Going to China

Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guilin. What can I expect, what should I be sure to do, or try, eat, drink? Any advice, etc.? Will be traveling with someone who is fluent. champagne.gif

Can you bring wine or alcohol into China?

I think 2 bottles per person but I’m not sure. Expect what you would normally expect in a metropolis. Hangzhou felt less like a big city last time I went but China changes every year.

Things you should eat:

Clay baked chicken in Hangzhou and Longjing tea
Peking Duck in Beijing
Shanghai: Shengjian mantou - Wikipedia

Beijing and Shanghai are world’s apart in history and their focus. Beijing is the government hub while Shanghai is modern business. I always found that the people in both cities are very friendly and open. In Beijing around Tianenman Square I was occasionally shadowed by military/police when with Chinese nationals. Beijing is often smoggy and Shanghai can be very humid. Wherever you are staying carry the location written in Chinese and English so that if needed you can find your way back with taxi driver. The hotel’s business card is what I carried with me. If possible I would try to make it to Xian and visit the Terracotta Warriors.

Highend Burgundy goes great with the food.

Thx. Gulin added to the agenda (amended above).

Copy from older thread:

I went to Beijing for a weekend this summer, ate at Da Dong and enjoyed it (got there early), also at the Sichuan place in the office (Chuan Ban) (they only take reservations for noon, and I was an hour late as it is very, very hard to find)’ I really enjoyed it. Also ate at Tiandi Yijia, which was good but a bit ‘fusion’. My favourite Sichanese was called Transit, modern place in a shopping arcade. Saturday lunch at Maison Boulud was a nice change.

Lafite + Coca Cola

Off dry Riesling goes well with a wide range of Chinese food.

I see what you did there… [snort.gif]

Watch out for the maotai

First & foremost, if you are going with someone fluent, I would recommend one thing - go with an open mind, and let the fluent person lead, and you just be open to try things, see things, feel things, etc…

I’d tell you in Beijing you should have Peking duck… go see Forbidden city/great wall/summer palace/temple of heaven.
I’d tell you in Shanghai, there’s no culture or soul but lots of food/money - go eat Sheng Jian Bao, and enjoy the ‘megatropolis’ feel.
I’d tell you in Hangzhou to go see the lake, and take in local cuisine (i don’t like them but it’s apparently a distinct cuisine)
I’d tell you in Guilin to check out the cute women…err i mean scenery… :wink:

But you are probably already doing all of that anyways since you’re going with someone who’s familiar with the culture/language?

One last bit of advice - check the weather of the locations… they differ pretty dramatically… you might need a jacket in one, and t-shirt in another. depends on time of year mainly.

Have a great time.

I’d leave Guilin for the surrounding countryside, both the beautiful karst scenery on the Li and Yulong rivers in Yangshuo and the villages from a different era in the Longji rice terraces. I stayed here and here: http://www.yangshuomountainretreat.com/ and http://www.zljyl.com/en/

In Beijing, besides the places Mark suggested, I think the most interesting hutong are in the Da Shi Lan area just off of Qianmen Street. Also BeiHai park is very nice.

I still think the best beijing style roast duck is at the Ya Wang Scitech branch - but don’t go expecting fancy service or ambience.

Some other good restaurants I ate at during a recent visit to Beijing are below. All are easy to get too except the Fuzhou city restaurant requires a car.

Hang Teng Ge Li - Xinjiang food in the Xinjiang provincial government representative office in Beijing, a short walk from the Bai Shi Qiao South subway stop. Serves a mean da pan ji, wicked lamb kebabs, tasty breads, and a great lamb and rice dish.

Fuzhou City of Jiangxi province representative office - somewhere in Fengtai. Never had this food before. The food was at turns spicy like neighboring Hunan (a wicked hot mi fen dish), but also featured light and delicate soups and stews that would fit in a Zhejiang restaurant.

Din Tai Fung - many locations of this Tawainese xiao long bao chain in Beijing, I’m sure. A nice one in the Parkview Green building close to Ritan Park.

Caspi - get your Azerbaijani fix in a little walking mall directly across the north gate to Ritan Park. A bit like persian, a bit like turkish, and a nice break from chinese.

Xibei You Mian Cun - several locations. Go for the oat noodles dressed with lamb sauce and an eggplant/tomato sauce.

Pleasant Seascape Restaurant - perhaps the best food I’ve had in Beijing. Mostly cantonese style dishes - excellent honey glazed roast pork, scallops stir-fried with asparagus, lilly bulb and gingko nuts, and a vinegary salad of manchurian wild rice. On the 3rd floor of the shopping mall attached to the Financial Street Ritz-Carlton, on the opposite side.

Make sure you get some Xia Long bao

Have to disagree with you on Shanghai. It is a young city, but it does not mean Shanghai has no soul. Historically it is a port city. It is a melting pot, which you can see through its food. A lot of traditional Shanghai food are a results of combining foods from multiple cultures. Also it has a very unique foreign influenced Chinese culture, due to its colonial period. I would say Shanghai has an one of a kind unique culture that you will not see in any other Chinese city.

Full disclosure: I was born in Shanghai.

David

Is it still not smart to bring any electronic device with any of your personal information on it, or does that advice just apply to sensitive business or government travelers?

Drew; Surprised you put this in Asylum. There is a real nice thread in Travel from my trip in November.

Cheers!
Marshall champagne.gif

I didn’t know there was a travel section? Thx!

There are supposedly hidden secret forums (fora?) too!

+1 on Yangshou, though it’s been 23 years. The karst landscape is captivating. I did a year in Changsha, Hunan. Interesting place. You’ll love it.

Have a great time Drew. China is a wonderful experience.

BTW, if you are spending any time in Shanghai, you owe it to yourself to do a day at Suzhou. It is a city known as the Venice of China (along with sister city Zhoujaojao) It is worth the side trip.