About to celebrate the “Chinese New Year”, The most important holiday in China, known by many also as the Spring Festival, there are many travelers who match their trip with these dates on which January 28, 2017 will be the day on which the year begins 4715, which according to the traditional Chinese calendar, corresponds to the Year of the Rooster.
This time of the year is a few days in which celebrations flood every home, beginning with the traditional New Year's Day to end on the 15th of the first month, in which the Lantern Festival is celebrated.
At this time, everyone who lives outside the home moves home, along with the rest of the family to share these days with them, surrounded by traditional dishes of Chinese cuisine, something that is considered a symbol of good luck. You must bear in mind that due to these transfers, public transport is usually very saturated, so if you are traveling on these dates, it is best to make reservations in advance.
Other typical customs of these dates are cleaning houses with old brooms that are then thrown, throw firecrackers to ward off bad luck or hang red cartels on the doors with poems ...
And although the holidays always unite travelers with locals, if there is something you should keep in mind when planning a trip to China, it is the subject of communication in the broadest sense of the word.
Being this subject target of many darts, some more successful and / or more topical than others, we want to leave you a selection of 10 tips to make a trip to China easier that we believe will help you both in the preparation of the trip and once you are there.
1- In China the word "yes"does not always mean that something is being affirmed
Contrary to what it may seem, in China this affirmative gesture, as we know it in the West, does not always mean that something is being affirmed. Both can mean the opposite as an expression of surprise or be a gesture that indicates disagreement or disagreement. So the best thing, if you're asking something, is to ensure that answer by asking at least 5 more times. When you are totally sure of that answer, even so, it is best not to bet everything on a card, just in case ...
10 tips to make a trip to China easier
2- “In China you eat everything you walk, except people; everything that flies, except the planes; all that nothing, except the boats; and everything that has legs, except the tables”
You might think that this statement is exaggerated, but we assure you that it is not, so when you order in a restaurant, in most of them the letters are not in English, try to take an offline translator or better yet, some drawings of the dishes / more generic foods such as glass, water, chopsticks, chicken, meat, egg ... We are sure that it will be of great help when that time comes when you are facing a letter in Chinese, with 50 options to choose from and do not know Or where to start.
Scorpions in the Beijing market
3- Speak Chinese, a great help on a trip to China
If there is a country where only the local language is spoken, that is China. Although it seems a lie it is quite difficult to find someone who defends or wants to speak in English with a tourist, so it is something that should be taken into account and propose a solution such as learning Chinese online to do the travel to China easier and much more complete. Although it may seem a lie with the 8Belts method you can learn the language in 8 months, making sure that by spending 30 minutes a day, you can have 2 conversations per week with a native. In addition, you can start learning Chinese for free from today by trying it for 8 days.
Pingyao
4- Bathrooms in China?
This is a somewhat controversial issue and not one of the best tips for traveling to China, so it is best that you go prepared for the worst, so you can have a joy if you find any situation a little better than imagined. In China, it is quite common to replace traditional toilets with holes in the ground in which the role of water is the maximum absent. That said, think that the clínex in China can become your best allies and will make you the travel to China easier.
5- One centimeter of a map in China is 5 real kilometers
This is something you should keep in mind especially when you are in large cities and looking at the guide you plan a visit to that temple that seems to be so close to your accommodation. Probably that proximity becomes 3 hours walking and you remember the subway that was next to the hotel every second of your visit.
This also applies to the time when you are planning the trip, since the distances are very important when managing the visits and schedules of the day, keep that in mind!
Fenghuang
6- Run, be bold and bold and you will make your trip to China easier
In China, if you don't run, you will have lost the battle. Keep in mind that the vast majority of cars do not stop at traffic lights, even when they are green, so you can imagine how you should cross pedestrian walks if you do not want to end up waiting hours and hours for a charitable soul to have mercy of you and give you the option to cross the road.
Be savvy if you don't want to risk being left without a seat on any public transport. In China the sense of queue, as we understand it, it does not exist so if you are not a little bit wasted, you will probably be the only traveler to stay on land. And be bold, there is nothing like showing daring to overcome any obstacle in China.
Yangshuo
7- Enjoy the loneliness. It probably won't last long
In China it is unusual to enjoy a place in solitude, so if you are lucky enough to be given that moment, hold it tight and enjoy it as if it were the last. We understand that it may seem exaggerated but you just have to think about the amount of people traveling through China, especially local tourism, to get an idea of how the most tourist places are usually where you will go. Having this clear will avoid surprises, and you can always turn it around and find in these moments the perfect moments to interact with the locals and practice the language. Don't you think
Zhanjiajie National Park
8- Photos in China? Shoot the camera and don't think about it
As we mentioned earlier on the topic of enjoying solitude, the same can be applied to the places you want to photograph. Take advantage of the moment and shoot the camera the moment you see a picture. If you wait a few seconds, it is most likely that 10 Chinese and that idyllic image with which you planned to remember your appearance appear in the frame of the dream photo Trip to china end only in your retina.
Although as in everything, there is always some trick. In this case, getting up early is the best option. Counting that the organized groups, the way in which most of the locals travel, usually begin visits at 9: 30-10 in the morning, if you use the alarm clock, we are sure that you can enjoy practically alone the places of more interest
The Great Wall of China
9- Bringing directions to places of interest in Chinese will make your trip to China easier
If there is something we are sure will help you a lot, whether you know the language or not, it is to take all the addresses of the tourist places, train stations or hotels pointed in Chinese. Taking this you only have to show it to the taxi driver or someone in the street so they can guide you which direction to get to the destination.
Pingyao
10- Get ready: China is an amazing country
And despite all that you have read before, some things as you may have observed are related in a humorous tone and are a bit staged, China is an incredible country, of those that leave their mark and are never forgotten. You do not believe it? Imagine if so, we are going back this year!
Cruise on the Li River to Yangshuo
* Post in collaboration with 8Belts
