Work
Go East, young man. With its booming economy, China offers considerable scope for travellers looking for work. Teaching English can be particularly lucrative, and there are opportunities for acting, modelling work, editing, proofreading, freelance writing and IT work. Large numbers of Westerners work in China through international development charities such as VSO (www.vso.org.uk), which can provide you with useful experience and the chance to learn Chinese. Although finding employment is easier in Hong Kong than on the mainland, those with Chinese-language skills will find it much easier to source work. Useful places to start looking for positions include Chinajob.com (www.chinajob.com) and Chinaonline (www.chinaonline.cn.com). To legally work in China, you will require a work permit.
Business hours
China officially has a five-day working week. Banks, offices and government departments are usually open Monday to Friday, roughly from around 9am (some closing for two hours in the middle of the day) until 5pm or 6pm. Saturday and Sunday are both public holidays, but most museums stay open on weekends and sometimes make up for this by closing for one day during the week. Museums tend to stop selling tickets half an hour before they close. Travel agencies and foreign-exchange counters in tourist hotels have similar opening hours, but generally do not close for lunch and are usually open on Saturday and Sunday (at least in the morning). Department stores and shops are generally open from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. Note that businesses in China close for three week-long holidays. Many parks, zoos and monuments have similar opening hours; they’re also open on weekends and often at night. Internet café opening hours vary; they typically open at 8am and close at midnight, but many are increasingly open 24 hours.
Chinese restaurants are generally open from around 10.30am to 11pm or midnight, but some shut at around 2pm and reopen at 5pm or 6pm. The Chinese are accustomed to eating much earlier than Westerners, lunching at around midday and having dinner in the region of 6pm.
