Hey guys. I'm leaving today for Shanghai. Going over there for work. I'll be there for about a month. Will be staying in Fengxian, which isn't too far from Shanghai from what little I know. I know there are some CF.net members who can offer me some advice on what to do, what not to do, perhaps certain things that are considered rude there that I may not know about? Some of my other coworkers are wanting to take an overnight train to Beijing one weekend, so we may do that and another idea is to take a train to see the terracota army? Thanks for any advice...
try out one of Yao's favorite foods. Shanghai dumplings (Xiaolongbao) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao
dont forget to eat the head! seriously though, bring plenty of individual packets of tissues cuz you'll need 'em.
I always do a bit of shopping when I go to China. I'm not even talking about bootlegged goods either. There are some reasonably priced grownup clothe that are priced and made well that would cost you an arm and a leg here. For example, a nice cashmere and wool coat for around $100. But you've got to be able to distinguished the good quality stuff from the poor ones and know how to haggle.
-ignore the beggars -have a big appetite and bring lots of money to spend on food -be street savvy...there are a lot of cunning chinamen who will want to con you...especially pick pockets -don't ride economy class on the train...spend the extra money so you dont spend 10 hours swimming in cigarette smoke... -the terracotta warriors are in xi'an...that's very far away from shanghai...unless you want to take an aeroplane...then you'll in for a long train haul...best idea is to fly to xi'an and take a legitimate tour guide to the place...
really? sounds you have been there for many times. the parents of a friend of mine are also in china on vacation now, and they are just in the city which vinsanity is visting if my memory serves me well, but they hasn't told my friend about anything you mentioned above. nowhere is perfect IMHO, even american cities also have various problems.
yeah i have...then again my advice is probably very narrow...it all stems from this bad experience i had on a chinese train through the countryside...it was most foul and repulsive experience i have ever experienced...when i blew my nose...my snot was black and sooty from all the cigarette smoke...i also saw families begging on the streets of beijing as well kids with no legs maneouvering around on skateboards begging...trust me...it doesn't leave a good impression
been on those trains, not countryside, but traveled from eijing to tianjin many times also, make note, that it is common courtesy that when you're a guest at someone's home, they'll offer you tea and ciggarettes no travel experience was worse than me sitting on a greyhound bus, christmas eve, 44 hour ride from houston to new york city, behind me are 3 amish people that smell like a mixture of feces, manure, urine, sweat, curry... that segment of the trip only lasted 8 hours, but man..... oh man.....
Make sure you check out Xintiandi. I always go to Grand Hyatt's cloud 9 bar. It has one of the most breath taking night view of the city. The bar sits on top of an 88 story building next to the river, so you have the idea. And don't be shocked you are not the only white there. Downtown Shanghai in a lot of ways is no different than other international city. Have some fun there, but Fengxiang sucks though.
Speaking of which... i' going to Hong Kong for a week on May 3. anyone from there that wants to watch some rocket's games perhaps at sports bar with me?
I'm here now. The temperature is mild, its rainy, feels very wet and humid, even more humid than Houston. Funny thing, at our site there was a chinese construction worker changing shoes in front of me. He had on sneakers, they were solid white and had black lettering all over them, the black letters read SHANE BATTIEAR - they looked like some cheap knock off Battier shoes with poor spelling. I pointed and said something to him, but of course he didn't understand me. Saw a big poster of Yao. At work now, we are going into Shanghai tonight to eat/shop. I may get a knock off rolex if I can find one that looks decent and sweeps instead of ticks. Will update later...
shanghai has a beautiful skyline. don't listen to any of the shop keepers price. everything is overpriced (if not fake) and u could easily haggle with them. they know if ur not a native even if you look asian. beware of restrooms. i had diarrhea while in china (and i love chinese food) but having to go through that on squatters sucked. overall, lot of tourist attractions and china is generally pretty cheap to live in compared to other countries like europe. have fun!
Dude ,welcome to my city,Yao's hometown if you meet any problem at there, you can contact me， but unfortunately， my english sucks,O(∩_∩)O哈哈~
I've never been to mainland China, but been to HK before. Is it possible to travel through China by oneself without knowing the local language? Or do people go on group tours throughout the country?
most middle class chinese people have a basic understanding of english so it shouldn't be too much of a problem
