Some destinations cannot be visited impulsively. You need to plan a lot for the same. China is one such place, where you need to do a lot of research before traveling to, because of the language barriers that you might face there. Mandarin, which is the official language of China, is considered to be one of the toughest languages in the world. Therefore, it is almost impossible for you to learn the language in a short time. Also, very few people in China speak English. So, your survival will depend on your negotiation skills.
Is China a safe place to visit?
Most of the people, who have visited China in the past, are of the opinion that China is definitely one of the safest places to visit, especially for a woman. The only point that you have to remember is to take care of your belongings. Issues of pickpocketing and thieves in crowded places are quite common in China. The tourist places in China are the ones where robbers are found in plenty. Your belongings such as your backpack and mobile phone can be gone in a second if you aren’t alert. The thieves are quite intelligent and quick here!
Are the people of China nice to tourists?
Yes, definitely! The Chinese are very courteous and helpful, especially for tourists. They know that their language is a difficult one and that tourists can have a problem with commuting to various places. When you are stuck midway on the road or if you have a problem buying something from a store, you can request a nearby local to help you, and he will, with all his heart. Unlike the Japanese, the Chinese are distant or cold at all.
An interesting point to note is that many Chinese students and youngsters know English, but they are not confident in speaking the language aloud. When you make an effort and learn a few basic words of Mandarin to communicate with them, they will also reciprocate by speaking a few English words. This way, your communication with the locals can improve and you can get more help than you ever imagined.
If your home country is Australia, Europe, or America, you may find the Chinese a little unorganized when it comes to standing in queues. Some Chinese people don’t find it rude to push people in the queue or move ahead of the person standing before them, without asking for their permission. Some tourists might feel offended by this behavior, but when pointed out, the Chinese admit their mistake and apologize for the same.
When you drop some money on the ground by mistake, don’t expect a Chinese to pick it up and return it to you. More often than not, he may take the money and run away. The bottom line here is that you need to be more alert than ever when walking on the streets of China. There is another reason why you should be on alert mode always. Though China’s economy is continuously booming, the development doesn’t reflect on its infrastructure.
Many roads in China aren’t built as well as they should have been. Many construction sites are left incomplete with no warning messages for tourists. You will not find any yellow boards to warn you about wet floors; it is you who should be alert always and watch your way. If you are from a developed country, you might find these things quite strange, but that’s how China is!
Avoid being exploited
One of the most important things that you have to take care of in China is to be safe from being exploited. Cab drivers, restaurant staff, cafes and other shops try to sell their products or services to you at exorbitant rates because they know you are a foreigner and that you aren’t aware of the prevailing market rates. This is where your negotiation skills come to your rescue. Bargain as much as you can, to let them know that you are a tough nut to crack.
When in China, you should be thorough with the current exchange rates. Also be aware of the prevailing market rates of basic essentials such as a meal, a cup of coffee, cab charges from your hotel to the airport or to various tourist places. This way, you can avoid being conned by unauthorized agents. If you feel that you are ridiculously charged for a particular product or service, all you need to do is to walk away from there.
Here are some travel tips that can be of great help to you when you visit China:
- Purchase a VPN (Virtual Private Network) before entering China, because you cannot access sites such as Google, YouTube or Facebook there.
- Have all your paperwork such as Visa in place before you think of entering China.
- Though it is very difficult, try to learn at least the fundamentals of Mandarin as it will help you deal with the people at shops, cab drivers, etc.
- Never visit China during the peak holiday season or during Chinese festivals; you will spot nothing but people everywhere.
- Most of the times you may find that your credit card is being declined at the outlets in China. Many retailers don’t accept Visa or Mastercard credit cards in China. So, it is important to be alert to that before you make any purchase.
- When you visit a hotel, you may be surprised to find that most of the menu cards are printed in Chinese. You may have no idea of the dishes that are being served in that particular place. When in doubt, always ask the hotel staff about the same. As you might already know, the Chinese eat a lot of strange stuff such as worms, frogs, snakes, etc. So, you don’t want to take the risk of ordering any random dish from the menu, do you?
In a nutshell, all that we would like to tell you is that China is definitely a wonderful place to travel to and that the people are really nice and helpful here. The only problem is that not many of them speak English. However, as a tourist, when you take the first step of learning a bit of basic Mandarin, you can definitely find your way through China and survive successfully in this booming country.
Written by Boyan Minchev