Banks and exchange The Bank of China (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-5.30pm) is on Jing Qi Lu. The Novotel International Hotel will also change travellers' cheques and don't ask you if you are staying at the hotel.

Bike rental A stall next to the Zhengzhou Hotel, outside the train station, has bikes for rent for A?8 a day. Deposit is A?100.

Bookshops The Foreign Language Bookstore is just west of the Erqi Pagoda on Jiefang Lu.

Buses Zhengzhou's long-distance bus station, opposite the train station, has a computerized ticket office (daily 7am-6pm), which seems to cut down on queues, though the waiting room is the usual dirty hall full of anxious humanity on plastic chairs. Tours to Song Shan leave every morning between 8am and 10am from a compound on the south side of the station concourse.

PSB The PSB for visa extensions is at 10 Jinshui Lu (Mon-Fri 8am-11pm). For other matters, there's an office at 70 Erqi Lu.

Post office The main post office is next to the station on the south side (Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm).

Shopping The Friendship Store is on Erqi Lu, at the north end of Renmin Park. There are also a few pricey antique stores at the eastern end of Jinshui Lu.

Telephones There's a 24hr telecom office next door to the main post office.

Trains The train station has a huge two-storey booking office that can be confusing, with more than thirty windows to choose from. You can also buy tickets from an advance booking office (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30-3.30pm) at 131 Erqi Lu.

Travel agents The CITS office (Mon-Sat 8am-5pm; tel 5952072) is situated at 15 Jinshui Lu and has an office in the Novotel International Hotel.