Travel China Guide

us citizen travel to China - I've prepared this travel China guide after spending a month in China touring the country. I learned a lot about the people, culture, and how I could have been better prepared.

My China experience was truly amazing! I would highly recommend visiting the country. This travel China guide will provide useful China travel tips and I'll talk about destinations and attractions not to be missed. The country itself is beautiful, so much history, so much tradition.

All of the photographs you'll view I took myself, so I apologize for the amateur photography!

Check out this map of China for geographical information.

china travel tips language - On mainland China you need to speak Mandarin to survive and it's worth investing some time and money ahead of time to learn some basic Mandarin. The Chinese are all given some basic English classes as part of their "state" provided education - grades 1-9. But the English they are given is more like Chinglish and it's only the youngest generation that has been afforded these language skills.

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I was totally blown away by the number of Chinese. The population is huge. The overcrowding is evident everywhere. China doesn't have enough jobs for all these people. That is evident throughout the country. We wandered into a market to buy a moon cake. There were 11 employees working in the moon cake isle. They were all there to assist customers. It's like walking into the cookie isle in an American grocery store and finding 11 grocery store employees waiting there to help you pick out your cookies. The Chinese view their population as a great source of national pride.

I should mention that due to the huge population there are soldiers and police everywhere. Their presence was evident no matter where you went. I noticed the soldiers stopping Chinese people routinely on the street and looking in their bags and checking things. They pretty much left the westerners alone.

For more on China's population read this article.

I was amazed at the number of Chinese who have never seen a Westerner before. Throughout our trip, people would stop and stare at us on the street. Some would take pictures of us. Some would ask us to have a picture taken with us. One lady simply thrust her baby in my arms and backed up snapping shots with her camera. Thankfully, she came to retrieve her baby. Since China hasn't been open to westerners for very long, I guess a lot of Chinese have never seen foreigners. Our tour guide indicated that this was the case. She mentioned they were especially interested in me because of my blue eyes and another lady in our group because of her blond hair. Our tour guide told us about one woman on a previous trip that was very obese. The Chinese were amazed by her. I never saw an overweight Chinese person the entire trip.

China is rapidly changing becoming more of a mix of Communism and Capitalism. They haven't really got a handle on capitalism though. The Chinese street vendors swarm you and try to sell you things every second of every day. It's horribly annoying. The only English words they know were learned from previous potential western customers. They run up to you, grab your arm, and say, "hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, one dollar, one dollar, one dollar, one dollar, one dollar, just looking." By the end of the second day I wanted to get one of those spray bottles you use to train cats and simply shoot water at them whenever they got too close. But, it's important to keep in mind they are just trying to make a living and they haven't learned the edicate of selling to foreigners.

If you choose to buy from them you can barter. Keep in mind the quality of their goods is often poor and if you buy from them once, they will not leave you alone for the rest of the trip. Some groups of vendors follow tours from city to city.

China is rapidly changing. It's only been in the past 60 years that foot binding and arranged marriages have disappeared and women have gained rights. It's still not an equal society. I found the one child per family policy quite interesting. If you have a baby boy you can only have one child. If you have a baby girl you have to wait 5 years and then you can try again. Any family who can pay a fee can have as many children as they would like. In China if you are a woman and not married by 30 you are considered a spinster and people generally think there is something wrong with you. This situation is referred to as a "personal problem."

In China, there are no set prices for anything. The price on the item is simply a jumping off place. From a shirt in a clothing store, to a soda in a convenience store, you barter for everything. I got pretty good at it. Mostly because I didn't waste too much time bartering. I would see a soda in the convenience store for 75 cents. I would pick it up and walk up to the register. I would say 5 cents. The clerk would say 70 cents. I would say 10 cents final offer. The clerk would say 65 cents. I would walk away. The clerk would run after me and say okay 10 cents. This was all done through hand gestures and the use of calculators where you would display the amount you were willing to pay. Do not visit China without a calculator!

Click here for a free guide on how to barter in a Chinese market!

When we first arrived in China we noticed that all Chinese no matter what city we went too seemed to spit and hack and cough a lot. We found this very odd. By the end of the trip the entire tour spit and hacked, and coughed. A side effect of the pollution. It's extremely bad. Be prepared for this. It caused a lot of sickness in our tour group. Make sure you have medicine and immune boosters with you. You won't be able to get any in China.

For more on China's pollution problem click here.

Vaccines needed to travel to china- I did not need any special vaccines to travel to China. As long as your vaccinations are up to date you should be fine. The vaccinations you should have had include chickenpox (or varicella), polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT).

US citizens who travel to China cannot drink the water there. You must purchase bottled water and use it even for brushing your teeth. If you drink the water you will become ill.

Also, the Chinese diet is radically different from the diet of most Americans. You will most likely feel sick at least once during your trip in China. Come prepared with snacks, and medicines for stomach aches!

do I need a visa to travel to china? Absolutely yes! documents needed to travel to china include a visa and a passport.

You will need a visa (obtain ahead of time) to get into china. If you plan on leaving mainland China even to visit Hong Kong or Tibet and you plan on going back to mainland China you'll need a multiple entry visa instead of a single entry visa. Make sure you have the right visa! I have included a link in the links section of this hub to the Chinese embassy. Visit their website for more information!

us citizen travel to china - Don't forget the following:

1. Medicines - over the counter and prescription.
2. Toilet paper, tissues and plenty of them. Eastern style bathrooms do not provide toilet paper to patrons.
3. Soap and hand sanitizer - The bathrooms don't provide soap and you'll want to use your hand sanitizer often. Your immune system will be working overtime due to the pollution.
4. Food - I'd bring some snacks and meal replacement bars. Your system might not be able to handle the Chinese diet.
5. Your passport and visas - You will need a visa (obtain ahead of time) to get into china. If you plan on leaving mainland China even to visit Hong Kong or Tibet and you plan on going back to mainland China you'll need a multiple entry visa instead of a single entry visa. Make sure you have the right visa!
6. Women - bring your own sanitary products. You won't be able to get them in China.
7. Guidebooks & maps - if you try and purchase them there you better be able to read Chinese.
8. Voltage Converters - if you plan on using any items that will require recharging (digital camera) you'll need a converter.

We began our trip in Hong Kong on our own without a tour guide. Due to the British influence there are many signs in English and the majority of the population speaks and understands English moderately. The primary language spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese, not to be confused with Mandarin which is spoken on mainland China. Although they may sound similar to a westerner, they are totally different languages just like English and French are totally different languages.

You can tour Hong Kong without the use of a tour guide if that is your preference. I'd recommend the guide book listed to the right. It's of the utmost important that you purchase a good map of Hong Kong, as much of your touring will be on foot. It's worth spending a little extra money to stay in a hotel centrally located in Tsimshatsuisuch as the Shangri-La, or for those on a budget the Regal Kowloon. Also, if you do not have good map skills you should definitely look for a tour.

Like I said you can get by with English only because of the lasting British influence. Personally, I really thought Hong Kong was incredible and not to be missed. It was the best of both worlds (East and West). You have Eastern traditions (no crime, no graffiti, no vagrancy, no homelessness, a definite lack of most of the problems inherent in western cities) mixed with Western commerce, capitalism, business, ect...

Hong Kong was my first indication that the Chinese haven't quite figured out how to sell things to Westerners. Sadly, there is no way to blend - everyone knows you are a tourist. And there is an idea in China that all Westerners are rich. Very rich. And I suppose by Eastern standards our middle class is very wealthy. In Hong Kong men followed the male members of my party around trying to sell them suits, from the moment we arrived until the moment we left.

Attractions not to be missed in Hong Kong include outdoor markets such as the night market, bird and flower market, and the jade market. Also visit the Po Lin Monastery, and the Peak - a place with great views of the city.

We had one day on our in Beijing before joining a tour. Our first day involved a lot of hand signals as we looked at a map and decided we should walk to see the temple of heaven. It can't be more than a few kilometers we declared. 17 kilometers later we arrived - it was our very own long march. I would highly recommend the Temple of Heaven. It was truly amazing.

Other highlights in Beijing include the forbidden city, Tienanmen square, The Peking Opera, and The Summer Palace,

We also opted to visit the Great Wall of China during our stay in Beijing. It took about an hour by bus to get there. Well worth the trip. Also, consider visiting the Ming Tombs which is about 50K north of Beijing.

After our long march to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, we decided that we should take a taxi back to our hotel. Huge mistake. The Chinese haven't been driving very long. It's only in the past 10 years that the Chinese upper middle class could afford or was allowed to purchase a private car. Needless to say, they haven't quite mastered the rules of the road because there are no rules. No one pays attention to traffic lights, or lanes, or speed limits, or anything.

When we entered the cab I immediately noticed our cab driver was drinking live sea life out of a jar. I thought this was odd, but the driver on my first cab ride in New York City was drinking a can of condensed milk. We pointed to a spot on the map, our driver spoke only a few words of English, and we spoke no Mandarin, and away we went. I regret not having learned any Mandarin before we embarked on our trip.

I swear our cab driver was aiming for people with his car. He even drove up on the curb to try to make people scatter. Each time he got anyone to run or yell in fear he would laugh. He then got into a shouting match with the driver of a minivan on the freeway. They cut each other off and tried to force each other off the road, finally our driver pulled in front of the minivan, slammed on the brakes and rotated our car sideways blocking the minivan from proceeding further. Our driver got out of the car and the minivan driver got out of the car to have a fist fight. The fight was interrupted by the arrival of the PLA (people's liberation army) soldiers. After they sorted it out our driver got back into the car, took a swig of the sea life beverage and announced to us that "non-Beijing people are number one assholes."

When we got to the hotel he didn't pull over to the curb, he simply stopped in the middle of the road where cars were whizzing by us on both sides and yelled "out" "out."

We joined a tour in Beijing. The company we decided to travel with was Viking River Cruises. Our tour guide spoke fluent English and Mandarin. She lives in Shanghai and would like to visit the US, England, and Canada, but cannot because she can't get a visa (I found that interesting). She was a wonderful guide and she gave us a unique perspective into China and Chinese culture.

I have found that booking my airfare seperately from my tour saved me a lot of money. Often tour companies overcharge for airfare. One of the best places on the web to book airfare and compare airfare prices is kayak. Use their website to find the best prices on flights to China.

Most travel china guides recommend stopping in Xian and I must agree. Definitely visit the Terra Cotta Warriors. It's an amazing piece of China's history and culture. My time in Xian was limited but the city has a lot to offer. When I return to China I plan on spending more time there.

Tibet was an amazing place that is rapidly disappearing. I am glad I got to see it now. It's definitely worth the trip. It has a very unique culture.

The altitude can be extremely difficult to deal with. Fortunately, you can purchase oxygen. I'd recommend it. Also, stay hydrated.

When journeying to Tibet make sure you visit the Potala Palace located in Lhasa. You'll need your passport. While there, do not take pictures inside. It's forbidden.

There are many other wonderful things to see in Tibet including many markets, temples and monasteries.

Lodging can be somewhat difficult considering there aren't very many places to stay. Keep in mind a 5 star hotel in Tibet is similar to a 2 star hotel in the US.

Our tour included a 4 day cruise down the Yangtze river. During our cruise we saw the lesser three gorges. I'd highly recommend that experience. We also, visited the three gorges dam project. Which was okay, but not a highlight for me. If you have an opportunity to cruise the Yangtze I'd definitely take advantage of it. The Chinese government is flooding the river and much of the beauty and culture we saw will soon be gone.

When cruising the river we would often stop at villages for shore excursions. Because of the planned river flooding the cities and towns had been relocated 150 meters higher than the current water level, so in order to get to the village we would need to climb several flights of stairs. I noticed that the entire town/city would turn out to watch our boat pull in. I inquired as to why this was. Our guide advised me that - "this is their entertainment. Most of them don't have television." I found it hysterical that the entire village would turn out to watch fat Americans try to go up steps.

Although my time in Shanghai was limited, I did visit the Shanghai Museum and I'd highly recommend it. Shanghai was without a doubt the most modern of all cities located on mainland China. Plan on spending at least a few days here to enjoy all of what Shanghai has to offer!