Here's the truth about China and how you should visit the world's most populous country. Here's my simple tip: AVOID Shanghai and Beijing. Once you have escaped the realms of those two, then China suddenly becomes more real, more authentic and more rewarding. To be honest, visiting Shanghai and Beijing isn't really visiting China. I'll give you you a rundown on how to really travel in China...and remember almost everywhere in China is "off the beaten track" for the non-Chinese.
I'm talking about mainland China here - not Hong Kong, not Macau, not Taiwan. I'll also take Tibetout of the equation as it's a separate political matter but the real China is also mainland China. From my endless visits to China, I list Shanghai and Beijing as the worst two cities or places to go in order to see China. They are on a level with Hong Kong and Singapore as global cities these days. With Italian restaurants, Irish pubs and French bakeries in those cities, they somehow seem a bit less authentically Chinese nowadays. You need to head to places where there is not a hint of anything thatis not Chinese. Get completely off the beaten track!
Until you sit down in a village that nobody has ever heard of, to eat food you've never seen, miles from any major city and with no other foreigners or foreign writing in sight, then you haven't really seen China!
Get yourself off the beaten track in order to see the real China. Here are a few things you will do that proves you have really seen China:
1. Nobody speaks a word of English (or even Chinese - only local dialect is used).
2. You cannot understand the bus timetable and end up in the wrong village.
3. You see more chickens than cars in the village you are in.
4. There are no computers, mobile phones or internet anywhere.
5. Nothing on sign posts is written in any language other than Chinese.
6. You don't have a clue what was in the food you just ate!
So that's a decent guide folks - if you've seen and ticked those six then you really have done China. If not, please check it out, but don't forget to avoid those major cities particularly Beijing and Shanghai! Get away from those two and your travel possibilities becomes extreme, endless and unrivalled. China is a whole new world to discover!
I'm talking about mainland China here - not Hong Kong, not Macau, not Taiwan. I'll also take Tibetout of the equation as it's a separate political matter but the real China is also mainland China. From my endless visits to China, I list Shanghai and Beijing as the worst two cities or places to go in order to see China. They are on a level with Hong Kong and Singapore as global cities these days. With Italian restaurants, Irish pubs and French bakeries in those cities, they somehow seem a bit less authentically Chinese nowadays. You need to head to places where there is not a hint of anything thatis not Chinese. Get completely off the beaten track!
Until you sit down in a village that nobody has ever heard of, to eat food you've never seen, miles from any major city and with no other foreigners or foreign writing in sight, then you haven't really seen China!
Get yourself off the beaten track in order to see the real China. Here are a few things you will do that proves you have really seen China:
1. Nobody speaks a word of English (or even Chinese - only local dialect is used).
2. You cannot understand the bus timetable and end up in the wrong village.
3. You see more chickens than cars in the village you are in.
4. There are no computers, mobile phones or internet anywhere.
5. Nothing on sign posts is written in any language other than Chinese.
6. You don't have a clue what was in the food you just ate!
So that's a decent guide folks - if you've seen and ticked those six then you really have done China. If not, please check it out, but don't forget to avoid those major cities particularly Beijing and Shanghai! Get away from those two and your travel possibilities becomes extreme, endless and unrivalled. China is a whole new world to discover!
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