How safe is China for a visit? Help!
 

Hi

My hubby are thinking of leaving the kids at home and visiting Shanghai and surrounding areas. Should I be worried. I had a friend say she would never go there because they are not that fond of Americans. I find this hard to believe. Any ideas of where to go and should I be worried or am I being silly?

Thanks for your time.

Why on earth would you listen to the opinion of someone who's never been to China?

China is very safe, and its people are generally welcoming and courteous. Some may harbour negative opinions of the current US administration (surprise!), but few would spend any time thinking about it, or America, at all - and in any event are too polite to argue the point with individual American tourists. Most won't be able to tell what nationality you are anyway, unless you really go out of your way to draw attention to yourselves.

As elsewhere in this world, you're likely to be treated the way you treat others.

By all means, come to Shanghai! As an American that works here part-time (and am currently in Shanghai), I can say that the Shanghainese are very hospitable and helpful.

The city feels very safe to me and offers great shopping, restaurants and sightseeing. Outside Shanghai, there are several towns such as Suzhou and Hangzhou you might want to visit and day trips can be easily arranged locally through your hotel or local tourist services.

momo---i bet this same friend would not go to disney because everyone is smiling....they must be laughing at her...

Thank you for the great advice from all of you. My friend is a big traveler and I guess well I think they had a very bad experience in Thailand and so assumes she may have them elsewhere.

We are thinking of spending a week in Shanghai is this to long for this area. I do want to take day trips to other places and appreciate Lia's suggestions. Do any of you have suggestions for itineraries that are a must.

Also is there a certain part of city I want to make sure to stay in.

I had heard ( on tv) that you can easily spend half of your trip in Shanghai and the other in Hong Kong. What do you think? Also one more silly question is it easy to communicate tiwht others there? I am trying to learn Chinese and it is much harder then I thought. I know I am a silly American.

Thanks you all have been great and blunt! I love it!

Momo: you are to be congratulated for keeping an open mind and for your spirit of adventure!

People are people, some are nice, some are not - regardless of nationality, color, religion, etc. Keep your mind open and you'll have a fine time! I'm even wishing our Governator, Arnold Schwartznegger, will have a good time there too - LOL!

If you are learning some Chinese, make it Mandarin. The people in Shanghai speak their own dialect, but Mandarin is pretty much "universally" understood in China. Any words that you attempt to speak in Mandarin will be appreciated by the Chinese.

Have a great trip! :)

Sorry to hear your friend had a bad experience. Perhaps she should try another country - every country (and even city) is very different and unique.

If you have a chance to visit both Shanghai and Hong Kong, then definitely do both. Most people spend only a couple of days in Shanghai but there is so much to see and do! Keep in mind that visiting nearby cities require a full day.

I recommend 2 days in Shanghai, 1 day in Suzhou, 1 day in Hangzhou, 2 days in HK and 1 day in Macau plus travel time.

People in HK speak more English than they do in Shanghai so if you are learning Chinese, learn Mandarin rather than Cantonese. A few key phrases and a good map (don't bother to buy one - you can get it from your hotel for free) go a long way and many signs are also in English.

Taxis are cheap and plentiful, but most drivers don't speak any English. Your hotel can write out locations on a "taxi card" that you give to the driver. Always take something with your hotel name in Chinese with you.

As for where to stay, I'd be happy to suggest centrally-located hotels if you let me know your budget. Sometimes you can get a great deal by going on an independent tour that includes air, hotel w/ breakfast, airport transfers and 1/2 day orientation tour. You can get by in Shanghai and HK on your own.

What was there bad experience in Thailand ?

How funny your friend would say they are not fond of Americans. I had exactly the opposite experience. I thought it was the most American-friendly country that I could imagine. I walked by myself in the early evening in both Shanghai and Bejing. Other than (many) people wanting you to buy bootleg CD's and handbags, you can just walk around.

Early morning walks are the most interesting, with people doing Tai Chi and ballroom dancing in all the parks. They love to be watched--particularly the dancers--they will show off some intricate steps if you stop and watch.

The people are curious about the US, they want to practice English, they want to know more about where you come from.

Be as careful as you would be in NYC, Boston or Chicago. Common sense should rule your trip.

Regarding hotels. I stayed at the Westin on the Bund. It was fantastic and only about three blocks from the Bund where the view of the growth of Shanghai versus it's colonial past is quite astounding. I don't know your budget, but if you can afford it, stay at the Westin.

As in a previous post, we also had the opposite experience. We took our kids there for a 2 week trip to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. That was 2 years ago and they are still talking about it as the best family vacation ever. (They were 10 and 16 at the time.)

The Chinese were fascinated with American kids and everywhere we went, they asked if they could take photographs of themselves with our kids. I thought it might make the kids nervous, but once they realized it was all in fun, they enjoyed being "celebrities." My younest daughter is very petite and at a pearl shop in Shanghai, the shopkeeper was so taken with her, she picked her up and carried her around the store. I have wonderful photos of that!

Don't miss the museum in Shanghai...it's by far the best one in Asia. A great day trip from Shanghai is ZhouZhang, one of the old "water villages." A little touristy, but still fun to ride around the canals in a little boat. If you tip the boatman, he will warble Chinese folksongs! We also really enjoyed the Chinese acrobat show in Shanghai....it was like the Ed Sullivan show come to life. A nostalgia trip back to the days of true family entertainment.
Go and enjoy yourself!!

WOW! I commend you all for your great advice. We are know wondering if we should be going to Bejing instead of Shanghai, any thoughts on this itinerary? Thank you Lia (again)for the advice. I wonder if I can fit it all in 9 or 10 days and still maybe feel a little relaxed. We have friend sthat will not travel with us because we are always trying to see everything and they wouold rather sit in their room. Boring!

If I go to Xian must I spend the night or is it a day trip.

Also I do not know what happened in Thailand to my friends she just said that after all of her traveling she did not like it at all. She thought it was very (this is her speaking and not me so I apologize) dirty and a little scary. She got taken from a guide who was a little touchy feely and not very knowledgible, I guess overall felt very unwelcomed in that country. Sorry this is all I know.

Anyways I love all the great tips and feel good about my decision know.
Keep them coming.... I wish I could thank you all in person.
Mom who needs a vacation fromt he 5 kids!

Oh yes I forgot to tell you all I am uusing my starwood points to stay at every (I hope)destination. So I will be staying at the Westin in Shangai, any suggestions on the other locals?

Thanks

Beijing is a great city to visit also. I haven't been to Xi'an but it's roughly halfway between Beijing and Shanghai so you could stop there. I think most people stay overnight even though the flight is less than 2 hrs. Flights in China are a real bargain and usually nicer than in the US. For example, you can fly from Beijing to Xi'an to Shanghai and back to Beijing for under US$500 (China Eastern airline quote on Expedia).

Flights from Beijing to Xi'an to Shanghai to Hong Kong and back to Beijing runs ~US$900.

If you go to HK, you should know that Chinese airlines consider it an international flight so you must reconfirm 72 hrs in advance and check-in 3 hrs before departure. Have your hotel concierge reconfirm and write down the confirmation number.

When do you plan to travel? It's getting chilly here in Shanghai (50-60ish) and Beijing is further north so it's colder there. HK is always fairly warm and humid, however you should keep in mind that April-Sept is the rainy season.

As far as hotels in Beijing, I'd recommend the St. Regis. If that's not available, then the Great Wall Sheraton. Both are Starwood properties.

If you have 9-10 days and like to be on-the-go, then I suggest:
Beijing - 2 days
Xi'an - 1 day
Shanghai - 2 days
Side trip(s) from Shanghai - 1 or 2 days
Hong Kong - 2 days
Macau - 1 day
(Skip either Xi'an or Macau if limited time).

Sorry I forgot to mention there are also Sheraton hotels in both HK and Xi'an.

Internal flights (not including Hong Kong) are quite a bit cheaper than Lia suggested.

The best hotel in Suzhou is the low-rise Sheraton. In Macau, one of the best hotels there is the Westin, though it's on an island away from city center. Sheraton in Hong Kong is excellent.

I know it has already been said, but I have never had an unfriendly encounter in China, and have been there on 4 long trips, ranging from Beijing to Kashgar. We have wandered back streets without a glimmer of concern.
If I were choosing, I would definitely go with Beijing over Hong Kong. Beijing has changed enormously from our first visit - not for the better from the tourist point of view - and now has heavy traffic jams and feel far more "Western". The good news about that is that indicates increasing prosperity for many people, the bad news is it is less charming. However that is a silly, tourist comment. No matter how it changes, though, it has some of the most memorable sights in China. The Forbidden City is incredible and Tiannamen square memorable. Wandering around is fascinating. Also there are wonderful day trips: the Summer palace and the Great Wall. As a city Shanghai is my favorite, but Beijing is also a must-see. I agree that Xian should also be included. We have now been twice to see the soldiers, and much to my surprise, I was just as awestruck the second time.
I am very impressed that you are trying to learn Chinese. I always try to learn politeness terms when I travel, as well as the always important "toilet". I discovered that my ear is not able to hear and copy the intonations and in fact was not saying what I thought I was, so I gave up. I did memorize the sign for women's toilet. We had no problem anywhere with language because people try so hard to help. All schools in China now teach English, so look for younger people to try to get help. However if you are going out on your own, take from your hotel a card with the name of the hotel, and have someone print in Chinese the place you want to get to. Some hotels actually have a printed sheet with popular destinations in English and Chinese. Do remember that not all people can read, and if you show someone the writing and they don't help, it may be because they can't read it.
I'm running on too long, but I can't help it. I love China!

We (2 adults and 3 kids 9 and under) just got back from China (Shanghai 4 nights-with one full day in Hangzhou, Xi'an 1 night, Beijing 4 nights) and felt perfectly safe, although we weren't out much later than 9 or 10 pm. People were very friendly and helpful--from the taxi drivers to people on the street. Besides getting the card with the hotel's name and address in Chinese, the hotel might have a free city map too which comes in handy if you like to walk. Our schedule was slowed up by the kids--but I felt we had little time to shop! There are so many sights, it can be hard to make time for the trinkets, much less practical and very affordable items. Bon Voyage!

So I guess I should go for sure with Bejing and Shanghai plus the others. But I think we will skip Hong Kong......unless anyone wants to chime in and let me know. We are planning on going in the Spring but since I use points I plan my trips a few months ahead.

I cannot believe so many of you have taken your kids. I guess I would never have thought it. How were they with jet lag? My 10 year old wants to come. We do not know.

I just started (by the way) trying to learn Chinese a few weeks ago, through books and online and cd's. They offer no classes where I live. Any suggestions, it is much harder then I imagined. I did pretty good in Germany and France but this is totally different.

Thanks

I have been back from Beijing for 10 days and I would say it was safer than most large US cities. There is a guide I found on THIS site that I used and he was wonderful. His name is Robinson Li. He has a fleet of cars he rents by the day with a driver--which for what we did --I considered very reasonable. His site is http:www.beijingtaxi.com. Be sure you ask for HIM as he speaks English and was a lot of fun and informative. You need to book early to get him.

Wow, so many moms here. ;)

Anyways, you're right that Chinese is not an easy language to learn. Don't force yourself. Just learn some basic phrases for travelling will be more than enough.

As far as jet lag is concerned, don't worry about the kid(s). They can tolerate it better than adults. I went to Europe (from Hong Kong) for the first time when I was 10, and jet lag wasn't even an issue.