Yes, its been my 1st time in China.... what an interesting country!
With a population of 1.3B people.... yes, there are people everywhere! There is no personal space. The economy, however, is doing pretty good, great even!
This was really a business trip, with a bit of sightseeing in the evening. 3 days in Beijing, and 1 day in Hong Kong.... these are my experiences.
Day1 saw me arrive at Beijing airport at 12.00 midnight, along with more (!) people. Long taxi queue and a non-English speaking taxi driver later, I arrived at my hotel. Not so fabulous... turns out that most hotels allows smoking in the room, and you really cant get away from that crazy smoke smell.
Some interesting facts and observations about China:
- Of the 1.3 billion people who live in China, 20 million of these live in Shanghai (one of the worlds largest metropolitan areas), and 17 million of these live in Beijing.
- The food is brilliant, with a mixture of different aromas and sauces - and absolutely nothing like the corner Chinese shop in Australia.
- Chinese dont actually eat many vegetables at all (unlike the local Chinese takeaway down the road makes you believe :-).
- Most of the food is meat, meat and more meat (all with a side of more meat). In fact, meat from most animals is probably acceptable.
- Smoking in restaurants is okay. They do, however, give you a nice cover to protect your jacket/ handbag from the smell of food & smoke.
- I tried Chinese Hot Pot. Food is yummy - and a nice way to warm the tummy on a cold winter's day. Google it for a picture.
- Chopsticks are hard work (yes, I am the only person on the planet who still has not mastered the art)
- There are no road-rules. At all.
- Tradition and generosity is big. The Chinese are a very giving people, who are very polite and respectful.
- Customer service, however, is not high on the agenda (especially in hotels).
- China only allows 1 child per family. This is for population control. Penalties apply for the 2nd child. More details here.
- I am told that most kids start school at 7 years of age (true?)
- Beijing has innovative ways to reduce traffic in Beijing: On certain days, cars whose registration plates end in an odd or even number, are not allowed to drive. Citizens must take public transport on these days. For example, if my rego is L-12345. As "5" is an odd number, on an "odd number no traffic day", I will not be able to drive my car anywhere.
I suspect that this was originally put in place for the Olympic games, but is still in play today. Details here.
All in all, I must say China was much more developed and progressive than I had perceived it to be. The people are really nice, the cultural experience is great and I thoroughly recommend a touristy visit.
To wrap, here are some pictures of amazing sights I visited (pictures taken by me!).
National Grand Theater Beijing
Tianamen Square and Tianamen Gate
Beijing Olympic Park - the Bird's Nest
The Summer Palace
~ Lizelle
