Experiences from
China |
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Nothing
will really prepare you for your first visit to China.
However, do some homework, reading material abounds, as do a
number of excellent films. Very little is taught in US schools
about China and what is taught is not always how the Chinese
see it! It may be controversial, but read up on the Opium
Wars, Hong Kong, the war with Japan and the Taiwan question .
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| The bare
minimum is the characters for male and female, as in many
places there are no means of identifying which toilet is for
which gender! But Mandarin is not difficult for English
speakers to get their tongues around. The Chinese will be
delighted with any effort you make to speak even a couple of
words. |
| China is a
nation in transition. For decades it was isolated from the
outside world, indeed, it is hard to imagine that 15 years ago
travel to China by western was still a very rare thing. The
Chinese will not always do things the way you are accustomed
to. Overcrowding has certainly given rise to customs which
western find hard to accept: communal toilets being one of
them! |
| There are
some things that you can only do in China, so don't be afraid
to give them a go ahead - whether it's eating some exotic dish
in Guangzhou, or walking that extra half mile to get away from
the crowds on the Great Wall. Be just a little different from
the masses, and you will see a China that so many travellers
rub shoulders with, but never get to see. |
| Patience is
not a virtue in China, it's a basic survival tool! Queues can
be devastatingly long, and the concept of prompt service, it
is only fair to say, has not reached everyone who works in the
service industries! |
China Tody:
China is changing rapidly, and if you have your heart set on a
certain place or people, monument or temple, do it. You may
never return to China, and even if you do, there's no
guarantee that things will be the same |
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