China

A visit to China allows you to experience one of the oldest civilisations in the world. This is a land where ancient sites built by dynasties sit amongst modern skyscrapers. You could walk along the Great Wall of China, spend the afternoon walking the city markets, where you can buy anything from fake designer bags to fried locusts. I spent three weeks in China starting in Beijing and finishing my trip in Shanghai. I travelled to four different provinces by train air and coach. Travelling China solo was a very challenging but rewarding experience.

Best Time to Visit

Spring and autumn are the ideal times to visit China, the weather is warm and dry, in contrast to the cold winters and hot, humid summers. April to October is the ideal time to visit western China and admire the blooming flowers.

Things to do and see

1. Great Wall of China: Is one of the wonders of the world and was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Stretching 21,196km across the east and west of china it cuts through, mountains, savannahs and deserts. A must when visiting Beijing China.
2. Forbidden City: was an imperial palace contracted in 1420, during the Ming Dynasty. A great place to visit while in Beijing to learn about Chinas royal dynasty.
3. Terracotta Army: Is a collection of terracotta sculptures created to represent the armies of the first Emperor of China.These sculptures were discovered in Xi’an in 1974 by farmers. There are three exhibition pits containing the Terracotta sculptures who have been buried for over 2000 years. A great archaeological find and worth the visit.
4. Tiananmen Square: Tiananmen Square is one of the biggest city squares in the world, located in the centre of Beijing. You can also see Mao Zedong’s embalmed body in the mausoleum between 8am – 12pm.
5. Zhangjiajie National Forest: Remember the Movie Avatar, Zhangjiajie national forest is where the location for the movie was based. It usually takes about five days to visit the principle scenic areas. This is a must visit when in china.
6. The Li River: Is in Guilin, the South China. The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo has the most breath taking scenery.

Food

The food in china varies from region to region, the portions are usually big, as eating is considered a group affair so the portions are never for just one person. Big cities like Shanghai will have a variety of restaurants that serve western food, the food in rural areas and small towns is cheap and mainly rice or noodles with vegetables and pork. Some restaurants have fish tanks, keeping the sea food fresh and alive until the last minute.

Transportation

Air: There are direct flights to China from London, the flights are served by Air China, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Roads: The roads in china are well maintained and generally good. Traffic in china is chaotic and largely unregulated. Right of way is regularly ignored. Drivers often treat road signs and signals as advisory not as a mandatory instruction.

Taxi: Taxis are available from all big cities at hotels and shopping districts. Not all taxis are metered. You should have your destination written in Mandarin, as most drivers do not read or speak any English. Some taxis will not have seat belts especially in rural areas. There is no Uber in China.

Bus: There is an extensive network of buses for long distance travel around china, they are much cheaper then trains and flying by air. Seats can be booked in advanced. Most buses are well maintained.

Ferry: All major rivers are served by river ferries. China has over 150 ports, several major Cruise lines offer cruise to china embarking on some of theses ports. There are regular ferry services between Shanghai and Osaka in Japan. There are also services from Shanghai to South Korea. There are also regular services between Mainland china and Hong Kong.

Rail: Railways provides a popular means of transport for people throughout China. The rail is generally cheap and well maintained. International rail services run from Beijing to Moscow through the Trans-Mongolian railway and the Trans-Manchurian railway. The journey by train takes a week. The other international rail services from China are to Vietnam and North Korea.

Visa

Visas are required by all EU, U.S, Canadian and Australian nationals. You must apply for your visa in advance of your trip to China. If travelling to Hong Kong and you are one of the nationals listed above, you can travel to Hong Kong visa free for up to six months. Those travelling to Tibet will need a Chinese visa plus a travel permit and a tour guide to visit Tibet.

Language

The official language of china is Mandarin Chinese. Majority of the people in china outside of the tourism industry do not speak English.

Money

The currency of China is the Renminbi (RMB), also referred to as the yuan. ATMs can be found in most Chinese cities. Visa or Mastercard are most commonly accepted in most hotels and restaurants.

Tipping

In general tipping is not expected, however, international hotels may except tips.

Social etiquette

Do not take pictures of people without asking permission and photography is not allowed in airports. Permission should be sought before photographing anyone in the military. You should always speak respectfully about the Chinese government. Some hotels and guest houses will only accept Chinese citizens so be sure the hotel you book accepts foreign nationals before booking.

Racism/Sexism/Discrimination

Adaptor

China has three associated plugs. One of the plugs has two flat parallel pins, the second has two round pins and the third is the same as in the UK, three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern.

Wifi

Internet cafes can be found in most towns and cities. Free Wi-Fi is available from most restaurants, hotels and guess houses. The government has blocked Google from china so in order to connect to google you must download VPN.