eye-opening experience in china

the bund - a famous waterfront area in shanghai

among the things I observed or learnt throughout my china trip were…

• the chinese favour honda and volkswagen cars. colour of choice is usually black.
• traffic can be a nightmare in china, especially at intersections and city roads! motorbikes, bicycles, cars, lorries, busses and pedestrians criss-cross each other, half the time ignoring the traffic light that has the red light blinking!
• motorbike and bicycle riders are called “road murderers” because of their tendency to weave in and out of the road, without keeping an eye out for other vehicles! there’s no such thing as wearing helmets for these “road murderers” either!
• in addition to the typical vehicles that run on fuel, there are also motorbikes, bicycles and buses that run on electricity.
• sinopec is china’s national petrol company, just like petronas here in malaysia. you’ll only see sinopec petrol stations in smaller towns and rural areas. the bigger cities like shanghai has a few other international petrol companies like shell and BP. sinopec is also the main sponsor for shanghai’s formula 1 races. vroom!
• besides formula 1, shanghai plays host to other international sporting events like the tennis masters cup and HSBC champions golf tournament.
• the “toilet situation” has generally improved since my last china trip 3 years ago. however, you may come across toilets that don’t have locks, so hold on to the door…or get someone to “guard” the door for you! don’t be too surprised if you come across a cubicle with an open door, only to find that there’s an occupant inside! (yes, some of the chinese people don’t bother to lock the toilet, even at the airport!)
• if ever you’re on a group tour in china, visits to various local industry factories are unavoidable: pearl, silk, jade, tea (chinese, green, chrysanthemum). be careful with your money for you will be conned to buying products at exorbitant prices, and part of the money will go to your tour guide as their commission!
• china’s seafood comes from freshwater sources, unlike malaysia’s (mainly) saltwater sources. hence you get unusual seafood like “hairy” crabs and fishes with lots of fine bones.
• avoid going to china during their high tourist season: chinese new year (jan – feb), labour day (may) and national day (oct). hotel occupancy will be full and traffic on the roads will be crazy!
• because of china’s one child per family policy, you rarely see children playing in parks or running around.