Addresses Street numbering is so random in most Chinese cities that it's little help in finding the address. Note that floors within buildings are numbered as in the US, not as in the UK or Australia. Street level is the "First Floor", not "Ground Floor"; the next storey is the "Second Floor", not first, and so on.

Airport departure tax Currently ¥50 for internal flights, and ¥90 if you're leaving the country.

Cigarettes Most foreign brands are available for a fraction of the price they cost in the West. The cheaper, Chinese brands have some great packaging and names, but tend to be pretty rough.

Contraceptives Condoms are easy to get hold of, with imported brands available in all the big cities.

Electricity The current is 220V on the mainland and 200V in Hong Kong. Plugs come in a wide range with either two or three differently shaped prongs. Take a travel conversion plug with you, and a flashlight is also useful given the erratic power supply.

Laundry Most tourist hotels have a laundry service, though it's not usually cheap. Clothes will be returned the following day.

Left luggage Some hotels will store luggage, and there are always guarded and moderately secure luggage offices at train and bus stations (sometimes open only from dawn to dusk, however) where you can leave your possessions for a few kuai.

Photography Photography is a popular pastime among the Chinese, and all big mainland towns and cities have plenty of places to buy and process 35mm film. In Hong Kong there's likely to be at least as big a range as wherever you've come from; elsewhere, colour print stock is the most widely available. Mainland Chinese brands cost about ¥10 for 36 exposures, scarcer Western varieties are around ¥20. Processing is very variable - sometimes good, often mediocre - and costs about ¥15 per roll. Transparency film is rarely available, impossible to process in the country, and in the ¥60 price bracket. Camera batteries are beginning to be fairly easy to obtain in big city department stores. Hong Kong has every imaginable type, but it's best to bring a supply with you. Chinese train stations and airports now have powerful x-ray machines which can damage film - carry your film in your pockets rather than risk it.

Tampons Tampons can be hard to find, but good sanitary towels are widely available in supermarkets and department stores, and are reasonably cheap.

Things to take Unless you're a big fan of nineteenth-century literature - just about all that is available in English translation - take a few meaty books for the long train rides. Coins and stamps from your country are a good idea - they will cause much excitement and curiosity and make good small presents. Another aid to bridging the language gap is a few photos of your family and friends, even where you live. China is rarely a quiet place, and for the sake of your sanity as well as comfort, earplugs are a good idea, especially if you're contemplating long bus journeys. It's also advisable to take a set of your own chopsticks, for hygiene reasons. Also worth taking are: a universal plug adaptor and universal sink plug; a flashlight; a multi-purpose penknife; a needle and thread; and a first-aid kit. If you'll be travelling in the sub-tropical south or at high altitudes, bring high-factor sun block and good-quality sunglasses.

Time differences China occupies a single time zone, eight hours ahead of GMT, sixteen hours ahead of US Pacific Standard Time, thirteen hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time and two hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Tipping Not expected on the mainland, but functions as in the West in Hong Kong.

Toilets Chinese toilets can take a lot of getting used to. Apart from the often disgusting standard of hygiene, the lack of privacy can be very off-putting - squat toilets are separated by a low, thin partition or no partition at all. The public kind are typically awful, though any staffed by an attendant should be fairly clean, and you'll have to pay a few jiao before you enter. Probably the best bet is to find a large hotel and use the toilets in the lobby. Most hotel toilets have a wastepaper basket by the side for toilet paper. Don't put paper down the loo as it blocks the primitive sewage system, and staff will get irate with you.