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Going to China; tips?

Drosera36

Drosera36

I'm going to China in three weeks with my friend. I guess his family invited me for some reason, and now we're going to go visit his family there and stay for three weeks. We're going to Beijing, Wuhan, and then Shiyan (not Xi'an). I already have a visa, the tickets, and everything is pretty much ready. I'm just wanting to know if anyone has been there before and has done something cool, or just share your experience. I know already not to drink tap water/ice and it's going to be hot and stuff, so you don't have to say any of that.

-Ben
 
I met 7 dudes from Shiyan when I was in Bavaria a few months ago. They told me that it is a really beautiful city and that if I ever go to China to make it there. They also told me a bunch of other stuff, but I was at Hofbräuhaus, so uh..I can't remember it all. All I know is it sounded like a legit place.
 
Darn, no Hong Kong? ;)
 
I only spent a couple days in Beijing as part of a tour so naturally did the touristy stuff - The Forbidden City, Mao's Tomb, The Summer Palace, The Great Wall and a couple archeaological sites.

Don't miss The Forbidden City, The Great Wall (a bit of a ride from Beijing) and The Summer Palace.

I went in Oct/Nov 1996 and it was freezing.

The air pollution is horrendous - even worse so in the winter as most of the buildings particularly the dwellings do not have central heating and the residents use charcoal for heating and cooking. Gone is the era of masses of bicycles and there are now cars everywhere without the smog emission controls found in the US.

If you have respiratory problems like asthma as I do you may suffer. It's easier now for me to imagine what the air in Dickens' London was like in the coal era.

We passed through Wuhan to begin a Yangtze River cruise but didn't spend any time there really.

You can usually get a Western style breakfast (eggs, bacon and that stuff) at the big international hotels if you get the craving. I always opted for Chinese style breakfasts, but you'll be with your friends family so there won't always be a choice. There should be a MacDonalds and a KFC as well as Starbucks in Beijing if you need that muck.
 
My cousin did teaching in China. One tip that sticks out from her experience is the 'dress code.' She went throughout the country, off the path of 'touristy' stuff. If you're going to be doing the same thing, pack clothes that don't stand out. I remember her saying she tried to wear all blue outfits, no lettering, and hid her hair under a hat (she was blond). It might be a bad idea if you don't want to stand out.

On the flip side to that, when I was in 3rd grade my teacher's husband came into class to do a 'show and tell' for us. He went to all sorts of countries like China, Russia, India, etc... One of the things he would do is bring American nick-nacks, gum, soda, treats, etc and would trade them with people there. He got all types of things that were really amazing! (I was in 3rd grade so maybe I was easily impressed) But keep in mind there are going to be products here that many have never seen before over there. Even American Coke tastes different than Coke in India.

-Nate
 
Yeah Coke does taste different in different places. German Coke is a little less sweet..actually tates better. When I lived in Germany I got addicted to this stuff called MezzoMix. Its like half Coke and half orange Fanta. Soooo good...but not in the US :'(
 
Thanks for your responses. I have no idea actually what we're doing, like whether or not it is all planned out or whatever. But in Beijing, we will be doing tourist stuff, like visiting the Great Wall. I don't know if we will see the Forbidden City, but I haven't really asked yet. I am a little worried about the heat and air pollution; is the heat and humidity really that bad?

I personally love Chinese food, so I don't think there's much of a problem there, although there are obviously more strange things in China to eat than there are in a Chinese food restaurant in America. When I was in Chinatown, there were many interesting things that I had not seen before. :-D

Nate, I find the not standing out thing interesting. My friend who just went to China is German, and she said that lots of Chinese women wanted to take pictures with her. I'm guessing because she's not Chinese? If that's the case, then maybe I will want to make myself not stand out. But who knows, I don't really know what to expect in China, I'll just have to see what happens when I get there.

Thanks,
-Ben
 
Sounds like you will have a great time, good luck with everything and take lots of pics for us.
 
  • #10
I think that it might just depend on the situation on how much you want to stand out. When I went to Costa Rica, we decided to visit a local mall. It was a really interesting experience. With some of the stores I went into, when spotted as an American, I suddenly had two personal shoppers picking things out and shoving me into dressing rooms to try on stuff. Hehe it was hard trying to tell them I didn't have $100 to spend on a soccer outfit.

But by no means take it as you have to blend in, just bring a mix of things so you can respond to stuff as you feel you need to. 8)

Nate
 
  • #11
Start taking a probiotic now, that is my suggestion
 
  • #12
Ha! I was in China about two weeks ago. In the south it was in the mid-90s with VERY high humidity. Beijing was a drop cooler. And yes, the pollution was horrible--at least in the cities--frequent showers help. If you get to do any travelling, Hangzhou is a great place to visit--as it Hong Kong--but you'll need another visa for HK. Didn't see too much in the way of CPs though.
 
  • #13
Since you'll be there with natives, you'll have a much more rewarding time than most visitors. Even if you see fewer places than others do, you'll experience more of each.

My father-in-law was a Chinese interpreter in the Korean War and later went to China a few times in his working life. My advice is to be careful of the food. Of his many stories, the one that stands out in my mind was a restaurant that served monkey brains from living monkeys. I'd pay a lot of money to lose that mental image.
 
  • #14
Pyro said:
Start taking a probiotic now, that is my suggestion
Click to expand...

Why do you say that? Do you have any information on what type? I'm guessing you assume I will be taking antibiotics for stomach ailments?

herenorthere said:
Since you'll be there with natives, you'll have a much more rewarding time than most visitors. Even if you see fewer places than others do, you'll experience more of each.

My father-in-law was a Chinese interpreter in the Korean War and later went to China a few times in his working life. My advice is to be careful of the food. Of his many stories, the one that stands out in my mind was a restaurant that served monkey brains from living monkeys. I'd pay a lot of money to lose that mental image.
Click to expand...

It's actually kind of a strange thing, because my friend and his family living here haven't visited China since they moved here, around 10 years ago, and at that time, my friend was around 5 years old. Although that doesn't mean that they won't know China very well, it just means that we will most likely see a lot of what the tourists see.

That story 'bout the monkey brains is kinda scary. :crap: Oh heck, it's friggen' wrong! I'll try to avoid eating anything that's coming from something alive. Although, I do want to try dog... if it's true that they eat dog there.

-Ben
 
  • #15
Cool trip! My dad just got back from China. He went to three different cities (can't remember the names now...). For a $120 dollar donation to the panda conservation he was allowed to hold one of the baby panda's for the duration of time that it takes a panda to eat a bamboo shoot. The pictures he sent back were amazing. I've always wanted to visit east Asia. Can't wait to see your pictures!

xvart.
 
  • #16
Allot of anti-biotics that say help you stop stuff in Other country's you have to take weeks in advanced for them to work. So if you took them you could maybe drink water, but I would still be wary. But its not like your going to the amazon, but still couldn't hurt!

They eat dog in Korea and areas near Korea, the thing about china is that its VERY diverse, many different cultures The northern, southern and cultures. (thank you discovery)
 
  • #17
By probiotics Travis means something like Lactobacillus acidophilus. This is one of the major beneficial bacteria that lives in the human gut and will aid in digestion, help maintain other beneficial bacteria and boost your immune system.

You can find acidophilus capsules at any health food/vitamin store, usually in the refrigerated section (live culture). There are some brands that don't require refrigeration and you can sometimes find those in the vitamin/health supplement sections of supermarkets or drug stores. If you can find the non-refrigerated kind you may want to take some along. The live cultures usually have a higher bacteria count and are more effective more quickly.

Or just eat live culture yogurt or soft cheese like brie for a few weeks before hand which are also loaded with beneficial bacteria. You won't find many dairy products over there so you may as well get your fill now.

As for standing out in the crowd it shouldn't be a problem in Beijing and Wuhan. Both areas should see a lot of Westeners due to tourism and commerce.
 
  • #18
I take those capsules :) It feels weird eating them, because each capsule contains like 5 billion organisms. Saying "I just ate 15 billions organisms" sounds weird lol.

I thought probiotics were substances (enzymes/nutrients/other chemicals) that helped the pre-existing bacteria, not actual bacteria it's self. You learn something new everyday!
 
  • #19
China is great!!! You'll have a wonderful time. Yes, some of the food is strange, but you can always find good eats. And it's more and more modern every day. I personally think Shanghai is the craziest city in the world - makes us look dead in the water with their building, energy, and bustle. Beijing is a little more old-school, but has more of a sense of history.

Be careful with the "low end" food, and you should be fine, too. Take a ton of pictures, be prepared to deal with some unexpected customs, and have a great time!

Max
 
  • #20
See if there is any Chinese CP's.
 
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