Reflections on a visit to Northern China
Jan 4, 2024, 2:33 pm
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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Reflections on a visit to Northern China
Wanted to share a two-week trip experience in China, since I think there are probably a lot of people who haven't visited since the country re-opened last year and might be on the fence.
I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. It was my first trip solo to the mainland and entirely organised by myself. I visited Beijing and Harbin. To be honest, I wasn't going in with high expectations, but a lot of things change in 16 years.
Upon arriving at Beijing Daxing Airport, I was floored at how big the new airport is. Easy to navigate, but it's really big. Nonethless, passport controles didn't take long. There was about a 10mn wait to retrieve luggage afterwards. A local SIM card for tourists is offered by China Unicom at the airport for 7, 15, and 30 days. After settling that, I proceeded to take public transports to my hôtel in the city centre. Nothing terribly difficult or out of the ordinary. The ticket distributeur was a small puzzle the first time around, but an assistant got me on my way quickly.
Arrivals Int'l Daxing
Indeed, the people seem to always be willing to help whenever they can. A question, demand, always went answered. As long as you're patient, the chinese there will find a solution.
The public transports is constantly expanding, so be sure you've got something recent. There are security controls at all metro stations in mainland China. This means going thru a metal detector and limits on aerosol sprays (they didn't like my 200ml shaving cream bottle once, so I took a taxi that time they noticed). It's annoying and unnecessary. Say what you will about the political motivations behind it.
Parc Beihai
There are no shortage of attractions in Beijing, so take your pick. Don't rush. But make sure you've got your mobile phone ready, and a translator appli. All attractions require a ticket, and a good number don't have a traditional ticket office with a human being. Learn the drill : scan the QR code, which will take you to the attraction's Weixin (WeChat) page which will inevitably be in simplified Chinese only, where you can then enter your personal informations and obtain a ticket. Some of them require a minimum 1-day advance purchase, and some have limited slots. So plan ahead, don't count on there being a fallback option to buy in-person.
Business hours are pretty long, most commerces open until 22h; 7 days a week, practically unheard of in Europe.
That said, don't expect that there will be fast food available after that hour. Guess the chinese aren't big fans of night life. Plus, they tend to eat relatively early : 12h on the dot for lunch, and 18h for dinner. You won't go hungry in China, for sure. Portions in northern China are quite large, you can be pretty full for 25-30 ¥ and mid-range is usually 45-60 ¥.
Summer palace
Vue Beijing from Summer Palace
Safety certainly won't be an issue in this country, as there are literally cameras everywhere. The government probably knows what you ate for dinner.
. But it's their system, you're in the country, you follow their way of doing things.
Highlight of my trip was definitely the Ice & Snow World in Harbin. The ice and snow sculptures, absolutely stunning. I spent 4h roaming around one evening, and didn't even join the massive queue for the long ice slide. Harbin itself was a lovely place, with the famous pedestrian street and a mixed Russian heritage. Packed a bunch of imported stuff in my luggage
. Don't miss this in the winter. I like the cold. No issues with -20° air temperature and -25° feel next to the ice blocks and on the frozen Songhua river 
Ice & Snow Festival Harbin
Ice & Snow Festival
Frozen Songhua River
For domestic travel and travel résa, I would recommend trip.com as many on this forum have. It has good prices, the payment and refunds are straightforward.
Speaking of payments, mobile phones are indispensible. You don't need your wallet (although you do need your passport at all times). But you absolutely need a mobile phone with data connection. That's how you do everything, from getting tickets to attractions, ordering food, and paying for everything. Alipay and WeChat can be linked with foreign MC/Visa cards now, and over the course of 2 days there were only two instances where I had a hiccup (needing a balance, impossible as a foreigner). Do not count on foreign credit cards being accepted except at major hôtel chains ; even McDo and Starbucks and many airport stores are set up with domestic chinese payment methods only.
The Great Wall on a snowy day, unrestored sector
Costs are still very affordable. The government has spent efforts to stabilise prices the last couple years, so eating, transports, and lodging are well within reach for the budget conscious traveller like me. China has a long, rich history and a wide variety of landscapes, yet for those more interested in modern things, there are plenty of impressive constructions that have sprung up even in second tier cities. As long as you don't stray too far off the beaten path, you'll find that mainland China offers the same conforts and conveniences as other major tourist centres in East Asia at a very reasonable price. The people have really improved their public manners (gone are the days where every one was smoking everywhere) and are totally respectful as long as you provide them with the same respect.
Throw in the fact that a bunch of countries are now visa-free for 15 days, plus a healthy number of flight frequencies (to Europe at least), China is throwing down the welcome mat for foreign tourists. Yes, there is a period of adaptation necessary. But that learning curve is no longer as steep as it used to be. So now it's up to the world to rediscover the country. Despite a few minor hiccups, I had a very good trip, learned a LOT, and would return again.
Chaoyang District
I'll try to keep it as brief as possible. It was my first trip solo to the mainland and entirely organised by myself. I visited Beijing and Harbin. To be honest, I wasn't going in with high expectations, but a lot of things change in 16 years.
Upon arriving at Beijing Daxing Airport, I was floored at how big the new airport is. Easy to navigate, but it's really big. Nonethless, passport controles didn't take long. There was about a 10mn wait to retrieve luggage afterwards. A local SIM card for tourists is offered by China Unicom at the airport for 7, 15, and 30 days. After settling that, I proceeded to take public transports to my hôtel in the city centre. Nothing terribly difficult or out of the ordinary. The ticket distributeur was a small puzzle the first time around, but an assistant got me on my way quickly.
Arrivals Int'l Daxing
Indeed, the people seem to always be willing to help whenever they can. A question, demand, always went answered. As long as you're patient, the chinese there will find a solution.
The public transports is constantly expanding, so be sure you've got something recent. There are security controls at all metro stations in mainland China. This means going thru a metal detector and limits on aerosol sprays (they didn't like my 200ml shaving cream bottle once, so I took a taxi that time they noticed). It's annoying and unnecessary. Say what you will about the political motivations behind it.
Parc Beihai
There are no shortage of attractions in Beijing, so take your pick. Don't rush. But make sure you've got your mobile phone ready, and a translator appli. All attractions require a ticket, and a good number don't have a traditional ticket office with a human being. Learn the drill : scan the QR code, which will take you to the attraction's Weixin (WeChat) page which will inevitably be in simplified Chinese only, where you can then enter your personal informations and obtain a ticket. Some of them require a minimum 1-day advance purchase, and some have limited slots. So plan ahead, don't count on there being a fallback option to buy in-person.
Business hours are pretty long, most commerces open until 22h; 7 days a week, practically unheard of in Europe.
That said, don't expect that there will be fast food available after that hour. Guess the chinese aren't big fans of night life. Plus, they tend to eat relatively early : 12h on the dot for lunch, and 18h for dinner. You won't go hungry in China, for sure. Portions in northern China are quite large, you can be pretty full for 25-30 ¥ and mid-range is usually 45-60 ¥.Summer palace
Vue Beijing from Summer Palace
Safety certainly won't be an issue in this country, as there are literally cameras everywhere. The government probably knows what you ate for dinner.
. But it's their system, you're in the country, you follow their way of doing things.Highlight of my trip was definitely the Ice & Snow World in Harbin. The ice and snow sculptures, absolutely stunning. I spent 4h roaming around one evening, and didn't even join the massive queue for the long ice slide. Harbin itself was a lovely place, with the famous pedestrian street and a mixed Russian heritage. Packed a bunch of imported stuff in my luggage
. Don't miss this in the winter. I like the cold. No issues with -20° air temperature and -25° feel next to the ice blocks and on the frozen Songhua river Ice & Snow Festival Harbin
Ice & Snow Festival
Frozen Songhua River
For domestic travel and travel résa, I would recommend trip.com as many on this forum have. It has good prices, the payment and refunds are straightforward.
Speaking of payments, mobile phones are indispensible. You don't need your wallet (although you do need your passport at all times). But you absolutely need a mobile phone with data connection. That's how you do everything, from getting tickets to attractions, ordering food, and paying for everything. Alipay and WeChat can be linked with foreign MC/Visa cards now, and over the course of 2 days there were only two instances where I had a hiccup (needing a balance, impossible as a foreigner). Do not count on foreign credit cards being accepted except at major hôtel chains ; even McDo and Starbucks and many airport stores are set up with domestic chinese payment methods only.
The Great Wall on a snowy day, unrestored sector
Costs are still very affordable. The government has spent efforts to stabilise prices the last couple years, so eating, transports, and lodging are well within reach for the budget conscious traveller like me. China has a long, rich history and a wide variety of landscapes, yet for those more interested in modern things, there are plenty of impressive constructions that have sprung up even in second tier cities. As long as you don't stray too far off the beaten path, you'll find that mainland China offers the same conforts and conveniences as other major tourist centres in East Asia at a very reasonable price. The people have really improved their public manners (gone are the days where every one was smoking everywhere) and are totally respectful as long as you provide them with the same respect.
Throw in the fact that a bunch of countries are now visa-free for 15 days, plus a healthy number of flight frequencies (to Europe at least), China is throwing down the welcome mat for foreign tourists. Yes, there is a period of adaptation necessary. But that learning curve is no longer as steep as it used to be. So now it's up to the world to rediscover the country. Despite a few minor hiccups, I had a very good trip, learned a LOT, and would return again.
Chaoyang District
Jan 4, 2024, 11:23 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: FRA/SXB
Programs: FB Gold
Posts: 1,999
On this trip, yes. Correctly-dressed, not an issue. The cold, sunny weather was a welcome change from the +4° and drizzle we get for months in Germany ! Indeed, Harbin is further south than Frankfurt/Main.
In my life, no. That title goes to Québec, where it was -26°.
In my life, no. That title goes to Québec, where it was -26°.