7 ms·

I've been living in China for the past 4 months and plan on staying until May. It really is two different worlds. Having traveled through the more modern cities

• firefoxman1 14y ago
  Is it necessary to speak the language to get by for a couple weeks?
  • dvdhsu 14y ago
    It really depends where you go. If you're in the big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hefei, etc.), you'll be fine without Chinese. If you go into more rural areas, Chinese would certainly help, but you'll certainly still be able to buy food, live in hotels, and ask for directions (look for the younger crowd; they've had mandatory English classes).
    • seanmcdirmid 14y ago
      You need some Chinese to get around in Beijing. Shanghai is much better, however. First time I've heard of Hefei referred to as a tier 1 city!
      • firefoxman1 14y ago
        Thanks for the info, both of you. Much appreciated!
    • beefsack 14y ago
      I'm living in Guangzhou at the moment, you could get by here with only English, and only a couple of hours by train to Hong Kong.
  • olalonde 14y ago
    I know very few expats in China who can really speak Chinese. I've been here for about 2 years (Shenzhen) and barely know a few words. You should at least make a Chinese friend who can help you out when you really need it.
  • ThisIBereave 14y ago
    It can be very difficult here to get by without knowing chinese unless you live in a foreigner-friendly area (i.e. a tourist area or near a university). I'd suggest using a tour company if you want to travel more widely. Having a translator at least would be very valuable.
  • espitia 14y ago
    Not at all. As long as you know the ones you'll be using a lot (food, water, thank you, how much, etc.) you'll be more than fine. Honestly, all you need is body language. I actually have a couple of Korean friends whom I whent out to eat with and without us having a common language. This was back when I knew very little mandarin. Book your flight and go. Hit me up if you need anything!
• bfung 14y ago
  Looking at the pictures, I actually felt the opposite of "a fresh outlook on life"! Contrasting the old and the new, I feel like the fake Thames town, the roman columns, the gaudiness of all the buildings loses a lot of the old Chinese culture: the designs of the old and how they relate to the philosophy of the past... but now there's a lot of fake touristy stuff to cover up where the Chinese actually came from. Anyways, there's no right or wrong here, I just found it interesting =)
  • olalonde 14y ago
    The funny thing is that Chinese think exactly the opposite. For them, the fake touristy stuff are the old buildings and traditional Chinese architecture. It reminds me of people who visit Canada and want to see the real Canada: the remote farms, igloos and virgin forests. For us Canadians, it's a bit ridiculous.
    • seanmcdirmid 14y ago
      But if you look at the adobe housing in Kashgar that is getting torn down for garish apartment blocks, its very depressing (tip: go see Kashgar now before its too late!). My favorite is when they tear down the old and rebuild a "new old town" like in Lijiang or Fenghuang, or even when the "renovate" sections of the great wall. You can tell its fake, and it feels like Disney Land. But there is still a lot of old architecture left, people in China still "live like that;" e.g. its not totally ridiculous to expect real hutongs in Beijing. Perhaps they'll build a "Canada town" in Inner Mongolia, complete with virgin forests, igloos, and totem poles.
  • espitia 14y ago
    I meant as in you get a new perspective after all that you experience here. You're right though, no right or wrong here. Cheers!
  • rossjudson 14y ago
    Foreign governments make it very hard for Chinese citizens to travel abroad (not to mention their own government doing the same thing to them, once they rise to a certain level). Solution? Build replicas of the things so they can see them in China instead.