Tips For First-Time Visitor to China

[TangLangCh'uan]

hello everyone...
this is my first post here on the boards, but i'm looking forward to exchanging information, etc. with all of you.
so here's my ????. i'm leaving for china on july 21st. i will be there for 16 days travelling around, training, competing, so on and so forth. i'm just wondering if anyone here on the boards has been to mainland china, and if so, if there are any tips you can pass on to me about local customs, good places to go shopping, places to avoid/watch out for, pretty muich anything you might think i'll find useful. i know china is an immense country, and i'm not quite sure what provinces/cities i'll be going to, but i'd like to hear about anyone experiences anywhere in the country. i'll be posting pictures and {hopefully} videos once i get back. thanks in advance.

-christopher

[red5angel]

locate and kill the best Kungfu master in the area you are going to visit, this way the locals don't mess with you. If you can't find a good kungfu master, kill the biggest chinaman you can find. Either way, do it publicly and as quickly as you can so they know you aren't messing around.

[red5angel]

also, make sure after you're done killing whoever, that you buy a round of drinks for everyone in the local bar, to show them you're not a mad man, just one guy who is not to be messed with.

[PangQuan]

Ill side with red. That worked great for me on my last visit. THANKS AGAIN RED !!

[Shaolinlueb]

dont give money to the homeless people.
take the card of the hotel you're at so you can just show it to the cabby.
don't drink the water or don't have ice in drinks.
avoid the people offering massages and girls offering ones.
avoid politics talk.
make friends with a couple locals.
dont get insulted if people blow you off cause your white.
bring a quick translation guide. the rate of people speaking english once your get outside the big cities falls drastically. believe it or not they speak it at fast food resteraunts well.

lets see what else i can think of.
dont go waving your money around.
if your hotel has a safe, keep your passport and extra cash there so you dont have to worry about the room maids stealing it. (usually not a problem cause if they get caught they could lose their housing and such.)
if you have some punks telling "MAGUA BU HOW" at you, get out of there quick.

[red5angel]

no problem Panquan, glad the adivce mad eyour trip easir, I aim to please.


We could combine my advice with Luebies and say that instead of kungfumasters or as well as kungfumasters or giant chinamen, you can also kill a house maid in your hotel to make sure they don't steal your crap. Make sure you do it in front of the other hotel staff.
I also forgto to mention that if you use kungfu to do this, or atleast scream some keeeyaiiiiiis and make it look lik eyou know what you're doing when making examples of these people, you'll get almost everything free since everyone will want to train under you.

[Shaolinlueb]

Originally posted by red5angel
no problem Panquan, glad the adivce mad eyour trip easir, I aim to please.


We could combine my advice with Luebies and say that instead of kungfumasters or as well as kungfumasters or giant chinamen, you can also kill a house maid in your hotel to make sure they don't steal your crap. Make sure you do it in front of the other hotel staff.
I also forgto to mention that if you use kungfu to do this, or atleast scream some keeeyaiiiiiis and make it look lik eyou know what you're doing when making examples of these people, you'll get almost everything free since everyone will want to train under you.

yes, make sure your qigong is good and you rip out their hearts or eyeballs out.

[red5angel]

yes, make sure your qigong is good and you rip out their hearts or eyeballs out.

you eagle claw guys really know how to do it with style!

[Hua Lin Laoshi]

Take a backpack with you, keep valuables in there and keep it with you when travelling between cities/villages. Any bags that are checked-in will be rummaged through and your shampoo and candy bars will magically disappear.

And if they can't pick the lock (which they can most of the time) the lock will disappear.

[joedoe]

Originally posted by TangLangCh'uan
hello everyone...
this is my first post here on the boards, but i'm looking forward to exchanging information, etc. with all of you.
so here's my ????. i'm leaving for china on july 21st. i will be there for 16 days travelling around, training, competing, so on and so forth. i'm just wondering if anyone here on the boards has been to mainland china, and if so, if there are any tips you can pass on to me about local customs, good places to go shopping, places to avoid/watch out for, pretty muich anything you might think i'll find useful. i know china is an immense country, and i'm not quite sure what provinces/cities i'll be going to, but i'd like to hear about anyone experiences anywhere in the country. i'll be posting pictures and {hopefully} videos once i get back. thanks in advance.

-christopher

In all seriousness, shaolinleub's advice is pretty good. Just behave sensibly and you should be fine. Definitely do not flash your money around. If you go to markets and bargain, having a few words in Mandarin to bargain with is useful because they will be less likely to try to gouge you. And aim to pay around 1/4 to 1/3 of the original quoted price.

If you want to go out for a drink and a bit of a dance, ask for a disco. If you ask for a nightclub you will get a brothel.

Do not drink the water. Always drink bottled water. If you have a guide, ask them which brand(s) are better and stick with those brands. There are different brands in different regions so you will have to check with your guide fairly if you don't see a brand you recognise. Be careful when eating seafood - avoid things like clams, oysters and anything you do not recognise. Things like fish, shrimp and crabs are probably OK but just be careful.

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions just ask. You might want to get in touch with omarthefish and ShaolinMaster as they have spent a lot of time in China.

[ewallace]

I would highly recommend not wearing an "I love New York" t-shirt and MC Hammer style pants. You will probably be persona-non-grata and become broke when you get back to the states.

[DragonzRage]

everything shaolinlueb said is pretty much right on the money. The only thing I'd disagree with is people blowing you off cuz yer white. In my experience, Chinese people are extraordinarily polite to foreigners and will take quite an interest in you. Just beware the ones trying to scam you for money. when you go exploring, do it in a group and try to always have a chinese guide with you. always bargain when you go shopping! you'd be amazed at how cheap you can get some really cool stuff over there. Be mindful of your money/bag when you're in crowded places or if you take the bus. pick-pockets will be all over you, especially if you look like a foreign traveler.

I'd highly recommend getting a massage if you can find a legit place. yeah, some of them are just fronts for prostitution, but the services at most big hotels should be pretty legit. you'll never get a high quality massage for so cheap at home. its worth it. if you wanna do that, you'd probably wanna have your guide set it up for you tho.

if you go party, keep in mind that chinese girls do not like being approached by strangers on the dance floor.

don't eat street meat.

have fun! China's awesome

[bullrog]

Get a travel purse that goes under your clothes.
Photocopy DL, passport and CCs for backup.
If you bring a dig camera, make sure charger will work or you bring a power convertor. I think they run a 220v.
DONT drink tap water!

[omarthefish]

if you go party, keep in mind that chinese girls do not like being approached by strangers on the dance floor.


...Are you NUTS? They like it if your white. You must be Indian or middle eastern or something. Big racial prejudice in China. If your a white dude you'll usually find a string of Chinese beauties approaching you on the dance floor.

take the card of the hotel you're at so you can just show it to the cabby.

EXCELLENT Idea. Not just for the cabby. If you get lost and can't speak Chinese or run into any problems at all, that's your point of reference.

don't drink the water or don't have ice in drinks.

I'd add to that that you don't want to eat any fruit that isn't peeled. Often buffets will have cut apples or pears or fruit will be served at the end of a meal. I'd stay away from watermelon altogether. But you'll probably get the runs anyways so just bring enough ammonium-ad to last the whole trip!

On that note, even bottled water isn't always safe. You wan't to look closely at the bottle and make sure the cap is on tight and the little plastic connectors havn't been broken. Some people save the bottles and then rebottle them with tap water. If something looks fishy, I wouldn'
t bother arguing over 3 yuan, just don't drink it. Find a place to throw it away.

I wouldn't bother avoiding "street meet" though. Stuff that's cooked well is usually ok. It's fruit and the cold dishes which are maybe cooked but then served cold that usually give you trouble. Also, out and out food poisoning isn't such an issue. Mainly you just are likely to get diarreah and proper preparation at the drugstore in America will take care of that. It's just a couple weeks and a little stomach discomfort to me is an ok price to pay for such fantastic experiences. But then again, maybe I was just thinking for the long term knowing I'd better get acclimated to the local "flora and fauna" eventually. My insides have adjusted.

Honestly I think for such a short trip there's not a lot to worry about. It's not such a scary place really.

[omarthefish]

Oh yeah...if you pass though Xi'an and have some free time (not likely) shoot me a pm and I'll take you out for Sichuan food.