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Where should I go in China?

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  • Where should I go in China?

    Hi doc!

    First of all, I would like to compliment you on your great website. It has been really helpful and I've learned a lot from it.

    I'm a student of Shi Xing Xue from Gothenburg, Sweden, and I'm going to Beijing to study wushu and mandarin. I will also visit Shaolin and Zhengzhou, and maybe Shanghai and Xi'an. I'm leaving in September, and coming back in July next year. Do you have any tips, like, places to visit, what to do, what to avoid and stuff like that (that is not included in ordinary travel guides)? It is going to be my first time in China. Also, I wonder how common vegetarianism is amongst the Chinese. Oh, and one more thing: do you think it will be possible for me to bring wushu weapons (broadswords etc) back home, or will they be confiscated at the airport?

    Amituofo

    xxxxx


    Well, first of all, you should read Bai He's Survival Guide, which can be found in the Site Content/Shaolin/Journals section of the site. There's some good information in there. You also might want to cruise around the different areas of the site and forums, there's a lot of information scattered everywhere concerning travel to China, and staying in Shaolin. And no, I can guarantee, you won't find what's on this site in ordinary travel guides, lol.

    Pure vegetarianism in China is common, especially among the monks. It's easy to remain some sort of vegetarian while here, they do eat a lot of vegetables and tofu. You'll also find pork and beef. I'd recommend staying away from the chicken though, they tend to cook that after just haphazardly cutting it up into many different pieces, including the bones and grizzle. Kind of tough to eat. If you're looking for chicken, Kentucky Fried is all over Beijing, and it's damn popular with the Chinese. Pizza Hut too, but they've got a ways to go concerning the pizza sauce that they use.

    As for places to visit, it depends upon how much time you've got. Again, cruise the site and the Photo Library. I've put a lot of photos of most of my journeys throughout China in there. Also got some in the China section of the site. But, my favorites so far have been the various places in Yunnan province (Da Li, Li Jiang, Zhongdian). Just incredible over there. I've also enjoyed Tibet immensely, I highly recommend that you go there for a visit to see the place. Some other favorites include Dun Huang, Huangshan, and Harbin for the Ice Festival. XinJiang province was pretty neat, but, it's a bit far, and you have to be careful out there. Xian is a one day deal in my opinion; it takes an hour or two to see the terra cotta warriors. But, if you're in Xian, make sure you walk towards the city limits; Xian is, I think, the only city left in China that has a wall around part of it. It's pretty impressive, especially at night. The city wall of Beijing has been torn down, with the exception of some remnants. There's lots to see in Beijing though; I have no doubt that you'll find all the little interesting places, like the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City. There are some pretty fascinating hutongs north of Bei Hei park (north of the Forbidden City), also, I've enjoyed the modernness of Wangfujing street. Beijing is pretty amazing, the growth here has been stupendous.

    As far as cities go, Hong Kong is pretty unbeatable. If you've got the time, get a flight down to Hong Kong and enjoy that city. Truly remarkable place.

    As for bringing weapons home, I don't know about Sweden's import customs. You probably shouldn't have any problem; they are training weapons, not real ones. And the "real"swords are not sharp, you can probably pass them off as training weapons too. I've had more trouble carrying weapons through Chinese airports than I have US Customs. The Chinese x ray everything; when they see a sword, being carried by some rather large unpretty American, they want to search everything. One way to get around the difficulties is to ship everything back. Air is expensive, ship is reasonable, but, it's best if you have a Chinese friend do the shipping for you; you've got a better chance of seeing it eventually back home. I've always felt that whenever I go into the international post office to ship something, it usually ends up in the hands of the postman's kids.

    Oh, what to avoid. Hmmm. Don't drink the water. Don't use glasses unless you swirl them clean yourself and throw out the hot wash water that you first use. Don't eat the chickens that you see sitting in the store windows; occasionally, they sit there far too long, and you can end up with one hell of an E. Coli gastroenteritis. Don't eat the ice cream in Shaolin, or anywhere else for that matter. Hagen Daaz is in Beijing, enjoy that instead. Be careful walking across the street, don't step on manholes, and if you ever, ever drop anything in a restaurant, consider it lost. And have a good time. The people are generally very warm and friendly. It will be quite a good experience for you.

    Oh again, stay in touch with us. There are internet cafes all over China. Cheap too.
    Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

    "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

    (more comments in my User Profile)
    russbo.com



  • #2
    I will. Thanks a lot!

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    • #3
      Is it easy to find Mandarin pinyin-English dictionaries and good English travel guides in Beijing? And what about electronics, is it cheaper in Beijing than in the US? I'm also a bit worried about nutrition issues - I eat sports nutrition (Twinlab's "Super Mass Fuel") since I don't eat any meat at all and train a lot. Do you think I can find something like that in Beijing?

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      • #4
        Yes. No. No.

        There is a great bookstore, with an English "floor" on Wangfujing street. Wangfujing is Beijings premiere shopping center street, it's east of the Forbidden City by a few blocks, on the same street as the famed Beijing Hotel. And if you see this really cute little Chinese girl in a pink blouse, she's mine.

        You'll find the same electronics (Japanese) as you will in the US generally, at the same prices. Chinese shit is cheaper. It's also not as good.

        Forget finding this power bar/mix stuff. You won't. Bring it as an addition to your diet. Learn how to eat real food. You can get enough protein in your diet if you know how to do it. Beijing has some tremendous roast duck restaurants, and, there's an Outback steakhouse on Wangfujing. Oh, there's also Kentucky Fried and Mickey D's. You can get good beef, pork and fish dishes in the Chinese restaurants also. I've found some decent sushi places, and even a Russian restaurant. Beijing has some good stuff, you just have to know where to look.

        Oh, and by the way, real food is better for you. Don't shun meat for these protein drinks. Cavemen didn't have protein drinks, and they had to be pretty fierce and buff for what they had to do.
        Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

        "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

        (more comments in my User Profile)
        russbo.com


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        • #5
          Ok, thanks! Actually, my diet is quite well-balanced and I only use the nutrition drink as an addition. I drink it after training for faster recovery and to get some extra protein and vitamins. But as I told you before, I don't eat meat - including chicken and fish. Though it could be a little tricky to get enough protein only from doufu.

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