General Advice (2 of 2 posts) | Chongqing | Jul 17, 2004 10:45
Part 2

6. When shopping at places with no prices marked, try to casually listen in on the prices others are paying. You should offer the same amount of money if you are buying a similar item. Foreigners are usually gouged.
7. If at all possible, befriend someone who speaks fluent Putonghua. It will make life much easier. At the very least you should learn the numbers and carry a phrasebook or electronic translator with you.
8. Don't walk outside of crowded places by yourself at night. In other words, do not find yourself alone on a dark street. Violent crime does happen in China, although not too often. If you do find yourself being robbed, give up whatever you have. Hopefully the attackers will leave and you can go to the nearest police office. The bad guys often have knives, sometimes guns so it is better not to resist.
9. Do not carry a backpack on your back in crowded places. If you have no choice, make sure there is no money, passport, phone, or other valuables in it. Someone may use a knife to cut a hole in the pack and quickly take something out. May sound strange, but I happened to a friend of mine on a bus.
10. Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Although most people try to be helpful, some are misinformed and will give wrong information. Try to verify the truth of what you've heard or read in at least 2 places.

There are probably more things, but these are the ones I think about. In general, China is quite safe.

General Advice (1 of 2 posts) | Chongqing | Jul 17, 2004 10:44
Part 1

I'm in Chongqing, but I've travelled all over China. Some things to watch out for:
1. Do not carry anything in the pockets of your trousers or coat when in public.
2. Expect large crowds of hawkers to surround you at train stations and airport bus stops. (I lost money and a passport this way).
3. Don't take a taxi without the meter running unless the distance is very far and you agree a price in advance. Taxis will wait at train & bus stations and try to take you to a hotel of their own choosing -OR- they will ask you where you want to go then offer you a price without turning on the meter. It will almost always be a higher price than the meter would be. Better to go out to the street and flag a taxi.
4. Get a map and try to have a basic understanding of where you want to go. You may show this map to the driver. Serves 2 purposes: 1 is the destination is clear to the driver, 2 is the driver is less likely to drive far out of the way to get a higher fare.
5. To avoid any taxi hassles, take a bus and/or subway. Generally crowded, but cheap & reliable.