Entry into Xiajiang from Kyrgyzstan

It is a general thing this spring possibly related to the Chinese crackdown on dissidents and fears of Jasmine Revolution meddling this spring. My application last month for a Chinese visa at the embassy in Helsinki was handed back to me as soon as I said I would enter from Kazakhstan.

Try to apply through a travel agent once you have reached Kyrgyzstan, as some of the agents there have a long history of getting visas for Westerners in spite of the hassles that Chinese embassies in Western countries occasionally raise.

My applications was not handed back- and its still in progress, and the staff are being friendly and trying to help............

I rang Johns cafe in Kashgar today and John advises that he is able to get some kind of LOI which will be acceptable to the authorities. I suspect that I will be required to make various bookings through him, which is a fair, if expensive, trade-off.

I have now been allowed to send in a new visa application which does not mention Xiajiang.

I asked if they wanted any airline ticket to show I was overflying Xiajiang, and they said , umm, No, no need for that.

I had a call from them a day or two later and they told me they had a received the new application and they asked a couple of questions about minor passport details.

I wait with interest to check my mailbox during the next couple of days.

I now have a Chinese visa after several grovelling phone calls and emails.

The moral of all this is that you only list standard Chinese tourists towns in the application and DO NOT mention Xiajiang or Tibet.

The funny thing about it all is that they know quite well that I will be crossing from Kyrgyzstan to Xiajiang, they just dont what to be told this!

Hi,
It is very easy to travel from Kashgar to Osh by bublic bus for any private car. This border does not need any permit for the travellers to cross unless you have a valid visa to Kyrgyzistan. You can take a bus from Kashgar International bus station on Monday and Friday in a week. You should have a permit to cross Torugat pass from Kashgar to Bishkek or Bishkek to Kashgar. It is easy to organize through a licenced International Travel agent in Kashgar. You could find a travel agent in Seman Hotel lobby who can manage this with a very competitive prices and you can share the cost with others. They can give you more information as well. Good Luck.

And when I crossed the border a couple of weeks ago, no problems at all..........