Must-known Tips Coming to China

Today, there is an increasing number of people who are interested in learning Chinese. And more and more people consider coming to China, for travel or for business. But, don’t forget these things before you set off!

First, when you come to China, there is a whole new world to explore. Shopping, food, sight-seeing, all these are very exciting. But, have you ever considered the language barrier? As most Chinese people speak Chinese – mandarin (standard Chinese) to be exact, it is necessary for you to pick up the Chinese language, such as asking directions, taking taxis, asking for help, etc.

Language Barrier

Chinese learning is never easy work, and speaking it fluently like a native is obviously not realistic. But, it will be very handy and useful to pick up simple words and phrases for daily use. You can memorize some commonly-used Chinese sentence structures first and then fill in the structure with the words you learn on the go! Another way to master the Chinese language is to enroll in online mandarin classes before you go – iChineseLearning does a decent job in teaching mandarin Chinese online. 

Second, Chinese culture. The last thing you want to do when you go to a new country is be rude and offend the locals by doing something totally unacceptable. This may require you to invest some time to learn. As a famous saying goes, when in Rome, do as Romans do. If you are in China, we might say: do as Chinese people do. These top 8 Chinese cultural taboos may be useful for you to know what can and can’t be done in China.

                     Crowed Great Wall of China During National Holiday

Another important thing to consider while traveling is the time. China is a very populated country, with 1.3 billion people. Almost every tourism destination is flooded with people during Chinese holidays. In China, there is a very satire translation of the idiom 人山人海 – “People mountain, people sea.” The translation may be incorrect, but it is correct enough to tell you that it is bad idea to travel to China during Chinese holidays. The main Chinese holidays include Chinese New Year Holiday ( 12.29 – 1. 15 Lunar year), May Day Holiday (5.1 – 5.3), QingMing Festival (4.4 - 4.6), National Day (10.1 – 10.7). It is highly recommended that you avoid the above time periods if you decide to come to China for travelling.