Livin

note: my first thread was closed without reason/warning/notification and mod's never responded to my question in email as to why - who are the mods, not posted anywhere? if mod's have a problem with my post let me know why - it is the polite and appropriate thing to do, right?[/
... So I was getting great info that was helping me and I'm sure other... I'm opening again. I removed questions that were already given specific answers but left the 'opinion' questions on the thread. I also added a few more that I just thought about.


Going to China for the first time ever! Our trip is guided (agenda set) but I'm hoping the China savvy can give some advice...

Money
- take US dollars or get $ exchanged before leaving the states?

Clothing to wear
- 10 day casual/vacation trip

Good places to buy 'stuff'
- electronics, clothing, etc?

Thing to bring or not to bring

...and anything else after seeing what we have planned.

Agenda

Arrive in Beijing Capital Airport (June 30)

Beijing
- Crowne Plaza Hotel
- visit Badaling Great Wall, Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb
- dinner at a famous Cantonese cuisine restaurant in the Wangfujing area.
- visit Summer Palace

Xian (flight to get here)
- Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown - visit Summer Palace
- visit Provincial History Museum, City Wall, Great Mosque, explore the Bazaar near the Mosque.

Luoyang (taking train to get here)
- Hua Yang Plaza Hotel
- visit Longmen Caves, Chariot and Horse Pits, White Horse Temple and Shaolin Temple

Shanghai
- Sofitel Hyland Hotel
- visit the Shanghai Museum, the Yuyuan Garden, the Bund
- dinner at Central Hotel, restaurant Wang Bao He
- Portman Acrobatic Show at the Shanghai Centre Theatre

Departure from Shanghai (July 10)

Jamoldo

Money can be exchanged in China. Rates should be pretty uniform. I usually exchange in China.

Clothing, when are you going? Assuming soon, it's summer, pack for intense heat and one or two things for rain. You can always buy cheap or poor quality clothing that will be disposable. The Silk Market as well as Yashow (both in Beijing) will serve you well here. Bargain heavily, as in don't pay more than 10-20 percent of the starting price, usually leaning on the 10 percent side.

Electronics in Beijing: Zhongguancun and Nurenjie (mostly 2nd hand/off the back of truck mobile phones, great selection, inspect closely, bargain HARD)...

Bring: Prescription and non prescription meds (esp Pepto Bismol). Power convertors, an open mind and flexible.
schedule.

Dont: overpack/bring too many clothes. You'll see enough do-dads, gifts and other temptations in China. Have fun!

Also FWIW, try to avoid Badaling like the plague. I prefer Mutianyu as it's nicer, far less crowded and not much further away. Simitai (which I hear is the best and I have not been too) is a good bit further away.

Beijing, skip the Cantonese and try to get some Peking duck (see other posts in this section).

That's about all I can think of, have a great trip!

doglover

Always bring US $ as emergency cash. Never plan on changing it (the hotels will do it for you at market rates) unless you need to. Get your CNY from ATMs. Bring multiple cards to access cash just in case. You can get CNY upon arrival. You can first try the ATMs inside customs, and if they do not work with your card there is an HSBC right outside customs (across the hall and to the right).

I'm assuming your tour covers transit from the airport to your hotel. If not, get the Hotel name written in chinese before you arrive. This is a good idea before you go anywhere on your own. The hotel concierge will do this for you. Always have a copy of your hotel business card when you leave so the taxi driver knows how to bring you back.

For what to pack - visit http://onebag.com -- With a little advance work you can travel with a carryon only. What a way to travel!

Don't bother with electronics in China. Legit places are more expensive than in the US. If you want to get bogus goods that are nearly as good as the original and don't care if US customs takes it away -- try the Silk Market. Many friends have brought home golf clubs and other goods for $100-$125 for a set.

If you want to see a more realistic market ask to go the Ghost Market (antiques).

If you have flexibility to dine on your own in Beijing let me know and I and others can provide some great suggestions.

Expect Beijing to be HOT and SMOGGY. You will have a hard time finding suitable medicine if you react these to conditions. I recommend bringing a good supply of things that you can't easily locate in China - Tums, Eye drops, Nasal Spray, Travel kleenex, Immodium.

Never drink the water - unless it's in a sealed bottle. This includes brushing your teeth. Don't take any drink with ice in it -- unless you are in a 5 * hotel (even there be careful).

You will have a blast. China is one of my favorite places to visit.

ButIsItArt

$$$$: You'll get a really rotten exchange rate if you exchage before entering China...best bet is wait until you land in China. and then use ATM's at the airport and in large cities, but also bring some travelers checks, and exchange them at your hotel

Clothing: casual and comfortable...expect to do a lot of walking.

Stuff to buy: electronics - generally I wouldn't bother since electronics aren't really any cheaper in China than the US. If you know what you are doing and have a Chinese language interpreter, you could check out the electronics market near Zhongguancuan in Beijing, as I have gotten some good deals there on computer and cell phone equipment. Clothing - Xidan (in Beijing), the boutiques in Wudaokou (Beijing), also numerous tony places in downtown Shanghai. Books, CD's, DVD's - Xinhua bookstore in Beijing, Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore. Check out a Lotus Supercenter for interesting daily items. Knock off goods -- Silk Market, but also Hongqiao Market in Beijing -- learn to bargain.

Always drink sealed bottles of Wahaha!

Get a foot massage after a long day of walking in Xi'an...the pollution in Shaanxi is onerous.

Do bring: a good attitude, a healthy appetite, a bottle of Cipro, Purell, prescription meds, maybe even some little gifts for kids

Don't bring: too much clothes, luggage, personal grooming items, camera batteries, etc. -- you can buy almost anything you need in China very inexpensively; literature critical of the Chinese government (like the Epoch Times)

Don't feel like too much of a doofus if you break down and eat at a KFC...KFC is very popular, and their menu is adapted to the Asian market. The meat is usually spicy, and is bone meat - very tasty. Haagen Dazs is also a treat...it is a posh, sit down affair, ordered from a menu...good way to treat your new Chinese friends.

dgwright99

The brushing your teeth bit is the one that a lot of people don't think about; if you get in late at night (or after a night in the bar), it's easy to forget. I put a face cloth over the faucet to remind myself....

Also, don't eat watermelon (it's mostly just unfiltered local river water....).

Laundry in upscale PRC hotels is very affordable. You could consider taking fewer clothes, and getting laundry done mid-trip if you have 2 nights in the same hotel (3 to be extra-safe).

rploehn

1) You got the best advice, take ATM debit card(s). Call your bank in advance. Withdraw as you need it.
2) At least two pair of shoes, for when one gets wet.
3) If you have time, buy some of those convertible pants from long to shorts which zip off. The fabric really does dry overnight after washing in hotel. Bring a small pack of wet towelettes for toilet needs and hand washing. Do not bring any books about Tibet, or maps showing Tibet as separate country.
4) You are on a group tour. You can find other posts on this topic. You will be subjected to required shopping/refreshment stops at stores which kick back money to tour operators and have correspondingly higher prices. Bring a small paperback book to read as your tourmates ooh and ahh over overpriced junk. These will be daily.
5) Do not tip. Anywhere, anytime or anyone. Tour guides sometimes tell you tearfully they do not get paid but rely on tips. Tour guides lie. Bargain everywhere. First offer from 10 to 25% of asking price. Unless you are expert, assume everything is fake or knock-off. That jade and those pearls were injection molded last week from Chinese polymers.
6) Always have water with you to take small sips. It prevents dry throat and cough resulting sometimes from hot smoggy dry air.

This will be a great experience, and hopefully you will return soon on an independent trip. Your itinerary is no better and no worse than typical group tour. Try to get back to Shanghai Museum a second time, as it is the finest you will see, and well worth the time to appreciate the Chinese arts and culture. It also is the best store for classy tourist gifts.

moondog

honestly, not an issue IMO

i never thought about this, although the idea is interesting. in any event, i have eaten plenty of watermelon over the years and have yet to keel over (i tend to attribute occasional stomach problems to drinking too much of that attrocious beer).

i agree with you in principle, so long as "hotels" is removed from the bolded sentence. ime, flagged hotels in china are just as extorntionate in this respect as their counterparts elsewhere (seoul and los angeles are my two most recent data points). fortunately, it's usually possible to find a "chinese laundry" within 500 m. of fancy hotels.

carterdayne

Use a Bank of America debit / ATM card in China for fee-free withdrawals. From the BofA website:

Bank of America - Travelling Internationally?
Use your ATM card or Check Card within our Global ATM Alliance in the countries shown with no fees.

Barclays (United Kingdom)
BNP Paribas (France)
China Construction Bank (China)
Deutsche Bank (Germany)
Satander Serfin (Mexico)
Scotiabank (Canada)
Westpac (Australia and New Zealand)

I travel internationally every few months so this saves me a lot of $$$.

moondog

I do the "BofA --> Construction Bank" thing myself and am generally pleased with the arrangement, but I believe that lots of American banks allow fee free (from their end) withdrawals at all ATMs.

woodway

Make sure to call all the credit card companies for each card you might use and tell them you will be travelling in China. Otherwise, you may find your card does not work anymore at a most in-opportune moment!