12 April 2019 - Aina Matamoros

Last August I went to China. I’d never thought this would be my first Asian country to visit (well, it was not the first technically since I had already visited Dubai – UAE – but I mean like ancient Asian culture countries). However, I became best friends with a Chinese girl named Caroline (Yandan, actually) that I met in my MA in Barcelona. She had to go back to China for work, I had no plans for the summer, I wanted to go far away from home and disconnect a lot, so China was the choice. Also, being able to discover a so different country with someone from there (and who is your friend and also knows how to speak your language) is the best thing ever. So I must admit it was the best travel choice I could’ve ever made.

 

We all think China is weird, and it is, but weird in the sense that it is VERY DIFFERENT from our culture and the western world in general. There are lots of stereotypes and legends that are not true; although there are some others that are exactly the way they’re known. My advice is: go with your mind open and forget about anything you ever heard about this country.

 

I visited Shanghai (the city where my friend lives) and we also went to Huangshan (in the ancient mountains) and the city of Hangzhou.

 

However, if you want to know fun facts and important things to know about China, keep reading, and you will discover some curious information.

 

1. DISCONNECTION: there is NO GOOGLE, NO FACEBOOK, NO WHATSAPP, NO INSTAGRAM, NO TWITTER, NO NOTHING, only WECHAT. That is perfect for the people that really need a social media and Internet detox (btw, I think we all do deep down) and for people that really need to disconnect from everything going on in their lives (which is what I needed). Believe me: you will find out how you really do not need any of these to be happy. But if you need to send life signs to someone out there, download We Chat, their social media app they use for EVERYTHING - it is like Facebook and Whatsapp combined and you can also use it to pay (see next point).

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2. They use their own payment methods: union pay cards or, what everyone does: pay through We Chat. They also have Alipay, which is an app to pay through your phone, too. So you cannot pay with your Visa, Mastercard or American Express (unless in some western shops/companies) and you better have cash (Yuan is the currency).  To pay through their phones (or also send money to one another) they do it by scanning the business’ QR codes – even the old ladies selling artisanal stuff in the mountains had their QR codes for people to pay them. Amazing.

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3. There are LOTS of Chinese people. We all know they are A LOT but they really are more than A LOT. Imagine all the Chinese people you can in your head. Now, multiply it by 10! Also, there are so few tourists, so you sometimes feel like and alien. I even got asked to take a picture with a little girl (celebrity moment well accepted though).

 

4. The metro is REALLY CHEAP – like from 0,10€ to 0,90€ per trip, depending on how many stations you have to go through. So take the metro. The station’s names are also in English and it is easy to understand, so do not panic. However, try to avoid it in point times, it is really crazy and so stressful.

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5. They DO NOT DRINK NORMAL WATER – they drink tea or hot water (because it is better for your body). So that is what they serve at restaurants. If you want to have some “normal” water, ask for ice to cool the hot one down.

 

6. Motorcycles do not make noise and they go through a special lane. I was really surprised by the silent bikes.

 

7. They do some kind of social gathering every day after dinner in front of some supermarket or in some squares in which they get together to dance! There are different groups in the same place dancing their different dances. I found it a very lovely and active way to socialize and be happy J

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8. Buddhism is the majority religion in China and most of the temples are dedicated to Buddha. This religion says that people living in the temples must be vegan. So we went to this temple in Hangzhou and they had a vegan buffet restaurant (which was like 3 euros per person) and was one the most delicious meals I have ever had.

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9. Also talking about food, I must say everything is so spicy… so if you do not like it, do not worry, you can ask for the non-spicy version of the dishes and they are still so good.

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10. The weirdest thing was the traditional breakfast, which was like a tofu soup with other vegetables and a hard-boiled egg soaked with tea, so it was like a black egg. It was ok, though.

 

11. Other cool things to eat (and good) are bamboo (cooked), all kinds of different green vegetables they have there and other kinds of fruit (like yellow watermelon, pears that look like apples and dragon fruit).

 

12. One bad thing I would highlight is the fact that they do not speak English, even in touristic places. However, they try hard to understand and make them understand themselves. They are nice people.

 

13. The weather in the summer is so humid and hot… more than in the Caribbean. I like it very much but some days I really felt overwhelmed by it. So be ready to sweat and go inside looking for icing air conditioning.

 

14. Distances between places and cities are huge… so if you plan on travelling around a little, come prepared and organized. The trains are really great or you can also travel by plane. However, if you are a foreigner, you must get your train tickets at the station, so go there with plenty of time in advance.