gnom

for 2-3 weeks. we're going to be a part of this tour company that will take us to all the cool cities and places in china. anyone know of any particularly cool places to see / visit and any cool gift shops or restaurants?! i'm not exactly sure which cities we're visiting but i can find out tomorrow and edit this. thanks

metalgeek

This is a really big country.
Cool gift shops?
Well I'm assuming you want Chinese type stuff, so markets are probably your best bet, if you can bargain. As a tourist, there gonna try and rip you off, prices are usually cut by 5* what they start (sometimes)
Basically look at China like this:
Bejing - Chinese, with western comforts.
Shanghai - Western
Hong Kong - British
The rest of China is Chinese, with varying degree's of comfort, all big cities have 4-5 star hotels, but you'll pay the same price as you would in any other country.
I've stayed in huts, shacks, hotels, old hutongs, and many other places here.
LEt me know more what your plans are, and what your looking for and I'll try to help.

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KellyC

YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THE 'FORBIDDEN CITY' !!! You will die a broken man if you don't seriously..see it. Its so very nice. I wouldn't go with the tour though, I'd go by myself or have personal guide go along with me. Too much people just kills the experience...IMO...

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charlesesl

Tianjin - my home town. 120km east of Beijing, pretty nice costal city (make sure you try out the local food).

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greytone

I went for 12 days last year with a tour. It was well run and we saw a lot for the time we had, but we only had one morning in Shangai to ourselves. You may find the same, or your tour may be more loose.

In Shangai you need to see the Yu gardens in Chinatown and the Bund and the fancy shopping street a few miles from there. I don't remember the name.

Then we did a cruise up the Yangtze before flying to Beijing. You should see Tiannemen and the Forbidden City as well as the summer palace and the Wall and the Ming Tombs. We did not have time to see the Terra Cotta army in Xia.

Every place you go you will get the opportunity to buy things from people who run up to you at tourist sites. This is stuff is very cheap. The Friendship stores are government run for tourists. It is interesting to see one, but they are not a good place to shop. I did get a sweatshirt at one because I was freezing. I actually layered it under my sweater and raincoat and was still chilled to the bone on the Yangzte. Take some fleece.

My best purchaces were from artisans on the ship. We had time to contemplate our purchaces and I got two paintings from the artist and a traditional kite.

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Gatecrasher

the organized tours could be overwhelming, and you might not have much time to see non-tourist places. so take every chance you can to go out on your own.

for example, you will probably go to tianamen square with the tour.. but go ahead and grab a couple people and go visit it on your own some evening. go the the hotel concierge, and tell them to write down "tianamen square" (or wherever you want to go) on the back of the hotel's business card, so that you can show it to the taxi driver.

shanghai and beijing will often look very modern and "middle-class" on the roads you will travel... the chinese government wants this to be the effect. but just two blocks off the main boulevards will be very poor and dirty. so go for a walk in the evening around your hotel. it's safe.

the tour groups usually stop at hotel buffets that will feed you americanized chinese food. ditch the group for those couple hours and find something on the street.

best food i had in china was after we went clubbing in shanghai. a guy on a bike stopped by us, and he had a rectangular 8x11inch barbecue strapped to back of his bike, already going, and then he took out some beef shishkabobs from a bamboo "cooler", and cooked it for a minute.. and i had 5 of those kabobs for a dollar. delicious.

when you travel with the tour group, you might go to a silk factory, tea plantation, herbal medicine center, jade factory, etc. these might indeed be interesting, but afterwards, you will be given the "opportunity" to buy "authentic" gifts (they will try to tell you that everything onthe streets is fake).. and the tour company gets a huge commission for everything you buy.. so that is why trips to china sometimes cost so little.

also remember that taxis are super super amazingly cheap... most places are very safe... haggle about EVERYTHING you buy.. and the haggling is expected, and is fun and light hearted.. it isn't like arguing with a manager the way we sometimes have to in the US.. you can buy things up to 90% off (and its not that you are taking away from the "poor" merchants income.. its just that they mark up their item 90% for the gullible tourists).

also, when you meet a chinese person eager to be friendly and eager to practice their english, take advantage and talk to them, and ask them for tips about what to visit... i met a girl who took us clubbing, to some other lesser known places, and was just being truly friendly.

MY MAIN POINT..: Ditch the tour group when you can!

(sorry i rambled in this post. i just have so many great things to say about china. i've traveled all over europe and the "western world" that i was truly bored of being a "tourist" there. then i went to china.. and there was something new to see everywhere)

metalgeek

ohhh god shoucow(my pinyin sucks, this is phoenetic) rules (thats the bbq) if you can, find it done buy some hui muslims.. one of my favorite foods here in china.
DVD's can be a good buy, except watch out, often the places tourists go to have bad quality dvd's...
and to agree with Gatecrasher, China is safe. but, still don't be stupid alchohol+anbyone can be dangerous.
your probably not gonna get mugged or anything like that, pickpocketed maybe..

__________________
The truth is, wherever you choose to be, it's the wrong place.
Chuck Palahniuk , Diary