Top 10 Things To Keep In Mind While Traveling In China

In an increasingly globalized world, it’s no surprise that our travel experiences and influences change as we travel the world.

The Chinese travel market has proved that to be true, and what used to be a novelty to a few is now a normal and expected experience. Of course, some elements of traveling in China will be different from anywhere else in the world, but there are some key things you can always expect while traveling in China, and here are my top 10 tips for doing so.

1. The general public in China are incredibly polite and respectful

No matter where you are, the general public is going to be keen to shake your hand, ask how you are, and, if they can, offer help wherever they can.

It doesn’t matter if it’s saying “Hello” to someone at a fast food restaurant, or giving directions on the street to a restaurant or building, or just engaging in a random conversation. Even if you get some strange looks or looks of disinterest, you can’t be too disappointed with such a kind act from the people in your city.

2. Transportation in China isn’t always easy

Take public transportation for example. Some lines may be covered, others may not be and when the train, bus, or taxi does come, expect that it won’t always be the most luxurious of vehicles.

The people that you’re with will be getting the best seats and the best vehicles. If you are going on an intercity train, expect to take a nap as the train travels for an hour, two hours, or more, on its way to the destination.

If the trip isn’t long, don’t expect to get the best seats, either. Most of the time, seats are given out according to your ticket, not by how many people are there. Unless there is a special issue for VIPs, the seats will be given out in a similar fashion to all other passengers, and then it’s up to you to grab the best seat you can.

Besides the lack of luxury in the transportation, not all forms of transportation in China have as many stops and stops and stops as in North America or Europe. You can expect to either get off at every stop, or to hop off in the middle of a stop as the driver says so.

Regardless, you can expect that you will be getting to the destination with a little bit of a tiring walk.

3. The feeling of getting lost isn’t as stressful in China as it is in other places

Whether you’re looking to get to a local market, museum, or restaurant, you will find yourself taking the right public transportation, and you will find yourself on the right street, with a few wrong turns, but you will find yourself in the right place eventually. The reason for this, in my opinion, is because the streets in China are not so big or large that you can’t find your way.

Plus, and I’m speaking as someone who gets lost in Vancouver a lot, in China, I’ve found it’s a lot easier to ask for directions and for someone to help you out.

4. The Chinese take a lot of pride in their meals, and their wine

What you’re going to experience in China is a lot of amazing cuisine, with the emphasis being placed on the presentation, the flavors, and the presentation.

I’ve found a lot of Chinese restaurants to be a lot more hospitable to foreigners than many restaurants that I have had in North America. A lot of them are not going to pressure you to speak Chinese, and a lot of them are not going to aggressively cater to foreigners. In fact, some of them even will try to pester you about speaking Chinese.

But in most cases, the waiters and cooks in China know their food very well, they love to show off their expertise, and they’re going to treat you well while you’re eating. Plus, the wine isn’t going to come in a plastic bottle with the wine cork on the side. It’s going to come with a glass, and you’ll get to try the actual wine, because the waiters know that you might like it.

You’re not going to find everything to your taste in China, and many times, you’re going to find yourself making adjustments. What you’re going to find, though, is that the chefs and the chefs at your local Chinese restaurant will work with you to make your meal memorable, not merely memorable, but amazing.

5. Chinese restaurants in general are bigger, more spread out, and take longer to cook than North American restaurants

If you’re used to ordering your Chinese food to go, this is going to be a shock to you. Chinese restaurants are absolutely enormous, many times bigger than any of the American ones. The waiters here will be people three times your age, who are going to treat you very well, with respect, and with good manners. You’re going to be spending a lot of time at these restaurants.

And you will get more food in the end. Food isn’t going to come by the typical manner that it does in North America. It’s going to come by the traditional manner in which it comes in Chinese restaurants.

For example, if you’re eating with the staff of the restaurant, they’re going to serve you by bringing the dish to you, setting it on the table, and then they’ll ask you if you want them to leave the table. Or you could decide to seat yourself, and they’ll ask you if you want them to come get you a few minutes later.

If you’re eating with a group of friends, or if you’re dining solo, you’re going to get an entire dish for yourself, with your own chopsticks. And it’s not going to be a small portion. It’s going to be huge, and it’s going to be served on a large platter.

It’s going to take a lot longer than it would in North America. And it’s going to taste better than the North American Chinese food, which is completely edible, but not all that memorable.

6. The ordering system is the same, except they don’t give you a hot towel before you sit down

If you want to know what the Chinese custom is when you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant, all you have to do is walk over to the tables, and take a look at the tables themselves. The people are sitting on their own dining chairs. There’s a place for the chopsticks, and there’s a place for the salt and pepper. There’s a spot for a spoon, and there’s a spot for a bowl. And then you have a place for the Chinese equivalent of a hot towel. And that’s all.

I never heard of this before I moved to China, and I have never seen this anywhere in the United States. And I don’t think you ever will, unless you go to a restaurant like the ones mentioned above. Chinese restaurants in general don’t have this hot towel in front of the customers.

Even if you’re taking a seat at a table, there’s not going to be a place for your chopsticks. So you’re going to have to use your fingers. You’re going to have to figure out what you want, and then you’re going to have to use your fingers to pick it up.

The old style restaurants, the traditional style restaurants, are the ones where you’re going to have to use your fingers to eat your food. And that’s the beauty of Chinese food in general. It’s not a Westernized experience. It’s a Chinese experience, the way it should be, and the way it always was, and will always be.

Most of the American restaurants that are still in business in my hometown, my hometown has almost completely turned over. It’s all fast food and chain stores now, and the Chinese restaurant that I always used to go to has now gone out of business. And I didn’t have a chance to go to a Chinese restaurant the entire time I lived in the United States.

So when I was here in China, I went to a lot of places where they didn’t even serve an American style hot towel. And then when I got back to the States, I realized that the Chinese had actually perfected this system, as far as I could see.

7. The meal is going to be the same length, but you’re going to get a lot more food than you would in North America

When I’m back in the U.S., when I get off the plane, I’m ready to eat. If I’m at a Chinese restaurant, I’m willing to pay the extra money, because I’m used to paying that extra money. And it tastes better than any hot towel ever could.

Even if you’re eating at a place in China where the price of the meal is all the same, the portion is all the same, and you have your chopsticks and you have your dipping sauces and everything, and they take your order, and then they make your food, the total meal time is still going to be longer here.

It’s because they don’t take a lot of time preparing the food. If they get it wrong, they’ll make it right the second time. If it takes too long, they’ll rush it, and make it faster. And the same thing goes with the service. If you go to a restaurant in the U.S., you’re never going to have an experience where the waiter brings you the food before you’ve even finished chewing your first bite. You always get it before you’re ready to eat it.

But in China, that’s pretty much a thing of the past. You get the meal first, and you start eating it. And there’s a lot of little Chinese snacks that come out, and little hors d’oeuvres, and the waiters are always coming around with tea, which is excellent.

And then you don’t have to worry about paying more because you’ve only got two forks and two knives, because they give you the main courses, the rice, and then little snacks, and then little snacks, and then little snacks.

There’s no rush to the table, because everyone in China already knows how long it’s going to take, and they can still have the same experience as you are. So they take their time, and they do it very well.

8. You’re going to need to get used to them being on a strict schedule

There’s a very strict schedule that they follow all the time. The fact that you can’t get a little slice of apple pie at 10 o’clock on a Saturday, or you can’t go into a bookstore before noon, or you can’t go to a bookstore before midnight, or you can’t have a bath in a public bath after midnight — all these things are completely understood. And it’s entirely normal to have to stick to this schedule.

It’s not all bad, though, because if you go for lunch and they’re really slow in the restaurant, and you wait for 20 minutes, and then you’re still waiting to order, and then you wait another 20 minutes to get your food, and then you’re still waiting for the check, then that’s okay. You’re not going to get any impatient and say “oh, why can’t I get my meal?” They understand.

9. Taking Your Kids

There are strict regulations in place to ensure that the majority of China’s cultural heritage and historical sites are protected for the next generations, and one of those regulations is that no younger than eight years old can enter these places.

So, if you intend to visit these sites, you should think twice. There are some very old and valuable sites in China which may not be suitable for small children.

If you have kids aged six or younger, you should probably avoid China at all costs.

10. Staying Safe

There is a saying that many people living in China have heard before:

我很受谓危挺地产的白珠持動沒有危险,而正在他們的每年就只在安阳。

I’m avoiding people who can’t be trusted with weather forecasts.

While this may not actually be the case, you should be aware of the dangers of weather warnings. Some have caused panic, for example in 2009, when an erroneous warning of a typhoon in the South China Sea caused many people to evacuate to higher ground. A week later, the typhoon was still nowhere near mainland China.

In Beijing, it is common for people to panic and rush out of any location they believe to be under threat of rain or snow. This phenomenon is a well-known phenomenon, known as “yellow rain”, where people abandon their umbrellas in order to rush indoors, with the sky turning a bright yellow color as they do so.

This is a significant risk because it may involve being caught in heavy rain and/or icy conditions.

To avoid this, it is recommended that you stay indoors, where you can check up on the latest.