I am an american and travelling to china. anything i should be aware of?

Question

Things i should do and shouldnt do? Be prepared with what? what should i take from here? Is it safe? what about the food?

i am from colombian heritage so i can say this is my nationality i f i find some anti-americans.

Answer 1

chinese government may arrest you if you openly practice your faith.

Answer 2

You have no worries in China. It is very safe. Like every where else keep a close eye on your belongings, watch out for pick pockets, and when shopping be sure you know what you are buying. There are so many knock offs and of various quality. It's easy to get ripped off. Negotiate and negotiate. There are three standard prices. Local price, Chinese price and tourist price. Enjoy the trip. China is great.

The food varies. If you like Chinese food, then that's the place to go. I went to Muslim places they were great and cheap. There is also McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut to fall back on if it all looks too unfamiliar.

Answer 3

Things to do:
-Try to visit some of the areas outside the main toursist spots (such as the west side of the lake in the Summer Place in Beijing; The park on the east and west side of Tiananmen)
-Be polite
-Try all kinds of food! (I recomend Yangruo Chuanr - BBQ lamb on a stick, found all over the place!)
-Remember to keep your passport on you in a safe place.
-Bargain in the markets - b/c you are not Chinese, expect the price to be marked up at least 10x from what a Chinese person would be started at - try your best to pay less then half the first offered price.

Do not:
-Throw firecrackers out your window...
-particapte in riots/freedom demestrions/ anything else
-try to share your religion (if you have one) with anyone who is a Chinese national.
-critize everything - it only makes you have a bad time
-Buy a lot of DVD's off the people who come up to you and say "want to buy some DVDS?"
They are often poor quality and may or may not work. Sometimes it is the wrong movie the case. (Title on DVD menu says it is correct, but when you play, it shows a diffent movie) If you want to buy DVD's, buy them from a store where you can test them out first. Take them out of the cover and put them into a CD wallet. Just don't buy 1000 copies of the same movie, and you should not have problems.

Be prepared with:
-guide book, perferably one with simple pharases of Chinese (Cesuo zai Nar? Where is the bathroom?)
-tolit paper. Most public restrooms there do not provide any. You can buy that there at any convience store.
-embassy contact info

What you should take:
-a power converter. Voltage in China is 220, NOT 110! If you try to use most of your american things in a plug there, you will fry it, unless it says on it that it is able to accept 100-220 Volts.
-any prescriptions that you need. While you may be able to get it over there, best to have it with you. Don't forget to actually bring your prescription with the meds.

Safty:
It is quite safe in China, about the only thing that you really have to watch out for is pickpockets and people trying to rip you off when buying stuff (charging you 400RMB for a single silk scarf). Pickpockets can be best avoided by putting wallet in front pocket, and keeping track of it, and how much you spend. Overcharging things... well, do your best. We all have experiences of paying too much for something. Thing to remember about bargaining - if you think you paid a good price for it, then you did.
- One other point. If you are planing to do stuff on your own, let people (ie friends, family, hotel staff) your plans.

Food:
Food is great. street food is very good and cheap. Most of the street food is fine to eat as it is cooked up right there and then. A single person in China can eat quite well on 5USD/day. You can eat amazingly good on less then 10USD/day. Do not be afraid to try new things. Many places will have pictures on the menu. Make some friends to help know what you should get (one recomandation: pai huanggua - cucumbers in a vineager and garlic sauce)

Have fun in China!

Answer 4

Be aware that nobody in the world (except for americans) like americans....You should say that you are from Canada but live in the U.S. Be prepared to catch the Avian Bird Flu. You should take a 360 and get your butt back to america ASAP. They say that flying is safer than driving. Food....it's probably Chinese.

Answer 5

I lived in Hong Kong for just about 4 years ninety 9' to 02' and that i miss it regular. I had the time of my existence. I worked as an ex pat so I paid no taxes interior the US or HK and the corporation payed for housing and in step with diem plus shuttle expenses. I fell in love with the city residing and public transportation, the homes the existence the human beings aaahhhh i visit circulate back sometime

Answer 6

china is not a dangerous country..at least not in the big major cities. i would say it is far worse in america. we have lots of bad people here and people here that do not have any responsibilties for their actions.
everyday people get mowed down in car accidents and the perpertrators take off. they call it a 'hit and run', well..it happens daily in every city in america. people are bad here.
i live in a city where crime has gotten to be just as bad or worse than in places like NYC and East LA.
no kidding, even good expensive places are turning into ghetto like atmosphere.

go to china and enjoy it.
the people there are not half as bad as they are here.

Answer 7

don't ever drink the water...not even brush your teeth with it...watch out for freshly washed vegetables in salads etc...only eat raw fruits that you peel yourself...the cooked food should be fine...amongst the best in the world...oh and becareful buying bottled water..those bottles can be refilled with tap water and sealed and sold again...buy sparkling water if you're in doubt...if you are to be in rural china..take some granola bars or something with you....in the cities though there is food everywhere (the Chinese love nothing more than food!!) ...Enjoy youself its a beautiful, historic and great country.

Answer 8

watch out for the food. you may eat something you really wouldnt want to eat, like snake perhaps. i once watched a show where a couple travelled to the east and they ordered sweet and sour chicken, noticed it tasted very different from chicken so they asked what exactly they had gotten instead of s & s chicken and come to find out that the waitress had mixed their tables up with another one and so they ended up eating cat!!

Answer 9

No one speaks English well.

No one will understand what you say in English.
No one will understand anything you say in Chinese.

McDondalds tastes just as crappy here as in the US.
Chinese food all tastes the same after a while.

Beware of other foreigners.

Answer 10

take those electric things that generate electricity( I can't remember what they're called)because in case you didn't already know they have different outlets. Or maybe take battery operated items

Answer 11

disdusting place

disgusting place y u wan 2 go

such a disgusting place