Who wants to visit China
Going on holiday, interrailing, broadening one's horizons and weekends in Skegness.
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaYeah, you did well, fair play to you! I know I could have definitely got mines a little cheaper but with having a booking deadline it was just a case of now or never for me! We have to be in Shanghai by a certain date too, and it seemed that everything was cheaper in the few days after that date, rather than the days before when I need to fly where everything was that bit more expensive. If it came down to £50-100 I would much much much rather spend a little more by going with Etihad or Emirates over Aeroflot, but for £250 less than I paid that's a really good price!(Original post by marcusfox)
Coincidentally, I booked Amsterdam to Beijing and back with Aeroflot six weeks in advance for a trip at the end of this month with a stop over in Moscow. £396. I know you have to get to Amsterdam also, but I think I did pretty well. -
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Re: Who wants to visit Chinamay as well post this in here
has anyone been to the Qingdao beer festival? In beijing atm and will have a week off soon and was wondering if its worth visiting...heard it used to be great but has gone downhill...but is it still worth seeing?
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaI think all 7 Days Inn chain hotels have heating, and they cost £10-£20 a night.(Original post by marcusfox)
It will be very cold and most of the cheaper hotels and hostels will not have heating in the rooms. It can be as low as 5-10C indoors during the day and sometimes drop even lower at night. You will need to wear long underwear and a coat to bed.
Of course , if you can afford a nice top of the range place with heating, then that won't be so much of a problem -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaThey may well do, but a few dozen examples out of the hundreds of thousands of cheap hotels and hostels in China still doesn't disprove the rule that you will struggle to find accomodation in cheap hotels with heating in winter, even if they exist in the area where you will be staying.(Original post by Kolya)
I think all 7 Days Inn chain hotels have heating, and they cost £10-£20 a night. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaIn China.(Original post by Juichiro)
Are you living in China? Or are you just staying for some days?
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaYou will see a different Beijing- If it snow, It is white and really beautiful.(Original post by Makaveli_The_Don)
I have a free ticket to go to China
Is December a good time to go?
Maybe a little cold. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaHi, Many Chinese can speak English. Don't worry about it.(Original post by Kallisto)
I'm never going to China due to the language. What should I do in a country in which people are not able to understand me and vice versa? as long as there is no human rights in China, I don't intend to go to there.
EDIT: Come on! Why I may not speak my mind? Am I in China? I live up to my principles. -
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Yes. I am a chinese . I just can tell you that most of the chinese can speak english. Although some cannot speak very well,you still can communicate with them. By the way, I am talking the situation in Hong Kong but not Beijing.(Original post by BISYITS1)
Hi, Many Chinese can speak English. Don't worry about it.
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaBe careful with Hainan though, as places like Sanya have a bit of a reputation for scams and the prices are relatively high compared to other beaches (although, to be fair, sanya's beaches are pretty stunning). Haikou is somewhat cheaper but has less of tourist atmosphere, which makes it a bit harder to get around without mandarin and if your skin is pale or dark, expect to get lots of looks (nothing menacing, just curiosity).(Original post by Hackett)
Cheers! What about anywhere near HK? Are there any little islands I should visit close by?
Just googled - looks like HK to Hainan is a pretty easy journey!
Another good option would be Beihai (on the mainland, guangxi province) which has quite a famous beach (something about it being one of the longest white sand beaches in asia...cant quite remember), which I found to be very cheap and equally enjoyable. However it will probably require a flight from Hong Kong, not sure how much this would cost, Haikou-> Beihai cost about £40 return, so shouldn't be too much from Hong Kong.
Bring a big warm coat(Original post by Makaveli_The_Don)
I have a free ticket to go to China Is December a good time to go?
the winter in Beijing is generally very dry and very cold (although the northern provinces make Beijing look toasty -.-). During December the temperature is almost always around 0 or below, and will normally drop even lower during most of january.
However if it snows, the city becomes very pretty and in the run up to christmas there are a lot of quality parties and celebrations around town. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaAye in Beijing the younger people can speak, but are often very nervous in front of a natural speaker. However its never too hard to find someone that is keen to practice and will help someone out(Original post by charlotte.F)
Yes. I am a chinese . I just can tell you that most of the chinese can speak english. Although some cannot speak very well,you still can communicate with them. By the way, I am talking the situation in Hong Kong but not Beijing.
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaStraight from the horse's mouth of course.(Original post by BJSYIITS)
Beijing Shiyuan ITS is a good choice, You can get a lot of choices and have a good plan before you go.
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaA few dozen? They have over 1000 branches and all the ones I've personally been to have been identical and have all had Haier heating/aircon units.(Original post by marcusfox)
They may well do, but a few dozen examples out of the hundreds of thousands of cheap hotels and hostels in China still doesn't disprove the rule that you will struggle to find accomodation in cheap hotels with heating in winter, even if they exist in the area where you will be staying.
Hanting Inn - another big chain - also seem to come with Haier heating/aircon as standard.
You might struggle to find these chains if you go really off the tourist trail, but a person who can do that is unlikely to need advice given out on TSR. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaOkay - I looked at one or two of these and their rooms seem to be a bit out of the budget of your average traveller who is expecting to stay cheaply, the rates are $42-60 per night, not £10-20(Original post by Kolya)
A few dozen? They have over 1000 branches and all the ones I've personally been to have been identical and have all had Haier heating/aircon units.
Hanting Inn - another big chain - also seem to come with Haier heating/aircon as standard.
You might struggle to find these chains if you go really off the tourist trail, but a person who can do that is unlikely to need advice given out on TSR.
I said there are hotels available with heating, but you have to pay more.Last edited by marcusfox; 06-08-2012 at 14:01. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaEven if the majority is able to speak English, there are still enough people who don't speak English. Don't forget that over one billion people are living there!(Original post by BISYITS1)
Hi, Many Chinese can speak English. Don't worry about it. -
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Re: Who wants to visit ChinaI came back from visiting Beijing and Xi'an a few weeks ago, and I can tell you that when it comes to selling stuff to foreigners the language barrier is no problem. Most either knew some basic English or (in the smaller markets where our tour guide did not show us) will at least have a calculator to help with haggling. If you are unsure of speaking the language, then learn the sign language for numbers 1-10 -it worked for me and I think it helped me get lower prices than a few of my mates. At the very least just say 'ni hao' to people
Another thing, be prepared to be stared at. A lot. Even if you are in a commercial city like Beijing, visiting some of the 'tourist' places eg. Tiananmen Square there will be tourists from around other parts of China (often the countryside) also visiting and may never have seen a foreigner -especially blonde haired or light coloured/round eyes etc.- before. On the Great Wall we got stopped several times for pictures. Btw if you go to Xi'an, go for a bicycle ride around the Great City Wall and if you can, go and see the Tang Dynasty Show.
Just remembered one more important thing. You will often need to bring your own loo roll for public toilets (as they often don't provide any). You may also queue for a while if you want a western style toilet -there are usually a few, but more often than not public toilets are squat ones.Last edited by PhysChemGirl; 06-08-2012 at 23:03.
