Preparing with my Chinese wife for travel to USA next year, I discovered this new requirement, which goes into effect 2016-11-29.

Chinese tourists going to USA must have (1) B1/B2, B1, or B2 visa, and (2) EVUS registration starting November 29, 2016.

EVUS = Electronic Visa Update System.

This only applies to Chinese travelers with the mentioned visa types that are valid for 10 years.

Other types of visa do not require registration.

For B1/B2, B1 and B2 visa travelers, if the EVUS registration is lacking, the Chinese citizen will not be allowed to board aircraft for USA.

EVUS registration is completed at www.evus.gov.

See also www.cbp.gov/EVUS for more information.

Registration is supposed to take twenty minutes in most cases.

This new requirement is part of the reciprocal agreement between China and USA allowing citizens to obtain a ten-year travel visa.

The EVUS registration must be completed every two years in order to visit the USA.

Again, if the Chinese traveler has not registered, or the registration is older than two years, the traveler will be denied boarding flight to USA. At this time, EVUS registration only applies to Chinese citizens with ten-year B1/B2, B1 and B2 visas, although it is expected to be extended to other countries in the future.

There is also no registration fee at present, but there may be one in future.

According to the EVUS website, information to be entered as part of registration:
1. Primary email address
2. Secondary email address
3. Home telephone number
4. Cell phone number
5. Work phone number
6. Home address
7. Emergency point of contact
8. Are you in transit? “Yes” or “No” [i.e., to another country]
9. U.S. Point of Contact
10. Address in the U.S.
11. Do you have a current or previous employer? 'Yes' or 'No'
12. Employer name, address, telephone number, and title

Not north Kunming, but you can find one on the east side of Baitalu between Renminlu and Dongfenglu. I got a 3-disk set with 15 or so Zhang Yimou movies for ten kuai. Normally 10 kuai per disk for most titles. Of course if you're looking for top video and audio quality you'll have to look elsewhere.

Yikes, my stash is almost gone. I get Gold Bond powder in USA for keeping groin rash-free and to soothe itching. Is there a Chinese equivalent?

1. What do old folks or disabled folks do when it becomes physically difficult to use a squat toilet? I've heard some resort to installing Western toilet stools. What other strategies are there? I'm at the age where I wonder about my squatting fate a few years hence.

2. One Gokunming poster mentioned a special chair that fits over a squat toilet, can be folded for convenience and camping. Helpful, the poster said, for Westerners who have trouble bending at the knees. Where can you purchase them?

3. From all the camping and backpacking I've done, I must have squatted outdoors thousands of time. Why then so blasted difficult to stand up from the squat position? Finally dawned on me—weight gain, dummy. Oh dear, now to develop a regimen to lose weight. I have not been very successful in the past, hope this time is different.

4. What makes extricating myself from squat even more difficult, is carrying a pack on my back with what I consider daily essentials (jacket, glasses, book, electronics, water bottle, etc.) AND THERE IS NO HOOK ON THE STALL WALL. Sometimes I have wished for handles on the walls so I can pull up with my hands, or bungee cords for a little upward spring. Lately I have resorted to hooking my pack over the corner of the stall door and closing the door. Hopefully pack will stay put (so far so good). But sometimes there is no door, and of course I don't want to set pack on the grungy floor. Maybe I could carry a metal hook to place over the top of the wall for hanging the pack. But then there are those rural restrooms with thick half walls, or no walls at all. What to do? Suggestions from your collective wisdom welcome.

My experience getting discounts:

1. Kunming bus/subway card
10% discount over paying cash
I got mine at Dongfeng Plaza subway station.

2. Student card from Chinese-language school
My school provides these to students who want one, had to give them a photo and 10 rmb. Probably others schools do similar. Substantial discount at Stone Forest, 80 rmb instead of something like 180 rmb. Also get in to Xishan for half price, 20 instead of 40. But when I tried to use it at Three Pagodas in Dali, the lady yelled at me for being too old trying to get into a national park. Apparently the age limit for students is 25 at a national park, I am visibly older.

3. I like to walk at Kunming's Golden Temple park, get among the trees and flowers and away from car exhaust, downside is lots of people. Normally 30 rmb per visit, however you can get a pass good for one year for 90 rmb. Pay at main entrance, they give you a receipt, walk up the steps quite a ways to administration building, down two floors to the office that handles the pass. Bring visa size photo. When I tried to renew after my first year, I was hassled when I tried to pay (admin office closed, come back in two days, they closed an hour ago, etc. etc.). Finally I went directly to the admin office and complained. They apologized, accepted my money and gave me a new pass. When you use the pass, they punch out a spot on the card, you can enter up to 30 times in one year.

4. World Horti-Expo Park
I like to walk here as well as nearby Golden Temple park. Problem is it costs 100 rmb per visit. But you can get an annual pass good for any number of visits. Cost 300 rmb, but they ran a special during Chinese New Year for 158 rmb, two weeks in February, two weeks in March. Unfortunately, the 158 special ends March 13. Renewal after one year is 138 rmb. Don't need to bring a photo as they take your pic on site and give you a wallet sized card with your mug on it.

5. Gondola ride from World Horti-Expo Park to Golden Temple
40 rmb one way, 60 rmb round trip. No discount, so I seldom ride. The best I could do was pay 60 for the round trip, take a one-way trip one day, and on a later date use the remaining one-way ticket. I asked first before doing this, basically had to get ok from the laoban on hand. This is only possible by showing the annual pass from 4. above.

Now, are there ways to get into parks for free? I once saw some people defeating the fence at Xishan. Serendipity rewards the intrepid and observant explorer, but that's a topic for another time and place and thread...