China., Culture shock to the EXTREME. Options

[KayleighKins]

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

[silver-rain]

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.