Time Zone
Time Zone: GMT plus 8 hours
Useful Numbers:
Telephone country code: +86
Telephone area code: 592
Police: 110
Fire Department: 119
Ambulance: 120
Local directory assistance: 114 (service in Chinese only)
Currency and Bank Information:
The RMB (Renminbi) is the official currency, also called Chinese Yuan. Only RMB can be used when you are in China. Major credit cards including VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted at some hotels, department stores and restaurants.
Exchange rate is now about£¨Dec 24th, 2016£©
1 Euro = 7.263 RMB
1 USD= 6.946 RMB
The universal Currency Converter: http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Currency exchange service is available at the airport Office of the Bank of China. Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Construction Bank of China, and Guangda Bank also provide ATM service in the terminal.
There are a few banks on the Xiang'an campus of Xiamen University. Most of banks are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and close earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tipping
Tipping is not a part of Chinese custom. A 10% to 15% service charge may be added to your bill at some tourist hotels thus no tipping is expected unless you are provided with extra service. It is not necessary to tip a taxi driver unless he/she assists with luggage or provides extra service.
Electricity 
The standard domestic power supply in China is 220 V AC at 50 Hz. The standard sockets are two parallel lines
and three lines as shown on the right photo.
Insurance
No responsibility can be assured for any kind of personal accidents, sickness, theft, or property damage suffered by conference participants. Participants are advised to arrange whatever insurance they consider it necessary.
Weather
Xiamen is a subtropical coastal city. The temperature in Jan is between 10-17 ¡æ, with an average of 15¡æ (59°F). The average precipitation in Jan is about 37 mm. Yahoo’s 5-day Xiamen weather report: http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/CHXX0140_f.html
For more useful and interesting local information, visit http://amoymagic.com/ maintained by Dr. Bill Brown and Sue Brown.
