Weather

April weather in China can be quite chilly in Beijing and Xi’an and very warm and humid in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. South of the Yangtze, very few buildings have central heat, so if Shanghai is cold, the buildings will be cold. As everywhere, the weather is also changeable, so check these websites before you pack for up-to-the-minute information about weather in China:

www.wunderground.com
www.weather.com.cn

Check this website for a more general description of weather in China month-by-month, with suggestions for what to take, as well as for current weather:

www.chinahighlights.com

What to Pack

We encourage you to travel as lightly as possible. We will have to haul our own bags at most airports and across the border from China into Hong Kong (a not insignificant walk). The weather may be chilly in Beijing and will likely be warm in Hong Kong. You will be able to get laundry done everywhere. For our sightseeing days, you will want comfortable clothes such as hiking pants and shirts. For business visits, of course, you will need business dress, including ties for the men. Most dinners will be casual.

Packing list:

1. business jacket and 2 pairs slacks or suit
2. several dress shirts
3. tie
4. 1 pair dress shoes
5. 1 pair casual shoes for sightseeing
6. 1 – 2 pairs hiking pants or similar
7. 3-4 T-shirts or casual shirts, some short-sleeved
8. 1 pair lightweight fleece gloves
9. 1 – 2 fleece jackets or pullovers or sweaters for cool days and evenings
10. scarf (check the weather just before departure—may not be necessary)
11. raincoat or rain jacket
12. umbrella
13. underwear and socks
14. travel alarm clock
15. all your standard medications
16. Imodium or similar in case you get a stomach bug
17. standard toiletries (hotels will have hair dryers)
18. hand wipes and hand sanitizer
19. several zip lock plastic bags
20. sun hat for sightseeing days
21. camera with extra disk and batteries or battery charger
22. adaptor kit (China uses several different plugs, so you’ll need a variety of adaptors)
23. whatever you like to read

Books

The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China’s Future, Elizabeth Economy (2010), Council on Foreign Relations (analysis of modern China and its growing environmental challenges)

The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers, Richard McGregor (2010), Harper Collins Publishers (Financial Times reporter provides insights into the huge and all encompassing Chinese Communist Party)

China: A History, Harold Tanner, 2009—596 pages (may be a bit too much, but covers Chinese history from earliest times to present)

China and the West: A Short History of Their Contact from Ancient Times to the Fall of the Manchu Dynasty (1911), William Soothill, 2009

The Penguin History of Modern China: The Fall and Rise of A Great Power, 2008, Jonathan Fenby

Riding the Iron Rooster, 1989, Paul Theroux (his adventures criss-crossing China on the train)

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze,  2006, Peter Hessler (about his 2 years in the Peace Corps teaching English in a Yangtze River town)

Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China, 2007, Peter Hessler (Beijing correspondent for the New Yorker)

The Man Who Stayed Behind, 1989, Sidney Rittenberg (Sidney stayed in China at the end of WWII, was a close friend of Mao, Chao en Lai, and Deng Xiao Ping, was imprisoned for many years 2 different times, incredible story of a man whose contacts in China are still remarkable and whose name is still known everywhere)

Out of Mao’s Shadow, The Struggle for the Soul of a New China, 2008, Philip Pan (award-winning Washington Post journalist and one of the leading China correspondents of his generation)

The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China, 2006, Mark Elvin

China: People Place Culture History, 2007, DK Publishing (Donna Karan has published several books documenting in photos and text the lives of people in unusual, isolated or vanishing cultures)

Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China, 1991, Jung Chang (the fascinating story of 3 generations of Chinese women, from a concubine grandmother to a Red Guard granddaughter)

China Road, 2007, Rob Gifford (Gifford spent much of the last 20 years in China, 6 as NPR’s correspondent there)

for a general guidebook, we usually find Frommer’s guides most helpful (there is a 2008 edition)

Health

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control website gives you thorough and current information about health issues in China:  wwwnc.cdc.gov.  Please take the time to review it.  We will not be in any area where malaria occurs.  You do not need any special vaccinations to travel to China.  We do recommend you make sure all your vaccinations are up-to-date and that you get a flu shot before we go.  None of these are required for entry to China, but are good health precautions.

Every Chinese city we visit will have terrible air quality.  If you have asthma, be sure to bring a good supply of any medications you use.  Many Chinese use surgical masks as a matter of course.  We have never done that and don’t recommend it, but it is not uncommon to see people wearing them.  We take various cold medications with us because it is very common to get a cold or cough in such a polluted environment.

China’s water supply is not safe.  Drink only bottled water.  No matter what a hotel says, use bottled water for everything including brushing your teeth.  We will have bottled water on our buses for you.  Do not eat any fruits or vegetables that aren’t cooked or peeled.  Do take Imodium or some similar medication with you in case you get a stomach bug.  We also suggest you take Cipro (you’ll need a prescription from your doctor) with you in case you get travelers’ diarrhea.

Maps

Our route through China

Note:  If you’d like to read about our 2009 trip to China, with photos, you can visit our website:

Quick Facts

Check out these websites for many facts about China:

www.checkedbaggageonly.com
www.china.org.cn

Culture Tips

Take a look at these websites before you leave for China.  They give you very good guidance about the unique cultural aspects of good etiquette in China, which is critical to know in order to leave a good impression and “save face”, not to mention ultimately doing business there.

www.culturalsavvy.com
www.ehow.com
travel.nationalgeographic.com

Some general guidelines to remember:

1. Take plenty of business cards.  You will exchange business cards with everyone we meet.  When presenting your card, extend it in both hands and accept cards also with both hands.  Take a moment to look at the card when you receive it (don’t put it away right away).  Hand your card personally to each person you meet, using both hands.
2. Use both hands when accepting anything else, such as a gift, as well as a business card.
3. Stand up when you are introduced to someone.  Introductions are important in China and generally go by perceived rank.  Shaking hands is the standard greeting.  Don’t touch anyone we meet in a personal way, such as a touch on the arm or a backslap.
4. Chinese tend to be more formal than Americans.  Titles are important in China, as is rank.  In more formal meetings, the highest ranking person (as perceived by our hosts) will be seated to the right of the highest ranking Chinese in the room.  Sometimes everyone is told where to sit; other times, everyone but the “senior” guest will take their own seats.  The highest ranking person should enter the room first.  If we meet with younger people or Chinese who’ve worked or gone to school in the U.S., it will be more relaxed.
5. When possible, use titles and last names to talk to people.  Titles are very important in China.  When we meet people who have worked in the U.S. or for a U.S. company, they will be more informal and use first names.  Younger Chinese are also more informal than their parents. 
6. Saying “no” may cause a Chinese person to lose face.  You are likely to find many euphemisms to cover a “no” to a request.
7. Gifts are standard in China and are given quietly.  Rarely will a Chinese open a gift in your presence.  We will be taking gifts for all of our meetings, so you do not need to do so.  If you receive a gift in return, open it later unless our host requests that you open it in the meeting.
8. Earl will be the one to present gifts.  We will have several levels of gifts to make sure everyone who speaks to or hosts us gets a gift and that the most significant gift goes to the most “important” person.
9. Chinese will always see us to the door or elevator and often to our bus, where they will stand to wave goodbye to us.
10. Keep your feet on the floor.  As in many countries, showing the soles of your shoes is considered rude.
11. Avoid pointing. 
12. China is very crowded, so don’t be surprised if people jostle you or stand very close to you when they talk to you.  Take it in stride, as privacy and personal space are not the realities of their lives.
13. We will brief you on banquet etiquette if we host Chinese guests.  See above for greeting guests and seating arrangements.  Drinking and toasts are a big deal, so be careful (especially if mao tai is served, the nearly lethal Chinese drink).  If you don’t drink alcohol, that is fine—you can toast with tea or a soft drink.
14. Chopsticks are often used for serving from the many plates on the “lazy Susan”.  Do not use the end of the chopsticks you are eating from—turn them 180 degrees and use the blunt end of the chopsticks to serve yourself.  Always lay chopsticks horizontally if you are not using them.
15. Chinese often serve a guest before serving themselves. 
16. Keep your thoughts and opinions about Tibet and Taiwan to yourself.  These are very sensitive topics in China.
17. Tipping is not common in China.  We will handle all tips for those who do survive on tips, such as guides and bus drivers.  You do not need to tip for personal service, though Westerners often do give small tips.