I am an Asian woman who is going to Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai in October?

Question

I do not know Chinese and I will be traveling alone. How hard will it be for me to take a taxi and order food? I heard a lot of reviews that getting a guide is actually counter-productive. You’d be taken to factories and be pressured to buy stuff, take you to bad restaurants just because they are getting commissions. Therefore, I am thinking of not getting a guide. If only the people there are honest, I wouldn't be jittery. Tell me what you think.

Do you think they would still be aggressive on me even though I look every bit an Asian? Maybe if I don't say a word, they'd just think I am a Chinese woman?

Answer 1

Listen Don't do it.

Shanghai and Beijing are ok, but you will get robbed and attacked in those other cities. In fact you won't even be able to find a normal cab who isn't trying to scam you in one way or another in those remote cities. However, that's the least of your worries. Your bad cab experience is only going to be over shadowed by how many aggressive locals locals are. little old ladies will honestly grab your hair, legs, arms, and won't let go until you give them money.

Trust me, don't do it. I've been to a lot of poor countries in the world, but I've never seen anyone who are as aggressive as the Chinese. Don't do it.

Answer 2

Hi, I did that exact journey you describe this summer. I don't speak Chinese and also travelled alone. I think it is easy for a woman and I encountered no problems. I agree it is a bad idea to hire a guide, they all know someone who has a hotel, a restaurant or a factory and you'll pay money for their services and see nothing of interest - bring Lonely Planet or a Mandarin Phrase book and you will have less trouble communicating with people. In China they started teaching English in all schools 6 years ago so if you have any problems getting tickets, ordering food etc. it is a good idea to ask young people to help you - most of the time they are very friendly. In Shanghai and Beijing most people speak a bit of English and the menus are in English as well. Otherwise you can try to eat at some of the many street vendors where you can just point at the food. The only thing I found difficult was getting around by taxi but if you buy a good map when you arrive and bring your hotel card with you it should be okay. My general impression is that the chinese people are friendly and interested in other cultures so just go ahead and have a brilliant trip!

Answer 3

I was in all those cities (except Chengdu) in May 2006 and Oct/Nov 2004. I traveled without a guide in Shanghai both times. I DO think staying at a good hotel helps, because you can get help from the concierge or staff in terms of writing addresses down for you for the cab driver, etc. PLus you have a card that gets you back to the hotel where you can show your driver. I only had ONE disreputable cab driver across maybe 40 taxi trips, and that was frm the Shanghai Airport down to the Peace Hotel. But I knew in advance what the fare SHOULD be so even though he never turned on the meter, I only paid the amount I knew it was supposed to be, and not double like he wanted. Every other driver turned on the meter and gave me a receipt. You CAN find good guides. I had some (arranged back here in the US) that were very good - funny, proud of their cities, good info and great insights. Others weren't bad, just robotic. One was bad because she really didn't care about her job much. I would ask around in the US for recommendations and see if you can find someone, because it can help to see more unusual things. And DO practice some Chinese and bring a good dictionary (Lonely Planet) with you. We always found places with some kind of English menu, and other places we worked through the dictionary. I bought tickets on the train by saying "1 ticket" (for the subway). I kept my $ in a pouch, but I do that in any major city. Vendors in stalls can be aggressive but just keep saying "I don't want any" in Chinese and walk on. Don't stop to look unless you REALLY want to buy. But don't be scared off by the stories here. I had a great time in Shanghai walking by the river, going to the old city, taking the train - the history museum is WONDERFUL, and you can get great souvenirs there that are inexpensive (no, not for $1, but beautiful things that are very well made) with no haggling or hassles. Same with other museums. You can also tell the people at the hotel who will arrange a guide that if the guide takes you to any stores and pressures you to buy that the guide gets no tip - and tell the guide that too. It works. Have fun - don't be scared.

Answer 4

Basically you cannot travel on your own, English is not common even for taxi driver. With the help from the hotel, you may travel point to point, being one of the point is the hotel you are staying. You need to go to more expensive restaurant to order food, not the local style.

Tour guide is counter productive, but without one, it is not productive at all. Be prepare to join local tour otherwise, I cannot see how you can live outside the hotel.

Honest or not honest, basically you cannot communicate with them. In a shop, you can always bargain with a piece of paper on the number, but you will never know what quality of products you are buying.

Answer 5

I don't know how of some of the guys came up all these stories about crimes against foreigners. There are not many countries that are safer than China for foreigners. However as a young girl traveling alone, you have to be prepared.

I strongly suggest that you carry an electronic Chinese-English dictionary so you can communicate with locals by showing them the Chinese translation on it. For transportation, always ask the hotel clerk to write down the names in Chinese of the places you want to go.

Remember always go with the crowds but watch your purse, stay away from quite and dark places. Don't follow strangers, for any question, go to a fast food restaurant and ask the people of your age.

Answer 6

Yeah, I don't think that is a good idea either. The problem is that the people here aren't honest. There's a lot of crimes here against foreigners that go unreported.

Even if your Chinese isn't the "local tone" they will take advantage of you. I would say suggest that you ask the hotel to arrange the driver, but that would only work in Beijing or Shanghai. The places you're going the hotels are also in on the scams.

I don't know what to say. The people here are dishonest, and the police are worthless.

Answer 7

I just got back. I am a white, American male and a repeat visitor. I own my own very successful international business.

Hire a guide that speaks Mandarin and/or the local dialect. They know how to avoid trouble, get what you need and smooth the path. They are not that expensive and can drive you around, order meals, buy what you need and even provide insite or companionship while you drive.

Don't consider going it alone. I would not think about it. Best wishes and I hope that you enjoy yourself. Be safe.

Answer 8

To the asker,

If you speak mandarin then you can travel by yourself without any issue. However, if you don't, hiring a guide is very necessary… Or you can find a similar backpacker to travel together. Most taxi drivers don't speak English. But if you can write down the address, they should be able to drive you there. Ordering food would also be a problem unless you eat in KFC or MacDonald’s. But I believe ppl will be glad to help you. Keep your friendly smile and show your respect to locals, you will be fine...Even though there is very few violent crimes against foreigners in China, as a girl traveling by herself, you need to be careful. Use your common sense. I think this is true for a girl traveling alone in every country.

Answer 9

Don't listen to the pathetic statement by the person above me. His post was not based on facts. I would love to see him post his source.
Compared to western developed countries, China still holds a low violent crime rate. A young girl can get lost in the center of Shanghai without worrying about getting hurt. Yes, there are bad neighborhoods, there are scams, there are thieves....but aren't these things common in all tourist destinations? Thanks for the Confucius philosophy, Chinese ppl have a long history of been non-violent and friendly. That’s why China is becoming more and more popular for tourism. Just be sure to stay on the tourist route to avoid unnecessary hassles. Hire a legitimate guide through your hotel.
Good Luck!

Answer 10

It is true that some of the tour guide often take the visitors to the shop and try to persude them to busy some traditional Chinese staff.

Answer 11

I really don't understand the comments above. It is like they're describing a completely different country to the one that I have visited 4 times for work, study and holidays. I've never been robbed. I've never felt unsafe. I've never had anything happen to me that I would even consider trying to report to the police. The worst thing to have happened to me is simply that I've been overcharged from time to time. I've stayed in everything from hotels and hostels and rooms ranging from 5 star hotels to very cheap dingy and awful rooms in an aging house - in everything from major cities, small towns to camp sites.

I've been to all the cities you mention. They're big cities that receive many tourists each year, and you'd fit right in. I have a female Korean friend who travelled the "silk road" without knowing a word of Chinese, but had a great time. I know many other friends who have come to China for months, and left still not knowing anything other than "nihao" (hello) and "xiexie" (thanks) - but got around with few problems.

Knowing a few words of Chinese can be useful - how to say and hear numbers, in addition to "no thanks", "what is delicious?" and "thank you". This doesn't take long to learn - you can probably learn it in an hour from a Chinese friend before you go. But knowing this will make a huge difference (though it isn't necessary). For taxis and destinations, you just need the place name written in Cinese.

You might feel a little uncomfortable at times - I've seen Chinese people give dirty looks to asians who can't speak Chinese. But you shouldn't feel unsafe.

So, why do some of the other people here say things are so bad? I'm not sure. I've got two theories:

1. They've never actually been to China. Or maybe they were just offended by the fact that things were a little dirty and they struggled from time to time with language - they have no sense of adventure.

2. They're not very cautious. Yes, there are scams - but they're pretty obvious if you're careful and they're easy to walk out of if you're confident about yourself.

I've noticed that there are some travellers who seem to get stuck in all sorts of really awful situations, and others who rarely encounter any problems. I think it mostly depends on you. Do you have the confidence to say "No" and walk right away from somebody the moment you're not feeling 100% comfortable with them... even if they're claiming to be a student, even if they've just been really friendly and incredibly helpful, even if they've given you a gift to guilt you into returning the favor, and even if they have told you that you've got no other options (e.g., they've lied about some other hotel or transport options being destroyed or closed)? Would you feel confident enough to disagree with somebody (like a taxi driver) when you know you're being overcharged (and pay only what you think you're supposed to pay)?

This question might also be relevant to your travel plans:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070727132153AA00M37

So, I think I'd skip the idea of getting guides. You may want one from time to time, but you're better off getting them when you want to learn interesting things about sites. You don't need a guide to take you around everywhere.

You might find a good option would be to stay in youth hostels - that way you'll meet other travellers, and you can even make friends to go around sightseeing with (with friends, you'll feel more confident and won't feel as embarrassed about making a fool of yourself when you don't know what is going on in a restaurant).