I'm thinking of going in Jan/feb and found some good deals but don't know much about China has anyone been? I'll be going on my own too so any tips would be helpful!

Thanks in advance

I think Fareast is out there right now.

Try sending him(her?) a pm.

Hello Mate ,
I have been since my Fiance is from there. If you need any advice please feel free to ask since I have been there in most cities. It would be very advisable to have someone that you know there. Just in case you visit Shanghai I will get you in touch with 2 British students who graduated from Sheffield Uni Chinese department and they are currently working there.
If I can be of any help please ask more questions of the forum or directly get in touch with me and I will give you my msn addy
See you soon
:)

I have been through the Xinjiang province in Western China. Fascinating but also very sad to see what the Chinese government has done to dilute and undermine the ethnically Uygher population.

The food was excellent! But that alone is often one of the most exciting things about travel for me.

Eastern China is probably completely different from the Xinjiang province (regarded as one of the most backwards regions in China) so I can't really give you too many pointers but I will direct you to a good resource:

Lonely Planet thorntree forums (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=19) (the Northeast Asia branch)

I've found it to be a good place to find recent news and ask for advice, so hope it helps.

Thanks that's excellent! Was thinking about doing an organised trip, know it costs a bit more but I've only got about 11 days annual leave left so need to make it compact.

Is the language/reading thing a massive problem, just worried about signs and stuff

Originally posted by intooblivion
Thanks that's excellent! Was thinking about doing an organised trip, know it costs a bit more but I've only got about 11 days annual leave left so need to make it compact.

Is the language/reading thing a massive problem, just worried about signs and stuff

I understand Chinese is the hardest language to learn, a friend of mines daughter took Chinese lessons for nine years, she still can't converse in it, i just know they get very insulted if you leave a tip after a meal !

Originally posted by intooblivion
Thanks that's excellent! Was thinking about doing an organised trip, know it costs a bit more but I've only got about 11 days annual leave left so need to make it compact.

Is the language/reading thing a massive problem, just worried about signs and stuff

Language can obviously be a barrier but most people speak some english. I wouldn't be worried. We didn't speak a word and were fine. Gesturing of course can always be understood. :thumbsup:

Language will be a non-issue if you're with a tour group. 11 days is a fairly short time, but it just depends if you want to see and do a lot I guess. Some people could spend that time on their own in one city, others would be happier with a tour.

Don't forget to buy all your friends property on the moon while you're there ;)
Moon Real Estate for sale in China (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4360082.stm)

Apparently, if you stand on the Great Wall of China on a clear night, you can see the moon.

Try this link :-
http://www.wendywutours.co.uk/site/geninfo/tourExperience.jsp
Apparently a top Aussie tour company now in UK.

Originally posted by PerlOfWisdom
Apparently, if you stand on the Great Wall of China on a clear night, you can see the moon.

:confused: I can see the moon from my my back garden any night :confused:

Poppins dearie,
Perl Of Wisdom was,rather wittily,playing with the old myth that the Great Wall is the only manmade object that can be seen from space! Get it now?

Intooblivion

I'm going to spend four weeks touring China next May I would love to hear how you get on in Jan/Feb.

Enjoy your trip but watch out for the bird flu??


Happy days!

Originally posted by PopT
Intooblivion

I'm going to spend four weeks touring China next May I would love to hear how you get on in Jan/Feb.

Enjoy your trip but watch out for the bird flu??


Happy days!

Bit of bird flu! Pah I'm ready to take it on. This years killer is that it's going to be the coldest winter since about 1950 (might have made that up actually)

Will def let you know how I get on! Are you going alone in May?

Perhaps replied a bit late. We just got back from a wonderful 15 days China Tours with The Oriental Travel Company UK.

Excellent hotels (5*/upper 4* of international standards), brand new coaches and most importantly small group size (we had 14 in our group!). We are not exactly group tour people but thoughtfully enjoyed the experience with such a small group and the flexibility in the tour program.

Their website on China Tours: http://www.orientaltravel.co.uk/

Apparently, if you stand on the Great Wall of China on a clear night, you can see the moon.

Sad that they have so few clear nights.:thumbsup:

When I was last over there cars were crashing in the city in broad daylight due to the smog.

nah been 4 a chinese tho

Would suggest that you get a hepatiris A shot and a presription for dysentry before you go and drink only the bottled water.

Be careful crossing the streets in Beijing and Shanghai. There are pedestrian crosswalks but are mostly ignored by motorists and bike riders and crossing the streets can sometimes seem like an exercise in survival

The Great Wall is definitely worth a visit. The steps up to the wall are quite steep in places and uneven. If you're fit and have no heart problems then you should be okay

Dont be persuaded to be taken to visit "Bargain" gift stores in Shanghai's China town. It doesn't happen often but some people have been taken to these places and mugged. Otherwise it's pretty safe to walk around the city's main thoroughfares

Don't drop litter. The streets are kept very clean and there are police everywhere

The biggest laugh we got were peddlers selling "Rolex" watches at bargiain prices. They're not Rolex obviously and will probably work for a few days after purchase

US dollars are always accepted in markets and stores but in hotels they seem to insist on Chinese currency. Other currencies like the Euro might also be accepted but everyone we bought stuff from asked for dollars or local currency

Don't lose your passport above all

.........

Don't lose your passport above all

Is there some story behind this?

Dont be persuaded to be taken to visit "Bargain" gift stores in Shanghai's China town. It doesn't happen often but some people have been taken to these places and mugged. Otherwise it's pretty safe to walk around the city's main thoroughfares

I flew to Shanghai from Beijing and they lost my luggage and so I bought some new clothes in that market, I don't usually go for designer labels but I got all designer stuff there. Shame it all dissolved in the wash! My luggage appeared the day after I was due to leave so I had an extra day there. Maglev train to airport is pretty impressive.

I went in 1999 with a company called Travelsphere who still run very, very cost effective trips out there. It's an organised tour company who take a bunch of tourists out together and I'm glad I did it because language would have been a problem, most people I encountered couldn't speak English and getting around would have been hard. With this company they had a coach which took you to places, you had a tour guide who steered you around so all you had to think about was lapping up the scenery and there was zero stress involved. We also saw more than an average tourist would see as we were whisked all over the place.

They still do trips out there and I'd recommend checking out their website (google them).

I flew to Shanghai from Beijing and they lost my luggage and so I bought some new clothes in that market, I don't usually go for designer labels but I got all designer stuff there. Shame it all dissolved in the wash! My luggage appeared the day after I was due to leave so I had an extra day there. Maglev train to airport is pretty impressive.

You didn't gp for the bargain "Rolex" watches I hope :hihi:

The maglev train was impressive I agree but there was some kind of heavy duty industrial repair tape fixed to a panel above the door to the driver's cab.
That gave pause for some serious thought

I would advise potential visitors to bring a supply of toilet paper and hand tissues. We brought a supply of both and had to use them in some of the facitlities because there was no paper there and although there were electric hand dryers some of those weren't working.

Also some of the toilets, other than those in the hotels, are the squat down type which are pretty common throughout Asia.

Is there some story behind this?

No story but the passport should be carried at all times. Our tour guide had to collect our passports and produce them to the hotel check in counters. All foreign passports have to be produced as part of the check in process.

The problem with getting a replacement for a lost passport is not with the consulate of country of your citizenship but getting a new Chinese visitor visa. Our tour guide told us that this can take a bit of time and delay being able to travel around and visit other places

Yes the visa was a bit of a pain. I had to go and queue at the Chhinese Embassy in Manchester twice on consequetive days.