After 1 1/2 years I am finally returning to the place where I once, and still do, call home; Hong Kong and China. This time, though, I am going with my wife and our daughter to Hong Kong and China!
We are at T-Minus 25hrs to flight time. All our bags are packed (sort of), we’re ready to go (basically) taxi will be waiting beside our door…
We will be in both Hong Kong and China for over a month.
This will sure to be an unbelievable adventure, trip, experience, and more.
Cathay Pacific
My wife is from China and we are thrilled to be going back to Shanghai to visit her family. We’ll be moving around the country exploring new lands, foods, and customs. I’ll be back hard at work, traveling around Hong Kong and China, visiting factories and working on our goods.
And through it all, I’ll be writing it all down. The good, the bad, the not so great, my feelings, and tribulations. I am both super excited and honestly, a bit nervous, too, to return to the place where I grew up and had learned so much of the world in my 20’s. How much is the same? Different? So many of my friends are gone, some are left. Some will never leave.
What is it like stepping off of a 16hrs flight from New York to Hong Kong and China (direct) with a 2 year old? We land 530 in the morning. How smoothly can we make it through immigration and customs? Get to our apartment? Get settled?
Start enjoying our time in Hong Kong and China!
Be prepared for something never done before, up close, personal. 100% real. Video’s, audio, writings, you name it.
Have a suggestion, or want me to write about something in my day? No problem, just drop me a line and let me know!
I can’t wait! How about you?
So come along and join me for what will sure to be a once in a life time, up close and personal, experience, in Hong Kong and China!
Top Beijing Museum – From Ancient History to Movies
Beijing, one of the vastly urbanized cities in China, holds an immense collection of science, art, culture, and history. These are displayed in the top Beijing Museum.
It’s probably one of the main reasons why I’ve always loved going to Beijing. I always try to stay near the center of town. So much is in walking distance.
The top Beijing Museum contain events of Chinese culture and significant occasions in history, which present amazing opportunities for enthusiasts from all over the planet.
A number of them preserve old-fashioned architectural characteristics, while others are contemporary with superior technology. Touring museums in Beijing, compliments its significant heritage locations.
Beijing Capital Museum
Built in 1981, Beijing Capital Museum houses a great collection of valuable Chinese mementos and educational artifacts, and has the most excellent museum show service.
This top Beijing Museum is separated into five floors above ground in addition to two floors underground with an area of 63,390 square meters. The grand structure, a variety of exhibitions, and superior service make Beijing Capital Museum, one of the best museums in China.
Beijing Capital Museum
Its plentiful relics like; calligraphy works, porcelain, bronzes, along with Buddhist figurines; have won an elevated standing around the world. Most of the compilations were uncovered after the birth of the People’s Republic of China, and a number of them date back to the New Stone Age.
Three chief components of the museum illustrate the momentary exhibits, the major display, and the excellent art compilation. Subsequently, there is the Stele of Emperor Qian Long, which is the prized collection of the museum.
National Art Museum of China
National Art Museum of China was reserved for the compilation, study, and demonstration of contemporary and modern artistic mechanisms in China. More than 100,000 portions are domiciled in this huge top Beijing museum, which encompasses an area of approximately 18,000 square meters; separated into five floors.
A compilation of masterpieces by well-known Chinese artists along with high-quality workings from the late Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty, with the early Republic of China period; are the riches of this museum. Not including the family pieces, plenty of overseas creative works are well-liked in this museum.
Thousands of important demonstrations of prominent artists from China and overseas have been held in National Art Museum of China in the past.
National Museum of China
Beijing Theater Museum
Beijing Theater Museum was initially built in 1807 (for the duration of the Qing Dynasty), and modernized and revived for the community in 1997.
In the older Xiangxianci Building, which is the major display hall of Beijing Theater Museum, the record of the growth of the museum is also told. The growth of Peking Opera initiated in this museum. You can also discover some pictures and acoustic recordings of famed Beijing Opera artists, like Mei Lanfang.
China National Film Museum
China National Film Museum is the biggest museum in China with the key intention of showing the times gone by; depicting the civilization of the Chinese with pictures and films.
A group of sophisticated multifunctional halls, over twenty exhibition rooms, one IMAX cinema, with two digital protuberance cinemas; offer an absolute experience of the modern cinema culture in China.
There are many other locations that are worth visiting but these are the absolute best and top Beijing Museums to visit. They are very interesting and worth visiting.
Insight into the Most Commonly Spoken Language in China
With more than 955 million people speaking the Mandarin language, it is the most commonly spoken language in the world. It is one of the major Chinese dialects and is also spoken commonly in China. There are several dialects of Chinese, each of which holds its own importance amongst the different cultural groups in the country.
Amongst the various varieties spread in China, seven different dialects are officially accepted. These include the Mandarin language, Wu, Gan, Hakka, Xian, Yue and the Min languages. Of all these seven, Mandarin is the most commonly spoken Chinese dialect in the country as approximately 70.9 percent people in the country speak it in their daily routine.
Due to this reason, the Mandarin language is also regarded as the official language of the country.
It is also the official language of Taiwan and is amongst the four official and different dialects spoken in Singapore.
During my time in China, I noticed that the Mandarin language encompasses the different Chinese dialects that are widely spoken in the southwestern and northern China.
The Standard Chinese known as ‘Guoyu’ or ‘Putonghua’ in Chinese is normally translated in Mandarin and is one of the dialects included in this group.
The word ‘mandarin’ was used to refer to the Chinese officials of the empire and is derived from different languages: mandarim from Portugese, mantarin from Sanskrit and menteri from Malay. In all these languages, the word meant a ‘counselor’ or a ‘minister.’ As the dialects of all these languages were incompatible and unintelligible, the officials used to communicate with the help of a koine that was based on the different northern dialects.
Chinese calligraph
I visited the areas in China where the Mandarin language is widely spoken. These areas are referred to as the ‘Mandarin areas’ or today really just “China. Mostly in Guangdong province they speak Cantonese. During my stay, I noticed that the Mandarin dialects spoken in the southwestern and northeastern China are quite dissimilar, which is why natives of these areas experience trouble communicating with each other. However, the variation existing amongst the several Mandarin areas is quite less compared to that existing amongst the non-Mandarin areas in China.
For a major part of China’s history, the capital of the country has been a part of the famous Mandarin area. Since the fourteenth century, a form of the language also served as the lingua franca of China. During the start of the twentieth century, elements of the Beijing and Mandarin dialects were combined together to form the country’s national language.
While you are visiting China for excursion or business purposes, it is essential that you learn to speak some of the commonly used phrases and sentences in the Mandarin language, so you do not face much difficulty communicating with the locals of the country.,
Here are a couple of phrases that I picked up during my time in China, and are also important to learn for basic encounters within China.
To ask somebody how they are in Mandarin, you should say ‘Ni Hao Ma?’
If you wish to say you are very good, you should say, ‘Hen Hao’,
To inform them of things are not so well, you should say ‘Bu Hao.’
To thank someone, you should say ‘Xie Xie.’
While staying in China, you will often need to visit the markets for purchasing different goods. To negotiate on the price, you should say ‘Hen Gui’ if you want to inform the salesperson that a certain item is quite expensive.
Street vendors will also interrupt you during your shopping. To stop them from perturbing you, you should say ‘Bu Yao.’ This means ‘no’ or “don’t want” and will mostly stop them from disturbing you.
For calling a taxi, you should say, ‘De Shi.’
To bid goodbye to somebody, you should say ‘Zai Jain.’
For excusing someone, you should say ‘Jie Guo.’
To ask for a receipt, say ‘Fa Piao.’
For saying you don’t want something, you should say ‘Wo Bu Yao.’
While not a lot of phrases, they’re super important and will impress most anyone you may be traveling with.
While the Mandarin Language is part of the culture and history itself, but sure to read my article on Chinese Tradition and Culture.
Chinese Civilization: Traditions & Customs of China
The words of wisdom by Confucius, which give a lot of importance to compliance, as well as to respect of seniors and accountability to the society; are the leading elements of the legendary Chinese civilization.
The state is very large, so traditions and customs can differ by topography, in addition to more than fifty tribal factions that live in this kingdom of over one billion citizens. A concise synopsis of the amazing Chinese civilization is presented below:
Confucius
Religion
Since Chinese Civilization today is a Marxist country, there is actually no certified religion.
Moreover, above half of the inhabitants claim no religious association or identify themselves as atheists. Approximately a quarter of Chinese citizens follow Confucianism and Taoism, and various other diverse customary beliefs.
There are, in addition, a small number of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists. Even though various Catholic and Protestant bureaus have been dynamic in the state from the beginning of the early 1500’s, the ministries have made very little development in converting the Chinese to any of these religions until recently.
Language
There are in total seven major vernaculars of Chinese in Chinese Civilization.
Hakka, Cantonese, Mandarin, Xiang, Gan, Wu and Min. Pŭtōnghuà, the sort of Mandarin spoken in the Chinese capital of Beijing, is the bureaucrat nationwide language of mainland China. A lot of Chinese are, in addition, fluent in English too. The written lingo is character based.
Chinese calligraphy on beige paper
Food
Like the various other features of Chinese lifestyle, cuisine is, to a great deal, subjective to topography, in addition to the ethnic range. Amongst the various approaches of Chinese food preparation are Cantonese, which sports the infamous stir-fried dishes, along with Szechuan, which prepares food by the extreme use of ginger, sesame paste plus peanuts, and is recognized for its sharp taste.
The Chinese term for rice is known to be fan, which in addition means food. In addition to that, rice is a staple of the Chinese diet (more so in the south than north), as are bean sprouts, scallions and cabbage. For the reason that the Chinese do not eat lots of meat, just occasionally consuming chicken or pork, tofu is the main resource of protein used by the Chinese people.
Traditional Style Dumplings
Tea is the mostly consumed beverage (more so in the south than the north).
Arts
Chinese fine art is very much prejudiced by the state’s rich religious and spiritual history. A lot of statuettes and paintings give a picture of religious figurines of Buddhism. Apart from that, a lot of musical apparatuses are basic to Chinese ethnicity, counting the xun, which is similar to the flute, as well as the amazing guqin, which comes from the zither kin.
Eastern approach to martial arts was, in addition, expanded within China. Furthermore, it is also the place of birth of Kung Fu, which actually transforms to individual achievement. Prehistoric Chinese were enthusiastic authors and theorists; in particular, for the duration of the Qing and Ming dynasties, and this is mirrored in the nation’s rich liturgical record.
I loved living in China for all of the reasons above. But perhaps the greatest reason was its rich and diverse history. From ancient Xi’an, to Beijing (which is the 5th capital of China and its youngest), to the raging Yellow River, Chinese Civilization has an abundant of things to see and do.
Common Chinese Food – The Great and Expected Variety
With 56 ethnic groups in China and nearly every town having its own staple food, it was never a question of finding but of “What to eat”? While it is commonly thought that all Chinese eat rice, it’s not so accurate. More people in Southern China, where rice is grown, eat rice. Northern Chinese eat heavier foods, including breads.
I remember back in 1999, it was the first time I had come to Hong Kong with my dad on a business trip. I was in high school and it dawned on me that Chinese food as we know it in the United States is not what people over in Hong Kong and China consider to be common Chinese food!
Tofu is a staple food of China
But it tasted so much better!
However, whenever you travel anywhere outside your country, it may be a concern for some people about finding things to eat (be sure to learn here about cultural differences). I had the same concerns, and often did while traveling the country as many regions had foods I just wouldn’t eat.
China is well known for its delicious cuisine and is a part of the menu served in different countries as well. However, while in China, you might not like everything on the menu.
So it’s a great to have some insider knowledge to what is common Chinese food.
You will find a huge variety of mouthwatering foods in different restaurants and on the food stalls in markets in China. Wheat and rice are the staple foods of the country and are commonly used in the majority of Chinese dishes. Corn, potato, buckwheat, sweet potato, legumes, millet noodles, stuffed buns, bread, dough sticks, egg, tofu and bread are also commonly eaten foods in the country.
Hot Fish Stew
Rice is one of the most common Chinese foods served restaurants.
Different vegetables, spices, noodles, egg and ingredients are added to it to create various varieties of rice. Some of the widely served rice dishes by vendors and restaurants in the country include egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, fried rice with garlic and beef, rice with curry beef, stewed beef rice, rice with braised beef brisket, fried rice with mixed vegetables and bacon, rice with assorted meat and white gourd in soup, rice in chicken soup and Hainan’s chicken rice.
Besides rice, noodles are one of the favorite and common Chinese foods. You will find many noodle dishes in Chinese food stalls and restaurants. Some of the famous ones include Guangzhou Shah Fen, Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles, Guilin rice noodles, noodles with beef in brown sauce, rice noodles in red oil, beef stretched noodles, Sichuan noodles, cold noodles, Liuzhou snail rice noodles and rice noodles with horsemeat.
Egg is another common Chinese food that you will certainly find being sold by Chinese vendors. Residents of the country eat eggs in their routine and commonly use eggs of duck, quails, pigeon, goose and chicken. Century and salted duck eggs are two of the widely eaten egg dishes in the country and are often found on the menu of various restaurants in the country.
Century Eggs
Fish is a common Chinese food consumed in the country and is considered a sign of prosperity and abundance. It is an integral part of the feast prepared during the Chinese New Year by the numerous households in the country. Some of the widely eaten kinds of shellfish and fish include grass carp, sea bass, carp, squid, crab, soft-shell turtle, crucian, prawn, oysters, shrimp and scallops.
Few of the famous fish dishes served in Chinese restaurants include West lake vinegar fish, broth-steamed bass, Xiamen boiled fresh fish, Sichuan poached fish fillets in hot chili oil and Hunan steamed fish head served with diced hot red peppers.
Steamed Fish is a famously served at the end of meals
A word for the adventurer in us all, there are markets across the country, usually in the deeper provinces and regions of the country, that serve a well… different plate of food. These would be completely foreign to a westerner and even some Chinese whom don’t travel to those regions of the country. What is a common Chinese food for someone in China may not be so common for someone else!
However, while traveling in the country, try not to make faces or vomit on seeing any of these foods being sold while you are amidst the Chinese people. If you are extremely grossed out and cannot control it, politely excuse yourself from the crowd and take a minute alone.
But, most of the food does taste great, and there is so much to go around. If you truly do not feel comfortable eating the foods, stick to rice and yes, beer. It can be quite filling.
Occupy Hong Kong – Timeline of Events and Protests
The 2014 protests of Occupy Hong Kong, also known as the Umbrella Revolution, is a series of protests that have been started by the Hong Kong Student Federation along with other political parties of the region against the Chinese government and the NPCSC’s decision to operate the 2017 Chief Executive Elections in Hong Kong using the universal suffrage technique.
Having lived in Hong Kong for 7 years, calling it my home, and being an American, I have an affinity for trying to understand the meaning behind occupy Hong Kong.
Pro-democracy demonstrators hold up their mobile phones during a protest near the Hong Kong government headquarters
In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to Mainland China after being a colony of Great Britain for some 150 years. As part of the agreement and constitution of Hong Kong, Hong Kong would remain an independently run zone with little influence from Mainland China.
Unfortunately this is not the case. As the citizens of Hong Kong are not allowed to vote in general elections and the Chairman of Hong Kong is appointed by Mainland China, the citizen of Hong Kong feel that every year more and more of their rights are being stripped from them. Leaving them in a boat with out a rudder ores. There had been many events leading up to occupy Hong Kong.
I’ll be writing extensively about this but to begin I wanted to give a general overview of the events that have taken place under the tag of the Umbrella Revolution so far.
26th September 2014: Protestors assembled in the Tim Mei Avenue and crossed the barrier into the Civic Square and were head by Joshua Wong. They were beaten by the police and finally were kicked out of the center in the morning. This was the beginning of occupy Hong Kong.
27th and 28th September 2014: The protestors continued with their protests and were bombarded with the terrible tear gas by the police. On the 28th, they decided to carry out the civil disobedience movement. According to reports issued by the BBC, three thousand protestors packed Mong Kok and around a thousand entered Causeway Bay. The number of the protestors had reached a hundred thousand by then.
29th September 2014: Police altered their strategy a bit and were ready to negotiate with the protestors. They had arrested around eighty nine protestors by then. Till 1st October, no major event took place.
1st October 2014: Joshua Wong, along with other prominent members of the Scholarism, attended the flag-raising event held at the famous Golden Bauhinia square on the National day of China. They remained calmed throughout the event.
2nd October 2014: Canisters containing tear gas were thrown into several buildings. The protestors demanded that they should be allowed to inspect all the vehicles that pass through the barricades to deliver water and food to them.
3rd October 2014: Violence started in Causeway Bay and Mongkok when huge groups of the anti-Occupy Central members started assaulting the protestors. Eighteen injuries were reported and around twenty protestors were arrested by the police. While rumored, it is supposed that these members were supported by the Central Government in Hong Kong.
4th October 2014: Patrick Ko laid accusations on the protestors for being hypocrites and counter-protestors conducted a march supporting the police. They wore blue ribbons.
5th to 8th October 2014: A group of scholars gave a statement that requested the Chinese and Hong Kong government to fulfill their demands. Alex Chow Yong-kang, who is the leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, denied further negotiations until their requests were fulfilled.
9th October 2014: A meeting with the HKSF was planned for 10th October, but it was cancelled on the 9th.
10th October 2014: Protestors began their protests on the streets once again continuing occupy Hong Kong.
11th October 2014: The HKFS issued a letter to President Xi Jinping stating that CY Leung did not live up to the expectations of the citizens.
12th October 2014: CY Leung showed his resentment against the protests and did not consider them as revolution.
13th and 14th October 2014: Attacks were launched at the protestors and several activists were arrested as well. The headquarters of the Apple Daily were attacked by the anti-occupy protestors as they accused the paper as biased.
15th and 16th October 2014: Traffic on the Lung Wo Road was stopped by the activists and the police resorted to violence to get rid of them.
17th October 2014: The northern end of the Nathan Road was open for traffic after three whole weeks. However, the activists weren’t allowed to move from the southern side.
18th October 2014: A battle was fought between the protestors and the police in Mong Kok and around twenty people were injured.
19th October 2014: Claudio Mo and Fernando Cheung came to Mong Kok to negotiate with the protestors as well as the police to attempt ending occupy Hong Kong.
20th October 2014: A temporary injunction was granted to the taxi drivers as well as the operators association so they could commute on the Nathan Road.
21st October 2014: The first negotiation talks were held between the HKFS and the government, but no substantial results were produced.
22nd October 2014: Violence started again at Mong Kok and CY Leung expressed his anger at the citizens. In my personal opinion this was completely misdirected and misunderstood by Hong Kong leadership only supporting the people of occupy Hong Kong. It is important to remember that the chairman of Hong Kong is appointed by Beijing and as so, has immense pressure from Beijing to end the protests.
23rd October 2014: The Hong Kong Spidie hung a banner reading ‘I want true universal suffrage’ at the Lion Rock.
24th to 27th October 2014: Anti-Occupy supporters wearing blue ribbons assembled at Tsim Sha Tsui and some of these supporters were attacked at Mong Kok. Six activists were arrested for carrying out this assault.
28th October 2014: the HKFS sent another letter to Carrie Lam requesting for another round of the negotiation talks to end occupy Hong Kong.
29th to 31st October 2014: The Chinese People’s political Consultative Conference Standing Committee discussed to remove James Tien as he had urged CY Leung to resign.
November 2014: On 2nd November, Carrie Lam refuted all the proposals regarding the de-facto referendum.
Till now, these events have taken place and no sound results have been produced of occupy Hong Kong. I personally believe that this is just the tipping point of larger events to come as the Central government of China tries to grip tighter and tighter around Hong Kong.
I do hope that eventually Hong Kong citizens will have the right to vote for their own leaders but much has to change.
A lot of tears, shrieks of spicy contentment, and scrumptious treats, are some of the things you will experience when you eat Chinese Spicy Food.
China has various regional cuisines but the spiciest food items are from Chongqing, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. Before trying out (be sure to check out my articles on being prepared for going out for dinner) any of these dishes, keep in mind that these are not for the faint hearted!
A bowl of Hot and Sour Soup
Chinese Spicy Food – Dan Dan Noodles, Sichuan
Nothing like the overseas Chinatown adaptation, there is no peanut, sesame seed paste, or sugar included in the genuine dan dan noodles offered in anywhere else.,
The proper dan dan noodle dish is prepared with a blistering chili black bean paste, ground ham, a dollop of uncooked crushed garlic and crunchy minced peanuts with scallions and cilantro on the top. The sauce is at the bottom of an unfilled bowl, and unseasoned al dente noodles are placed over the sauce and the customer is charged with the job of mixing it all up.
The noodles are vended by weight in Liang. One Liang is 50 grams; a satisfying meal would cost approximately three Liangs. Dan dan noodles are similar in one aspect to Lays potato chips: you cannot eat just one (Liang).
Dan Dan Noodles
Chinese Spicy Food – Hot and sour fish soup, Guizhou
Guizhou food is not among the most well known cuisines in China, but this region has its reasonable share of spicy dishes that will entice the diner’s taste buds. A Guizhou favorite is the hot and sour fish soup, which is prepared with your selection of freshwater fish and a fish soup of tomatoes, local Guizhou red chili peppers, chili grease, garlic, and scallions.
The vinegary flavor does not come from vinegar like most presume; it comes from the fermented veggies that are consumed all over Guizhou.,
Chinese Spicy Food- Saliva chicken, Sichuan
Translates literally to “saliva chicken,” since you will salivate if you even imagine this dish. Occasionally, Chinese dishes sport weird names that do not illustrate what the dish is made of and might in fact turn off some unfamiliar diners.
This is exactly one of those dishes. Stewed chicken is marinated in sesame oil and chili sauce that incorporates ten sauces and spices, making it a sizzling yet delectable dish.
Saliva chicken
Chinese Spicy Food – Ma po tofu, Sichuan
The dish is prepared with tofu, ground pork, and a spicy bean chili sauce with a liberal sprinkle of the mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorn that is a bastion in Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine. The best ma po tofu comes from the eatery that bears the name, Chen Mapo Doufu in downtown Chengdu.
Mapo tofu, Chinese cuisine
Chinese Spicy Food – Gan Guo, Hunan
Pick from an assortment of vegetables, meats and tofu to be blaze stir-fried and sent sizzling to your bench in a tiny wok. Hunan provisions are less greasy than Sichuan cuisine and the great quantity of ginger, garlic, fresh red and green chili peppers and scallions make Hunan food possibly the spiciest gastronomy in China.
Chinese Spicy Food – Hotpot, Chongqing
Hotpot, Chongqing
Even though a variety of hotpot approaches are enjoyed all through China, the most tantalizing hotpot originates from Chongqing.
It is appetizing because there is a coating of rendered beef fat in the hotpot at the middle of the table. Dried out and fresh red chili peppers and twenty other aromatic plants and spices go into the hotpot broth ensuring that whichever animal protein, vegetable, noodle or tofu you dip into the hotpot you will be satisfied with a highly spiced euphoria that will remain long after the meal has ended.
I’ve always been a personal fan of hot and spicy food. But I had to admit shortly after arriving in China that these were some of the hottest foods on the planet! And check out the best etiquette for using chopsticks, too.
Chinese Spicy Food are sizzling and offers some of the best variety around. I loved hearing from local people how they each cooked the same food in their own style.
But try them if you dare, but the reward is at first hot but then tasty.
China Nightlife Scene – From Night Clubs to Relaxing Bars
There I was. Gawking in doubt. Was it the throb of the drums pounding through my torso? Were they the laser lights and golden chandeliers distributing rays of light shimmering in all directions? And is this an assemblage of totally wasted businessmen dripping their drinks as they danced collectively on the floor? The China Nightlife Scene!
Yes. The response is yes! Yeah, this is utterly ludicrous. Yes, I will drink an additional whisky and juice. And YES, I am still speculating about how I got here.
A crowd of young people dancing in a nightclub
Two words actually encapsulate the nightlife the China nightlife scene: Absolutely wacky. Sure. In the top tier metropolises, you can stop over at the bar for a glass of Guiness. And you can find foreigner monopolies to satisfy the longing for foreign ferments and well-known corporations, but this is not why you are vacationing here.
You traveled to China for the venture. Pull your socks up and hold on fast as carousing in China is one amazing experience.
China Nightlife: Local bars
Local bars exist in the region of high-rise neighborhoods in chief cities of China. You are not going to locate a lot of foreigners at this juncture. These bars are inconspicuous, have little liveliness, nevertheless can be an amazing place to get a beer if you desire a calm societal setting. Throughout the point of time I was residing in China, I witnessed very few bars. Trust me – it is low key.
If you want bars as we know them in the west, really only main cities will have them, Shenzhen, parts of Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, and a few in Qingdao.
China Nightlife: Nightclubs
Plenty to do in Beijing
If you make a decision to stop over at clubs in the top tier cities for instance Shanghai and Beijing, you are expected to discover women who like to prey on lone foreigner travelers. They will lure you for a small drink and then tea swindle you! Be careful! On the other hand if you visit a bar in lower tier cities, WHAM! You are bound to witness the divine grail of China’s nightlife.
Talk to someone for only a short time and drinks are bound to magically appear in front of you. If you dance on the floor people will pledge you are the modern Justin Bieber. The ambiance is extremely absurd. Live amusement, deafening music, wannabe gangsters, ULTRA stimulus for all the senses. Overall, a sensory overload for the wayward tourist.
But please head my warning, or advice, or whatever you may call it. There are lots of different kinds of “clubs” in China Nightlife.
Most are “real” but enough are scams or offering well… unintended services… Great story behind that but just keep mindful if you’re in a new place and not with someone that knows the area.
Foreigner Joints
night scene of shenzhen city
Chengdu, Shanghai, Xi’an, Beijing, and a range of foreigner traveler locations around China offer you Foreigner Joints. If you are longing for an ambiance that is similar to your home, you should definitely just stay in these towns.
Foreigner joints for China nightlife are there to provide more often than not to the expat group of people living in the city. Chengdu’s Shamrock or Beijing’s Paddy’o Shays are the leading exemplars. A broad assortment of overseas food is typically on hand. The mood seems picked up exactly from the U.S.A.
These businesses are suitable if you want to have a good time, and to tender a number of the comforts found at home.
When on a visit to China, experiencing the nightlife is a must! You should definitely give it a go to experience some of the best drinks, atmosphere and of course people of all times.
And I know I said it plenty of times, but I don’t consider myself a partier by any means. But there are lots of things to explore and enjoy and I know many people that this is what they lived for!
Oh, and make sure to watch out for this scam if meeting some people you don’t know for the first time.
Shop in China – Where Should You Shop and What Products to Buy?
Without a thought, this would be one of the top 3 questions people asked me, no matter where they were going. Where to shop in China and and what to buy?
Okay, so maybe two questions but they go together, right? I mean, there is such diversity of goods to buy in China, but China is also the number 1 country in the world for selling counterfeit goods and plenty of scams (see my article), so you have to be careful, too.
It is a known and well-recognized fact that if you are travelling to a different country, you will come back with a lot of shopping. You will be shopping for your family and your friends back home and also for your own self. This means that a majority of your time will be spent in shopping malls and stores.
I have put together a brief guide in this post to help you become one of the most well informed shoppers in all of China. To start, you should always know what you want to buy, what you have in mind and where you are going to get it.
In a country like China, you can face many difficulties if you end up getting lost, lose your money or end up at the wrong places.
You need to be very well informed about how you can save time and money while shopping for all the things that you need. As a traveller coming to China, you find many things in China to be strange, but here is a very comprehensive list of all the places you can go to and all the things that you can buy when you are travelling in China.
You should also know what skills you need to possess and what steps you need to take whenever you are shopping on your own in China:
Shop in China – You need to know how to haggle and bargain with the shopkeeper!
This is difficult for many people to grasp for some reason, that almost, except food really, anything you buy from a vendor can be bargained for. Don’t be afraid to push the price down even 50-70% of what was originally asked. I know, sometimes it seems you’re haggling over pennies, which you are, but it is part of the “game.”
This reminds me once when I was visiting Beijing with my dad and brother and we went shopping in there flee market. Saw this awesome tie with dark navy blue and crimson red stripes going down vertically. Starting price was 70RMB, which back then was some 10 USD. After haggling for a few min, ended up being 35RMB or around 5 bucks. Laughed the whole time, cause at the end it was over a couple of cents. It can be fun!
When you shop in China How do you know when you’ve gone too low? The shopkeeper will turn and walk away from you or he will let you leave his stall.
If there is one thing that you need to know about shopping in China, it is the art of haggling or bargaining with the shopkeepers. I can’t tell you how many times this has helped me get a good deal!
Items to Buy
Shop in China – What to Buy
There are a number of great things that you can bring back from China and here is a list of all the things that you can choose from and many more! I will be posting articles of thing to look for depending upon which city you’re going too:
Silk slippers make unique gifts
Beijing Opera Masks can be a treat for your friends and family at home.
Name, stamp carving shops where you can get your name embossed or carved on different day-to-day things that you use around the house or at work.
You can also purchase large jade carvings which are extremely beautiful.
Freshwater and sea pearls can be a rare and beautiful find.
Silk pajamas for children
Chinese tea is a great idea because the Chinese culture (the Asian culture to be exact) is very much concentrated around different types of tea. In fact, tea is served with almost every meal and even between meals. Be sure to check back for my extensive articles on tea!
Different Chinese musical instruments that you can enjoy back home.
Chinese zodiac signs in jade
Ornamental tassels
And more!
Money Buddha, a Sign of Prosperity
Chinese Porcelain Figures
The lion statue the symbol of powerful in Chinese belief
Counterfeit Chinese Money: Tips on How to Spot it!
No matter what part of the world you are in, you will find crooks of different kinds regardless of where you are.
When you are travelling to a different country, you will find yourself in a tough position because you are not as familiar with the currency of that country as the locals are; just as you are more familiar with your local dollar than most Chinese people are. It took me a while to spot counterfeit currency; you might have some difficulty too.
Chinese RMB
This is the reason why you need to learn how to sport counterfeit money while you are in China so that you can receive the right money and honest dealings.
Every currency has its own ways of vouching for its authenticity. In China, even some locals have trouble finding out which currency is real and which one is fake. As a foreigner you will have be a little more careful when it comes to things like this.
You have to keep your eyes open and be mindful of what the other person is giving to you. Here are a number of ways in which you can ensure that the other person is giving you the right currency note:
Counterfeit Chinese Money: The watermark
In any currency anywhere in the world, you will see a watermark when you put the currency note in range of light. There will be a watermark in the shape of a Chinese man on the left hand side of the note.
The Chinese man shown on the watermark is Chairman Mao. The watermark in fake currency will be very obscure whereas the one in real currency will be fairly visible and clear.
Chairman Mao’s Hair
On a real currency note the hair on the picture of Chairman Mao’s can be felt by your finger when you scratch it, but on a fake currency note you will never be able to feel Chairman Mao’s hair on the note.
100 yuan bill
Counterfeit Chinese Money: Chairman Mao
The picture of Chairman Mao should not be blurred in fact it should be very clear no matter how much the currency note has been used. If you receive a note in which Chairman Mao’s face is blue or obscured, refuse to accept it. Also, refuse to accept any currency notes that have anything written on the face of Chairman Mao.
Counterfeit Chinese Money: The Metal Strip
A small metal strip will be running in the note in a vertical line. You have to see if the strip is the average size and is not in the wrong place. It also has to be well embedded in the note. You have to take care of that. If the metal strip seems fake or out of place, refuse to accept the currency note.
Example of Metal Strip
Counterfeit Chinese Money: Weight and Size
Weigh the note to see if it weighs right or not. If it seems heavier or lighter than a regular currency note then do not accept it!
In addition, most fake currencies are a little smaller than real currency notes. Try to compare it with the others to make sure it is the right size. This is one of the basic things that are usually overlooked by people because they are not familiar with the size of the original note.
Once you observe the real currency note carefully, you will figure out how easy it is to differentiate between an original currency and between counterfeit money.
Counterfeit Chinese money are some of the most counterfeited bills in the world.
It is fairly easy (compared to US dollars) and many people are less aware of what a real bill feels like. It is very common in China for locals to refuse any bill with a written mark on it or a tear. Be sure to follow this example.
Also, from my own experience, the quickly way to know if a bill is fake or not is the feel. Most of the time, a fake bill will feel very smooth, like it has a lamination on it. A normal bill tends to be rougher in feeling. If a merchant refuses to give you another bill if you feel you’ve received a fake, simply move on, most likely you can find the same item to buy elsewhere and for less.
