Visit China Q+A - for all questions about visiting the Middle Kingdom!!

[Monkey]

Thanks Sher!!

[John]

Could any of our Chinese friends provide some essential info about railways in China? First thing I'm interested is how expensive tickets are (e.g. how much would it cost to go from Beijing to Shanghai and then to Shenzhen and HK?), and what is the general condition of trains? I'm very positive about making a big trip to China in the next few years. I believe train is the best option to travel around China

[frankful]

if you want to take the beijing-shanghai train, then wait for a few years before you go. right now, i don't think the trains are for long distance travel because they are exasperatingly slow. a trip from bj to sh will cost you 48 hours--i heard. of course, you can get a sleeper and sleep through it. but all the noise the rails and people make probably will prevent you from doing so.

i have taken the train a few times for short-distance trips. those were not that bad. there are tourist trains that run every hour between,say, shanghai and nearby tourist towns like suzhou. those trains are fast and comfortable.

on the other hand, flying is pretty convenient for tourists since chinese airlines do not force you to buy round-trip tickets by making one-way tickets expensive.(okay, if you really want a round-trip ticket, the price is 2 times one-way price.) so you can pretty much fly to all your destinations. instead of the first, business and economy classes in the us, chinese planes have 9 sections and they all have different prices. section 9 is the engine room of course. lol.

dcb11 and i are both going to tour china this summer. we will be flying mostly but taking trains for shorter-distance trips.

[muchbetter]

You may have had a trip to China or will have a trip to China. No matter if you have negative or positive views about China, just give two cents here and let other friends know about China by not only pictures but also your personal experience.
Here are some foreign friends' trip views I picked up from Chinadaily. And What about yours?

Oscar_Wu:

I just came back from China last week, I would like to share my experiences.

I landed on March 06 in Shanghai, where I had the opportunity to stay in the historical Peace Hotel for 5 days. I was impressed by the cleanliness and hustle of the city. It must be very challenging to maintain law and order with a population of over 40 million. Toronto has a population of only 5 million, and I found that the streets and the subways are not as clean as Shanghai's.

Guangdong and Shenzhen, were another great cities to visit. Everything is well organized and maintained. Great public transportation, including, motorcycles, taxis, subways and even bicycles. Lots of restaurants, shops, landmarks and interesting people.

I stopped by Beijing for a few hours, I did not have a chance to explorer the city, but I am sure, I would NOT have been disappointed.

I am safer walking in the streets of China late at night, then in any major city in North America. I am impressed that China has managed to maintain law and order in a country of 1.3 billion people.

The airports, planes, security, customer service, were outstanding and very efficient. The people of China, seems to take their profession and professionalism to the next level.

It was an honour visiting your country and experiencing a beautiful and heartwarming nation.

The only complaint, is the smog. I understand that China has many manufactures in which foreign countries and companies use to make their products for big profits. I want to see these foreign companies and the Chinese government do something about cleaning the air and make a better living environment for the people who live and work in this beautiful country.

Although I was there for only for a few weeks, China has make an impact on me that will last me a lifetime. I will be visiting China again and again.

Be proud of your country. It has many beautiful things to offer, including, love and devotion.






jiangqihui:
I just came back from a trip to China as well last week! I went to Beijing, and then stopped over at Shenzhen before going to Hong Kong. I had a great time. I'm an American of Chinese descent (my parents are from Guangzhou). Asian people comprise less that 5% of the population in the U.S., and although it's greater in the Washington, DC area, it felt comforting coming to a place where everyone looks like you, and yet also a little out of place as well since I can't speak or understand Chinese. I tried to learn as much Mandarin as possible before my trip, but I really stink at learning languages.

Beijing is the cleanest city I've ever seen. There were workers on every block, sweeping up the smallest debris. Did they always do this? Or is this in preparation for the 2008 Olympics? Even inside KFC and McDonalds it was amazingly clean, no matter how busy it was! I got up to leave and was about to put away my trash when a young worker took my tray for me and wiped my table.

Everybody I met was extremely helpful, from the hotel staff, who helped me track down the backpack I left in the taxi that took me to the airport, to the young woman at the Airline Ticketing Office who helped me buy my ticket to Shenzhen.

I do have a couple of questions: I saw a lot of uniforms on the streets in Beijing. As far as I can tell, there were three kinds. Are there more?

1) Green (is this the military?)
2) Dark Blue (I believe this was the police)
3) Dark green/grey (Beijing Security Bureau, I think)

Who has jurisdiction over what? I also saw uniformed officers in stores and banks or sitting in booths in front of buildings. Are these private security people?

I noticed that all the police officers were all young looking and very tall. Is this an unspoken requirement? In other words, if a short person wanted to be a police officer, what are the chances that he would be accepted? Everyone in Beijing was taller than me, it seems (I'm 5" 6')!

I also saw a lot of young women walking down the street with their arms locked together. I take it that this is a local custom?

It sure seemed like most of the people in Beijing (Dongcheng district) were really, really young. Or was that just because of the area I was in? (a lot of stores and restaurants)

What jobs are considered "good jobs" that people want to get into?

Anyway, that's enough questions for now. Thanks!




Seneca:
First trip to China's capital...
...was in 1983, arriving in Peking by Transib from Moscow. The old train station at that time was, well, uncrowded.
I didn't know a word of Chinese, but had to rush out of the PR of C within the stipulated 7 days marked in my transit visa. One-and-a-half of those I had already used up arriving from Zabaykalsk/Manzhouli.
I thought that the ticket vendor would understand "Hong Kong, Hong Kong!", especially since I showed her a map of Guangdong, but I was at that time under many other illusions...
Luckily, a Hong Kong traveller overheard me in that cavernous station hall and came to my rescue. I got a ticket to Guangzhou, which I knew at that time as "Canton". When the vendor asked me whether I was a student, I replied in the affirmative, and no proof was asked - I got a student ticket on a hard sleeper.
What I didn't realise was that the train was leaving that same day, so unfortunately, I had to cut short on all intended tours. A European expat in the Friendship Hotel informed me of the exact departure date and time. I managed to get to Hong Kong within 6 days since crossing the border between Siberia and Manchuria...

When I returned to Peking many years later, the formerly ubiquitous Mao dress had given way to the more colourful T-shirts and bluejeans that are so common these days!



bornof_fire:
i also had a great time in china
ive spent 3 trips in beijing and let me say that it is a nice city. you should go back and see all that beijing has to offer.

april 2003:

my first time ever in another country. so the flight alone was fun but too long. i was so excited to be able to attend a different place than what i have known my whole life.
When i was a boy , i had always dreamed of going to china on vacation but life never presented an opportunity to do so.

This all ended when I met a woman on the net. Little did i know that she was to become my wife in less than a year.

So, even though sars was considered a threat I did not hesitate to go and i was not disappointed at all.

The way of life in china is way different than any way I have ever seen in america.

Beijingirl and I spent much time visiting all the great things to see in beijing. Summer palace, forbidden city, temple of heaven and the great wall at badaling. She helped me with all the accomadations and I had not a single worry.

The day we went to the summer palace is a day I will never forget the rest of my life. this was a day that i knew i was in love with her.

Leaving just in time before sars became a big problem in beijing I returned to san francisco. But not without alot of tears. for we both knew it was not sure if we would see each other again. that was very painful.

august 2003:

I return to china again for my love for beijingirl was too strong to hold alone and i had to see her again. it was too much for both of us.

This time we decided to spend a week at the mountain resort in chengde. I did not like this place and neither did she. The resort wasnt that nice , the food was lousy and the people were not pleased to see a white man with a chinese woman. they called her bad names but i dont know mandarin. she wouldnt repeat the bad words.

But we made the best of a bad situation.
Although it was too hot(we were supposed to be getting away from the heat) we managed some nice walks and pleasant moments alone and a nice boat ride too.

After returning to beijing we strolled around town and I went to some familiar places with some friends and ate pizza at pizza hut and mcdonalds(they both taste the same way in america).

then the time came to leave again. this was very sad time. we both cried alot


january 2004:

this trip i decided to stay for a whole month. i didnt want to come to beijing and only stay for 2 weeks. so my lady got me an apartment for the time in haidian district and it was how to say, not what i expected.
but i guess im a spoiled american. hahahah

it was great. we got married on january 19th 2004.

thats really about it for january, i frequently went to forbidden city and summer palace and temple of heaven alone cuz she had to work. and that was ok cuz we were married and i dont mind spending time alone.




Rainbow:
you only see one side
i am sorry that i am not whith you any more, you only saw city , but not saw countryside. I have been many countries in Europe. never saw there is so big different between city and countryside in Europe, it is different in china.it is really stupid. You can see the most beattiful street in china, also you can see the most poor man in china. It is strange that everyone live in a BIG CAGE, IT IS NOT MODERN CIVILIZATION. there is no any fair and justice in there!! Chinese look like the polluted air in the sky of china. They can do eveything only for MONEY. the worse man, the more money!!!


Liuxialover:
I am a caucasian from USA, and have travelled to Europe, Central America, Caribbean, and Japan.
I found Chinese people friendly. Standard of living for city dwellers high, but countrysiders not so well off. But the same can be said for USA.
Really enjoyed the purchasing power of a dollar.
Overall my impression of China- despite some of the quirks, it is an advanced nation, not at all like my preconceived ideas. Still had a hard time adjusting to the toilets though, and the food was very spicy.

[muchbetter]

Huaiwei, mind changing the title of the thread from "you trip to china" to"your trip to china"? I made a mistake by accident. thank you .

Are you kidding? Every chinese knows that the railway train between Beijing and Shanghai is the best of China. The Best Condition and best service. It will take 12 hours from beijing to shanghai. The train leaves beijing at 8:00pm and reaches shanghai at 8:00am next day. There is tow ranks of tickets:
350RMB(42USD): six beds/room
470RMB(60USD): four beds/room with TV
All is comfortable. People, now, normally choose railway as the main means from beijing to shanghai or from shanghai beijing. Because it waste no time. Go to train at night and with a sleep you can start your visit to a new city on the early morning. If you fly, half day will be waste.

[tinsoldier]

Hangzhou is the MUST. Gorgeous!

[tinsoldier]

Hangzhou was the capital of Nansong Dynasty(one of the weakest han regimes)

--------------------
Weakest in terms of military, strongest in terms of economy and science

[Sen]

Originally Posted by John

Could any of our Chinese friends provide some essential info about railways in China? First thing I'm interested is how expensive tickets are (e.g. how much would it cost to go from Beijing to Shanghai and then to Shenzhen and HK?), and what is the general condition of trains? I'm very positive about making a big trip to China in the next few years. I believe train is the best option to travel around China

I only know Beijing-Shanghai route..There are trains with very GOOD conditions and running non-stop between Beijing-Shanghai..the trip usually takes 11 hours, you depart at night, next day when you wake up you are in Shanghai!. the price is not expensive..the weird thing though...air travel is actually cheaper, since all big three airlines are having price wars..you can get air ticket with 60% or 70% discount..i prefer train because it's more confortable, but it also takes more time,,but if you are not business travler, why care?


Z21 Departure Beijing:19：00 Arrival Shanghai 6:00 next day Stop:none
Z13 Departure Beijing: 19:07 Arrival Shanghai 7:05 next day Stop:none
Z5 Departure Beijing:19：14 Arrival Shanghai7：12 next day stop:none
Z7 Departure Beijing:19：21 Arrival Shanghai7：19 next day Stop:none
Z1 Departure Beijing:19：28 Arrival Shanghai: 7：26 next day Stop:none

[Sen]

cities worth visiting:

MUST: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou(including Tongli, Zhouzhuang or Wuzhen, Xitang),

Visit them if you have more time:
Nanjing, Guilin, Xi'an, Chengdu

Visit them if you have a month:
Xinjiang region (Urumuqi and the area), Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Guangdong province, Chongqing, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Shaoxing, Ningbo Yunnan province, probably Harbin, Wuhan.

If you have a lot of time and you think you can handle high-attitude breathing problems, visit TIBET!!!!!!

[LDN_EUROPE]

Hi Guys I think China is great and would like to live/work there one day -maybe in Guangzhou or Sganghai. I'm white/European British and I was wondering what kind of response I would get there... would people discriminate against me and would i be stared at 24hours a day? Many thanks.

ps. China is all set to be the new super power... good-luck!

Thanks from the United Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom.

[dcb11]

You definitely will not be stared at, especially in Shanghai and Guangzhou where they are accustomed to seeing people from all over the world on a regular basis. You will also not experience open discrimination in your daily life.

As for discrimination in getting jobs, I really can't help you there. I don't know if there is any discrimination in the job market or not. First of all, do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese? If you don't speak either, that itself would be a reason you might find it hard to get a job. Most Westerners working in China work for Western (or at least international) companies, and even those companies probably hire mostly people who speak Chinese. In case you didn't know, the primary language of Guangzhou is Cantonese. I'm not sure if you can get by with Mandarin or not.

As an alternative, you might want to run your own business in China. I met a man from California in Shanghai (who didn't, I don't think, speak Mandarin) who moved there to open a Mexican-themed bar. If you go that route, you'll probably want to hire someone to fill out all the paperwork and maybe a real estate broker.

So what did you have in mind?

[Pangu]

Originally Posted by dcb11

In case you didn't know, the primary language of Guangzhou is Cantonese. I'm not sure if you can get by with Mandarin or not.

I've been to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. You can get by with Mandarin just fine. Almost everyone 40 years old and younger can speak both Mandarin and Cantonese, assuming they are native Guangzhouren. So unless you solely deal with the elders, you'd have no problem with not speaking Cantonese, especially when it comes to business.

Originally Posted by dcb11

As an alternative, you might want to run your own business in China. I met a man from California in Shanghai (who didn't, I don't think, speak Mandarin) who moved there to open a Mexican-themed bar. If you go that route, you'll probably want to hire someone to fill out all the paperwork and maybe a real estate broker.

Yeah, there are numerous success stories like that in China. However, if you choose to go this route, make sure you UNDERSTAND the Chinese market before you invest anything. Also, while there are many trustworthy companies who specialize in assisting helping foreign investors do business in China, there are also some that may rip you off if you aren't careful.

[Gandhi]

Hello Friends!
a question: somewhere here speak or undertand spanish! please..in that my english is´t good. and i want to know about China.

Please visit the Colombian Forum in Latinscrapers!!

Greetings from Colombia

[Bitxofo]

Hello friends!

I am from Barcelona, Spain.
I will go to China in October for 25 days. I would like to see:
-Beijing.
-Shanghai.
-Xi'an.
-Gilin.
-Hong Kong.
-Macao.
-Canton.
Is this a good itinerary? Can you help me, please?

Maybe I can meet a Chinese forumer over there...

Thanks a lot in advance!!

[sages]

Originally Posted by bitxofo

Hello friends!

I am from Barcelona, Spain.
I will go to China in October for 25 days. I would like to see:
-Beijing.
-Shanghai.
-Xi'an.
-Gilin.
-Hong Kong.
-Macao.
-Canton.
Is this a good itinerary? Can you help me, please?

Maybe I can meet a Chinese forumer over there...

Thanks a lot in advance!!

well
how many days will you stay in china?

this itinerary is Ok,but may spend much of time.

And,Gilin,Canton are provinces,Which city will you want to go?

I recommend you visit Suzhou and Hangzhou by the way when you arrive shanghai.They are absorbing citys.

Yup,maybe someone can meet you over your journey

[sages]

Originally Posted by Felixpo

Hello Friends!
a question: somewhere here speak or undertand spanish! please..in that my english is´t good. and i want to know about China.

Please visit the Colombian Forum in Latinscrapers!!

Greetings from Colombia

Sorry,I don't know.
There are several chinese forumers understand French and German,maybe there are forumers understand Spanish ,too.

Should I post your request in some chinese Forum to find someone understanding Spanish for you?

[Bitxofo]

Originally Posted by sages

well
how many days will you stay in china?

this itinerary is Ok,but may spend much of time.

And,Gilin,Canton are provinces,Which city will you want to go?

I recommend you visit Suzhou and Hangzhou by the way when you arrive shanghai.They are absorbing citys.

Yup,maybe someone can meet you over your journey

24-25 days in China!

Is there any Air Pass to fly within China? If not, which is the cheapest airline?

Thanks for helping.

[sages]

Originally Posted by bitxofo

24-25 days in China!

Is there any Air Pass to fly within China? If not, which is the cheapest airline?

Thanks for helping.

Wow
24~25 days~a long vocation

Sorry,I don't know which is the cheapest.Maybe other foumers can help you.I'm sorry.

After all,have a a good journey.

[Bitxofo]

Any more info, please?

Thanks!!