The conference will be hosted at HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua, a premium hotel located in the heart of Xi’an’s Qujiang New District. Combining elegant Tang Dynasty-inspired architecture with contemporary comfort, the venue offers state-of-the-art conference facilities in a tranquil setting ideal for scientific exchange and networking. Conveniently situated near renowned cultural landmarks, including the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Tang Paradise, HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua provides an exceptional setting for both the scientific program and social events.

Venue Address

HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua
No. 40 Yanyin Road
Qujiang New District
Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061
People’s Republic of China

Hotel Website

HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua by IHG

Accommodation is available at the conference venue, HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua, allowing participants to stay on-site and enjoy convenient access to all conference sessions and networking events. In addition, a selection of nearby hotels across a range of categories and price points will be recommended to accommodate different preferences and budgets. Detailed accommodation information, including recommended hotels, will be published on this page closer to the conference.

We encourage participants to book their accommodation early, as Xi’an is a popular travel destination and hotel availability may become limited during the meeting period.

It is required to show a valid passport while traveling to China, and it is also crucial to carry your passport with you at all times during your trip to China. Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a standard Chinese tourist or business visa well in advance. In some cases, visa-free entry can be allowed for certain nationalities.

Please check the link below for China’s Entry Facilitation Policies for Foreign Nationals:

https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c191648/content.html

For visa-free entry options, you may see below the two suggested options which might be helpful for your case:

• • List of Countries Covered by Unilateral Visa Exemption Policies (30 days visa-free):
    https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c180637/content.html
  • Visa-Free Transit Policies (240 hours visa-free transit):
    https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html

    For this option, there is a rule for your travel:
    The Rule: You must be traveling from Country A ➔ Xi’an (Country B) ➔ Country C.
    Examples:
    Flying London ➔ Xi’an ➔ Seoul qualifies.
    Flying London ➔ Xi’an ➔ London does not qualify.

Please make sure to check with your local Chinese embassy to verify which visa option your passport country qualifies for, as all the above options are strongly dependent on the official immigration requirements of China.

Visa Invitation Letters:

If you are attending the conference from a visa-required country, please contact us at smra@dekongroup.com to obtain an official stamped visa invitation letter. Kindly note that the visa invitation letters will be prepared by the Chinese national local partner society, and therefore, it may take more than 1-2 days to have them prepared. Therefore, it is highly recommended to ask for visa letters on a timely manner while considering a waiting period for their preparation.

Welcome to the official travel guide for our upcoming gathering in Xi’an, China! As one of the world’s great ancient capitals, Xi’an is highly accessible via direct international flights, regional transit hubs, and China’s advanced high-speed rail network.

Please review the options below to plan your journey.

✈️ Option 1: Direct International Flights to Xi’an (XIY)

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) offers direct flights from major global cities in Europe, Middle East & Central Asia and Asia-Pacific some of which are listed below:

• • From Europe: London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Milan (MXP), Vienna (VIE), Budapest (BUD), Istanbul (IST), Moscow (SVO).
  • From Central Asia: Almaty (ALA), Tashkent (TAS), Bishkek (FRU), Astana (NQZ).
  • From Asia-Pacific: Singapore (SIN), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK/DMK), Phuket (HKT), Seoul (ICN), Tokyo (NRT), Osaka (KIX), Hong Kong (HKG), Macau (MFM), Taipei (TPE).

🔄 Option 2: Global Transit Hubs (The 2-Step Flight Method)

If there are no direct flights from your home country (including the Americas, Africa, and Australia), you may book a flight through a major international gateway that connects seamlessly to Xi’an through one of the airports given above. A few options with easy connections are given here:

• • Hong Kong (HKG): Fly into Hong Kong and take a quick 3-hour connecting flight straight to Xi’an. This option features easy international-to-international transit.
  • Seoul-Incheon (ICN): An excellent, high-frequency option for travelers departing from North America.
  • Singapore (SIN) or Kuala Lumpur (KUL): Highly optimized transit points for travelers coming from Australia, New Zealand, or South Asia.

🚄 Option 3: Mainland Gateways (Flight + Bullet Train)

Many attendees choose to fly into China’s primary mega-hubs and experience the country’s world-famous high-speed rail network.

⚠️ Important Note: If you enter mainland China through Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, you must clear immigration, claim your luggage, and pass customs at that first city of arrival before moving on to your domestic flight or train.

How to Book High-Speed Trains

Train tickets in China can be purchased from 12306 China Railway; however, the tickets open for sale exactly 15 days before the departure date and sell out quickly. We highly recommend using an international platform like Trip.com to pre-book your tickets.

Your passport serves as your electronic ticket—simply scan it at the station gates to board.

China runs almost entirely on a digital ecosystem. Set these up before crossing the border, as app store access and SMS verification codes can be difficult to receive once you arrive.

1. 1. Payments (WeChat & Alipay): Strongly recommended for daily transactions as international credit cards are not very widely used in China. Download either app and securely link your international Visa or Mastercard to its digital wallet. You will use this to pay for everything from street food to luxury dinners.
   2. Navigation (Apple Maps): Google Maps is highly inaccurate in China. Instead, we recommend using Apple Maps / Amap / Gaode Maps which works easily and accurately maps out public transit.
   3. Ride-Hailing (DiDi): China’s equivalent to Uber. It features a fully integrated English interface and automatic translation for messaging your driver. You can also open DiDi directly as a “Mini-Program” inside the Alipay app.
   4. Translation (Microsoft Translator / Google Translate): Essential for translating menus, signs, and having quick conversations via camera and voice features. Make sure to download the Chinese offline pack before traveling.

🔌 Electricity & Sockets

• • Voltage: 220V, 50Hz (North American devices operating strictly on 110V will require a voltage converter).
  • Socket Types: China uses Type A (two flat parallel pins), Type C (two round pins), and Type I (three flat pins in a triangle).
  • Advice: Most modern hotel rooms feature universal sockets that fit Type A and C. However, we highly recommend bringing a universal travel adapter for charging on trains or at airports.

🍂 Weather in October

• • Temperature: October is autumn in Xi’an, featuring cool and highly comfortable sightseeing conditions. Average daytime highs are around 19°C (66°F), dropping sharply to 8°C (46°F) at night.
  • Packing: Pack layers—short sleeves or light shirts for sunny afternoons, paired with a warm jacket, sweater, and an umbrella for cooler, potentially rainy evenings.

💵 Currency & Exchange

• • Local Currency: The official currency is the Renminbi (RMB), commonly referred to as the Chinese Yuan (CNY). The basic unit is the Yuan (¥).
  • Cash Backup: While Xi’an is a digital, cashless city powered by Alipay and WeChat Pay, it is smart to exchange and carry 200 to 500 RMB in cash as an emergency backup. You can exchange money safely at your arrival airport or at major domestic bank branches (e.g., Bank of China).

🏷️ Tipping Etiquette

• • Tipping is not customary or expected anywhere in mainland China—including in taxis, local restaurants, or hotels. Exceptional service at high-end venues or organized tour guides can be rewarded with a small tip, but it is never mandatory.

💳 ATMs & Credit Card Acceptance

• • ATMs: International ATMs are widely available across Xi’an. Look for ATMs from major banks (Bank of China, ICBC, CCB) displaying the Visa, Mastercard, or UnionPay logos to withdraw local RMB cash using your foreign debit card.
  • International Credit Cards: Standard Visa, Mastercard, and American Express cards are only accepted at major international hotels, high-end restaurants, and luxury department stores. Local convenience stores, taxis, and street food vendors cannot swipe international cards directly.
  • Digital Payment Apps: As an alternative to international credit cards, mobile payment apps; WeChat Pay & AliPay are widely used in Mainland China which is a highly digital payment environment. Cash usage is not common, but street food vendors, taxis, convenience stores, and high-end restaurants all use QR codes of these apps instead of physical credit cards or paper cash. To ensure you can buy food and navigate the city smoothly, we strongly encourage you to set up at least one of these apps before your travel. Please see below a section with detailed instructions about how to use these apps for payments.

📲 Step-by-Step Setup Guide

1. 1. Download: Download Alipay or WeChat from your phone’s app store. (Tip: Alipay is generally reported by international travelers as the easier of the two to set up with foreign credit cards).
   2. Verify Your Identity: Register with your international mobile phone number. Go to the app’s settings, find the “Wallet” or “Cards” section, and upload a clear photo of your passport. Identity verification is required by Chinese banking regulations.
   3. Link Your Card: Link your international Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or JCB credit or debit card.

🛍️ How to Pay in Xi’an

Once your card is successfully linked, you can pay using two highly simple methods:

• • Method A (You Scan Them): Open the app’s QR code scanner and scan the merchant’s printed QR code placard. Enter the total amount in RMB, type your payment password, and submit.
  • Method B (They Scan You): Tap “Pay/Receive” in the app to display your personal payment QR code. Let the cashier or vendor scan your phone screen with their scanner.

💡 Helpful Tips for Payments

• • Transaction Fees: Transactions under 200 RMB (~$28 USD) are completely fee-free on both apps. For any single transaction over 200 RMB, a 3% transaction fee is automatically applied by the app.
  • Daily Spending Limits: International credit cards linked to Alipay/WeChat Pay generally have an individual single-transaction limit of 3,000 RMB (~$415 USD) and an annual cumulative limit of 50,000 RMB (~$6,900 USD).
  • Set Up a Backup Card: Occasionally, your home country’s bank will block a transaction because it flags China as a suspicious location. If possible, link two different credit cards across your apps so you always have a fallback.
  • WeChat vs. Weixin: “WeChat” is the international version of the app, while “Weixin” is the domestic Chinese version. If you are downloading it from an international app store, you will get WeChat. It works perfectly for linking international cards but remember that you cannot use an international credit card to transfer money directly to a friend’s personal wallet—it can only be used to pay official business merchants.

On standard Chinese internet connections (like local hotel Wi-Fi or a local Chinese physical SIM card), International apps like WhatsApp, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search, Instagram, and Facebook are not accessible through local wi-fi connections. By using an international data-only travel eSIM you can set data roaming protocols accordingly for accessing your all apps in your mobile devices.

1. 1. Install BEFORE You Cross the Border: Attendees are recommended to purchase and download the eSIM package while still at home or at their transit airport.
   2. Verify Device Compatibility: Before purchasing, attendees must check that their phone is carrier-unlocked and supports eSIM technology. (Note: iPhones originally purchased in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macao do not support eSIMs as they feature dual physical SIM slots).
   3. Keep Your Home Number Active for WhatsApp: An eSIM is data-only and does not give you a new phone number. Attendees should keep their original home SIM active in their settings for “Default Voice Line” while setting the travel eSIM as the “Mobile Data Line”. By this way WhatsApp will continue to use your home phone number seamlessly. You do not need to register a new account or change your settings.

When you want to use your laptops or other mobile devices than mobile phones to be used with eSIMs, you may use the Personal HotSpot wifi connection which would be available on your mobile phones through the eSIM you’d be purchasing.