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

[Sen]

http://lieche.huoche.com/c502/

Lhasa, 08:30
Xi'an, 20:12, next day
Beijing West, 07:30 third day

[brightside.]

Hi

My father is visiting China soon. What is a good place for a foreigner to buy a cellphone? There is a Chinese cell phone that I want him to bring me. The CECT P168. Where can he get it in Beijing and will the sales people understand English?

[big-dog]

there are many cell phone malls in Beijing Zhong GuangCun area. i.e.

Zhong Guan Cun e-world
Hailong Plaza 海龙大厦
Ding Hao e-City 鼎好电子城
ZHong Xin Digital City 中芯数码城
Kemao Plaza 科贸大厦

They may not speak good English. It's recommended to have a local friend acompany with your father if possible.

And Di Xin Tong (迪信通) is a nation cell phone wide chain store, there are over 80 stores in Beijing.

[7freedom7]

Originally Posted by brightside.

Hi

My father is visiting China soon. What is a good place for a foreigner to buy a cellphone? There is a Chinese cell phone that I want him to bring me. The CECT P168. Where can he get it in Beijing and will the sales people understand English?

hello

Basically, there are two major places for cellphone sales in Beijing. One is at ZhongGuanChun(中关村), take the metro Line 10 to WanLiu(万柳) and get off at the HaiDianHuangZhuang(海淀黄庄) station then walk due north, it's a short way about 5 mins' walk, when you see a huge "e" on the e-world building or Sinosteel Tower or Carrfour, then you arrive. Another is near GongZhuFen(公主坟) station that is a transfer station of Line 1 and Line 4. Both places have tens of thousands of stores to sell all kinds of cellphones, so if you can make a good bargin then you can get a good deal, however to a foreigner it becomes a problem since the prices are very disordered, so I suggest your father go to GuoMei(国美), SuNing(苏宁), Zhongfu(中复) or DiXingTong(迪信通) those chain stores to buy what you want to buy.

[7freedom7]

Originally Posted by brightside.

Hi

My father is visiting China soon. What is a good place for a foreigner to buy a cellphone? There is a Chinese cell phone that I want him to bring me. The CECT P168. Where can he get it in Beijing and will the sales people understand English?

and why do you buy CECT P168, it's just a Shanzhai(knockoff) SE P1 and a little bit dated and barely seen on the streets, there are much better alternatives such as shanzhai Iphone, shanzhai Blackberry 9000 or shanzhai Sumsung i908 Omnia or shanzai Nokia E71/E90 and the like all charged at around $100.

Iphone vs shanzhai Iphone (Ciphone)
the left is Iphone, the right is Ciphone











shanzai Blackberry = Blueberry 9000





shanzhai Sumsung i908

[HKG]

7freedom7 can take brightside's father to buy one :P
or give him a road map.

[brightside.]

Thank you guys for the info!

7freedom7, I'll definitely consider those phones, infact the CiPhone looks amazing
Definitely getting that one now

Uh...just 1 final question. The CiPhone bought in China will have the English language installed on it right? As for sending my father to buy it, I think that can be arranged.

[7freedom7]

It won't be a problem, every brand shanzhai phones(including Ciphone) have English OS installed before delivery for exporting, however, it's very likely that you can't find them(highly copy phones) in Chain stores for a reason, but they are available in small shops/counter shops in ZhongGuanCun or GongZhuFen area (buying a decent phone at a low price from those small shops or counter shops has been a normal practice for most of ppl). Speaking of the price, I believe you can get the Ciphone 30% or more Cheaper than charged(about 900RMB), and if you dont mind giving up the warrant and taking the risk, you may get it more Cheaper. Hope to see you will get a decent phone!

[AnJellyCue]

Hello..

I am taking my first trip to china. starting in Aug 2010 for the expo. I leave home on Aug 04 and come back about 3 weeks later..

I am going to Hong Kong and then to Beijing and then to shanghai for a week Id be grateful to anyone that give me pointers on where to go.. I'd like to go to the store caled "Silk King"

can anyone tell me what the weather is going to be like ? I read hot and wet...

A.

[Severiano]

Shanghai will be hot. Also, realize that you will not be able to use facebook, twitter, or youtube due to the governments paranoia.

[BarbaricManchurian]

use a VPN, like this: https://www.ipredator.se/ :P

[Tillor87]

Dajia hao!!

I am going to China next february for 1 year to Sun Yat Sen University.

Now my question (just one of them) is... is Guangzhou is good place for shopping compared to other chinese cities? For instance, I would like to buy a professional camera... I don't know if Guangzhou would be a good place to find a cheaper one or maybe a city like Shenzhen?

Xiexie (duoxie) :-P

[oliver999]

Originally Posted by Vitiok

Dajia hao!!

I am going to China next february for 1 year to Sun Yat Sen University.

Now my question (just one of them) is... is Guangzhou is good place for shopping compared to other chinese cities? For instance, I would like to buy a professional camera... I don't know if Guangzhou would be a good place to find a cheaper one or maybe a city like Shenzhen?

Xiexie (duoxie) :-P

shenzhen and guangzhou are the center of electric equipments, you will be happy there.

[Tillor87]

xiexie

[VZN]

Hello,

I'm coming to Shanghai in September for the World's Expo. I have a few questions concerning Shanghai and China in general because I have never been out of my country (I'm from Long Beach California, USA).

1) Will it be difficult to navigate through the city if I don't know any Mandarin? I can only speak English. Should I take the time out to learn some Mandarin?

2) What are some affordable hotels near the area of the Expo? And what part of Shanghai will Expo be held?

3) What other sightseeing areas can I go to in Shanghai? I know of the Bund, what about any other spots where tourists go?

Thanks in advance!

[oliver999]

Originally Posted by VZN

Hello,



3) What other sightseeing areas can I go to in Shanghai? I know of the Bund, what about any other spots where tourists go?

Thanks in advance?

welcome to shanghai !
for question 3, i'd like to list some: you can write down these chinese characters and pass to taxi drive, they will pick you there. you can also go to a book shop (书店),to buy an english version shanghai travel guide.
shanghai museum(上海博物馆):chinese history and culture
yuyuan garden(豫园); chinese traditional building and culture
hengshan road(衡山路), duolun road(多伦路):just walking down the street,discover something interesting.
shanghai science&tech museum(上海科技馆): science impact
century park(世纪公园),changfeng park(长风公园),gongqing forest park(共青森林公园): just some parks

[Celebriton]

Originally Posted by 7freedom7

and why do you buy CECT P168, it's just a Shanzhai(knockoff) SE P1 and a little bit dated and barely seen on the streets, there are much better alternatives such as shanzhai Iphone, shanzhai Blackberry 9000 or shanzhai Sumsung i908 Omnia or shanzai Nokia E71/E90 and the like all charged at around $100.

This is very interesting for just USD 100.

Where I can find more info about this phone? Like the review.

If the different between the real and the shanzhai version is not much (especially in the feature, menu, LCD and technology), I will consider to buy it.

[HKG]

Originally Posted by VZN

Hello,

I'm coming to Shanghai in September for the World's Expo. I have a few questions concerning Shanghai and China in general because I have never been out of my country (I'm from Long Beach California, USA).

1) Will it be difficult to navigate through the city if I don't know any Mandarin? I can only speak English. Should I take the time out to learn some Mandarin?

2) What are some affordable hotels near the area of the Expo? And what part of Shanghai will Expo be held?

3) What other sightseeing areas can I go to in Shanghai? I know of the Bund, what about any other spots where tourists go?

Thanks in advance!

Chinese pinyin -ne hao ( English ni how)=hello
Start to learn Chinese now,its fun,I have been learn it for 80 hours,I can type Chinese simplified now.

[Aan]

I'm planning to visit China in summer, do you know what's the best/cheapest connection/way to Harbin from Vladivostok? wanna go to Vladivostok from Europe by transsiberian railway and then China from North to South (to Vietnam border)

[BarbaricManchurian]

definitely train, it's just a short trip from Vladivostok to Harbin and shouldn't take more than 12 hours. Once you get into China, leave from Harbin explore Dalian, then take the ferry to Tianjin, take the HSR to Beijing, then once in Beijing, take the slow train (no HSR available yet) to Zhengzhou, then HSR to Xi'an and back, then go to Wuhan, then HSR to Guangzhou, maybe take a side trip to Hong Kong, then go to Yunnan which is definitely one of the most interesting areas of China. Once there, first see the beautiful capital, Kunming, then explore the northwest part of the province around Shangri-La with its awesome natural beauty, then go to south Yunnan in Xishuangbanna to explore unique ethnicities/beautiful jungle, and finally go a little bit east and cross the border to Vietnam, if you want.