Last year all my domestic flights charged me 20rmb/kg of additional checked in weight. 20kg was the checked in suitcase luggage limit so since mine weighed 32kg, i had to pay an additional 240rmb, and i paid in cash. This was both when entering china and exiting china, the additional charge was always 20rmb/kg for the domestic.
As for the hand luggage taken onto the plane, i never got them weighed at the counter and tagged, i just kept them on the floor next to my feet, the maximum i have taken o nto the plane was main hand luggage bag which weighed about 8kg and a laptop bag, and small giftbag with cigarattes, tea and a burger in it and it went ok.
So the chances are, you can probably sneak in a couple of bags on to the plane, but not OBVIOUSLY huge ones, because you might just get stopped before boarding. But for those 3 i took onboard, it went ok.
20rmb/kg is very good compared to emirates asking for equivelant of 300-500rmb per kg when boarding from UK for any over limit weight!!!
You can go to the international post office on Beijing Lu, i think it's number 23. I have been there myself and been charged by the KG.
For a single KG to the UK, it costed me about 200rmb registered air mail, but the price drops by quite abit when you are sending bulk weight.
I was quoted about 2000rmb for 25kg by an air service, and there was another method which was by sea i think, i cannot remember the name of the service but i was quoted around 1300rmb for 25kg.
You can phone them actually for a quote, they have English staff in, but mainly on Thursdays 08713184132. This was back in July 2009 but i don't know if anything has changed since then.
You can also try www.sendfromchina.com however they are located in shenzhen, so you must register, send your goods off to then, and they then ship it to your destination.
Can i get a Vietnam Visa on arrival, or do i have to get it from Kunming? I wouldn't mind trying this method, especially if it's a cheap alternative to going HK via plane, which costed me almost like 4000rmb overall!
However, is it not a hassle trying to find a bus/train that gets you to Vietnam and back, and how long is the journey? I don't mind a journey, aslong as i know what i'm doing.
Also, what if there's no way of re-entering China WITHOUT having to enter Vietnam? I mean it all depends how it's set up at the border doesn't it. If you can get stamped off, jump off China, turn around then just come back in on the opposite border gate and get stamped in, it's simple, IF Vietnam IS NOT standing in your way.
