BBQ rabbit head is a Sichuan specialty and the spicy (Ma La) kind is pretty good. Spoiler Not a lot of meat though. I was in Chengdu last December but only for a few days and was staying at 5 star hotels so don't have too many tips on living there. I agree with the standard tips of learn Mandarin (much more important in Chengdu than in Beijing of Shanghai which are more international) and don't drink the water. Don't even brush your teeth with it. The street food isn't bad and I've eaten a lot in China but I may have a tougher stomach than you. If you are concerned just get it from stands where you can see them making it and make sure you get the food fresh. There are a couple of bar districts in Chengdu where you can meet foreigners and others. I don't remember the name of the one I went to but it is right next to the Wuhou Shrine. Just be careful of pick pocketers there. Chengdu is also a very ancient city that has preserved a lot of it's history and just outside of Chengdu there are a lot of interesting historical sites with the most notable being the Dujiangyan ancient water works. There are also mountains and nature areas not too far. If you like Pandas there is the panda preserve too. Good luck on your life in Chengdu and post back here letting us know how it's going.
I don't know what he recommends but I would recommend Hunnan and Hubei provinces. I was told by a guy in Singapore to never date women from Shanghai as you will have a good time at first and then they will take all your money.
Solid picks. You know your way around here. (Suzhou,Hangzhou,ZheJiang region and Harbin in the North) So it happens that I am currently in Shanghai for a few weeks. I would say Shanghai is the most materialistic place in Mainland next to some parts of Beijing and approximately 80% of people think that way IMHO. Be reminded that those numbers are not hundred % accurate but merely based upon my experience as an Oversea Asian. You have to delve deeper into the culture in order to have an opportunity to know the other 20%.
I was just about to say the same thing. Damn, it sounds surprisingly as bad or worse than some countries in Africa that I've been too. Bbbut what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?? OP said he's Austra-ILIAN.
Oh yeah, ask the locals for the latest scams. The food quality takes some getting used to. Luckily I didn't get sick from the 10 days I spent there. The taste is awesome if you like to eat. Just gotta be savvy on what people might do to it. I didn't wear a face mask, but if I stayed long enough, I would. Overall the air quality will be terrible more often than it's not.
Who is considered China's national hero these days? I want to buy a shirt since I have a meeting with some Chinese nationals next week.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zrv78nG9R04" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Don't eat street food.
My wife is from Beijing and there is a beef between them and Shanghai like Houston has with Dallas. Shanghai is supposed to be the douchey, materialistic city.
Found an ok written blog entry from the perspective of an Ex-pat. https://www.yoyochinese.com/blog/learn-chinese-china-regional-stereotypes
Prepare for extremely unsanitary conditions. There is little regulation as far as street food and restaurants. Not uncommon for expired food or pest infestation to be a major issue. Also the environment and air quality is terrible. Also people in some areas lack even basic hygiene, have seen people crap in the road and let their children squat and piss wherever they want. Basically one of the worst places on earth I have been, only surpassed by India and war torn regions in the Middle East. Also, don't trust anyone or anything you buy... As someone else said, people will refill bottles and pass it off as bottled water. Restaurants will use filler like card board and there were several major reports of rats being used in restaurants. Have fun!
are you aware that you can avoid those places? you can't live on cheap things, and expect them to be clean. Go to more expensive and well known places, have a local friend go with you and you will be fine. Part of big cities are westernized, no problem
