China

Visited: August 1999

Duration of visit: 60 days

Capital city: Beijing

Population: 1,253 million (1999)

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

• Visiting the Great Wall with a group of Chinese tourists to get a genuine encounter with the longest structure in the world.
• Beijing with its landmarks: Tiananmen Square, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Forbidden City and Lama Buddhist Temple.
• Awaiting the sunrise on the top of sacred mountain Emei Shan.
• Spinning sacred wheels in a three-kilometer-long pilgrimage route around Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
• Three days trip with horses to the countryside above Songpan.
• Nowhere else in the world I could walk into the most rundown restaurants and get numerous options with freshly made vegetarian dishes in minutes.
• Visiting Hong Kong after its recent incorporation into China.

China was part of the Asian Big Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia to India. During this 15-months long trip I visited most of the countries in the region and spent two months travelling around China.

After traveling around China my impressions can be summarized in the following thoughts: incredibly honest and friendly people to whom the ideas of communism, equality and social sacrifice are outdated ideals.

It boasts diverse nature, modern cities and some innovations that make travelling easier for the visitors. I was especially impressed by a varied diet and confused with difficult communication.

In this article write about the following topics in China: a country of superlatives, short history, travelling tips, Chinese cuisine, the rule of one child and what to do when only Chinese is spoken.

 More articles about my China adventures are available here:

Although China ranks as the fourth largest nation in the world, it maintains only one time zone. It is fascinating to note that one in five people globally is Chinese. I find it particularly interesting that table tennis is considered the national sport of China, despite the multitude of sports that exist. Moreover, the nation boasts remarkable sites such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and faces significant challenges including a thriving economy, pollution in its industrial sectors, and in major urban areas.

Recently China has been famous for copying any kind of products, but it has been historically recognized as a country with great inventions: paper, gunpowder, block-printing and the compass are just some of them.

Furthermore, China features an exceptional traditional cuisine, sacred mountains and more and more.

Alongside Cuba and North Korea, it remains the final bastion of communism, characterized by challenging travel conditions, a self-sufficient populace, and, during my visit, in the process discontinue the practice of setting prices for foreigners at levels that are three times higher than those for its local population. No country has ever been such a big puzzle, with so many conflicting opinions and comments from various sources.

One of the general characteristics of China is that many things are big: over a billion people in an extensive territory, large railway network, enormous bus stations and rich history. Out of many dynasties that ruled China and more or less successfully expanded its territories, special place goes to Han (206 BC – 220 BC), Yuan (1271 – 1368), Ming (1368 – 1644) and Qing (1644 – 1911) dynasties.

After proclamation of the Republic and the civil war between Communists and Chiang Kaishek’s army, on 1^st October 1949, Mao Zedong solemnly proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Initially, the communist system contributed to rapid progress, but Mao’s key mistakes and the Cultural Revolution (1966-70) brought it into recession.

Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms pushed China into an economic boom in the 1980s and 1990s, while the political situation remained almost unchanged until today.

Due to its large territory and diverse climate, it is almost impossible to choose the ideal time to visit China. The autumn months are probably the most suitable, when the heat in the south becomes more bearable and there is less precipitation in the north. The tourist season is at its peak in July and August, while Chinese tourists travel a lot during the holidays and during the Chinese New Year, when it is almost impossible to get an empty room in a hotel.

I traveled around the country in autumn, when it was easy to find accommodation, visit landmarks without previous reservation and find transport on the same day of the trip.

In the past, China was known for double prices. One was valid for locals, and two to five times higher prices were applied for foreigners. Over the last years, the situation has been improving in favor of tourists: there is usually no difference in entrance fees, and the prices of buses or trains are the same for everyone.

More and more inexpensive hotels are opening their doors to non-Chinese, while on markets or at street vendors final prices depend on the bargaining skills of the buyer, regardless of the origin.

Compared to other Asian countries, China is slightly more expensive, which can be attributed to high entrance fees for various temples, national parks or other places of interest and long distances to travel. I found myself in a position to negotiate the price in nearly all circumstances. Some hotels, which may appear to be bureaucratic in nature from the outside, were open to negotiating their service prices if I demonstrated a bit more persistence.

Due to the difficulties of buying long-distance train tickets and good road network, I found buses the most suitable mean of transport in many occasions. Bus stations are usually less chaotic, tickets are always available and people are more inclined to assist.

For longer distances, buses are equipped with real beds, built into two floors.

Although the beds are a bit too short for European giants, they are extremely cozy compared to the most comfortable seats. As a rule, the driver and assistants are proud if they transport foreigners and pay special attention to them. The prices of buses are comparable to the price of a hard seat on a train.

Despite all the modern creations powered by petroleum products, the bicycle remains a symbol of China. At every step, I came across large parking lots full of different bikes; from old cumbersome, black-painted, to the latest models of mountain bikes with shock absorbers. Renting a bike was particularly useful in Yangzhou area, where it is difficult to navigate around with city buses.

Chinese cuisine has been known for centuries as a real art, enriched with exotic meats, spices and flavors. With no spectacular denominations, inviting tablecloths and long menus, skilled chefs are at work even in the vibrant atmosphere of night street food markets, as well as in simple, unbranded, or makeshift eateries.

It usually only takes a few minutes to prepare fried vegetables, roasted chicken or soup with noodles in a wok. Indispensable tea without sugar, soy sauce or a smile on the clumsy use of chopsticks, make every meal a special event.

To experience the real Chinese atmosphere, which consists of loud talking, spitting leftover food on the ground, large amounts of food and meat of exotic animals on a plate (dog, monkey, snake, rat, turtle), it is necessary to mix among the locals and observe them.

The biggest difference between China and other countries is that in every small village there are simple restaurants that satisfy the demand of vegetarians. The only possible problem could be complex menus, always written with mysterious Chinese characters.

My common tactics to resolve the illiteracy or misunderstanding was to step into the kitchen, pick the vegetables with other main ingredients which I wanted and, in a few minutes, I got deliciously prepared dishes along with irreplaceable rice on the table.

I started to implement this tactic after my first unsuccessful attempt to order to the waiter directly without using the illegible menu turned out different than my expectations. I showed him my notes, where various vegetables were written with Chinese characters: beans, tomato, mushrooms, onions, tofu, soya beans, etc. I asked for a single plate with a mix of all of them and rice as a side dish.

In Chinese cuisine, vegetables are typically prepared and served individually rather than being mixed on one plate. Upon receiving plates with single types of vegetables, I recognized that I would not be able to consume the vast selection of dishes offered. This amusing experience taught me an important lesson.

By the end of the second millennium, one in five people in the world was Chinese, leading to the government’s introduction of various measures to control population growth. In urban areas, a married couple is restricted to having one child, while in rural regions, if the firstborn is a girl, parents may have a second child.

Violations of this law incur severe penalties, including job loss, eviction, and hefty fines. There is already a significant disparity in the number of male births, as boys are preferred in rural areas, where they are considered more desirable for ensuring family continuity and providing support to their parents in their old age.

The usage of ultrasound has become a notable trend in modern society, facilitating the early determination of a child’s sex. Unfortunately, this has led to a higher incidence of abortions in cases where the fetus is identified as female. The implications of this selective birth practice are concerning, as it may result in an increasingly aged population, thereby creating a labor shortage and raising questions about the viability of social security for senior citizens.

There are few countries where knowledge of English helped me, as little as in China. With the exception of Yangzhou and Beijing, places where I could communicate in English were very few and far between. From my personal experience I have found that Chinese speakers of English generally exhibit a greater degree of intrusiveness and a strong desire for monetary compensation for the services they provide.

It is necessary to learn at least a few basic words, write them on a piece of paper and, if necessary, present them to employees in a restaurant, train/bus station or hotels. I tried countless times to pronounce simple phrases, but I was often only understood when I presented the text written with Chinese characters.

Menus in the restaurants are too long or too complicated to decipher the meaning, so I created my own list of ingredients in the notebook and used it to order a variety of dishes of my choice.

Even certain words that are universally recognized across various languages, such as restaurant, bus, hotel, and Coca Cola, are entirely different in Chinese language.

China has consistently held a unique position and, at present, stands unparalleled by any other nation globally. Throughout Asia, there are few opportunities to engage authentically with local communities in remote villages and to experience their traditional lifestyles.

China’s extensive history, vast landscapes, and varied culture present a distinctive combination that truly astonished me.

Engaging with this nation necessitates a different approach compared to others, particularly regarding language, which may pose the most significant challenge.

For me, China is among the Top 3 destinations in Asia.