Advice on Trip to China

Dark rooms with red lights are great places to visit.....

 

haha..

Nick R: which part of China? Hong Kong? TW? Shanghai, Beijing?

Regards,

freshyip

 

Nick, that's like saying I'm going to the USA and want know what's good to see. China is frigging HUGE. Where in China will you be landing/departing and what time of year.

 

How many free days do you have and where are you going?

 

Indeed, it all depends where you are.

May I suggest the following when you are around these places:

Hong Kong:
- Victoria Peak
- Stanley Market
- waterfront along Tsimshatsui
- shop, shop, shop!

Beijing:
- The Forbidden City
- Great Wall
- Tiananmen Square
- there are many other historical sites around Beijing

Shanghai:
- The Bund
- A ride on the maglev from the airport (never been on it myself, but I heard you hit close to 400kph for like 20 seconds, which is proabably the fastest any of us can go while on the ground)

I am sure Erik has many other places on his list.

There are so many beautiful and scenic places to see around China. A list will run for pages.

Do try out the various local cuisines made from "normal" ingredients. There are many things that I won't touch, like bugs and stuff.

 

Wow! Looks like you have got your stuff all planned out.

I would do Great Wall and Forbidden City option while in Beijing. They are truly amazing. There is a saying in China, you are not a "cool" man until you have been to the Great Wall.

For Hong Kong, I wouldn't bother with Repulse Bay. It's just a seaside area with a bunch of expensive apartments. You are better off going to Stanley, which is not far off from Repulse Bay. Stanley has good sea views and has a bustling market for you to do some shopping as well.

The Wishing Tree is very ill at the moment. So, you probably won't be allowed to toss oranges on it. When you get there, you will know what I am talking about.

In HK, you will also want to get on the Star Ferry that runs between HK Island and Kowloon. For about 60 cents US roundtrip you get the best Victoria Harbor views (if the air isn't too smoggy) of any transport. A daytime and nighttime cruise give you different views of the world-famous HK skylines. RT takes about 10-15 minutes to complete so you don't need to set aside a lot of time for this.

Another transport you can consider is the tram trolley that runs across HK Island. I think it's the 2nd oldest transport system (about 80-90 years old) still in use in HK. Oldest is the Peak Tram. It runs from the westside to the eastside of the island. It's less than 30 cents US for the whole trip. Along the way, you will see both old and modern Hong Kong. It's a rather long journey though. Believe it takes about 45-60 minutes each way.

In any case, your itin already looks pretty complete for 1 trip. There are simply too many things to see, so followup trips are definitely needed.

 

You're getting to see the major items. Stick with your plans as it seems like you're going on an organized trip.

If you're not, I can arrange a private car for you in Beijing to take you to some of the unrestored sections of the great wall that not too many people get to see.

Those are all of the high points in Shanghai and Suzhou.

Not a bad list for a first time visitor.

Let me know if you get bored in Shanghai, I can take you out for a beer and western food if you're tired of real Chinese.

Erik

 

Would this be an accurate definition of real Chinese?:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=134759756&postcount=30

 

Yes, but the salmon sperm was at a sushi bar in Ginza in Tokyo. You could probably find it in China, but I haven't gone looking for it.