What You Need To Know Before Going To China
Before Going To China
This is why I've made a list of things that I wish I knew before going to China.
I wanted to share with anyone and everyone interested in traveling to the country or has future plans to do so! I am not an expert, I am simply sharing my personal experiences in the country, where I visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
The Things You Should Know
Before Going To China
Every Public Bathroom will not have toilet paper
It will be different everywhere for sure. But most likely, once a day you will go to a restroom that has no toilet paper. Therefore, just remember to grab some with you at all times. I wish I would've taken this more seriously... I don't think I have to say any more than that :)
The Chinese Culture goes back around 5000 Years
Yep, that's a really long time, and it shows how deeply rooted their culture is into the everyday lives. Everyone was extremely respectful and kind in cities all over the country. I can't stress this enough. Therefore, just remember always to remain polite and meet the locals halfway when communicating with them or when you experience any kind of cultural / language barrier.
The Taxi Drivers will Most Likely want Addresses given to them in traditional Chinese Letters
I learned this one the hard way. Even though now, I feel that it seems a little obvious that the drivers would only read addresses or directions with the alphabet they learn growing up and use daily. I wanted to add this one in because if you are traveling alone, it can be a little frightening if you don't have your address in traditional Chinese Letters. AND, because I got kicked out of five separate taxis since I couldn't explain where I wanted to go :)
The "American Chinese Food" you love, will not be there
The food in China is very different from Western countries in general. Traditional Chinese food is not like American Chinese food. I asked a local if there was somewhere I could get orange chicken, and he had no idea what food I was even talking about. :/ As long as you are not too picky of an eater, you will be fine! (I am not proud of the number of times I did go to McDonald's during my time spent in China, will not lie to you guys!)
If you are traveling to Hong Kong, you will need different currency
Hong Kong does not use the same money as mainland China uses. Depending on how much time you will be spending in Hong Kong, it's important to remember to get currency for China AND Hong Kong! For those of you who didn't know, Hong Kong is not part of mainland China. It is actually considered an international flight when you travel to Hong Kong from China.
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A few other topics you should read up on before going to China is how to avoid common scams in China, and about some health hazards in China.
