China visa-free travel: relaxing entry restrictions adds up

BEIJING – French national Marc Guyon travelled to China on the first day that Beijing began allowing citizens of his homeland to enter visa-free. For his weeklong trip to Shanghai and Beijing in early December, the Hong Kong-based gym operator saved himself from having to wait three months – at a cost of at least HK$1,500 (US$192) – for a mainland Chinese visa, as had been previously required. And during that trip, the 39-year-old spent more than HK$10,000 (US$1,278) while visiting fellow French people living on the mainland and building up a networking platform that he runs. “I think what this policy makes different is that people who did not have to go to China would take a flight now…