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Visiting China for a month... Advice?

maxterpiece

maxterpiece

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 5, 2003
729
0
I'm gonna be travelling in china starting on 10/31! I'm really excited. I'm starting my trip in Beijing, making my way west to Lanzhou and visiting my friend who's working in the Peace Corps teaching English there, then making my way down to Shanghai and leaving from there on 11/30.

I'm going to be travelling alone except for whatever daytrips I make out of Lanzhou with my friend. And I plan on visiting some smaller places inbetween these three stops. I've got a guidebook and I've been practicing some basic Chinese. I'm going to try see the most I can for the least $.

Has anyone here been to China?
Does anyone have any advise on places to see or things to be aware of?
Will I be able to access MR.com from behind the great firewall of China?
 
Hmmm, my parents just came back from China. They were there for a month. I don't know what kind of advice I could give you. I'd visit Hong Kong if I were you, but that's just me.
 
I was there a few years ago on a two week study tour. And it was a very big experience... China appeared to be a very, very strange place. People seemed almost alien - and this is meant in no pejorative way at all. It's just supposed to mean that we and they are very different. And I'm sure they feel the same way about us. This is both creates a lot of troubles when moving about there, but is also way it is so interesting an experience.

Be prepared that taxi drivers in beijing do not understand one word of English and cannot read a map. In fact very few people we met was able to speak any english, which can make it a bit stressfull in the long run. Except in Shang Hai (amazing city - be sure to enter the labyrinthic "Chinese quarter").

We also went to Xian, where the terracotta army comes from. I can recomment that too. It's also the only place in China where the old city wall is still intact. The muslim quarter of town is also something special, the food fx is very different (and also nice).

I think that's all I can tell you. Probably not much of it you didn't know already. I hop you'll h ave a really nice trip.

A

ps - yes, it's possible to acces MR from there. There's a chinese member on these boards.
 
mcadam said:
I was there a few years ago on a two week study tour. And it was a very big experience... China appeared to be a very, very strange place. People seemed almost alien - and this is meant in no pejorative way at all. It's just supposed to mean that we and they are very different. And I'm sure they feel the same way about us. This is both creates a lot of troubles when moving about there, but is also way it is so interesting an experience.

Be prepared that taxi drivers in beijing do not understand one word of English and cannot read a map. In fact very few people we met was able to speak any english, which can make it a bit stressfull in the long run. Except in Shang Hai (amazing city - be sure to enter the labyrinthic "Chinese quarter").

We also went to Xian, where the terracotta army comes from. I can recomment that too. It's also the only place in China where the old city wall is still intact. The muslim quarter of town is also something special, the food fx is very different (and also nice).

I think that's all I can tell you. Probably not much of it you didn't know already. I hop you'll h ave a really nice trip.

A

ps - yes, it's possible to acces MR from there. There's a chinese member on these boards.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. So do you think I should shave my beard and cut my hair? I'm pretty scruffy and fluffy and I don't wanna draw more attention to myself than is necessary. A blue-eyed, blond white kid with an afro and a bushy beard... they'll have every right to think I'm an alien.
 
Visit China with an open mind before you get a culture shock easily. Having said that, Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China are the must-visit places as they have thousand years of culture & history.
 
I definitely agree about going to Xian, it'll be a breath of fresh air from Beijing (I mean that quite literally, Beijing is ultra-polluted). I also agree about the Muslim quarter, better shops. You can pay to enter a Muslim temple, which is totally worth it. Absolutely stunning architecture, and wall ornament.

Eat up! Chinese food in China is amazing! Dumplings are a safe bet, as are spinach and asparagus. Be wary of meat, it all has bones!

Learn to count in Chinese and be comfortable with doing so. It'll come in handy when you're buying things. It's very simple, too.

one
eleven
twenty one
thirty one

in chinese is:
one
one ten one
two ten one
three ten one

yi (e)
yi shi yi (e shir e)
ar shi yi (ur shir e)

So, it's a bit more logical than english.

Don't be afraid to communicate with people! They will try to help. Don't be freaked out if people want to take pictures with you, especially if you are over 6 feet tall, black, or interesting looking in any way.

Have a great time, China is an amazing place. :)

_Emerson
 
there are a lot very nice people around in my country and you are welcome. Just one thing to remember, they are less animal being.
 
Yes, Stay away from the chickens:p, and enjoy the Dim Sum bars eat everything even though it may sound gross. Absorb the culture!
 
mcadam said:
Be prepared that taxi drivers in beijing do not understand one word of English and cannot read a map. In fact very few people we met was able to speak any english, which can make it a bit stressfull in the long run.
Click to expand...

I might be mistaken but maybe because it is China and they speak Chinese?
:rolleyes:
 
Bern said:
I might be mistaken but maybe because it is China and they speak Chinese?
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Young people like high school and uni students should speak some English. Do not expect old people speak any English. Having dual language map maybe helpful for locals to point you out the way you will go.
 
All in all China's a pretty good country to visit if you have not yet already. However, I think Shanghai, HK and Beijing are the most worth seeing. The only thing is be careful of what you buy and what prices you buy them for sometimes, lol. The last time I went to Hong Kong, I was completely over-charged for some stuff, haha. (I am Chinese, btw...)

Anyways, yeah, like some other people have already said, brush up on the laws and whatnot =) Have an awesome trip !
 
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