by Timothy M. Murphy

Created on: October 16, 2007

Your First Trip to China

So, you've decided to visit China. Maybe you're going for pleasure, in which case you've waited for the visa you can't read half of, and purchased a fairly expensive airline ticket. Maybe you're going for business, in which case somebody has done those things for you (and you need a lot more help than a short article like this can provide). Either way, you must be excited. I know I was. A dozen or more trips, time spent living there, and learning to speak the language fluently all in my past, I still get excited about China every time I get on the plane. As you're planning your own trip, I don't need to tell you why. But what I can tell you are some of the little things to expect, to help ease the culture shock. Don't misunderstand I love China, but culture shock there will be, and if you prepare in advance for these things, your trip will be that much more pleasant.

Everyday People Everyday, everywhere, every time you will be surrounded by people. China has a massive population, and most of those people are concentrated in the southeast coastal area, and in a few big cities in other regions. In other words, exactly the places you, the lao wai (foreigner) will be traveling. While that old canard about the Chinese language not having a word for "privacy" is untrue (yin si quan if you're interested), what is true is that you'll find precious little of it while you're traveling in the Middle Kingdom.

Water, Water Everywhere nor any drop to drink, as the poet had it. You will buy bottled water, or boil any water you plan to consume. If you don't, you'll be experiencing the Chinese health care system first hand (which, come to think of it, is one of those things the first time traveler to China expects to be really terrible, but isn't). Still, as if you needed to be told, don't drink the water.

BYOTP Bring your own, well, you know. Because you are a foreigner, you'll be staying in one of the better hotels, and while you're there, no problem. But assuming you're not going halfway around the world just to decide on 4-star versus 5-star, you'll be out and about a lot. While you're there, you'll need to use the head, and when you do, you'll need paper. No, there won't be any in the public restrooms. Oh, and while I'm at it, some other things there won't be in many places: toilet seats, anything to cover the hole in the ground, anything to keep you from falling in the hole in the ground, anything to help mitigate the smell, and anything to divide

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