Another source is the Travelin' Talk Network, an information network providing assistance to travelers with disabilities. A key organization is the Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped, whose site offers many links. For mobility-impaired travelers looking for a company to help them plan a trip to the United Kingdom, there's Undiscovered Britain, which specializes in creating packages for wheelchair travelers and their partners. Credit cards are increasingly accepted in China's larger cities, especially for hotels and big-ticket shopping, but don't expect to use them as reliably as in industrialized countries. The Lonely Planet guide to China has a thorough description of money routines.
Hotels usually charge the official rate.
You will need to keep your exchange receipts if you want to change any of your remaining RMB at the end of your trip. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing's Web site has a link through which U.S. citizens can register their presence in China and provide emergency contact information that would be helpful to U.S. officials, should you run into trouble. Several military tour companies plan regular package tours or can help arrange an independent trip with a battlefield theme. Galaxy Tours of Wayne, Pa., which has a long history of sponsoring trips to battlefields, invasion beachheads, military stations and other sites related to U.S. veterans and the places they've served. Holts Tours Ltd. offers dozens of tours in Europe.