Beijing, China

10 TIPS

1. Bring cash

The local currency in China is the Yuan or shorty RMB, abbreviation for Renminbi. This is the only currency they will accept in China. If you’ve managed your way in other Asian countries with euros or dollars, here is simply not the case.

Note 1: If you plan to exchange currency in a local bank, don’t forget to bring your passport with you.

Note 2: Not all the restaurants/coffee shops accept for the payment to be made by credit card.

2. Best time to visit

The low season starts from November to February when the temperature can drop sharply to -10 C or more. This is not a period of time i would recommend anyone to visit Beijing, especially for sightseeing purpose.

3. Not everyone speaks English

As you may assume not everyone speaks fluent English in China, so it can get a little bit difficult if you get lost in the city. There are few measures one can take in order to avoid this from happening:

1. Write down the Chinese names of the hotels, restaurants or places you are planning to visit and show them to your taxi driver
2. Try to approach young people to ask for directions, they are more likely speaking English than the elders
3. Bring a map, guide or dictionary for your trip
4. Make sure you buy a SIM card for your mobile and have it handy all the time – There are few applications/programs that allow you to translate your language into Chinese in real time
5. Always carry your passport / passport copy with you
6. Avoid crowded places or national holidays, it’s more easy to get lost then

4. The Internet is censored (nickname: “Great Firewall of China”)

You will require a VPN in order to access Facebook or do any type of search on Google. (This are all banned in China for locals and the abuse is punished by law).

The good news is that most of the restaurants/coffee shops offer a WiFi password.

5. Best eat / drink

The best meal i had in China was the roast duck. I also enjoyed quite a lot the bambus rice and the dumplings.

The best drink i had: jasmine green tea during a Chinese Tea Ceremony.

You might feel some sort of pressure to buy tea after the ceremony is over, but know that you are not obliged in any ways to do so.

Note: the tap water is not drinkable, only bottled water is advised. 

6. The Great Wall

The Great Wall of China (a UNESCO World Heritage Centre) is situated in the mountains area, but i don’t recommend that you go there in the winter.

I regret that i did that for two reasons:

1. the breathing was difficult while climbing onto the wall

2. there were ‘slip hazard‘ signs everywhere, which was not that encouranging as well

7. Spitting on the streets

Yes, you might see locals spitting freely on the streets, without using any sort of napkin. There are for sure many things in our own culture that are different/opposite than others, so we are not here to judge or point fingers at anyone. Just don’t act surprised if you see the scene i was describing up happening right in front of your eyes.

8. Bargaining can be aggressive

If you are visiting China for sure you’ll end up going for shopping.

Load yourself with lots of patience and calm, because bargaining with the Chinese sellers tends to get aggressive and loud.

Remain firm and polite, until you reach the price you have in mind for the deal.

9. Pollution and traffic

Both problems go hand-in-hand here, but surprisingly, traffic is not the number 1 reason for the high level of pollution in China (that being the burn of coal in factories).

What you can do is try to avoid walking when the smog is dense outside and also limit driving in the city at peak hours.

10. Taking photos

You can find locals that will ask you to click pictures together, the reason being obviously your different appearance. You can do also the same, but remember if you take photos of children is better to ask for the parents permission before.