9 Tips for Newbies (and Travellers) going to China

Some useful tips for students (and others) who are about to travel to Beijing for the coming semester (Feb). It will also come in handy for travellers as well!

1. Get a transport card - you can buy one at the subway station - it's very convenient to use it to pay the subway and the bus fares. You can refill the cards at the subway stations and won't have to line up each time you need to buy a ticket.
2. Girls should always carry tissues in their bags (might be a good tip for guys as well??) - public in China don't usually come with toilet paper, well, at least they didn't before the Olympics - things may have changed??
   
3. For those from countries like Australia, the cars in China drive on the left hand-side of the road, so do take care when you cross the road! Actually, everyone should extra take care when they cross the road - you'll understand when you get there!
   
4. If you have decided to buy a bike whilst in Beijing, buy 1-2 good chains to protect your bike. New bikes get stolen all the time. 


5. Bargain, bargain, bargain! - everywhere you go, except the supermarket and food stalls. In department stores, it never hurts to ask for a discount. When bargaining (in places like Silk Street), I always start with 10-20% of the price, but always do it with a smile. Never let on that you like the product. Criticize it - saying that you really want another colour, say that's it's too expensive, you're a poor student, etc, etc. If you've reached your limit, be prepared to walk away. Most likely the vendor will call you back for more bargaining. Yes, it's a tiring process and I used to hate it - until I think of it as a game and a chance to practise my Chinese. It's very important to keep the bargaining good natured and smile - you're more likely to get your way. 
6. Your favourite website may not be accessible in China. No worries! In this case, you can use a "proxy server" - the ones I used doesn't seem to be available at the moment. I found this one: http://www.xroxy.com/xrp/001010A. If you're in China, may be you could check it out to see if it works & let us know? Thanks!


7. Have an open mind & get out there and have fun! China is a whole new experience, but you'll find a lot of the Chinese generally very friendly and willing to help. The younger ones can probably speak, or at least understand a bit of English  although they may be a bit shy speaking it. 
8. I do find that I didn't have a lot of problems, especially in the city, but do still be careful have your wits about you, especially when you go to a small town, particularly near railway stations. There are a lot of touts trying to take you to places that you may not want to go, and a friend got cheated by a shoe-cleaning lady who refused to give her change from a big note. It wasn't a lot of money (for us), but does ruin your day. 
9. Buy the Lonely Planet China before you go.  It's not available in China, and I wasn't able to find another alternative there that is just as good and I really wished that I had a copy! 
    

Well, that's it for now. If anyone out there have any tips to add, please feel free to do so via the comment section. 

Streetwise Guide: Beijing

Ok, this is an ad, but I wouldn't recommend it unless I thought it was useful! : )

I used this guide when I was in Beijing quite extensively. I did also bring a Beijing Lonely Planet with me when I went to study in China. The Lonely Planet is very useful for a traveller, but I found it wasn't enough for someone who will be living in Beijing, or visiting for a period of time. 

The book is quite comprehensive, is printed in colour, has lots of beautiful colour photos, but not too big or heavy - you'll be able to carry it around with you in your bag. 

I think the best thing about it is that there is a very useful colour co-ordinated maps of the different districts of Beijing. eg. "Academic Northwest", "Historical Central", "Arty" Northeast, etc, as well as a very handy map of the subway system in Beijing. Another thing I found useful is that the book also tells you the major bus routes. There are maps with bus routes available that you can buy in Beijing - but they are in Chinese! 

Different districts are covered in Area Guides. Information contained include:

• "Sightseeing" - Info on important places to visit, how to get there - ie. bus routes, subway lines (and names of stations written in Chinese), entrance fees and map of the place if appropriate. 
• "Food and entertainment" section that has a restaurant guide and bar listing with price range. 
• "Shopping" and "Accommodation" guide
• Suggested Itineraries for each district - very useful for exploring Beijing! 
• "Bus Details" - major bus stops in the districts and useful bus routes - very useful if you don't want to take taxis all the time! 

There is also a great introduction. Topics include:

• "Best of Beijing" - information and colour pictures on the "must see" places to visit.
• "Art and Culture" 
• "Food and Drink" - including a picture menu with names written in Chinese, and price guide- very  handy, especially if you can't speak Chinese to begin with, and even then, I found it hard to remember name of dishes. 
• "Sports and Entertainment" - includes info or martial arts, bars & nightclubs, cinemas, etc

Travellers' Survival Guide

Lots of information in this section including:

• "Planning your trip" - Visas, Insurance, Budgetting, What to pack
• "Getting Around" - Airport shuttle bus, Subway guide, buses, taxis, bicycles
• "Useful Information" - Banking, Communications, Health, Toilets, Security, Shopping Tips (include info on common prices - very handy to get a rough idea so you don't get ripped off), etc, etc
• Language Guide - there is a few pages on useful phrases, but if you'll be in Beijing for a while, I would recommend a separate phrase book. 

So, I would highly recommend this book if you'll be going to Beijing to study, work, or even if you plan to stay in Beijing for an extended period of time. It'll make life a lot easier and more enjoyable! 

Immersion in Chinese Culture

Part of learning about the Chinese Culture is catching public 

transport. Today, another really beautiful day, one my friends and I
set off to Wangfujing, a nice shopping area in the city. We took the
train from Wudaokou (very close to BLCU). This was the first time I
caught the train (actually, subway) in Beijing and I was quite
excited to see what it would be like! Just the night before, I saw on
the news that a new train line has opened in Beijing and the
government decided to reduce the price of the train fare from 3 yuan
to 2 yuan per single trip (very cheap!!) to encourage more people to
use the train. I thought it was a good idea as it will reduce the
horrendous traffic jams in the city. However, one of the passengers
interviewed said he was concerned that more people will use the
train. Can't be THAT bad, I thought!

It started off well enough. I bought a public transport card for 20
yuan and added 30 yuan. The train on this line is actually quite new,
similar to Singapore's MRT. On the way back though, there were SO
many people! I'm not sure if it's normal to have so many people
catching the train, or if it's because it's the last day of the week-
long national holidays, but the station and trains were packed like
sardines in cans! From Wangfujing we had to change trains 3 times and
at some stations we had to wait for the next train as we couldn't
squeeze in! On top of that, these interchange stations & trains on
these lines are quite old - no aircond. It was actually quite a cold
day, but it was quite warm in the station and the train, especially
in our autumn gear (a bit like Sydney's winter at the moment)- I
can't imagine what summer would be like!

As I said before, may be there were a lot of people because it's the
last day of the holidays, and hopefully my next train travel
experience will be more comfortable! I'll try to avoid peak hours
though!

Still, it was another interesting experience. The train (subway) is
really convenient and for 2 yuan, I can't really complain! ...but
hopefully the government will increase the number of trains (which is
already quite frequent) and the number of carriages.

Tips for taking Beijing Subway:
- The public transport card is very convenient and can also be used
on buses. The best thing is we don't have to queue up each time to
get a train ticket.
- Take care of valuables & watch out for pickpockets!
- Avoid peak hours if possible - I haven't tried it (and not game
to!) but I think it will be pretty crowded!
-and like what one of my friends told me before coming to China - be
patient and have an open mind! I say - have a good sense of humour
and go with the flow. Remember , when in Rome... I think this works
out pretty well since like the locals, we have to push (sometimes
"fight") our way into and out of the train! : )

Just a little note on the word "train" - when I use the word train
here, people look at me funny. I only use the word "train" because
this is what we call them in Australia. "Train" in China actually
means country trains. I should really call it "subway", or "ditie"
which literally translates to "ground iron", although it's not always
underground - sometimes (like at Wudaokou), it's above ground...may
be then it should be called "tiantie" or "sky iron" ...but then no
one will know what I'm talking about...hmm...

This is getting silly - I'd better go back to studying!