Continuing my series of blogs with advice for the newcomer to China....
Shanghai hotel room Here are some things it's valuable to know when you step off the plane:
Getting your tired, dazed, jet-lagged self, and all of your luggage, out of the airport: If you are staying at a hotel after arriving in Beijing, let's hope you've picked one that offers an airport shuttle service. We like the Citic Hotel Beijing Airport. Otherwise your first interaction with Chinese commerce will be an inflated taxi ride at the airport. Look for the taxi stand and don't go with the people lying in wait at the arrivals gate offering you a taxi. There is a rail service that connects with the subway service, for the adventurous. But I for one wouldn't take a large suitcase onto the Beijing subway system during rush hour.
Tips -- speaking of tips -- in Beijing and Shanghai and in the most Western-oriented hotels, we tip the bellboy and the chambermaid just as we would at home. But the local taxi drivers (here in a city in the middle of Shandong Province) are absolutely flummoxed when we try to tip them. And we do, especially if they have driven us out to our campus at night, because it's a long drive back into town with little prospect of picking up a fare. We don't tip at restaurants or at budget hotels. I've never noticed a tip jar at a coffee bar, either. So, no need to tip outside the major metropolitan centers or major tourist places...
Getting your tired, dazed, jet-lagged self, and all of your luggage, out of the airport: If you are staying at a hotel after arriving in Beijing, let's hope you've picked one that offers an airport shuttle service. We like the Citic Hotel Beijing Airport. Otherwise your first interaction with Chinese commerce will be an inflated taxi ride at the airport. Look for the taxi stand and don't go with the people lying in wait at the arrivals gate offering you a taxi. There is a rail service that connects with the subway service, for the adventurous. But I for one wouldn't take a large suitcase onto the Beijing subway system during rush hour.
Tips -- speaking of tips -- in Beijing and Shanghai and in the most Western-oriented hotels, we tip the bellboy and the chambermaid just as we would at home. But the local taxi drivers (here in a city in the middle of Shandong Province) are absolutely flummoxed when we try to tip them. And we do, especially if they have driven us out to our campus at night, because it's a long drive back into town with little prospect of picking up a fare. We don't tip at restaurants or at budget hotels. I've never noticed a tip jar at a coffee bar, either. So, no need to tip outside the major metropolitan centers or major tourist places...
sign in ladies' stall at local mall. It's supposed to be, "arrive in a rush, leave with a flush." Don't leave home without them: I've mentioned this before but, ladies, you need to carry tissues with you. High-end restaurants and hotels have western toilets with toilet paper. Some public washrooms have one big roll of toilet paper at the entrance to the washroom, some washrooms have no paper at all. Also a purse package of moist toilets -- sometimes there will be no soap and don't expect paper towels for drying your hands, either. Think of the trees you're saving!
Is coffee important to you? If you can't imagine being without coffee, bring some packets of instant coffee (such as Starbucks) with you, just in case you end up in a hotel that has a kettle, cups and tea in the bedroom but no coffee. Unthinkable? It has happened to us. Yes! Individual coffee packets are readily available for sale at convenience stores, and so, by the way, is sweetened flavored yogurt. So if you're at a loss as to what to have for breakfast when you're on the go, there's always yogurt.
Bring RMB. Get some Chinese currency before you arrive. I had been assured that my four digit PIN debit card from my credit union would work anywhere in China. Well, it didn't. I tried lots of ATM machines that couldn't cope with it and I couldn't access my Canadian bank account. China has a six digit PIN system. I finally found a machine that would give me some money, but not until I had had to borrow money from a colleague before payday.
Bring RMB. Get some Chinese currency before you arrive. I had been assured that my four digit PIN debit card from my credit union would work anywhere in China. Well, it didn't. I tried lots of ATM machines that couldn't cope with it and I couldn't access my Canadian bank account. China has a six digit PIN system. I finally found a machine that would give me some money, but not until I had had to borrow money from a colleague before payday.
Your first trip to the grocery store: When buying fruits and vegetables, check to see if there are staff people with scales in the produce section. Your produce will need to be weighed and priced by them before you go to the checkout. And uh, about that produce. Wash it thoroughly before eating. And bring anti-diarrhea medicine with you. There are lots of delicious fruits and vegetables here, though. The Chinese don't eat as much salad and raw vegetables as we do but they eat lots of fruit, and a bag of fresh fruit is a popular hostess gift when dining in someone's home.
Set up a QQ account. Facebook is banned in China. "QQ" is an instant message/Facebook substitute. Exchanging QQ contact numbers with colleagues and your new Chinese friends is a valuable way to network in China. Students and teachers also use it to post messages, homework assignments and resources.
The QQ penguin mascot sure reminds me of the M&M Meats mascot....
The QQ penguin mascot sure reminds me of the M&M Meats mascot....
Well, those are a few things that occur to me. But a lot of the adventure is making your own discoveries, big and small. Grab your passport and bon voyage. There's more to this brave adventure, than you'd ever believe....
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