Interesting facts about traveling to China in 2024, continuously updated by security and politics, health and medicine, culture, convenience and more!
Interesting Facts About Security and Politics
1. It is dangerous for foreigners to go to China due to competitive development and cultural differences, and Chinese people do not welcome and like foreigners
Misconception.
First of all, China itself is all about a multi-ethnic integration, the Han culture has not only been able to continue for thousands of years, but has also been able to integrate or influence many other countries and ethnic groups in Asia, this is simply not something that a culture and ethnic group that is extremely conceited and will not be tolerant can do.
Secondly, the Chinese government, apart from its firm and clear-cut attitude on bottom-line issues such as territorial integrity and national sovereignty, is relatively moderate and modest in its policies on other aspects such as trade, reconstruction assistance, and cultural exchanges.
Thirdly, ordinary Chinese people (the blogger is one of them) are very warm and welcoming to foreigners who are polite and respectful to each other.
2. China is full of thieves, crooks and even robbers, so foreigners traveling to China are vulnerable to theft and fraud.
Misconception.
Based on his real life experience, I believe that before the popularization of cell phone payment, thieves in China were indeed not rare, and they repeatedly got their hands on train stations, bus stations, shopping malls and other crowded places.
But nowadays, most urbanites no longer carry cash on their bodies, and support mobile app payment for traveling, shopping, consumption and bill payment.
Uncritically speaking, Alipay has done a better job than the police and schools in eliminating thieves in this matter.
There are scammers anywhere, but nowadays the way of cheating is more like online chatting or gambling and other behaviors. You just need to maintain a normal level of vigilance in your normal life. One of the main reasons things like robberies have become so rare in China is that the country has built as much video surveillance in public areas as possible, and the surveillance equipment is mainly from companies like Hikvision and Dahua.
If you dig a little deeper, whether it’s mobile payments or video surveillance, the ability to use these applications relies on huge and leading investments in China’s public power, communications networks and other infrastructure.
The simplest example is that it’s hard to hear about things like “zero-dollar purchases” and “subway fare evasion” in the United States.
This topic could be expanded to include some of the reasons for the traditional culture of the Chinese people and the need for a unified government.
Interesting Facts About Health and Medical Care
3. China has poor sanitation and a high risk of contracting viruses or bacteria.
Misconception, but needs attention.
If you look at food and drinking water, then this is absolutely wrong and you don’t have to worry about food and water safety conditions.
However, it is important to note that most of the food in the northern and western parts of China is heavy on cooking oil, and some of it is also spicy and numbing. The stomach and intestines used to steak and pizza may have an adverse reaction to greasy, spicy and stimulating food in a short time, resulting in diarrhea and other conditions. At this time, on the one hand, we should pay attention to the diet, you can taste some light food; on the other hand, you need to take some common gastrointestinal drugs to be protected.
It must be said that the air quality in some cities in China is not good, and many people who come to China from overseas are prone to throat discomfort. This phenomenon is mostly found in inland or industrialized cities.
When traveling, pay attention to check the air quality index of the day and choose to wear a mask appropriately; while the air quality in most coastal, highland areas or villages is good.
When the Covid epidemic first started, many overseas media used the term “Wuhan virus”, which I think is an extremely irresponsible and irresponsible statement.
Without supervision and management, there is no real freedom of speech. The ancient Chinese idiom “Zhong Kou Shuo Jin” and the modern Internet term “Pen zi” tell of just such a thing.
Interesting Facts About Convenience
4. The best time to travel to China is April-May or September-October.
Not entirely true.
First of all, you can find places to visit at any time of the year.
But it’s best to exclude these times Chinese New Year holiday, National Day holiday (sometimes in conjunction with Mid-Autumn Festival), May Day holiday.
The Spring Festival and National Day are both busy times for China’s great population migration, and not only are the roads congested and hotel prices have risen dramatically, but popular tourist cities and attractions can be packed with people, resulting in a very poor travel experience; The next rung down is the student winter and summer vacations, so if your main plan is to go to places your kids actively or passively like (e.g., beaches, science and technology museums), it might be better to avoid the summer and winter vacations.
Secondly, northern cities are relatively cold from November to February; a few cities (e.g. Chongqing, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanchang have been made the new Four Furnaces) can be very hot in August and September, making them unsuitable for long outdoor activities.
To summarize: make sure to avoid the Chinese New Year and National Day holidays, and consider the temperature for the rest of the year to make your itinerary for the north and south.
5. Which provinces or cities can I choose for my first trip to China?
If you don’t have a specific purpose, the first suggestion is to choose a few among Beijing (political center, historical and cultural city), Xi’an (historical and cultural city), Chengdu/Chongqing, and Shanghai (modern and economic); for natural scenery, Hunan, Xinjiang, and Qinghai are very good.
6. VPN and Mobile APP (Payment/Taxi/Shopping)
You can’t use Google APP, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. in China by default, you need to use a VPN, and the cost is usually a few to a dozen dollars/month. Most VPNs support multiple terminals for one account, so fellow travelers can share.
Mobile phone-based APPs can dramatically improve your convenience of living in Chinese cities, but they generally require a Chinese phone number for registration, and payment APPs usually require real-name authentication.
In addition, there is a shopping APP called Pinduoduo (the Chinese version of Temu), which may increase the desire to shop for women, but be sure to pay attention to the quality of the product for items that are significantly lower than the average price.
Interesting Facts About Culture and customs
7. Dogs in China
While dogs don’t have the same status in China as they do in the U.S., more and more people are enjoying them in general. Dogs in urban homes are usually well-fed and clothed, but lack the opportunity to bounce around and take off outdoors, while dogs in the countryside are a bit more free-spirited.
In the city, all medium and large dogs must be walked on a leash, as it happens occasionally that an out-of-control medium or large dog bites a strange child.
8. Rush to pay the bill
Chinese people usually have an interesting phenomenon at their friends’ gatherings, everyone is drinking very happily, and they all rush to pay the bill; they also go to the front desk to buy the bill after finishing the dishes; they even pay a certain amount of money for the dishes at the front desk as a deposit, and then refund it when they settle the bill. Occasionally, friendly physical conflict occurs because of the rush to pay the bill.
How to know the real facts about China?
Read more about interesting facts about China, Some stereotypes and old-fashioned content will blind you.
