing to practice Chinese health-improving qigong go to «places of power» in the provinces of Shandong and Henan. And Shanghai, it turns out, is famous for curing depression.
“I am going on such a group tour,” a 32-year-old Muscovite suffering from depression admits on condition of anonymity. — The group is recruited by word of mouth, only for their own. Flight direct to Shanghai and there 10 days in a special institution. This is not a hotel, but not a clinic either. The Chinese call it a «farm». They heal emotional pain and emptiness with the help of Chinese non-traditional healers. Rather, for China, they are just traditional. Acupuncture, massage, herbal preparations and all that. And it comes out cheaper than a beach tour in Hainan for the same period!
For those Russians who are not ready to unite in interest groups, but want to go to the Celestial Empire, from August 1, this will also become even easier — with a little Chinese specificity. In a number of Chinese air harbors, Russians traveling in numbers of two or more can obtain a “group single entry tourist visa” upon arrival, which saves them from the tedious procedure of submitting documents to the Chinese visa application center in advance. A visa is issued only for a group of tourists from 2 people (a single visa cannot be obtained), perhaps at the international airports of Shanghai, Harbin, Chengdu and Zhengzhou. To obtain a visa at the entrance, Russians need to have a passport valid for at least six months before the start date of the trip, and $ 200 — this is how much it costs to apply for a visa at the airport per person. Copies of which documents must be sent by e-mail before the start of the trip, the airline will tell you when buying tickets. And there is a choice: direct flights from Russia to China and back are operated by a number of Russian and Chinese airlines, from Moscow, St. Petersburg and 7 Siberian cities you can go straight to Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, Chengdu, Qingdao, Xian, Guangzhou and Urumqi. The cheapest ticket from Russia to China in July: Moscow — Beijing for 24.5 thousand rubles per person one way. The most expensive is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk — Harbin (58.8 thousand rubles per 1 passenger one way). For Russians transiting in the Chinese capital, there is also a hospitable offer: 144-hour visa-free, that is, 6 days as part of a 144-hour visa-free transit policy with accession to the cultural program, which includes a tour of the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Peking duck tasting. The condition for using a transit visa-free regime is one — the tourist must have an air ticket from Beijing to a third country, and not home or to autonomous Chinese territories.