My Beijing experience

 Me at Beijing Airport, Christmas day 2010... Although China doesn't officially celebrate Christmas, the jolly Chinese Santa and his little helper were wandering around handing out Christmas candy.

One of my many cab drivers around Xingtai. Very friendly and chatted constantly, in Chinese! I had no idea what his name was, or what he was saying...But just called him "Dennis".

I've been to China seven times since Sept 2009. And each time has been an incredible experience!
Here are a few tips:
1) Taxis: Make sure the cab has a working meter! And if it is working, make sure they turn it on! There are many taxis that are just private cars targetting ignorant foreigners.  The real taxi drivers will have their ID clearly showing on the dashboard, and will NEVER ask for money up front. The cost of travelling by taxi is minimal - perhaps $3 or $4(US) to go 4 or 5 blocks.
2) Safety: The upside of a communist state is that violent crime is very low! I have walked through the streets of Beijing, Nanjing and Xingtai (all in different parts of China) in the dead of night, and felt completely safe. The police take a tough stance on crime and the locals will respect the law all times. Just beware of petty crime. I haven't experienced it, but I hear pickpockets can be a hassle, especially in tourist magnets like Tianenmen Square.
3) The language: If you can't speak it fluently, be careful....You may make a fool of yourself. The language is heavily reliant on the accent of each syllable. Don't worry as most Chinese are very accommodating... They may not understand a word you say, but will try to make sense of the situation for you. You may even find a stranger will overhear your half-insane ramblings and have at least a rudimentary grasp of English enough to bridge the gap for you.

4) Tipping: Don't! I have heard that it can be seen as an insult for a westerner to give money away. Chinese work hard and long hours, and for us comparatively rich westerners to throw it away in such a fashion is just showing off. Even when catching a taxi, and the fare comes to, say, 24 RMB (about $US4) and you give the driver 25 RMB you will always receive change.

5) Driving yourself: DON'T...EVER! I have never seen such a disorganised bunch of chaos in even the worst peak hour traffic. Although I have never seen any sort of road rage on China roads, everyone honks their horn as if they just got it for Christmas! Indicators in cars are just pretty lights that are never used... Traffic lights are more of a suggestion than anything else, and most "new money" Chinese (of which there are millions) have just bought their very first car and possibly obtained their license as an afterthought. Their previous vehicle was probably a push bike. Then you have the "young money" drivers. These guys cruise extremely fast, erratically and with no regard for road rules in their brand new Mercs, BMWs and Volkswagon Passats. The cool colour is black! They are emulating their Party Member dads, and apparently (so I am told) have the same privilege of immunity to the law.
You also have the maze-like roads to navigate. Regardless if you happen to be able to read Chinese written characters on road signs, the new China is growing exponentially, and so are their roads! Read a road map that's perhaps 12 months old and you can be sure to find that it is somewhat out of date
..... Just catch a taxi. It's easier.


These tips are from my experience alone. Other people may have contradicting views. Overall the people are great to deal with, honesty is rife, and you will laugh at yourself for getting that phrase wrong when trying to impress the locals with your grasp on the language.

Cheers!