What’s forbidden in the land of the Forbidden City?

By Randy Colt

Planning on visiting China this year?  Perhaps you already have a short list of the places you want to see like the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the world-famous Great Wall of China, and the Beijing Capital Museum.  Well, before you head to the airport and fly to the land of the Forbidden City, here’s a short list of what not to do while you’re vacationing there.

Learn the Language

In some countries, either you speak their language or you back to where you came from.  Now, they’re not really being nosy or stuck-up.  They just respect their language that much.   English might be the universal language but in some places in China, don’t expect them to adjust to your native tongue.  It’s the other way around.

Traveling to another country who speaks a native language that’s far off from English, it’s obvious that you might want to study and memorize a few conversational phrases to help you.  Apart from immersing yourself in another culture and language, it shows that you respect their language too.  There’s a wide variety of pocket manuals for some everyday Mandarin phrases that are made for travelers and having one of those is a practical investment.

Lay off during the “Golden Weeks”

In China, Golden Week refers to the two 7-day national holidays the Chinese celebrate every year.  The first one is the Spring Festival Golden Week or the Chinese Lunar New Year which takes places either in January or February.  The second is their National Day Golden Week that starts sometime during the first week of October.  There used to be a third Golden Week, which is the Labour Day Golden Week during the 1^st of May; however, it ceased to celebrate since 2007.

The reason why travelers are advised to lay off during these Golden Weeks is because these are the times when the people are paid for a three-day holiday break.  In 1999 alone, it was reported that around 28 million Chinese took a trip during the first week of the National Day celebration.  In 2007, the figure increased to 120 million.  However, if you’re lucky enough to be in China during the Golden Weeks, you’re still bound to have a great time; that is if you enjoy squeezing your way amidst the crowd and paying more that the average for the products and services.

Nevertheless, feel free to book a trip to China any other time of the year.  The country is so big that it has a celebration of some sort all year round.

Go for the street food

If the only Chinese food you know are the ones you order during Chinese Take-Out dinners at home, you might faint when you see what’s on the menu for an authentic Chinese dinner.  Chicken feet…hmm, okay, wow that tastes like chicken!  Durian….chew, swallow, don’t breathe. Dog meat…well, I hate dogs anyway.  Horse…good bye, Black Beauty!  Fish head…err.  Stinky tofu…is it safe?  “Chicken without Sex Life”…poor chap.  “Goat Genitals Soup”…what?!    See? There’s more to Chinese food than just your beans sprouts!  That’s why you really need to learn a few conversational Mandarin phrases so you will know what you’re eating because some of the foods in China are, well, undistinguishable.

But don’t worry, you won’t go starving in China.  For one, there are pot stickers in Shanghai and barbecues are abundant in some of the busiest streets.  There’s also noodles dishes that are made fresh everyday and fish balls by the carts.  If you can’t stomach authentic Chinese delicacies, head not for the hills, but for the streets.

Give Baiju as shot.

Every country has its trademark alcoholic beverage.  The Mexicans have their tequila; the Japanese their sake; and the Chinese their baiju, which literally means “white liquor.”  And by white, we don’t mean the milk-looking kind; rather, it looks similar to vodka in terms of clarity and similar to sake because it’s often made from glutinous rice, wheat, and sometimes millet. But that’s so unusual with bajiu is that it takes like bleach.  Yes, you read that right.  Moreover, the packaging looks like one too.  Nevertheless, it’s considered as one of trademark flavors of China and is quite popular with business functions and social gatherings and it goes without saying that everyone coincides to make the visitor toast as many baiju shot glass as possible.  So, live a little more dangerously and have a taste of baiju.

Don’t laugh at the kid’s open pants.

In every city, you’ll always find a young child peeing in a public area with the mother holding a Ziploc bag, a portable potty, or an empty water bottle.  Well, kids will be kids and you really can’t blame the parents.  Blame the child’s bladder.  When you have to go, you have to go.  In China, however, don’t be surprised to see an open seam in a kid’s pants.  It’s designed that way for comfort issues.  So what if it’s not fashionable or somewhat rude for your eyes?  The kid doesn’t care, the parents doesn’t care, so you shouldn’t care.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t laugh.  Just try to do it discreetly.

Visit Hong Kong and Macau

There’s more to Hong Kong that just shopping.  Seriously.  While it’s absolutely tempting to ditch your tour and head for the bazaars, there are a lot of things to see in Hong Kong.  Jump on one of HK’s double-decker city trams and head to the Causeway Bay, Shay Kei Wan, the Western Market, and the Happy Valley.  It will let you see a different side of HK other than the central business district.  There’s also the Sai Wan Ho where the Museum of Coastal Defence and the Hong Kong Film Archive are located.  Atrip to the Avenue of Stars, where a splendid show of laser and lights are being held, is also a must-do when passing through Hong Kong.  When visiting former Portuguese territory, Macau, remember that there’s more to do here than just stay inside the casinos.  The block-after-block of Portuguese architecture is worth every shot in your digital camera as well as the fishing villages and the fort area.

Posted via email from Supreme Clientele Travel