china-07-pretrip

HKDBF - 2007 Guangzhou 4 City Dragon Boat Races

Frequently Asked Questions

    • 5/6/07 update (visa form and info)

  • Q: What do you need from us now?

      • Complete the online signup form, send me a $200 deposit check (or pay online) Digital passport-like picture, your passport#.

  • Q: I forgot what I sent you, what do I owe?

      • Check the "roster" page, this has the entire listing of folks I have as "registered" and lists items folks still need "to-do".

  • Q: When do I need to sign up by?

      • Actually anytime up to the June 15 at the Hong Kong Airport. IT is suggested you signup ASAP, as this is a recreational crew entry. And as defined by NJDBC, that means we take the first 20 paddlers and that's it! Regardless of experience - No one will sit out.

  • Q: How do I signup?

  • Q: Do I need to pay a deposit?

      • Yes, $200 by April 7. Then I have to wire this to the race organizers. Even by April 7, we will be a week late! 8-).

  • Q: (3/22) When can I drop out without losing my deposit?

      • Before April 7 - ALL OF IT.

      • After April 7 - we can return $60 of the $200 deposit. BUT if we can fill your seat AND we go with a full 20 paddlers, then $195 of your $200 will be returned ($5 towards NJDBC admin exp).

  • Q: Where do I obtain a Visa to enter China?

      • Apply in person at the Consulate General for your region: US Offices - Office hours: 9:00am-12:00am 1:30pm-3:30pm (nyc=2:30)Monday through Friday( except holidays)

      • Los Angeles area residents: Passport & Visa Office, Chinese Consulate 443 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020

      • NY, Mass, NJ, PA area residents: Consulate General of P.R.C in NY, 520 12th Avenue New York, NY 10036-1003

      • I plan take the NJ/PA passports into NYC around mid-late May for visas. Passports returned within a week.

  • Q: How should I complete my Visa, pdf) Application?

      • #1.3 Chinese name = fill this in if you were born in China, #1.9 Passport type = Regular, #2.1. Purpose of your journey in China = Compete in the 2007 China 4 City International Dragon Boat Festival, #2.3. Date of your first possible Entry into China (YY-MM-DD)= 2007 / 6 / 15, #2.4 Your Longest Intended Stay in China = 20 days, #2.5. Province, Counties/Cities and Provinces to visit in China = Zhaoqing, Zhanjian, Shaoguan, Guangzhou/Guangdong, Beijing, West Lake, Guilin, Xian #2.2. Intended number of Entries = Single entry valid for 2 months, #2.6 Normally, visa processing takes 4 working days. Do you request express or rush service by paying extra fee? = Regular (4/work days), #4.7 Name of Inviter, Contact or Your Relative in China = Andrew Chan of the China Hong Kong SAR Dragon Boat Federation, #4.8 Phone Number of your Contact = 852 – 91016650 (HK) 86 – 13610277265 (China), #4.9 Address of Inviter, Contact or Your Relative in China = Flat C 38 Tower 8 Bellagio Sham Tseng NT Hong Kong, 910-6650, #4.10 Email of your Contact = chksardbf97@gmail.com or dchkcc97@gmail.com

  • Q: Will I get help for my trip expenses?

      • Room and board at these 4 race sites provided by the China Hong Kong SAR Dragon Boat Federation.

  • Q: What happens if we do not have enough for a full crew?

      • If we can't fill our seats from dragonboaters from the US, then we will utilize our IN-CHINA contacts to seek out locals to join us!

  • Q: Who are qualified participants?

      • Anyone who can pay their deposit, and secures entry into the China with a valid passport and visa!

  • Q: What happens if more than 21 submissions per team are sent in?

      • We will take the 1st 21 online registrations.

  • Q: Do participants need experience?

      • NO, This venture (ADVENTURE) is a NJ Dragon Boat Club Crew project - for recreational paddlers.

  • Q: Can I bring non-participants?

      • We can take up to 6 friends or relatives. This too is first come first served as the race folks will only sponsor 28 per team (22 crew members, 6 support crew). Additional folks will probably have to pay another hundred or so if we go over the roster. Keep track of the roster page to track how many slots we have left open. Non-racers will need to pay all the same deposit components as the competitors except for a team uniform if they didn't want one.

  • Q: Is more information we should expect between now and the races?

      • All items listed here may be revised as we get closer to race day.

  • Q: How much are the visas for China? and how do we go about getting one?

      • China currently charges holders of US passports $50 for a single entry. This fee is the responsibility of the owner. We will collect the passports and take them down to the NYC office for validation for a $5 handling fee - IF we receive the passports by April 12. Look to your team captain to coordinate collection and return.

  • Q: Can people stay longer and tour China?

      • Sure! But let me know as we may have others interested in staying longer or arriving earlier.

  • Q: What are the race distances?

      • Somewhere between a 500-800m races.

  • Q: What are the categories?

      • Open (which means no gender requirements) and "other" (which means womens or mixed crews). If they aren't running mixed races, then the mixed teams will have to enter the open division.

  • Q: Do we need racing uniforms?

      • Out of respect for our sponsors, we will need to secure some, T-shirts. Let me know if your local discount store has cheapie "USA" t-shirts. I can get them here for $5-7 here.