I'm going to China !

RockLee · 31 Jul 2005

coming wednesday I'm off to China, finally gonna see my friend back Missed her a lot since I came back from Japan this January.I'm also going to meet a bunch of new friends I met online the last months/year.Her dad is coming the night before I arrive and be staying with me in the appartment she rented, time to freshen up the oh so little amount of Japanese

I'll be staying in Beijing (–k‹ž) the first week, then we're going to Shanghai (ãŠC) together for about 3 days.After that I'll take a plane to Guangzhou (›öB) to meet my friend I met last may I'll stay with her for about 6 days, also going to Shenzhen ([圳) and zhuhai (ŽìŠC) and then return to Beijing and spend my last days there.

I hope I'll have a good time and don't experience too much hassle or discrimination, heard some bad stories about that...And people spitting on the ground (even the girls, yeh also the pretty ones).

If anyone has some experience with China or for the Chinese members, help or information is always welcome ;-) :wave:

Grandpa Frank · 31 Jul 2005

Lucky Man !!!

May your trip be hassle free and full of fun!

Frank

Brooker · 1 Aug 2005

Have a good trip. I'm jealous. I wanted to go to China while I lived in Japan, but I was there during the SARS scare and my company wouldn't allow me to go. I took a trip to Thailand instead.

-Rudel- · 1 Aug 2005

Have a great trip Rocklee! sounds like a lot of fun!

Brooker, I bet you ejoyed Tailand....hehehehehe

misa.j · 1 Aug 2005

Wow, it sounds like you'll be all over China! That's really exciting.

I hope you have a wonderful reunion with your girl friend, and have a fun trip. Don't forget to tell us all about it, RockLee! I look forward to hearing your story.

Have a safe trip! :wave:

lonesoullost3 · 1 Aug 2005

Have a great trip! I was offered to go this summer to teach (volunteering) at an elementary school in Huangxi - but my parents wanted me to work here and they played the guilt game: "It's your decision." I always lose when it comes to that game!! lol.

RockLee · 1 Aug 2005

Thanks ya'll !! I'll be sure to have a good time in China ;-) I hope it will be as much fun as Japan...somewhere I'm a bit scared it won't be that good as I expect :souka: But I'll meet my friends and go to loads of places, so it's ok

Thug · 1 Aug 2005

Have fun,comrade.

Jack · 5 Aug 2005

have fun, dont forget to go see the giant budha!!

Flashjeff · 5 Aug 2005

Have fun, Rock! And don't forget the postcards!

RockLee · 14 Aug 2005

China is great !! So far had lots of fun, wish i could stay longer than 20 days

Grandpa Frank · 14 Aug 2005

Ahhhhh!!!!!

What better way to hit post 3000 then saying hello to my good friend RockLee. Glad to hear everything is going well. Who knows what the future will bring, we might all be working in or for China the way it is growing as a world power? Remember to get all your new friends there to join JREF. Hope the rest of your stay there is as good or better then what you've had so far. I waiting to see all the good pictures from your trip soon! Take care and stay safe!

Frank

:wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:

Jack · 19 Aug 2005

Frank D. White said:
What better way to hit post 3000 then saying hello to my good friend RockLee. Glad to hear everything is going well. Who knows what the future will bring, we might all be working in or for China the way it is growing as a world power? Remember to get all your new friends there to join JREF. Hope the rest of your stay there is as good or better then what you've had so far. I waiting to see all the good pictures from your trip soon! Take care and stay safe!

Frank

:wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave: :wave:

yeah, good thing frank,

china will soon take over the USA for domination of the world

Grandpa Frank · 19 Aug 2005

geno said:
yeah, good thing frank,

china will soon take over the USA for domination of the world

Having them bid against us for the world oil supply may make the mid-east the ruling(richest) world power? Gas and heating prices are climbing higer each day here in the US.

Frank

:worried:

P.S. - We should be hearing from RockLee soon. He will probably sleep for 3 days stright after he gets home, LOL.

Jack · 22 Aug 2005

the americans have lost a lot of respect from many, with their recent actions, i think its only right another country takes the driving seat.

Apollo · 23 Aug 2005

Glad that you are enjoying yourself in China!!!

SHANGHAI is the place to SHOP till you drop!!!

RockLee · 25 Aug 2005

Miss_apollo7 said:
Glad that you are enjoying yourself in China!!!

SHANGHAI is the place to SHOP till you drop!!!

Shanghai is a nice place, but not quite that modern as I expected :souka: A little bit more expensive than Beijing...some things are even cheaper ! There is 1 thing I learned and that is that China is modernising, the economy is growing but the Chinese people still remain as old fashioned as they were in the 60's !!! They stick so much to traditions and of what I saw in Beijing it's by FAR not ready to host the olympics in 2008...I still don't get why it is chosen as the next host :souka:

So many beggars and poor people searching for garbage as garbage is money! People are rude, the traffic is most likely the worst on earth, busses and taxi's are a disaster on wheels, but the worst are the people driving !! Toilets are old style, and to most public or restaurant toilets you need to take your own toiletpaper.Most toilets are squattoilets (I developed a great hate for those bloody things as my body is not made to squat down to do my thing kashii: ) Privacy is not that big a deal in China, people just start reading ur sms's or private stuff from behind your back.People spitting everywhere, even on busses, subway...etc. even the pretty girls !! O_O If you're a foreigner people just like to rip you off, some taxi's don't have a meter and ask for absurd prices...so many bad things...at least there are also good things that counter the bad, else it was a complete nightmare You just have to get used to oldfashion ways and the Chinese way of living.

Grandpa Frank · 25 Aug 2005

Glad You Survived !!

Sounds like you would pick Japan to live over China, LOL. Glad you made it OK , good to have you back on the Forum!

Frank

thomas · 25 Aug 2005

RockLee said:
Shanghai is a nice place, but not quite that modern as I expected A little bit more expensive than Beijing...some things are even cheaper !

Having grown up in Middle Eastern countries I felt at home in Shanghai from the moment I arrived in town. Perhaps it's not as modern as Tokyo, but definitely more dynamic. You can feel the pulsating power of a strong nation.

RockLee said:
There is 1 thing I learned and that is that China is modernising, the economy is growing but the Chinese people still remain as old fashioned as they were in the 60's !!!

The very same applies to most of Japan.

RockLee said:
So many beggars and poor people searching for garbage as garbage is money!

I agree, their pro-active approach to begging needs time to get used to. As for scavenging: did you know that a lot of people in Tokyo also make a living by collecting used tin cans and rummaging through garbage? And sleep en masse in public parks and underpasses?

Anyhow, like Miss Apollo I perceived Shanghai mainly as a shopping paradise where anything goes for any price under blatant disregard for copyrights and trademarks. Very refreshing!

michi · 25 Aug 2005

RockLee said:
Shanghai is a nice place, but not quite that modern as I expected :souka: A little bit more expensive than Beijing...some things are even cheaper ! There is 1 thing I learned and that is that China is modernising, the economy is growing but the Chinese people still remain as old fashioned as they were in the 60's !!! They stick so much to traditions and of what I saw in Beijing it's by FAR not ready to host the olympics in 2008...I still don't get why it is chosen as the next host :souka:

So many beggars and poor people searching for garbage as garbage is money! People are rude, the traffic is most likely the worst on earth, busses and taxi's are a disaster on wheels, but the worst are the people driving !! Toilets are old style, and to most public or restaurant toilets you need to take your own toiletpaper.Most toilets are squattoilets (I developed a great hate for those bloody things as my body is not made to squat down to do my thing kashii: ) Privacy is not that big a deal in China, people just start reading ur sms's or private stuff from behind your back.People spitting everywhere, even on busses, subway...etc. even the pretty girls !! O_O If you're a foreigner people just like to rip you off, some taxi's don't have a meter and ask for absurd prices...so many bad things...at least there are also good things that counter the bad, else it was a complete nightmare You just have to get used to oldfashion ways and the Chinese way of living.

I got back from a trip to China a month ago, and I totally understand what you mean. I got ripped off by Beijing taxi drivers every day. They'd twist and turn through the entire city or pretend they didn't know where places were. Even though I am Chinese by heritage, they label me as a "foreigner" because I don't speak the Beijing dialect.
The big problem i have with squat toilets is the feeling that your bottom is centimeters from the floor. Everytime I hope I don't fall over...or fall in if it's a
trench.
Funny you mention the bus spitting problem. It's become such a problem in the past that on the Kunming (capital of Yunnan) public buses they even have audio-recorded messages that prohibit people from spitting. I didn't see much spitting, so it seems to have worked. Traffic in Kunming is a whole lot worse than Beijing or Shanghai. It was crazy, and to add on there was alot of flooding going on.

I think it's essential to have connections with people who live in China, when you plan on going there. They can be a big help because they know how not to fall for scams and tricks.

"You just have to get used to oldfashion ways and the Chinese way of living."

Yep.
Truthfully, I don't want to get used to it. By that I mean I don't want to live in China. People are much too calculating. Or rather, people need to be calculating. Everyone needs to be street-smart to survive. Having grown up in North America, I feel very naive. But I'd rather be naive and fair than conniving. There's a Chinese term called "sa da fang". Basically describes me.

If it seems possible (with all the complaining I just did) I still think China is an amazing place. In moderation.

RockLee · 25 Aug 2005

michi said:
I got back from a trip to China a month ago, and I totally understand what you mean. I got ripped off by Beijing taxi drivers every day. They'd twist and turn through the entire city or pretend they didn't know where places were. Even though I am Chinese by heritage, they label me as a "foreigner" because I don't speak the Beijing dialect.

Yeh I only had to take a taxi alone ONCE! But I got a feeling they ripped me off...luckily he did take the CORRECT way back to the appartment.

The big problem i have with squat toilets is the feeling that your bottom is centimeters from the floor. Everytime I hope I don't fall over...or fall in if it's a
trench.

Don't mention it ! I felt uncomfortable every second, in fear of shitting my pants ! T_T

Funny you mention the bus spitting problem. It's become such a problem in the past that on the Kunming (capital of Yunnan) public buses they even have audio-recorded messages that prohibit people from spitting. I didn't see much spitting, so it seems to have worked. Traffic in Kunming is a whole lot worse than Beijing or Shanghai. It was crazy, and to add on there was alot of flooding going on.

Yeh I know about the flooding, when I went to Shenzhen and Zhuhai from Guangzhou we had that problem, the streets were BLANK ! Poor people who had to wait for the bus

I think it's essential to have connections with people who live in China, when you plan on going there. They can be a big help because they know how not to fall for scams and tricks.

If I didn't have friends there I probably wouldn't even been to China ;-) It's so handy for making bargains, getting things cheaper and not being ripped off !

"You just have to get used to oldfashion ways and the Chinese way of living."

Yep.
Truthfully, I don't want to get used to it. By that I mean I don't want to live in China. People are much too calculating. Or rather, people need to be calculating. Everyone needs to be street-smart to survive. Having grown up in North America, I feel very naive. But I'd rather be naive and fair than conniving. There's a Chinese term called "sa da fang". Basically describes me.

Yeh, street-smart is needed if you want to live in China.Or at least a lot of friends who can help you out

If it seems possible (with all the complaining I just did) I still think China is an amazing place. In moderation.

True true It's a nice place, but like I said before, you need to adjust and get used to it !

misa.j · 26 Aug 2005

Welcome back RockLee!
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
It sounds like you had a quite trip in China, I could picture the traffic and the noisy street of Shanghai from your post.

It mustt be very interesting to travel through Aisan countries and see the differences.

RockLee · 26 Aug 2005

misa.j said:
Welcome back RockLee!
Thanks so much for sharing your story.
It sounds like you had a quite trip in China, I could picture the traffic and the noisy street of Shanghai from your post.

It mustt be very interesting to travel through Aisan countries and see the differences.

Thanks Yeah it's nice to see the differences, you notice a lot of different things and some similarities between them.Travelling rules ! Wish flying would be cheaper though

Davey · 26 Aug 2005

Okaeri !!!

Duo · 26 Aug 2005

hey rock, i hope u had fun in china, sounds like you did, def a place i wanna see in the future

I'm going to China !

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