The risk/reward ratio is highly situational.

I do find it odd that we are advocating breaking the law with regards to driving in China without a valid driving license...

yes, all sorts of laws can be broken, but this is pretty niche stuff: most people that will be in China enough to want to drive, can legitimately get a license as outlined above. Yes, it's strange that visitors can't just hire a car (for the most part, although airport rentals used to be an exception, no idea if that's still the case), but given the affordability of taxis, it's really not an issue for >99% of visitors. Residents and those with long-stay visas can get a license.

tb

So, subject to my passport arriving back safely, I'm now the proud owner of a two year, multiple entry L visa for China. Time to download Duolingo and make a start on some survival Mandarin. Officially excited.

Hope you have a great trip!

Good luck. I have never been able to handle the tones. Even with what little Mandarin I speak it's about 50:50 whether I will be understood--and when I'm not my wife echoes what I said, as far as I can tell she says it exactly the same as I do but they understand her.

IME tones are less important in context. You'll still sound like a farmer if you use first tone exclusively, but if you give the listener enough to work with, you should be able to get your point across.

Well I’m here. Overall airport arrival experience was good. I was surprised the immigration officer showed no interest in my itinerary. Just a photo, fingerprints, a stamp, a point at the baggage belts and a “sheshe” from me. I didn’t think the baggage checks at every metro station were an imposition, but do wonder how effective they are. Glad I was met by my friend, on arrival, for help with baggage and directions though. I did enjoy a mid trip coffee break at a quite frankly vast Starbucks (the locals love to take photos of the place) and the Holiday Inn Express Jinsha has been fine so far, though I have low expectations for the breakfast.

We've made many trips, immigration is always very easy. The only appreciable interaction was in the early days them asking my wife to write her name in Chinese on the entry card. Now she knows they will want to see that and does it when filling the card out, basically nothing gets said.

The security stations you see in many places seem to be targeted at hazardous cargo--when you read the list of what is prohibited (it's often also in English) it's stuff that a tourist would be extremely unlikely to be carrying, anyway. In many, many trips through them I've had one museum and one train station ask me to take a sip out of the water bottles I was carrying.

For really stupid security, though--I can't recall where it was but it was a park or the like, the usual WTMDs--but no x-ray. Security wants me to walk through the hoop with my stuff (I was playing pack mule for the group, I had a fair load), but they didn't care when of course it said I was carrying metal. (Hey, I've got a DSLR around my neck, what do you expect??)

At some Metros if you have a soft drink bottle, they'll lay it in a cradle machine of some sort then hand it back. Never sure what that machine tests and how it works.

On the security issue: rather irritatingly had several aerosols confiscated on the HSR from Beijing to Tianjin last week. One actually got through undetected on the outbound, made it through the first checkpoint in Tianjin, but due to the lockdown, there was a second checkpoint for Beijing-bound trains and it got nabbed there.

tb

I assume you mean the Starbucks on Nanjing West Road? That particular one is the largest in the world:
https://www.businessinsider.com/star...biggest-2018-4

I was told exactly that, by my friend, but didn’t mention it here having not verified it independently. The place is huge. It is a destination. The locals go in there to take photos of it. Talking of locals and cameras.... Good grief, they take photography seriously here. Taking a photo of (and talking to) a local shutterbug taking a photo of me is becoming a thing (and they’re often carrying some pretty impressive equipment).

Ahh... Finally I’m in the Air China Lounge at PVG. Erm, it’s nothing to write home about. The holiday itself was great and I intend to return next March/April. With respect to coffee.... The Chinese chains/independents are generally half the price of Starbucks and the coffee is, quite frankly, better. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Tokyo now has the largest Starbucks in the World:

https://blog.gaijinpot.com/worlds-bi...oday-in-tokyo/

It's better to stagger the travel peak