best way: go online, find current currency exchange rate, and exchange with one of the expats or visitors here (win-win). Just don't walk around asking "you want dollar?" to anyone...

OP asked a simple question, needed a simple answer, & with the exception of where to get good exchange rates, I don't see how all the rest of this often-insulting verbiage needs to come into it.

op already knew...passport + bank...its all that is needed. no where did matt ask best exchange rates.

Alien, if the question was so simple, why did it take you 4 comments and 3 pages to Never answer his question clearly - Thanks for the link about exchange rates, but I have a very simple, yes or no question, that is nothing to do with exchange rates.

Instead, you constantly badger other forum members - please review your posts and see how many times you have been called pedant or pedantic - www.gokunming.com/[...] (Tiger).

Rhetorical question - Why do you always defend this OP? - because birds of a feather must flock together.

Alien, are you a) gullible or b) naive? This is a simple question needing a simple answer, either a) or b), any other response is not allowed and I would take it as an insult.

PS. I'm making a point.

c) You like to bite the worm of the Master Baiter? Hook, Line and Sinker - This expression was made for someone just like you.

Why are we talking about each other?

So now that you finally got your answer, did you ever make it to the bank to exchange your currency. Please let us all know where you went and what procedures you went through.

Roger I stayed in Kunming for two weeks under China Summer Bridge Program and I went to the China Bank of Communication with my passport and with the help of Baidu translator I requested them to change my 500 dollar to RMB and it simply worked out well !!! :) Though it took me 2 hours to make them understand what I actually want :)

Guess this post managed to end two user accs.