What is Go to China?
Go to China is a trip to China to play Go organized during the summer. The first trip was arranged in 2004. Unique for the trip is the special atmosphere (we rent apartments, and all participants live together, as well as some of the teachers), the duration (up to two months) and the location (Beijing in China)

Do I need to know Chinese to participate?
No, you don't. All teaching is in English, and very few of the previous participants knew Chinese. As for culture in general, and for getting around, it is of course easier if you understand the language. Beijing is a quite international city, and getting around in English is becoming easier year by year.

What about more flexible arrangements?
If you are interested in any other arrangement when it comes to playing go in Beijing or China, just contact us and we will do our best to help you arrange what you are interested in.

How old do I need to be to participate?
Our youngest participant was only 13 years old, and the oldest one 81. As for a lower limit, we need you to have your parents' approval if you are below 18 years old. As for the upper limit, we only ask that you are in good health. Although we do our best to help all participants at all times before and during the trip, it is important that you are independent and feel safe when you're alone in a big city.

Trip details - FAQ

How will go teaching work?
Who will be teaching go during the trip?
Go teaching will be arranged 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. But during most days teachers will be available all day from not so early morning to late night (scheduled teaching will be offered from 10-12, 14-17 and 20-23 each of the teaching days). Activities around go will be arranged at an irregular schedule, but on average, there should be around 1 per week. These activities can be visits to pro games or other go clubs, or visits from other players or pros to our apartments. Will Zhang (willzhang 9d on kgs) will be the main teacher, and help us select the other teachers for the trip.

Who will be helping out in China?
Michael and I (Carl Johan) will participate during part of the trip, but not necessarily all the time. There will be people who help with practical arrangements during the trip (hopefully, Yawei and Meiying will help out just like in 2007). We will also have someone who helps out with cleaning the apartments and maybe does some cooking for us.

What about the flight?
We can help you arrange a flight from Stockholm. But since most of the participants come from other countries, we recommend that you arrange your own flight. The trip dates will be decided before the end of 2007.

How should I arrange a Visa?
What information do I need to provide when applying for a Visa?
In general, all participants will need a Visa to enter China (and if someone tells you you don't need one, they are probably wrong). Arrange a tourist Visa for 60 or 90 days (notice that the times are strict, so if you only have a 60 day Visa and plan to be in China for 62 days you will have to extend the Visa there. If you can only get a 30 day Visa, it is usually possible to extend it in China (fee from 30-100 Euros depending on nationality) but we can not guarantee that it is or will be possible. We can help you with questions about applying and filling out the form if necessary, but you will have to go through the process yourself.

When applying for a Visa, we recommend that you only give general information about the purposes of your trip, such as "travel in Beijing" and about the place of residence "Beijing", as the trip we are arranging does not have formal status as a "school" in China. If your country requires that you give an address of stay in China when applying for a Visa, you can contact us directly. Giving additional information can sometimes make it more difficult to get a Visa, or require additional documentation.

What are the living conditions like?
Will there be a broadband internet connection?
We will rent apartments of western standard in central Beijing. Apartments will have kitchens, and bathrooms with shower as minimum conditions. Usually all apartments also have TVs (but most programs are in Chinese anyway...). Some of the apartments will have broadband internet connection and washing machines. The apartments is mainly a place to sleep in, and you should expect them to be a little crowded. Most of the "public areas" and "go playing areas" will be arranged in 1 or 2 of the apartments (or in a separate go club, depending on the local conditions and number of participants). Because the apartments are rented only for two months during the summer, it is impossible for us to know the exact location or conditions before May or early June.

It is impossible to say exactly what the living conditions will be like, as we live in different areas from year to year. This year, we expect to have 6-8 people sharing a living room + 2-3 bedroom apartment in the standard package. The apartments are of western standard, but because Beijing is a relatively expensive city to arrange accomodation in the apartments may be a little crowded, Some participants have commented that they would like us to advertise the accomodation as "backpacker accomodation". The apartment/s we use for go teaching and socializing will be fully furnished, other apartments will generally at least have basic equipment.

What things do I need to bring?
You should bring your passport (with visa), ticket, and some money. Nothing else is absolutely necessary, although we recommend that you bring clothes for a few days. Bed sheets, pillow, toothbrush or clothes are probably cheaper in China than they would be in your home country (and instead of bringing them, it might be wise to save the space so you can bring more things back home).

What is Chinese food like?
Is there fast food, McDonalds etc. in China?
As a general rule, around 80 percent of participants will really like the Chinese food. It is cheap and very varied, but some consider it a little spicy, or too oily (expect a meal for 1 to 3 Euros in a typical restaurant). Previously, we have tried to order lunch to the apartments (or have someone cook for us in the apartments), for around 2 Euro / meal. If you don't like the Chinese food, there is always McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. The Big Mac index is less than 1/2 (that is, the price of a Big Mac is less than half of the US or European price) but Pizza Hut and other pizza places often have similar prices to the US. In the evening, meat sticks (shish-kebab) are sold in the streets and nice with a cool beer before bed time.

What about excursions?
We arrange activities and excursions within the group depending on what participants are interested in. We will try to arrange at least 2 full weekend trips and a couple of day trips during the 2 months, but often it is easier to find a few friends with common interests when you are in China and go on trips together with them. Travelling in a small group will make many things easier and more fun. Whenever possible, we help with maps and directions when you want to go somewhere, if we are unable to have someone come with you. More under activities.

What about extra activities?
We have previously arranged some courses in Chinese, Tai Chi and Chinese painting, and if this is something that is very important for you (and you would like to pay a little extra for this kind of activities) try to contact us early. From the registrations, we have a general idea, but all the activities mentioned on the registration sheet will not necessarily take place. We have experiences some difficulties in participants sometimes wanting us very much to organize and activity, but at the same time, they don't want to pay for it until they have tried once or twice. It is almost impossible for us to solve such difficulties, and it is also hard for us to guarantee that extra activties does not clash with go activities. More under activities.

What else can I do in Beijing?
This is mostly up to you. Most people might be going to Beijing to see the cultural sights (The forbidden city, The summer palace and The great wall to name a few) and you shouldn't miss those during such a long stay. Others enjoy shopping or dining in nice restaurant, and there is certainly a large variety of shopping malls, markets, and restaurants in Beijing also. Yet others prefer to explore the night life or play computer games in the apartments. I personally like frisbee, tennis and board games, so if you like any of those, I will be happy to join you during my free time. :)

How much money should I bring?
We expect that you will have to spend a minimum of around 5 Euros per day on food, but making a long trip like this will be more fun if you don't feel that you are restricted in the activities you can take part in because you're short of money. Excluding shopping, we recommend around 10-15 Euros / day as a minimum to be able to participate in most activities. For reference, dinner in a western restaurant is often 10-20 Euros / person, while on a night out you can easily spend 50 Euros (prices in the bar district are often comparable to the ones in Europe).

What if some of my friends want to come and visit me in Beijing?
We can try to help with arrangements, but remember that if nothing else is said, the place you have booked on the trip is for you, and you alone. If you want to bring other people to live in the apartments (either friends from home or friends you meet during the trip) you should get the permission from the organizers first - and we may ask you to pay an extra fee for it.