@Coloma I disagree about the open markets. They are delicious.Night market is a tradition in China, otherwise known as the midnight snack for us. To this day I crave the lamb on sticks. They make it with Cumin and Chili Powder. Delicious!
Never tried the fish…
I think you’re talking about Bai jiu (White Wine) – that stuff is potent. My friends are hooked, I had half a small bottle and was a goner. Drink with caution!
When visiting the Great Wall – go EARLY. Rent a taxi instead of a bus, its more adventurous, but it’s way better, away from the crowd. Pick a good spot, avoid the tourist part. I went to Simatai or something like that. Pay the cab about 2–300 RMB. See tripadvisor for more tips on that end.
NEVER GO INTO A UNMETERED CAR, unless its a hired driver. They will try to rip you off.
Avoid any student artists trying to get you into an art gallery. Avoid any English learner that wants to chat with you in a cafe.
Check Tripadvisor for how much you should pay to get from airport to the city. If Chinese people can rip you off, they will (I’m Chinese). A lot of these people are in poverty – they see you as cash cows – don’t be fooled. And for god’s sake – don’t tip! In an Asian country service is a given. That’s why Asian services are way better than here in America – generally speaking. Americans want a tip – psh. Tipping can insult someone who is prideful in their work. However, because of so many foreigners tipping left and right, some have come to expect it. If it is written on the menu – tip. If not, you don’t have to.
I lived at the Red Lantern, which is a hostel in the Hu Tongs. It’s a GREAT location if you’re on a budget. I highly recommend this hostel. They sell great buns and street food just a block away.
Assuming you don’t have a Chinese speaker with you – take cabs everywhere. If you’re from America, or Europe – it’s super cheap. Remember to add 1 RMB to the total for gas money to the driver. Again – don’t tip.
If you go to the Silk Market… and you’re white… you WILL BE HARASSED. Remember what I said about cash cows? They will follow you around and try to get you to buy expensive things that are not expensive at all. I watched this poor European woman get surrounded by street sellers trying to sell her socks as we crossed the streets. Thank goodness I was Chinese, they couldn’t tell I was an American.
If you do go – there are great things to be found in the Silk market. My tip: bargain like there is no tomorrow. I got tailored shirts there for work at about $18 USD/piece. Which at the time was about 80–90 RMB per shirt. Buy more, save more – but that was the lowest I could get the price. But $20 USD for a tailor made shirt? Express charges $50 for one that wasn’t made just for me. It’s worth it!
General rule – go into the shop, look at an item – ask yourself – How much am I willing to pay for this item? So sticker price says 600 RMB, translate that to USD – say… $100. You want to pay $50, so that’s about 300 RMB. After you do that – take another 100 off. Offer 200 RMB for the thing. If they walk away – your price was too low. Go to another vendor and try 250. They will talk and talk and talk, and do a lot of tactics. But if you stay firm and threaten to leave – they will likely give it to you at 250. At the worst – relent and give them 300.
Do it this way – and you won’t get ripped off… much.
Hope that helps. I know I talked more about how to not get ripped off than how to go somewhere nice. When I get off work, I might add to that other list.
I mean – I feel bad for them, so when I do get ripped off, I can think of it as charity. But then the American in me just feels so cheated. It’s one thing that I’m nice and I give a nice tip. It’s another when they scam you out of it.
