Anyone have good experiences while travelling in China?

[Bump]

I'm interested in visiting China at some point this year, but it seems like I pretty much only hear negative things about the country from people who've visited.  Seriously, from pretty much every Korean I've encountered the only things they have to say about China are, "it's a big country, but it's really dirty and the people stink and have no manners."  From expats, I hear pretty much the same thing...although the ones that have visited the more rural, scenic areas seem to have a more favorable opinion of China.  It's funny bc when I ask about Japan, pretty much everyone has the exact opposite opinion...as in "Japan is very crowded yet it's incredibly clean and the people are so polite."  Just wondering if anyone has positive things to say about China.  Or are the criticisms leveled against it really hard to look past? 

[bobrocket]

I loved china, have Korean friends living about 1hr inland from Xiamen, it's a stone manufacturing town so everything was covered in a continuos layer of dust but apart from that we had a blast.
Because we were basically in the sticks we hired a driver/translator, about ₩100k for thev2 weeks.
I didn't think much of shanghai and I thought Hong Kong was a s**t hole but I still enjoyed my time and have done the trips 3 times.
I liked the layed backed atmosphere, eating at a restaurant in the sticks, good food, cheap booze, we had a couple of 5min altercations when locals thought I was from the US but that tune changed quickly and was taken out to dinner and all sorts. A big part of the local industry is imported NZ stone.
We saw heaps of beautiful places, loads of cool touristy stuff, ate and drank well and we only touched a very small part of the country.

I could compare it for me a little like going to the US, maybe I find a few cities shitty but I they don't speak for the whole country

[gtrain83]

"we had a couple of 5min altercations when locals thought I was from the US"


So US citizens are not  looked favorably upon?

[lotte world]

"it's a big country, but it's really dirty and the people stink and have no manners."

Is it ok to write that China is really dirty, and that Chinese people stink and have no manners?

This seems like a thinly-veiled insult, crafted in a way to skirt the TOS.  How clever you are!

It's a bit like another of your posts:

Japan actively pursued a policy of miscegenation (read Japanese/White mix) in order to improve the appearance of Japanese people due to the fact that pure Japanese people are actually ugly.

I hesitate to use the t-word, but let's just say I find your posts somewhat disingenuous.

[Suza]

I had an amazing time in China. I really enjoyed it. I spent 4 days in Beijing then went to Guilin and Yangshuo for 6 days. Everyone's experiences are different.
I found the Chinese people to be very helpful and friendly.

You have to experience things for yourself in life, not listen to other peoples opinions!

[Songwon]

I was in Beijing for two weeks.  All the usual tourist stuff there - the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, etc. - was great, and I never ran out of things to do. 

Having said that, I went there right after three years in Seoul, and I thought the people were outstandingly rude compared to Koreans (make of that what you will) and that the city was quite polluted - I think my body has pretty much adjusted to Seoul, but I had lung and/or sinus problems for most of my time in Beijing.  Also, the subway doesn't cover as much of the city as it really needs to, and because of the awful traffic it took literally hours to get anywhere in a taxi. 

All in all (and, again, only speaking about Beijing), I'd definitely recommend a visit because of all the interesting historical and cultural stuff, but I'd never want to live there.

[TallPaul]

I'm interested in visiting China at some point this year, but it seems like I pretty much only hear negative things about the country from people who've visited.  Seriously, from pretty much every Korean I've encountered the only things they have to say about China are, "it's a big country, but it's really dirty and the people stink and have no manners."  From expats, I hear pretty much the same thing...although the ones that have visited the more rural, scenic areas seem to have a more favorable opinion of China.  It's funny bc when I ask about Japan, pretty much everyone has the exact opposite opinion...as in "Japan is very crowded yet it's incredibly clean and the people are so polite."  Just wondering if anyone has positive things to say about China.  Or are the criticisms leveled against it really hard to look past?

Nonsense. Koreans are generally racist towards Japanese and Chinese.

I was in China for 7 months and had an amazing time!

Remember, it is a developing country, so in the country side you may find some dirty/polluted areas. But the people are friendly and welcoming. And also remember, manners are cultural. Are Koreans rude because they don't hold the door open for you? Or is it their culture?

Peace!

[Random]

I was in China for about 15 months or so. I lived in Beijing, went to university there, and traveled to all parts of the country. I adored it. I miss China every day.

I will say that speaking Chinese makes it a billion times better, no doubt. I know that isn't helpful in your situation, but it is the truth. To clarify, one of my favorite cities to visit was Lanzhou in Gansu province (west, approaching a desert.) You wouldn't get to experience a place like that without speaking some Chinese.

Yes Beijing is kind of dirty, but it shouldn't bother you. Yes people spit.

However, the subway, especially with the new lines since I was living there, make getting anywhere in Beijing stupidly easy.

In China, only hotels rates 3 stars or more can legally accept foreigners. There are several nice chains I can recommend from personal experience if you would like. As an example: If you would like, you can stay at the "国际交流中心 Guoji jiaoliu zhongxin" on the campus of Communication University of China (国际交流中心, Chuanmei Daxue.) It is located in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, right on (literally out their north or south gate) on of the main bus lines, and also on a main subway line.

You would get onto the subway and ride 4 stops to Guomao, the big international business district (for ice-skating and sweet teaching gigs and some special resturaunts) or 9 stops from Wangfgujing, one of Beijings premeire tourist shopping spots (nike/lining shoes, HUGE bookstore, "antiques", a centuries old Catholic church, the infamous night food market, etc) 10 stops from Tiananmen square and all of the stuff surrounding it, and 12 stops from Xidan, another huge shopping hub of Beijing city. I know that sounds like a lot, but you are looking at like 20 mins or so travel time, it is really fast.

I wholeheartedly suggest China to anyone. If you would like, I can provide you with maps, travel routes, and translations for a lot of things. I can also show you where you might like to shop for certain things, etc. I'm not really a sino-phile per se, but it is hard not to love a place where you never had a single bad experience in 1.5 years. =/



Damn I miss China...

[rmogden]

I am a US citizen, and have spent the past year living and working in rural China (Hunan province). I've never had any negative experiences because of my nationality - people are very friendly, although they do sometimes have some interesting misconceptions (all we eat is bread, everyone owns a gun).  I have loved traveling throughout the country, but you do have to bear in mind that it really still is a developing country. It is going to be dirtier and less developed than, say, Japan or Korea. If you don't know at least a few rudimentary Mandarin phrases, I would suggest sticking to the big cities and major tourist spots, unless you are very adventurous and willing to endure some confusion and frustration. If you know a little Mandarin or are just the kind of person who can communicate anything through gesture, a smile, and hope, you can find some of the most amazing experiences in less touristed areas. Some of my best experiences have been in middle-of-nowhere China - where people are so willing to be patient while I fumble at communication, and will go out of their way to help and show you a good time.

[Connoisseurus Rex]

I agree with Paul. Sounds like typical Korean superiority is influencing their ability to enjoy a trip.

Reminds me of Korean History Channel.

[klin062]

I had previously heard that the Chinese were not very friendly etc before I went there but my experience proved the opposite.  The Chinese people I encountered were far more friendly than Koreans.  They didn't stare quite so much either!  I did get approached for a lot of photos, but they were very polite and excited to see you rather than looking at you like some kind of zoo animal.
The one thing that was a little frustrating was that sometimes it is quite hard to get a taxi as a foreigner.  Apparently a lot of taxi drivers don't like to pick you up because they can't be bothered with communication difficulties, and we did spend a while on the side of the road attempting to flag one down while they all drove past.  However once we eventually managed to find someone who would pick us up, they were pretty friendly and helpful.
Beijing was a bit polluted but you expect that.  I didn't find it excessively bad.  I also went down to Qingdao on the coast, and while the beach is nothing to write home about we had a good time there.
I think you should forget what everyone else says and just go and experience it for yourself!

[ironopolis]

I'm interested in visiting China at some point this year, but it seems like I pretty much only hear negative things about the country from people who've visited.  Seriously, from pretty much every Korean I've encountered the only things they have to say about China are, "it's a big country, but it's really dirty and the people stink and have no manners."  From expats, I hear pretty much the same thing...although the ones that have visited the more rural, scenic areas seem to have a more favorable opinion of China.  It's funny bc when I ask about Japan, pretty much everyone has the exact opposite opinion...as in "Japan is very crowded yet it's incredibly clean and the people are so polite."  Just wondering if anyone has positive things to say about China.  Or are the criticisms leveled against it really hard to look past?

Nonsense. Koreans are generally racist towards Japanese and Chinese.

Actually, whilst you'd be right to imply that what the OP had heard should be taken with a pinch of salt or several, saying that "Koreans are generally racist towards Japanese and Chinese" tells not even half the story.

The more accurate generalisation (and remember that's still all it is) would be that there is lots of racism, superiority-complex and general negativity between ALL of the main East Asian nations, and in all directions.

It's certainly true that there's a significant undercurrent of superiority towards China in Korea, linked largely to resentment about its rise and power and fear of China becoming too powerful. But the same applies in Japan, where, in my experience from having lived there a long time, it was actually much worse. Japanese tv much more often carries anti-Chinese stuff than I've seen on Korean tv. Particularly in the year or so leading up to the Beijing Olympics, there was an endless torrent of negative reporting about China on Japanese tv. The Japanese Police too are very noticeably anti-Chinese.

I haven't lived in China, but from what I noticed from some of the Chinese I've known both here and in Japan, if you wanted to find negativity and prejudice from the Chinese towards Koreans and Japanese, you could certainly find it fairly easily.

HOWEVER......to answer the original question, definitely yes, I've certainly had good experiences travelling in China and I also know a few Japanese and Koreans who did too. In spite of the tension between all 3 of the nations, it's not all negativity by any means at all.

Personally, I found I got stared at a bit more in Chinese cities than in Korean ones but (a) mere staring doesn't bother me unduly and (b) it's hard to compare "stare levels" in a place you're just visiting with one you live in. But China still felt pretty safe to me and, other than crossing the road in some places, I never felt uncomfortable there.

If anything, most of the scaremongering crap I'd come across before going to China had come from English speaking western sources. Before going to Shanghai, I'd seen and heard quite a bit about how you should cling onto your wallet for dear life and that certain areas were teeming with scammers. I really didn't see what the fuss was about though. I had plenty of people trying to sell me usually watches, but I simply ignored them and they'd give up immediately. I've been to other countries where those kinds of people would be really, really hard work to get rid - absolutely not the case where I went in China.

[kingbee]

I've lived in China for almost 5 years and have been travelling here for almost 20. I've never heard of anyone I know getting into problems because they're foreign, and, by reading posts on here, they sound a lot more friendly to us folk than Koreans. Sure, people look and talk about you, but it's very rarely malicious.

It's a great place to travel, but it's not easy. Cities are massive, with much of the old architecture having been destroyed a few years back, there are tonnes of people, especially in tourist areas, and the best places to travel from my experience are the rural areas which are a hassle to get to and require some Chinese skills.

However, I've had a great time travelling here. I'd recommend Suzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao for cities; Jiangxi, Yunnan for scenery; Sichuan for the Tibetan culture and landscapes. Just incredible. I also find that the more rural you are, the kinder the people and the more genuinely interested they are in you.