I need a few pointers on China. This will be my fist visit to PEK SHA and HKG. All accomodation has been taken care of. Got my upgrade all the way and back- check-check.
Now what about important stuff like:
What is a good beer there? I hear wine is tough to find.
What foods to avoid?- I have heard horror stories from people who are advising I become a vegetarian for the duration of the trip. It can't be that bad?!
What are the best deals to bring back home. A friend mentioned that pearls are really cheap in PEK. Any idea where the best deals can be found?
I should have enough tiem to squeeze in a tour to the great wall and the forbidenn city in PEK. No tiem to tour much in SHA, but a open half day in HKG on a Saturday.

Thank you for your help.

 

I've never been there, but my friends tell me that for deals, walk around the markets. Never pay the price they demand. Always call their bluff when bargaining with them. They usually cave in.

 

in shanghai, lots of bars serve erdinger and hoegarten, which are both nice in my book. in beijing, try the hefewiezen at shillers (2-3 locations and 2-for-1 during happy hour). it's made by students at a chinese brewing school. i'm not really into mainstream chinese beers (too many preservatives), but some of the special qingdao brews are worth trying if you can find them.
that's not my experience, particularly if you can get to a carrefour; big selection and good prices.
i would avoid cheap restaurants (the kind that have pidgeons in cages at the doorstep and cooks without shirts) all street foods except hot soups during the first part of your visit. once your stomach adjusts, you can move onto some of the more adventurous stuff. don't worry about becoming veg; you can eat very well in china (i don't even like chinese food and i get by quite well)
yeah, the black pearls are nice and cheap. i think the best place to get them is at that large indoor antique market near tiantan. all of the jewelry is on one of the higher floors. i'm sure its almost too obvious to mention, but fake watches, dvds, purses, ties, etc are always well appreciated gifts
for the great wall, try go somewhere other than badaling if you have time. as for gugong, i would advise you to go alone. lots of travel books provide detailed info on the various components. i usually start at tiananmen, walk north, and hit up beihai park (across the street) afterwards.

btw, you should try to get this thread moved to a place where it will be more visable since the topic really isn't related to ac.

 

The Pearl market in PEK is good... I think the pearls are found on the 4th floor. There are clothes, purses and tonnes of "North Face" jackets on the 2nd floor.... and just about any other gadget you can find on the first floor. If you go to "Bobo's" stand on the first floor they can direct you to their off market "store" to buy purses etc.

In PVG, the "fashion market" is pretty good. Many of the hotels have shuttle buses that go there. They've got lots of clothes, jackets, suitcases, purses, shoes, silver. The DVD's that I've purchased in PVG are better in quality than ones I've purchased in PEK.

The mag lev train is very cool, if you can, take it from the airport.
As far as food goes, I've had no problem with meat there, although I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese food to begin with...

Foot massages for $6 an hour are also highly enjoyable.

You'll love it there! Have a great trip!

 

In PEK, I would strongly suggest that you see the great wall. If you are staying at a nice hotel, make sure they get you a guide to somewhere that is a little less busy. The Forbidden City is neat and you could tie it to being there for the flag raising at Tiananmen, which is across the street. Skip seeing Mao, the time spent outweighs the brief glimpse. The markets in PEK are your best bet, be ready to haggle.

SHA is a really great city and I would go out of my way to see Nanjing Road if I was you and come down towards the Bund and the Peace Hotel. The Grand Hyatt has a nice restaurant on the 60th(?) floor, with a great view. If you are staying in Pudong, I would suggest taking the Mag-Lev train out to the airport, which will require you to take a cab from the station to the hotel. If you are in a rush, it is not entirely practical, but the fastest train in the world is worth the extra hassle.

HKG is great, I would make sure you spend some time on the island and also in Kowloon, either at the night market, or near to the harbour.

For shopping, I would buy your DVDs in SHA, just make sure they show them to you first. Tea and silk were cheaper in PEK and lots to choose from. Antiques are probably best bought in HKG.

As for food, it depends on what you like. Although I would not suggest you go veg, there is lots of great food and if you prefer non-Chinese food, there are tons of restaurants to meet your desires. Obviously the hole-in-the-wall places have a higher risk than the upper end places. Concierges should be able to point you in the right direction, depending on where you are located.

 

Thank you all fro the great advice. I will print and bring with me. Personnaly I am not worried about food in China.
What is a good price to pay for a string of black pearls?

 

Bargaining - pay about 1/4 of the initial asking price. Ignore the part about them being a poor shop keeper and you are a rich tourist and can afford to pay more.

As for food the usual applies. Beware of uncooked meat, go to places that already have lots of people in them. Tea is probably better than water that hasn't come from a bottle. With tea there is at least a chance that some of the impurities have been cooked out. I was in PEK last year and had no troubles with the food.

Traffic is horrendous in PEK. To many cars and not enough bicycles on the road. Taking the subway is usually the quickest way around.

 

It's not possible to give an answer, since the price depends on the size and quality of the pearls, type of clasp, number of strands, etc. There is a large shop on the top floor of the pearl market in PEK (I can't remember the name but when you go in you'll see the pictures of Barbara Bush, Colin Powell and other US policitical figures) and they have a great selection and prices. Prices will go down considerably as you haggle. We brought our English speaking guide and he kept telling us in a stage whisper that he has a friend downstairs who can do better - this kept the price moving in the right direction. Do some shopping before you go to get a rough idea of prices. In my limited experience, PEK pearl prices should be about 25% or less of what appraisal in Canada would be.

PEK is great to visit. Surprisingly clean when we were there last fall. People friendly and lots of English signs. We had no problem with the food, although we stayed away from roadside vendors and stuck with nicer restaurants. The Wall at Mutianyu is fabulous, but a bit of a drive. If you are looking for an English speaking driver, contact Robinson Li at [email protected] or check out www.beijingtaxi.com.

Have fun!

 

I've hated Tsingtao beer when I've had it in the US. However, it's pretty fresh and tasty in China.

Ditto on skipping Mao. Unless the line is extremely short (as it sometimes is in winter). Otherwise you're in line for an hour or so to get a 10-second walk-by of Mao then you literally exit through the gift shop. In Beijing, watch out for hucksters in Tianmen and Wangfujing...young, usually cute girls, who speak English and try to get you to go see their art or poetry or some such nonsense.

For a half day in Shanghai you can walk the Bund, the Nanjing Road shopping area, or if you're staying on the Pudong side head up to the Hyatt Jin Tao lobby for a drink and a spectacular view. Pearl TV Tower is lame...if you've ever been in the CN Tower, Seattle Space Needle, Seoul Tower, etc. there's no need to hit this one.

HKG, if you start to get a hankering for western food there's a pretty good NY-style deli in Kowloon's Tsim Tsa Tsui. Big honkin' sandwiches. It's called Main St. Deli, in a hotel called the something-or-other Eagle (check Frommer's, I know they have it listed). HKG also is a good place for a British beer...if you like Tetley's most places have it on draught.

Lastly, I have never had a martini in China -- mainland or HK -- that wasn't swimming in vermouth. Watch out!

 

make sure you BARGAIN with the sales person when you buy something. Even in department stores (in department stores, you should ask for discount such as 10%~30% off.)
for others DO NOT pay what the sales person ask for. (Return a price about 1/10 or 1/20, and then bargain from there, you can always walk away if they dont agree) that's because they want to rip you off as much as they could if you dont have a oriental face.

make sure you try the Peking Duck in Beijing. (if you dont have time, you can always buy a "Peking Chicken Wrap" at KFC, lol. almost the same taste other than it's chicken instead of duck)

Besides the Forbidden City and Great Wall, i like the Temple of Heaven (less crowd)

 

On the other hand don't insulate yourself completely from speaking to local people.

Myself and another fellow were standing outside the exit from the Forbidden City when we were approached by a young girl of maybe 10 or 11 years old. We were cautious about what she wanted, but very quickly realized that she was just a young school girl who wanted to practice her English with us and ask a whole bunch of questions about where we were from and what our countries were like. After about 5 minutes, I noticed that her mother was standing a few feet away and she was a proud as anything that her daughter could converse with us in English.

 

I found the Peking duck in Beijing of less quality than can be found in HKG/YVR. Same for the Hainan chicken on Hainan Island.

Go figure.

 

personally, i prefer rings to strands because:

1) the quality isn't all that good anyway so why spend a lot of money?
2) rings look pretty cool
3) they are practical/popular gifts

you can get a nice ring for around $10

 

Don't eat the chicken!

 

'cause that ain't chicken!