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China Local Customs

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Most Viewed Local Customs in China

Eating and Drinking Beijing

51 Reviews The Y files, where Y stands for "yummy!". Peking duck is, according to some, the dish that represents the city the most. I'm not really a fan of duck (or fowl) but I went to China with as much of an...

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Medicine Xi'an

2 Reviews I've been sick in China once and went to a Chinese medicine shop. They doctor told me to open my mouth and asked the nurse what it looked like- he was pretty much blind. Then he prescribed some herbs...

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Shopping/Bargaining Beijing

23 Reviews They have some really nice handy craft in China, and they can be pretty cheap, if you are a hard bargainer. Bought the picture for RMB50 in a shop. Thought it was a good bargain, I bought 4. When it...

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Board Games Xi'an

2 Reviews I don´t know if I should call it as a 'cultural tip' because you won´t go Xi´An to play chess. No, I don´t mean the game what the Westerner play but Chinese Chess. Once I saw a group of men standing...

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Spitting Beijing

14 Reviews The Chinese are huges fans of hocking up everything in their throat and spitting it anywhere and everywhere. They believe that it is a hygenic thing to do, more so than our western tradition of...

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Taking Photos Beijing

11 Reviews I met the lady in the Temple of Heaven Park, early in the morning. She was very friendly, started talking to me (of course, apart from 'Ni hao' I couldn't understand what she was saying) and when I...

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Language Beijing

9 Reviews The Chinese authorities certainly have quite some sense of humour, don't they? Do you understand what they are trying to tell you? Or warn you?? But then again, they have come a long way...... At...

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Dress Code Beijing

3 Reviews The Chinese people dress more conservatively than Westerners. Men do not wear shorts and women do not wear sleeveless outfits. Chinese women also do not wear tracksuits. Blue jeans, however, are...

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Beijing Opera and Acrobats Beijing

14 Reviews Acrobatics have a long tradition in china, and going to see a show can be recommended. I went to a show with a guided tour, witch might not have been the best thing to do if I wanted to see top...

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Morning Exercises Beijing

9 Reviews Like what I've Said, senior citizens of Beijing Never had it so easy that after retiring at 55 years old, they are well taken care of by the government and provided with sustainable needs that they...

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Festivals Beijing

18 Reviews During NewYear's, Beijing needs you to wear earplugs. First things said first, consider the public offices to be closed but not restaurants or all of the shops. In fact that is when many people make...

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Streets and Traffic Beijing

11 Reviews Beijing Order Car Rental Co. The Price List CarModel Airport-transfer One-day downtown BJ £¨RMB£© £¨RMB£© M-BenzS600£º 800 2000 M-BrnzS350£º 700 1600 Coaster£¨20seats£©£º 400 800 AudiA6£º 350...

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13.

Toilets Beijing

8 Reviews personal hygiene set for sale available at hotel rooms for 20 RMB and has towels, bath liquid soap, shampoo, lotion, tootbrush and toot paste. for people who forgot to pack their toilettries after...

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Hutongs Beijing

10 Reviews Red as a color of positive affirmation in China is one the ways to articulate otherwise solid, colorless walls of the buildings or as in this case, one of the gates to a residence in a hutong - a...

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Superstitions Beijing

8 Reviews Chinese tradition has a special veneration for mountains. That was a problem in Beijing, with the emperor's palace staying in a very flat area. The solution? Building a mountain. Thus we can see...

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16.

Games Beijing

4 Reviews Well, if you are in Beijing and don't know what MahJong is probably you haven't ventured out of your hotel premises. Every second street you go to youl wil find people playing it. OK, so what the hell...

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Art and Galleries Beijing

4 Reviews During 2011 Chinese National Day, I saw this beautiful Lotus and Jade Flowers displayed near the South Gate, Temple of Heaven. Chinese has own beliefs and understanding of Lotus and Jade. The...

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18.

History Beijing

8 Reviews In ancient China people divided the night into five Gengs. A Geng was an ancient time unit used to divide the night, every Geng marked a Shichen (another time division unit which is the equivalent to...

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Cloisonne Beijing

1 Review Cloisonne: Beijing is where cloisonne making originated. The earliest was made in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The best was made during the Xuan De period (1426-1456) of the Ming Dynasty. During the...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

AVOID POLUTION WEAR A FACE MASK

by DennyP

CHINA When travelling through China I noticed most people wearing protective face masks. As the polution is extreme this is a really important practice to also do. I already had some protective particle face masks that I got previously when in Vietnam where the traffic polution was also horrific. I constantly used them in Mongolia also because of the constant prolific dust everywhere. This fact of polution is very seldom taken into consideration when looking at essentials to pack. I was really surprised how bad the polution was in and around Biejing..so much so, I left sooner than I wanted to due to a chest infection. I had heard that the government had moved to improve the air quality for their Olympic Games . I cant imagine what the air quality was like before.These polutants are especially bad for bronchial sufferers of Asthma, Bronchitis or any chronic breathing problem that can be...

Tai Chi

by roamer61

Definition from Wikipedia: , is a type of internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. It is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art technique, demonstration competitions, and longevity. As a consequence, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims. Some of t'ai chi ch'uan's training forms are especially known for being practiced at what most people categorize as slow movement.Throughout China, in parks and other open areas, one can see people doing Tai Chi. In my video, I photographed some people outside the Shanghai Museum in the surrounding park.

Chopsticks

by tini58de

When travelling in China, you better get used to eating with chopsticks - even noodle soup is served with chopsticks!I remember the first meal we had in China! I thought to myself: "well, I either practise now or I will starve" - and I practised and enjoyed the most delicious food ever!!!In westernized hotels and restaurants you will get a knife and fork, but personally I think the food tastes so much better when eating it the traditional way!.

Urban Construction Projects

by traveldave

Chinese cities are dramatically increasing in size and economic strength, leading to a boom in massive urban construction projects. These construction projects include infrastructure improvements, such as roads, highways, bridges, airports, and deep-water ports; residential highrises; and privately owned office buildings.Ever since Deng Xiao Ping opened up China in the 1980s, foreign investment has flowed into the country, causing an economic boom that is attracting businesses and millions of people to the cities in search of work and a better lifestyle. This influx of new residents causes a demand for infrastructure and housing. In 1952, China had nine cities with a population of 1,000,000; today there are at least 37 cities of that size. Office construction in Chinese cities has been nothing short of phenominal. Most large cities have dozens, if not hundreds, of skyscrapers, with...

Agriculture in the Pearl River Delta

by traveldave

The Pearl River Delta is the low-lying region surrounding the estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. The region forms the world's largest urban agglomeration, with about 120,000,000 people living in the four main cities of Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Hong and the clusters of built-up urban areas between those cities.Agriculture in the Pearl River Delta is an aspect of the economy and a way of life that is rapidly becoming increasingly rare, and may eventually disappear altogether. Up until about 1985, most of the region was made up of farms and rural villages. However, since then about 94 percent of the agricultural land amounting to about 23,166 square miles (60,000 square kilometers) has been lost to urban development.The reason for this change is the fact that in 1985 the region was made a Special Economic Zone which attracted foreign investment,...

Chinese Kindergarten

by traveldave

Most day trips from Hong Kong to mainland China include a stop at a Chinese kindergarten. On a day when school is not in session, the trip includes a stop at a factory or other cultural attraction. The first stop on my tour of Shenzhen was a kindergarten, where the children sang songs, danced, and played musical instruments. The program lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. I imagine that this is a daily routine for them, as day trips from Hong Kong are booked almost every day.Kindergarten in China lasts about four years, and is compulsory for children between the ages of two and six years. The kindergarten system is divided into four levels. Nursery school is for children two to three years old, lower kindergarten is for children three to four years old, upper kindergarten is for children four to five years old, and preschool is for children five to six years old.

The Shekou Free Market

by traveldave

Most day trips from Hong Kong to mainland China include a stop at the Shekou Free Market. The market features fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat. While tourists might buy some fruit to eat later during their tour, the vegetables and meat are something that tourists obviously would not purchase. Nevertheless, it is an interesting experience to see locals bargain for their daily portion of meat and vegetables. Many Chinese do not have large refrigerators that are commonly owned in the West, so housewives tend to buy perishable goods every day to ensure freshness.Most of the produce for sale at the Shekou Free Market is sold buy farmers from the region who are now allowed to sell their own crops and make a profit on them.During my visit to the Shekou Free Market, I noticed that the vegetables appeared of better quality than what is generally available in American supermarkets. The meat, on...

Chinese Visas

by traveldave

Despite the fact that Hong Kong is now a Special Administrative Zone of China, visitors will still need a Chinese visa to travel to the mainland. Travelers who book a day trip can obtain a group visa through the tour company. Another option is to get a tourist visa before leaving home. I obtained my visa at the Chinese consulate in Chicago. Although it cost a little more than a group visa, having a visa already stamped in my passport was more convenient. When I went through immigration upon entering China, I was placed at the head of the line because I already had a visa. This saved having to wait in a long line.

Taking pics

by nepalgoods

Chinese people like to take pics. Even though it is forbidden to take pics in museums, they do not care. Now in most Chinese museums you take pics, but are not allowed to use tripods and flash lights. As Westerners look very exotic to Chinese, they like to have their foto taken with you. They ask and then I normally ask them to use my camera to take a pic of me with them. That is always a lot of fun.Children pose easily for a pic. They just love it. I do not know a country, where it is so easy to take pics of people.

Weddings

by nepalgoods

A weddings means a lot to Chinese people. Many rituals and customs have been lost in course of history, but many are observed even today. It is practiced in honor of family value and respect to committed relationship. So a wedding is an event, that takes some time in preparation. Some time before the offical wedding day the wedding pictures are taken. There is a whole industrie developed to serve all the needs of bride and groom. Just have a look into one of the many wedding shops on Dongtan Street in Beijing.It is fascinating to just watch the fotografer taking the wedding pics!I am very impressed how much money people spend on those weddings. Big cars, hundreds of guests, fancy dresses and so on. It is a once in a lifetime event, so it has to be spectacular!

Top 3 Hotels in China

Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Beijing

4 Reviews and 773 Opinions Located centrally in the Wangfujing area, this hotel is close to everywhere you want to get to...

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Peace Hotel Shanghai Shanghai

12 Reviews and 150 Opinions The Hotel is truely a mixture of ancient and modern decore built in a Gothic Style, it once was...

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The Garden Hotel Guangzhou Guangzhou

7 Reviews and 136 Opinions My friend and I just checked into this hotel. The rooms we received are terrible with stained...

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Reviews and photos of China attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for China sightseeing.

Experience China

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hi there, Will be going to China soon. Any recommendations on how/where to learn some simple Chinese easily and quickly?...

A: Where abouts are you from and how long have you got before you head to China? Due to it being quite a complex tonal language, I don't think it's easy to just learn it...

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