China - have you been?

Not for business but I did one of those charity treks along the wall a few years back, based in Beijing. I loved it, the culture is just so completely different and to some extent polarised - you can have a giant shiny skyscraper development right next door to what is basically a hut housing 15 members of one family. I got the impression that tradition is far more revered there than here but also that they're aware that visible adherence to tradition brings in the tourists. There was a group of us walking back to our guesthouse from the local market and an entire schoolful of children went past on bicycles and stared and waved - our guide explained that was probably the first time most of them had seen so many western faces in one place!

I was there in 2003 (or 2002, I struggle to remember) and work was going on for the Olympics even then so I should imagine that areas of Beijing will have been regenerated since then - although at what cost to the local communities it's hard to say.

Thanks very much, Cookie. Sounds like a fascinating place.

We have an office in Shanghai (and also in HK) and I have been angling for a trip out there for a while.

Those who went over as short term expats have mostly stayed there and they love it. Anyone I know who has travelled there for pleasure has loved it too.

I would love to go and visit the country but not sure I could move there for any length of time.

CB have you watched An Idiot Abroad? China now reminds me of Karl Pilkington!!

Thanks very much, ladies. That's really useful! x

I've not seen an Idiot Abroad but sounds like it's worth a watch!

??

Hahhhh?

I've been to Hong Kong and loved it. Only went for 4 days as a bit of a stop off on our way to Oz, but I really liked it. It's completely different to anywhere else I've ever been. I felt very comfortable there and we felt safe walking the streets alone at 3am, which unfortunately isn't the case with a lot of other places I've visited. The people seemed really nice too, I remember cutting my leg and 3 different people ran up to me in the street with tissues, which I thought was nice. The climate was one thing that I found offputting though, it was very very humid and I couldn't adjust to it at all, unlike heat I'd ever experienced before, or since. That might have been due to the time of year we went though.

Not sure if this is interesting or not, but....

I went for 5 weeks in 2005 with a Chinese girl who I was friends with at university. I stayed with her family in Nanjing, but also travelled to Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Hong Kong. My favourite place was Shanghai.

I found China very difficult and was constantly homesick. Although my friend had lived in the UK for a number of years, she hadn't socialised that much outside her culture, so I don't think understood how I was feeling. I obviously hadn't realised beforehand this was the case and was quite naive about the whole trip and her culture too.

I didn't speak to a single Westerner whilst I was there and sometimes went many days without seeing any at all. I attracted a LOT of staring, picture-taking, touching from people who thought I was good luck.

I found the food quite difficult and my friend insisted I tried everything - duck head, chicken feet, goodness knows what else. We only had western food once or twice. They were very forceful about me eating so much because it meant they were being hospitable. I found it overwhelming as I don't usually have a big appetite, plus I'd given up being a vegetarian for the trip.

Because they're not really set up for non-Chinese, there isn't much information available for tourists where we went. If there was English, it was very broken and unhelpful. To be honest, I'm not actually sure where I went, what I saw or what I ate!!

There is a lot of pollution and I had a hacking cough after 5 weeks.

My friend was part of a wealthy family (owned several houses and endured regular trips to Louis Vuitton) - their attitude to the poverty in China was odd and difficult to understand. Charity didn't feature much as far as I could tell - it was more about looking after your own and displaying status symbols as much as possible. My friend and her friends seemed to fit the 'little emporer' stereotype.

Having said this, it was an adventure, and we had some lovely days and saw some lovely sights. I enjoyed the Great Wall and the city scenes. I'd love to go back in 10 years with someone who could agree how crazy it all is, and to see how it's changed.

Totally agree with you! I don't think of it fondly at all. It's something I feel bad about, as obviously this friend was being so generous in showing me her country. I suppose other undeveloped/developing countries I've been to have generally come across as quite grateful and humble and good spirited, whereas the people I met in China were arrogant about what they've achieved whilst actively turning a blind eye to it's flaws and poverty problems.

Certainly a very different country, who knows what it will be like in 10 years!

Thanks so much. Really helpful. Sounds like I've still got a lot of research to do!

My brother was in Beijing for a year in 2008. He found it a major culture shock. I think he found it incredibly lonely, and he's the most sociable boy I know. As others have said, the pollution in Beijing is horrendous, he struggled to breathe in the streets some days. That said, he still had a good experience and often talks about going back.