What I have learned in/about the land of the yellow dragon
- Everything is BIG!
- 1.4 billion people live there
- The food is diverse, but totally different from Western cuisine: everything based on rice, extremely much meat (pork, beef, duck, chicken), not easy for vegetarians, and many – at least for me – unknown vegetables.
- If you want to stay online, make sure you take measures beforehand to bypass the internet wall (no access to Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.)
- People interact with each other differently and are physically more distant, generally.
- Do not bring a power bank that does not have the CCC label: it will be confiscated
- A lot of smoking is happening, even indoors in restaurants and hotels – without me experiencing much inconvenience from it.
- Everything is checked: at the airport, there's first a check with the wand (chemicals/drugs), after your luggage you show your boarding pass, your passport is scanned and a photo is taken, you are checked from head to toe with a stick, and at the gate, you don't show your boarding pass, but... your face is scanned
- Alipay rules: from train tickets to hotels, e-SIMs, flights, and paying in stores: one app does it all
- During/after Covid, Chinese people started discovering their own country, there are a lot of locals on the road.
- Vomiting and clearing your throat: everywhere, always
- Single-use plastics: overall, always
- Communicating = often shouting
- 10 days of traveling, on the road every day, new cities, new places—and yet I’ve only seen 5% of the highlights: that’s how big China is
- Logistics masters: train stations, subways, attractions, ... the organization is always impressive
- Hip? I thought Japan was the pinnacle of funkiness, but don't underestimate China: a formidable competitor.
- The Chinese want anything but war, they are very focused on (economic) prosperity.
- Money is important!
- The president: we don't talk about that – unless I'm a very good friend of the person I'm talking to
- I haven't gotten further than "nihau" (hello) and "chenchen" (thank you) and don't understand anything else that is being said.
- Selfies and photo shoots in traditional clothing at historical sites: Chinese people have mastered the art
Do I want to travel to China again?
Give me a (little) break, but then... very certainly!
