Hey,
Has anyone experience Kunming and surrounding areas during Golden Week. I'm planning travels with a friend and we are looking for places that aren't affected by the massive crowds of Golden Week.

Are any of Kunming, Dali, ShanXi, LiJiang crowded at this time? Would hotels etc need to be booked in advance or is it okay to just turn up and find something?
Which would be least busy? Hoping to check out Dali.

Thanks for any infor

I've given my application for the Travel Visa. I had heard you needed to show a return plane ticket which would've been very inconvenient for me, but the visa office said it wasn't necessary. Just a one-way ticket and hotel booked for the first night. It's being processed now. One lady at the visa office says people have switched from L-Visa to X-Visa before IN China, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Very glad to hear that mPRin has done it successfully. I'm happy to go along with the process as long as it's all within the rules

@mPRin, can I ask did you switch from L-Visa to X-Visa and then apply for residence visa? Or was it straight from L-Visa to Residence visa which allowed you to study?

@ALL - I have to do an entrance exam when I arrive and this is their reason for not giving me the official documents. I need to officially do the test before I can be offered admittance. Hopefully this dispels any need for fear mongering and conspiracy theories

Hi,
I am traveling to China to attend university bachelors degree next month and I've been told by my university that I have to come over with an L(travel)Visa, then after I arrive they will admit me to the university and give me a JW202 form to allow me to switch my L-Visa to an X2 visa. This will all take place in China.

I'm not sure about whether you can switch from an L-Visa to a X2-Visa while IN china, without leaving the country. Has anyone done this? Are there any issues with this process?

The uni seems pretty keen on not giving me the documents to apply for an X2-Visa until I arrive.

@JCMKM That's a good point about the date of the exam. They said we would receive our results 3 days after, so it would be a pretty big shock to be told a day before semester that I am not attending. But you never know. I'm still worried about the potential for failure and what that might mean. Would love to hear from some bachelor students who know more specifically about the exam, but maybe I'm just being overly worried at this point.

I've been told students are still in the middle of moving campus and I'm more likely to be at "Not-Chenggong" until next year when we will move to Chenggong. But I guess that's another thing I'll find out when I arrive.

Thanks for the heads up on the Chinese level. I am not thinking this is going to be easy, and I totally agree NewHSK4 is no where near university level. It doesn't even have a real writing section haha. I only did it, as that is the minimum requirement for uni entry. But my actual level would be more towards HSK6. I'm sure I could at least pass HSK5 with decent marks. I practice reading newspapers and simple novels in my spare time so I hope that gives me some kind of basis to help me adapt. I've practiced listening to Chinese lectures, with mild success, but totally reliant on Chinese subtitles. I'm sure a live lecture would go right over my head.
My plan has always been to just study my ass off when I get there. Treat it like an intense, probably-not-so-fun Chinese crash course. I think it's probably very good advice to seek the help of some classmates. Recorded lectures would also be a massive bonus.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, really good to hear.

@HFCAMPO
I'll be studying Sociology in Chinese. I think I will be starting at not-Chenggong campus. (not sure if that is called 121). I've passed NewHSK4.

@JCMKM
Cool, that's kind of what I was expecting. I do get the sense it's going to be more of a formality, but I'd like to know for sure. I've been told after I pass the exam they will be able to enroll me. (so hopefully I've passed all the hassle) Although the exam is on 9th September which seems really late - I thought semester started earlier than that(?) Not actually sure. Do you have any friends in the uni who are bachelor degree students who may have had experience with the Entrance Exam?
I should be enrolling for the september semester so it's too late for scholarships or considering other unis