So I'm going to China in 6 days and I was wondering if anyone had ever been to China, or was from there. I'd like to have some tips, or whatever, to make my whole trip a little smoother.

Is there anything I should pack that I might desperately need? Is there anything I might need to remember, culturally wise (taboos to thank yous)? Is there a phrase I should learn quickly?

You know where I'm going with this.

I'm going to/on:
. SHANGHAI
. YICHANG
. THREE GORGES DAM SITE
. SHENNONG STREAM or DANING RIVER
. WANXIAN / SHIBAOZHAI / FENGDU
. XI'AN
. BEIJING

I dunno if that helps with the tip giving, but it won't hurt :D

....Oh, and any items of clothing I should have? I'm from Florida, so cold to me is 70s. I already went to a bunch of travel sites and whatever, but I trust you guys with your insider views :D

Umm. Don't try to bargain with them, you won't be able to. The water there is dirty (if I remember right from what Michelle's told me). Michelle would be able to tell you way more seeing as she's well, chinese, lived there a few years, and visits every summer.

i've never been there, but i heard its really pretty

watch out for your bag. carry it in front of you and try to minimize the chances of being pick pocketed.

the weather will be okay; not too hot, but still hot. dress lightly. if you see food that you don't like, just don't eat it; no need to go all crazy and ballistic.

^ China is supposed to be a lot better about pickpocketing then many American cities, I think. But Yeah, will do.



Yeah, you can only boil it and drink from water bottles. Even brushing your teeth and whatnot. Also, they say not to eat vegetables until they are cooked, and we aren't allowed fruit, I guess, because it's been washed in the water.

Obviously I won't be bargaining without knowing the language. :D

oh yeah, you'll witness the most insane driving ever. INSANE. oh yeah when you're walking on the sidewalk, try to stay in the inside..you never know when a driver will drive onto the sidewalk; i had a friend who got ran over when they were on the sidewalk

I hear they beep if you're 100 yards in front of them, and keep beeping as they pass you.

I heard about that :0

Worse driving then even in Philly? My eyes were wide and my heart was beating the entire time in the taxi, lol. Course, they don't drive on the sidewalks..D:

hm what else, let's see...if you are going to be in a taxi, do your best to keep track of where you are going and where you've been. taxi drivers tend to drive around in circles to increase the price..


OH OH OH and since I know you're a photographer..

Photography of military or government buildings may result in a penalty. You should seek permission from local authorities before taking photographs.

LOL, be careful.

^ Thats shitty! lol

We're going in one of those tourist "packs" though. Having an english speaking guide and all that. I wouldn't trust going there with my mom alone without something like that.

She'd probably have us killed.

Hell, we could go to Canada unatended and the same thing would happen.

Bring LOTS LOTS LOTS of toilet paper/pack of tissues whereever you go. China's bathrooms 90% of the time do not have tissues for you. Have it handy so you won't be looking it with your butt hanging out.

The water is horrible. I stayed in China for a month and was stomach sick the entire time. Bottle water is your friend and bring/buy upset stomach/diarrhea medicine with you to make you more comfortable there. You can't avoid it. It's in the food and everything.

Ah, well China is still a lot of fun; just keep your mind open and try different food..because the food [especially in Shanghai] is like


^HAHA and don't forget, there are lots of bathroom there that are in the ground. you're gonna have to squat rofl

^ isn't that Japan?



Done and done. I only have one question...how do you go to the bathroom in those places? Wearing jeans? Will I have to take them off? If so, I'm just wearing skirts the entire trip.

And I told my doctor I'm going to China, so he gave me some strong antibiotics and I bought some pepto, just in case.

BRING SUNTAN LOTION !
its hot as hell there & the sun burnnss.

the driving there IS insane. the drivers get annoyed easily if your in there way. oh & btw, if you want to take taxis, its cheaper to take those carriage/bicycle ride thingies, but only take them if your destination is nearby.

don't drink bubbletea there. it taste worse than the ones in the US. bleh.

buy those mosquito bite ointments because you might get alot of those bites.

and at some restaurants, if you use/open the napkin packets they give out, it costs money. ROFL. but thats only some restaurants.

i never got diarhea when i was there this year. the food is almost the same as the chinese food here. BUT if you don't know wtf the food is, don't eat it. you might think its chicken but it might as well be goat or something disgusting.

if you need to bring a cellphone charger, i think you need the china outlet plugs because their different from the US. the outlet holes there are round and here...is, well, rectangular i think. lol.

yeah, i hope these tips help. i still love china anyways.

NUH UHHHHHH. there's so much food there...that is sooooooooo good

I'm actually kind of happy cause all the advice I'm getting I already knew. *high five for preparedness*

yeah def. avoid the water

DO try a little of everything. China's really fun and part of the fun part is the food.

-I had fried scorpions and stirfried silkworms in Beijing's famous like something alleyway.
-I had water beetles and snake in China, both are surprisingly really good.

The food in China is really good. It might be the same dishes and stuff but the taste is definitely authentic. I loved the fried man tao dipped in sweet milk and all the other dishes that you just have to go to China to get.

Another tip: Yeah, things are dirt cheap in China but don't go crazy. Usually most of the stuff you buy are poor quality and end up getting damaged some way early on (not biggie stuff. most lint balls and fraying and losing color this might just be the mall I went to in Guangzhou though). Stuff I do recommend you do buy is things that can't really change from here or there. Like, brand name contacts (if you use them). My friend got a year's worth of Acuvue for 50 bucks. Don't trust the even the malls when they say it's the "real brand". A lot of the times it's just high end knockoffs. But they still look nice.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!

It's best to travel with a native Chinese speaker. Vendors and certain service providers (e.g. cab drivers) will definitely charge you more if you're Caucasian.

And definitely watch out for pick-pocketing.

Nah you can bargain with them if you speak Chinese, so you should have someone travel with you that speaks Chinese and English. If merchants know you're a tourist, they'll take advantage of you.

You can get A LOT OF GOOD DEALS IN CHINA, SO HAVE LOTS OF SPACE TO CARRY STUFF HOME IN!!

i went to china with some american tourists.
american tourist to chinese vendor: how much for this tshirt?
chinese vendor: 24 yuan! 3 american dolla!!!!

me (in chinese) to chinese vendor: how much?
chinese vendor: 5 yuan.

they will seriously rip you off. get somebody who speaks chinese well (hopefully a native) to bargain for you.

but of course you knew that :P.

and it's REALLY hot in china. over 100 degrees i think, but check weather.com just to make sure. don't buy too much fake/counterfeit stuff like bags and movies; i've heard rumors about customs taking those away from you. but i'm sure a little bit won't hurt ;)

I'm going with a tour group, theres going to be a native speaker who speaks English, or an English speaker who speaks the language. I forget which.

You have yet to give me tips on how to piss over a hole wearing jeans D:!

Ooh, I just went to Shanghai for a month a couple months ago.
But yeah, it's supposedly really hot over there now. And there are a lot of mosquitoes so bring lots of bug spray.
Do watch your bag, because sometimes the pickpockets are trickier/sneakier than you think.
The vendors will definitely try to rip you off so it'll be better if you find someone that speaks Chinese and English to help you buy things.
Don't be afraid to try some of the food there; it's really good and better than the Chinese food here, especially the breakfast food.
Be careful when walking/crossing streets because often, there aren't traffic lights and cars/bikes/motor bikes don't really respect the pedestrians.
Hah, like someone said, a lot of the bathrooms are just holes in the ground so you'll have to squat to pee, so it might be easier for you to wear a skirt if you're not used to it.

Hmm if I think of more, I'll add on.

you should be going to hong kong >:O

lets see.
avoid numbers: 4
good numbers: 6 and 8

bring little packs of tissue for toilets, they're always nasty. even if theres tissue, you might want to use your own, to wipe cover your nose?

its sandy over there, sometimes there are sand storms.

keep your belongings close to you, never leave your bags aside, seriously, thieves are everywhere.

sometimes after a chinese meal, they'll bring out a plate of fruits (usually already cut), DONT eat them. they most likely have left it out for a long time, exposed to all kinds of germs.

you uh pull your jeans down and kind of to the back. don't take them off. but please don't wear jeans. it'll be too hot!

oh and even if the toilets are normal sitting toilets, DON'T SIT ON THEM. squat, or STAND.