Travel Tips

Here are some exclusive tips for the travellers to China. Maybe they will be helpful. You don’t have to observe them all the time but you can take a look if necessary.

1. If a stranger talks to you spontaneously, never give a response to him/her. I don’t mean to bring shame on my home country’s public security. But the news in the recent years exposes an endless stream of deceptions duping a number of Chinese people. Most of them can cheat any guys they meet at the street. If you are an international traveller, remember to leave as soon as possible. You can’t defeat them at all.

   

2. There are more than one way to buy metro ticket pass. Notes and coins have been disappearing from my wallet for several years. Since 2015, mobile payment was promoted. Most Chinese people only need to bring one mobile phone when they hang out. Since last year, the use of mobile payment was tested in Shanghai and Beijing metro system. So I suggest international travellers to have a try on notes-free experience via Alipay. If you don’t trust this mobile app, having a public transport card will make your trip more convenient, and the deposit of transport card is refundable. Besides, you can have an X-day or X-visit pass—such as 3-day or 30-visit—which is available in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Chongqing, etc. The fee for per way much cheaper than that of a one-way ticket if the traveller uses the pass.
3. Never buy food and beverages near or at a tourist area, a train station/train or an airport. There is only one reason for this tip—high price with low quality. So never buy it if not necessary. But the bottled water there sold at ￥2-3 (40-50 cents) is reasonable. You can buy it without worries.
4. Never worry about China’s food security too much. This tip doesn’t mean that China is far away from food security issues. To be honest, there are almost no food and beverage agencies free from unqualified food and beverage operation. There is more or less risk when you dine out. So, just forget your doubts on the food security and dine more at a restaurant with a clean surface. If you keep doubting and worrying, you won’t have a good mood at your travel.
5. If you are an international student in China, don’t forget to bring your student ID card, which gets you a half price when you visit most tourist areas and dine out.

   

6. Some internationally-branded hotels in China’s small cities are much cheaper and service guests better than in western countries. If you want to get a guarantee on your accommodation, you can try these hotels.
7. Try to have a trip to a niche place. Famous destination tends to be overcrowding. Some niche destinations will presents you a serendipity.

   

8. Be tolerable when you take a train ride. I have to say that some Chinese people’s awareness of not disturbing others at public space is still weak, especially those you meet on a train. These people normally either watch videos at a high volume without wearing a pair of earphones, or cannot manage their noisy children. If you are “lucky” enough to share a compartment with these people, the only thing you can do is holding your anger back and, if necessary, advising them to turn down the volume of either their mobile phones or their children. If all the actions above is not effective, please ask the train staff to help you.
9. Never chat with Chinese people about China’s political issues. If you make a local friend when you travel, it couldn’t be better. But be sure not to speak any political views on China when they ask you about this topic. Many Chinese people, especially the youth, fully respect their international friends’ diverse political views on China and normally don’t chat about this topic with their friends. But there are still some Chinese people forcing foreigners to believe that Hong Kong and Taiwan belong to P. R. China. Keep this tip in mind in case you meet such a guy.
10. Try to speak some Chinese. Not all Chinese people are able to communicate with a foreigner in English, especially those in small cities. Moreover, if an international traveller can speak Chinese, you might feel yourself more welcome.

That’s all what I want to tell the international travellers in China. If you have more questions, please feel free to leave a comment. Thank you so much.