Planning a trip to China

well, plenty of travel threads about today, so i thought i'd hop on the bandwagon...

i'm off to china for a fortnight in a couple of months, i'll be based in beijing
anybody else been? got any tips?
i haven't booked my flight yet, any good travel agents?
good sites on what innoculations and stuff to get?
"must see" things, all that stuff

i've ordered a rough guide to china, but it won't be delivered til the end of the month, and i'm all excited so i want to know *now*

I used Lonely Planet on my recent trip there,

I can recommend from Beijing going to the Baldam (spelling) part of the Great Wall, it was awe inspiring. Also make sure you do the regular touristy stuff like The ForbiddenCityand the Heaven's Temple and gardens.

Good trips to make- Xi'an to the Terracotta army, muslim quarter, the Goose Pagodas, Chengdu to the Panda research center and Tao temple and then eat real Szechuan food and see the theater there.

Just a few tips

start doing some leg workouts, as you will find it hard to find a toilet to sit on, most are just holes in the ground.

Go to Hong Kong for a few days as well.

you don't need any shots, but you do need a visa.
Take aspirin or Ibprophen with you, and anything for dodgy stomaches... different spices and such can set ya off.

plan at least one full day for the forbidden city. more if you can.

I had no probs there with food, excellent!

a nice cycle is from the centre out to the summer palace.

ooo - cycling is a good idea
is a mini-trip to mongolia a good idea, do you think?

I don't know how much time you are spending, but a few days to Mongolia might be a good idea. If you can arrange it, just remember the visa thing. Or a trip to Lhasa, in Tibet- that was very interesting.

If you go south to Shanghai take a small trip to Souzshou- its the Venice of China, very pretty, and few really nice gardens.

It is quite difficult to get a visa to Tibet.

I got my visa thru an agency for Tibet.

Most German doctors maintain that you should get shots against Hepatitis.
But probably not strictly necessary for a short trip.

Yeah, of course, as most of these agencies "pay" for the visa. To apply through an agent is easier but it is more costly.

Perhaps you can advise Topsy on which agent to use and etc.

Here is what I found.


http://www.visitnepal.com/tibet/tibet_visas.php

Avoid birds like the flu!

Remember that to them it's just called food.

Cant believe Topsys going to go spend money in a way that will directly support a regime with one of the worst human rights records in history! Think about all the persecuted minorities as you enjoy that luxury western style beijing hotel now wont you? Dont forget a few protest signs, you could have a wee demo in tiannemen square!

I've not been to Beijing, but Shanghai many years ago and found it to be an unbelievably dynamic place. I'm sure you'll have a great time, just avoid any food that looks dodgy though. What I thought were black crisps were in fact deep fried scorpions...

Actually you cannot demonstrate at TianamenSq- the police are everywhere and will not allow people to gather there.

I loved my trip, saw lots, but yeah, I was very dissappointed in the lack of care for the Enviroment, and what they are doing to the Tibetaners. I actually had a patient tell me she thought it was weird that I went there knowing how liberal I am and how they just treat people badly in China.

stings your tongue like no curry spice would, eh?

i won't be staying in a hotel, kza, i'm staying with friends

ooo - i like the sound of them deep fried scorpions
my mate is a bit of o foodie to say the least and she's been staking out all manner of fab things to eat already - don't think she's come across scorpions yet, though

what's a good suggestion since i cannot buy tums here.

Perentenol is good for the runs,
I got some Vomex for upset stomache and nausea
I usually get Tums sent over, and buy the big jumbo thing when I am at home (the Calcium is really good for women too)
There is a new med- that comes in packages like Milk of Magnesia or PeptoBismol and its prepackaged and you just empty/squeeze the stuff into your mouth- a few of the girls at the office like it- but I forget what is called.

then you might be interested in the Snake Schnapps. Big glass container with a dead snake floating in it, suppose to be good for arthritis and stiff joints.

Drop Bryan a quick email he now lives there, I have sent you his email addy on a PM

I found the Ming Tombs outside of Bejing to be overrated, but I am not sure of your tastes.

Hey Topsy - funnily enough I am off to China for the first time in a couple of weeks.

I am heading to Ningbo.

Actually I am wondering about business etiquette. I am the "customer" spending my cash with a couple of suppliers. The deals are all done, and I am there to check the final stocks.

So the questions are:

1. Business Gifts. Should I? What to spend? What to buy?

2. When we go out to dinner who pays? I don't give a toss about the cost of dinner in China - but don't want to insult anyone etc.

Do I really need a VISA? Sounds like a pain in the arse.

Riopan? I've found that extremely useful while traveling.

You need a Visa, head off to the Chinese Consulate near Schloß Nymphenburg and you'll have it in a few days. Might want to get a invitational letter from your Chinese customers in case you meet a offical who's cracked a tooth on a Lucky Charm that morning.

Riopan? Hmm, that could be it. Thanks Sara

JE, you need a visa to enter the country. ie the passport endorsement, not the credit card.
If you are going in a couple of weeks get it NOW, you can't get on the plane without it!

Whoever issues the invitation to dinner pays, the whole bill.

The Visa was no biggy, just filled out the form, small passport photo and copy of travel plans, send it off to Berlin and a week later I had my passport back.

Sounds like a drama to me! Not many Chinese Embassies where I live. Plus don't fancy handing my passport into the system. Bugger.

try here JE

Consulate General: Yang Huiqun

Address:GENERALKONSULAT DER VR CHINA IN MUENCHEN, GERMANY ROMANSTR. 107 80639 MUENCHEN

Tel:

Mobile Phone(24 hours)0175-5440383

Administrative Office:+49-89-17301620

Consular Office:+49-89-17301618

Protocol Office:+49-89-17301625

Educational Office:+49-89-1708602

Commercial Office:+49-89-99738270

Fax:

Administrative Office:+49-89-17301623

Consular Office:+49-89-17301619

Commercial Office:+49-89-99738276

E-mail: chinaconsul_mu_de@mfa.gov.cn

Chinese consulate Munich

Man it's even on your side of the cty !

Get some of the Augsburger Streetyokels to provide security and yoiu'll be in and out like a greased chopstick.

Edit: but obviously not as fast as Scogs, greased or otherwise.

I was actually looking it up for other reasons, so had the web page open

Thanks guys for the heads up. Looking forward to getting some decent and tasty fresh food for a few days. Will be the highlight of the trip as long as they dont get all exotic on me with seaslugs and monkeys bollocks etc.

Yes. What I usually receive as business gifts from Chinese visitors/guests are silk scarves and pictures. So that means something fine, but small. Maybe you can think of somethig equivalent? A small pewter biersteinkrug? Not too heavy and easy to pack. The impression I have is that it's not as big as in Japan though, so don't worry too much. Plus they're usually tolerant of foreigners making faux pas.

I can feel a song coming on...

I got the style but not the grace
I got the clothes but not the face
I got the bread but not the butter
I got the winda but not the shutter

But I'm big in Japan I'm big in Japan But heh I'm big in Japan

I got the house but not the deed
I got the horn but not the reed
I got the cards but not the luck
I got the wheel but not the truck

But heh I'm big in Japan I'm big in Japan I'm big in Japan

Roasted cockroaches are also tasty...

Damn you EU citizens- you are just so spoilt!
I need a visa almost everywhere, and its never been a big deal, I either send it in the post with an 'einschreiben' or go myself to the consulate. I did my Chinese Visa with the post. I have never had problems sending my passport in the mail.

does it take ages to get, then? I thought you could just pop down to Romanplatz and get it there and then


they're a v. hospitable lot, ime
it was always a right palaver going out with a chinese mate of mine and my iraqi ex for dinner - both incredibly hospitable cultures - and trying to figure out who was going to win the battle to pay the bill this time
every so often i'd just slip the waitress my credit card while they were arguing about it, just to put an end to it all, really
i doubt you'll have to get your wallet out v. often (but it's probably a good idea to try if you're gonna be around for a while)

are you flogging your big birds' bras over there, then?

Do Chinese people get really drunk/stoned and get English food delivered?

a bacon sandwich delivery service, maybe

Certainly do. And those from the city call their best friends "Me old England".

I think they offer same-day visas (you come at 9 am to fill in the application, and pick up the visa towards noon), but they charge extra for it. Normal processing takes several days and is cheaper.

Do they also say, "we're going out for Chinese", or do they just say "food". Oh, the confusion

西� = Western food
中� = Chinese food

Well, you asked...

I spent a couple of days in Beijing early 2002. I was thankful
that I was collected at the airport by a chinese colleague (actually
from Hong Kong so he spoke a different chinese than the locals).

We walked on the edge of time square & went through the building
where Mao's picture is (beware of beggars who stick to you like glue).

We walked past the first McDonalds in Beijing then into a small market
area (this was already evening). One place there was a semi-open
food stall where they were grilling food over open fire. I asked what
it was: my colleague said "thats pork, thats chicken, thats goat & we
had better not ask about the rest - you wanna try?" So we had a few skewers of
pork & chicken (spicy) - I thought I must have been out of my mind to eat
that stuff in those conditions - but I was OK. An American colleague got
food poisoning a couple of weeks before there - and 4 mths later got
food poisoning again!

Interesting place, the contrasts are extreme in Beijing - between the poor farming
folk & the smart well-dressed young working people. Most of the latter
speak pretty good English... the hotel I stayed in had a full-length
olympic class swimming pool - amazing.

funny, we had bacon (the real kind) almost everymorning at Breaky, boy did I get my fill.

After spending 2 years of biz trips in Beijing, here are the magic rules

1 - Get the Business card of the hotel where you are staying, that is your ticket home, the taxi drivers will not unerstand you (this is the most important rule)

2 - No taxi fare within the city costs more than 50 RMB, unless it is to the airport

3 - Do not get caught with a lady of the night or involved with a lady of the night, they are worse than the Thai brides

Topsy, I'm from Beijing and thus trying to make out a rough travel plan for you, though it takes some time to finish...gonna post a bit more every day.

1. How to get a best sense of orientation as a traveller in Beijing?

As Chinese Capital for thousands of years, Beijing has got a relatively symmetric architectural layout. That is to say, you’re not easy to get lost in the city area. Beijing city is made up of 8 districts, Dongcheng, Chaoyang, Xicheng, Haidian, Chongwen, Xuanwu, Fengtai and Shijingshan.

Commercial and shopping areas: Dongcheng, Changyang, Xicheng, Haidian
Education hub: Haidian

The best way may be to take your hotel brochure (better in Chinese) with you all the time. Once you got lost in the street, you could ask for help from the locals under 35 years old. Usually they can talk in English to a certain degree.

2. Places worth taking a look
a. Temple of Heaven
It was used to worship the heaven in the ancient time, a very quiet and traditional place, located in Xuanwu district, between the main railway station and the southern railway station. Be aware, if you start from the main railway station or somewhere nearby, a taxi drive won’t cost very much.

The bus 106 (Dongzhimeiwai – Beijing Nan Zhan/Beijing Southern Railway Station) stops there. The station is called Tiantan Bei Men/Tiantan Northern Gate.

b. Fall foliage in the Fragrant Hill (Xiang Shan Hou Ye)

cont...

The Fragrant Hill Park situated in the east part of western hills, northwest of the city. It’s renowned for the colourful foliage in fall, a naturally beautiful scenery within a metropolis. Actually fall (starting Oct. till middle of Nov., my opinion only) is the most attractive season, coz the weather is quite mild, mostly sunny and breezy, not as dry as that in the other three seasons and not as cold as that in winter.

Route: Western terminal station of the subway (the straight-route one, not the loop-route one), then the bus 336, 398, 737, 714, 733, Fragrant Hills Park (Xiang Shan Gong Yuan). You could buy the tickets in the buses.