If you are fortunate enough to ever travel to China I have a few recommendations for you.  It is quite an adventure and I was able to go there with my experienced colleagues who showed me the ropes a few times and I then later developed my own technique for traveling through the Guandong province of China.  Guandong is responsible for over 30% of China’s total export, that’s a lot for one province in the huge country of China.  In my opinion the reason for this is that many Taiwanese businessmen set up factories in this area of China because it’s an easy place to get in and out of through Hong Kong.  It’s also close to the major shipping ports of southern China.  From the Hong Kong airport you can either take the ferry directly to the Shen Zhen port or take a car directly to where you want to go in China.

Don’t forget your Visa.  You need one to get into China.  If you are going to be going over a lot I prefer the “1 year multiple entry visa” so I can come and go as I please through the year.  This should all be done through your travel agent.  The business visa requires an invitation from a Chinese factory so make sure you have one or you will need to apply for the “outing in leisure” visa.  Make sure to start this process one month before you are leaving for China in case there are some issues to resolve.  Again, I advise using your travel agent for this process.

I always like to fly EVA airlines.  This is a Taiwan based airlines that has incredible service and great fares.  Usually a lot less cost than other airlines I have flown in the past and the service is better.  I usually fly from LAX through Taipei and on to Hong Kong.  Their Premium Laurel service is the best and you are able to sleep on the flight because the seats fold down almost flat.  I’m a big guy and it works for me.  In addition to sleep you can watch movies on your own personal screen and the movies are always “still in theatres” so the entertainment is great.  I can’t say enough about EVA airlines, they have always done an excellent job of making those long trips manageable.  I take the flight that leaves LAX in the late evening and gets into Hong Kong about 10am.  I then grab the ferry or a van and go right to the factories to start working.

Before you enter the airport into Hong Kong customs you can select the ferry terminal to get to mainland China.  Make sure to “not” enter Hong Kong or you cannot get back into the ferry area and will have to take a taxi or van into China.  The ferries go to multiple ports and you can make arrangements to get picked up at one of the ports.  They will sell you a ticket inside the airport and pick up your luggage from the air terminal and make sure it gets on the ferry.  This is a little more adventurous than taking a van because you need to find you way around to the ferry and through customs into the port for pick up.  The ferry tickets are about $50 US and real easy to get at the airport.  Make sure to check the times of departure because they are limiting the ferries because so many people are using the vans to go to mainland China these days.


Taxis and Vans:

Many of the hotels in Southern China have van service into China from Hong Kong.  This is the easiest way to get into China in my opinion.  Don’t forget china treats Hong Kong as a separate country so if you’re taking a van you need to exit Hong Kong and then enter China through customs.  In the old days this was a real issue.  Now, many of the hotel vans can just drive you through customs handing your passport with Visa to the checkpoints and you can stay in the van.  This is a real convenience.

Be sure to check ahead to see how your getting from the airport to your destination before you leave.  This is not something you want to try to figure out over there.  Once again I must express that your team in China should help you with this exercise in travel.    

Hotels:

Some places I recommend in the Dong Guan-Shen Zhen area are: