HEFEI Orientation package BIK HEFEI 2018 Location - Where is Hefei? Country: China Population: 7,869,000 Currency: Yuan (Renminbi) Language: Hefei Dialect, on which Mandarin Chinese is based on Time Zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8) Area: 11,434.25 km2 Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in China. It is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui. It borders Huainan to the north, Chuzhou to the northeast, Wuhu to the southeast, Tongling to the south, Anqing to the southwest and Lu'an to the west. Until the Chinese civil war, Hefei was a largely agricultural city. Since then it has industrialised. Among the main industries here include machinery, electronics, chemical, textile and tobacco. It is one of the emerging cities of China. HEFEI ORIENTATION 1 Money and Currency The currency of China is the renminbi (RMB) or yuan (or colloquially known as 'kwai'). ATMs are common in urban and tourist areas of China. "Union Pay" credit cards issued in China are widely accepted at regular stores and larger restaurants. American Express, Visa and MasterCard issued elsewhere without the Union Pay symbol are not widely accepted at stores and restaurants. Hotels, expensive tourist restaurants and expensive shops generally take foreign-issued cards. Elsewhere, the Chinese yuan is king. Temperature Hefei has four distinct seasons and agreeable weather which belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate. Hefei's annual average temperature is 16.18 °C (61.1 °F). The weather chop and change fantasticality in spring, with a long and the intermittent drizzles can last from June to early July in summer. The autumn features is very comfortable with clear and sunny weather. Winters are damp and cold, with January lows dipping just below freezing and January averaging 2.8 °C (37.0 °F). The city sees irregular snowfalls that rarely turn significant. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 35 percent in March to 50 percent in August, the city receives 1,868 hours of bright sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −20.6 °C (−5 °F) on 6 January 1955 to 41.1 °C (106 °F) on 27 July 2017. HEFEI ORIENTATION 2 Transportation By plane Hefei Xinqiao International Airport (合肥新桥国际机场 Héféi Xīnqiáo guójì jīchǎng) is located about 30 kilometres from the city centre. A straight run (light traffic) to or from the airport by car or shuttle bus takes 45 minutes. There is also a 10 RMB toll fee to get onto the airport expressway. A taxi costs about ¥120 one-way, shuttle bus ¥25. By Train Hefei has two major train stations. Hefei South Railway station receives most of the high speed trains (G or D categories) from all of China. It is situated in a newly developed zone for South of the city centre and many city buses serve this station. Hefei Railway station is in the Northern part of the city. Few high speed trains arrive here, however, all of the conventional trains are operated through this station. A taxi from Hefei South to the city centre will be less than ¥20. Expect to queue for the taxi. Changing between these two stations with a taxi will cost less than ¥30, expect 40 minutes in normal traffic conditions. By taxi HEFEI ORIENTATION 3 Green, blue or orange: These taxis are metered and start at ¥8. DiDi is the most commonly used mode of transport in Hefei. It is cheaper than taking a taxi but requires either WeChat or Alipay to order a DiDi. Also the order site is ONLY written in Mandarin. Legally, every taxi must have the driver's picture and licence number displayed in a plastic plate affixed to the dashboard. If you have any major problems with a taxi driver, discretely write down this number if you need to make a complaint and ask for a fa piao (receipt) at the end of your journey. Around the city area in Hefei, you can reasonably expect to pay between ¥10-30. In Hefei, a driver might occasionally try to pick up an extra passenger and carry them with you. i.e. pooling. They sometimes try this on foreigners who don't know how to object. Make it known if you don't want this to happen. By bus Public buses are the dominant mode of public transport in Hefei. The central hub is in Municipal Square. A single bus fare to anywhere costs ¥1 or ¥2. All bus routes, schedules, and announcements are in Chinese. But don't let this put you off. An excellent way to navigate the Hefei bus system is to use Maps app. on your mobile phone. You can search bus routes, find bus numbers/stops in English and pinyin. The results are very accurate. Beware that in peak hours buses are absolutely crammed to the limit. There is no such thing as a "full" Hefei bus; the driver will take more people on. By subway Currently, Hefei metro line 1 and line 2 serve the public. Metro line 1 includes 23 stations, connecting Hefei Railway Station and Jiulianwei. Hefei subway line 2 links Nangang and Sanshibu. In addition, subway line 3, line 4 and line 5 are under construction now. By the end of 2020, the rail transit line in the city will reach about 170 kilometres (105 miles). According to the long-term plan, Hefei is scheduled to have totally 15 subway lines with a length of 523 kilometres (325 miles). HEFEI ORIENTATION 4 Bank Bank of China can service you with foreign exchange. Usually the bank opens between 09:00 - 17:00 from Monday to Friday. Emergency Numbers Fire: 119 Police: 110 Ambulance: 120 Traffic Accident: 122 The following is a list of hospitals in Hefei where there are English-speaking doctors and provide medical care and services to foreigners. Anhui Provincial People's Hospital Tel: +86-551-2652 797 Address: No 1 Lu Jiang Road Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Provincial Medical Institute Tel: +86-551-6292-2114 Address: No 218 Jixi Road Shushan The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Anhui Medical University Tel: +86-551-6511-8679 Address: Meishan Road No.69 Shushan Where to stay? There are more than 200 hotels with star ratings, including 18 five star hotels, more than 40 four star hotels in Hefei. Here is the list of popular 5 star hotels in Hefei. HEFEI ORIENTATION 5 Hilton Hefei The Hilton Hotel is a 7-minute drive to Hefei Railway Station. Hefei Xinqiao International Airport is a 68-minute-drive away. Former residence of Li Hongzhang can be reached in 6 minutes by car. Phoenix Restaurant specialises in Chinese and fresh seafood dishes, while Happy Panda Restaurant features live cooking stations offering Asian favourites. The 24-hour Sens Restaurant offers a Chinese and Western buffet and an outdoor Sens garden. The price for one night is 112$ (breakfast included) Address: 198 ShengLi Road, Yaohai, 230011 The Westin Hefei Baohe The Westin Hefei Baohe is located in the business district of Hefei city, a 15-minute drive from Baohe Park. Westin Hefei Baohe is a 46-minute drive from Hefei Xinqiao International Airport and only 161 m from the Bao Gong Temple. It takes 11 minutes by car to Hefei Railway Station. Guests can dine at the Daily Treats serving fast food. They can also enjoy Western and Chinese cuisines at the Seasonal Tastes Restaurant. The Five Zen5es Restaurant serves Cantonese and local Anhui specialities. The price for one night is 135$ (breakfast included) Address: No. 150 Ma'An Shan Road, Baohe District, Baohe, 230011 HEFEI ORIENTATION 6 Holiday Inn Holiday Inn Hefei is a 55-minute drive to Xinqiao International Airport. Hefei South Railway Station can be reached in 13 minutes by car. Chinese dishes can be enjoyed at Xiang Abalone Chinese Restaurant or the 24-hour Noodles and Chopsticks Restaurant. Western dishes are available at Golden Laurel Western Restaurant. The price for one night is 67$ (breakfast included) Address: No.1104 East Chang Jiang Road, Yaohai, 230011 Hengyue International Club Hotel Hengyue International Club Hotel is a hotel situated in Hefei. 2.6 km from Hefei 1912 Bar Street and 3 km from Hefei Swan Lake Wanda Plaza. The nearest airport is Hefei Xinqiao International Airport, 27 km from the property. Shushan is a great choice for travellers interested in nature, food and relaxation. The price for one night is 55$ (breakfast included) Address: 83 Science Avenue (Kexue Dadao), New & High Technology Development Zone, Shushan, 230088 If you are looking for some cheap accommodation options in Hefei, here they are. HEFEI ORIENTATION 7 GreenTree Inn /Tongling Road Express Hotel/ Located within 3 km of Xiaoyaojin Park and 9 km of Hefei 1912 Bar Street, GreenTree Inn Anhui Hefei Tongling Road Express Hotel offers rooms in Hefei. 11 km from Hefei Swan Lake, the property is also 11 km away from Hefei Swan Lake Wanda Plaza. The price for one night is 22$ (breakfast US$2 (optional)) Address: No.169, Tongling Road, Yaohai District (interchange of tongling road and HePing road), Yaohai, 246003 Thank Inn Chain Hotel /Baohe District South Second Ring Road/ Thank Inn Chain Hotel Anhui Hefei Baohe District South Second Ring Road is located 6 km from Xiaoyaojin Park. In a prime location in the Baohe district, the property is set 7 km from Hefei Swan Lake and 7 km from Hefei 1912 Bar Street. Hefei Xinqiao International Airport is 36 km far. The price for one night is 19$ (breakfast not included) Address: No.3.102, Fengdan City Garden, No.15, Dongliu Road, Baohe, 230000 Hefei, China What and where to eat? Here is the list of restaurants in Hefei, where at least you can find a fork and a knife.