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Placeholder for anyone with questions. 

Been to Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Wulingyuan, and Taipei (does this count?)

Took similar trip 35 years ago, when China first opened up to outsiders. Expanded my horizons like nothing else in my life ever has. It was not at all modernized then. Plenty of Mao Jackets and Russian looking buildings. First event after landing was The Peking Opera. The combination of sleep deprivation and the uniqueness of the Opera made for quite a psychedelic experience.  

  • Author

Random photos from over the years

Had to go to Din Tai Fung for a work dinner. That place sucks.

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  • 2 months later...

just locked a $400 fare to shanghai on united.  have a friend in hefei.  someone tell me what to do/see.

A man from Chendu cooked me dinner in my house Saturday night.  Doesn't speak a word of English, but the mofo can cook. 

Set up a VPN client and account on your computer and phone BEFORE you go. The apps are blocked in the app stores in China so it becomes much more difficult to set up connectivity once you're in-country. International roaming plans are much less filtered by China, a local SIM is heavily filtered. Some international hotels might have VPN pipelines for their WiFi.

18 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

Set up a VPN client and account on your computer and phone BEFORE you go. The apps are blocked in the app stores in China so it becomes much more difficult to set up connectivity once you're in-country. International roaming plans are much less filtered by China, a local SIM is heavily filtered. Some international hotels might have VPN pipelines for their WiFi.

part of me was thinking of wiping my phone, is that too much?

I wouldn't bother, but it depends what you have on it. If you're concerned about important data, at least set a strong password and remove your fingerprint and face recognition from it. Obviously depends on your traveler profile; if you're a random tourist you're very unlikely to get any scrutiny. If you're a high enough profile target, they've probably already hacked all your data. In between those 2 extremes is where you can take reasonable precautions, if you care.

Volunteering yourself to give advice about China and the first thing you say is din tai fung sucks? Dude there goes your credibility...

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

Volunteering yourself to give advice about China and the first thing you say is din tai fung sucks? Dude there goes your credibility...

Yeah, sure there are better places but it most certainty does not "suck".

2 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

Volunteering yourself to give advice about China and the first thing you say is din tai fung sucks? Dude there goes your credibility...

Agreed attention seeking bullshit - should have just said "hey I went to China and here are my pics"

  • 4 months later...

Do I need a VPN when heading to Hong Kong? I know HK is still China but I have no idea if they have the same kind of censorship as the mainland.

On 7/18/2019 at 1:04 PM, HRSchenker said:

Do I need a VPN when heading to Hong Kong? I know HK is still China but I have no idea if they have the same kind of censorship as the mainland.

my VPN dialed into hong kong while i was in shanghai, so i assume not.

Edited by elfenix
edited to clarify i was not in hong kong

40 minutes ago, HRSchenker said:

Do I need a VPN when heading to Hong Kong? I know HK is still China but I have no idea if they have the same kind of censorship as the mainland.

not in my experience. been a few years but HK was blockage free.  and PRC had extensive blockage even at the airport

On 12/9/2018 at 2:44 PM, Not that Bob said:

Took similar trip 35 years ago, when China first opened up to outsiders. Expanded my horizons like nothing else in my life ever has. It was not at all modernized then. Plenty of Mao Jackets and Russian looking buildings. First event after landing was The Peking Opera. The combination of sleep deprivation and the uniqueness of the Opera made for quite a psychedelic experience.  

get out of the cities and much the same still, like a time machine

  • 2 months later...

My trip to Hong Kong is still on. Family is telling me not to go but everywhere I've read has said to avoid the protests and you'll be fine. My only concern would be if they protest at the airport like they did a few weeks ago

Do I need a VPN when heading to Hong Kong? I know HK is still China but I have no idea if they have the same kind of censorship as the mainland.
No you won't need a VPN in HK. The Internet isn't censored. Be careful though especially on the subways, the protests have resulted in Innocents getting attacked on subways. But being white you should be ok. If it gets sticky stay in the midlevels area on hong kong island.

Shouldn't be any issue going to HKG, as you say avoid the active protest areas, many parts of the city you won't see anything different at all. Tourism has plummeted, so hotels are cheap, all the sights aren't crowded, and retailers have various promotions. If anything, it's a great time to go. A coworker was there a month ago during the protests and found the protestors incredibly polite and educated, with mostly excellent English.

My boss is headed over next week to adopt a little girl. He’s nervous as shit. CSB


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On 12/9/2018 at 5:56 PM, happyfunball said:

Random photos from over the years

Had to go to Din Tai Fung for a work dinner. That place sucks.

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Meh, i ate Panda Express and then visited McKinney Falls yesterday so these views hit close to home.

  • 1 month later...

I'm in Hong Kong right now. Wow this place is great. Been to a hiking trail, Victoria Peak, and other popular food places and you can really tell that tourism is down. I haven't seen any protests but there are posters and graffiti everywhere. Lots of pro democracy, anti China stuff. There's also tons of anti LeBron James graffiti too. One sign in Mong Kok said "LeBron James pussy ass bitch" 

3 hours ago, HRSchenker said:

One sign in Mong Kok said "LeBron James pussy ass bitch" 

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On 11/6/2019 at 1:36 AM, HRSchenker said:

I'm in Hong Kong right now. Wow this place is great. Been to a hiking trail, Victoria Peak, and other popular food places and you can really tell that tourism is down. I haven't seen any protests but there are posters and graffiti everywhere. Lots of pro democracy, anti China stuff. There's also tons of anti LeBron James graffiti too. One sign in Mong Kok said "LeBron James pussy ass bitch" 

Please tell me you took a pic of pussy ass bitch

Read Lost on Planet China.  It's a travel memoir by the same author that wrote The Sex Lives of Cannibals.  It's an easy, eye opening read about the China you don't ever hear about.

3 hours ago, Mack Tripper said:

Please tell me you took a pic of pussy ass bitch

Of course I did

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South of Shanghai is a town called Hangzhou. Highly recommend it. It’s like the Austin of China. Only way I can describe it.

Marco Polo called it heaven on earth. Had some great times there on a couple trips.

  • 5 years later...

I will be there on a cruise in a couple of weeks. I'll post pics

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

Headed to Shanghai and Yantai next week. This thread is dead.  


I wonder what happened in China between November 2019 and now. 

Wife is in Shanghai right now. She’s been sending back some incredible pictures. 

14 hours ago, royiv said:

Wife is in Shanghai right now. She’s been sending back some incredible pictures. 

Did she make a day trip to Hangzhou or Suzhou or did she stay in Shanghai?  Post the pics, I wonder what it looks like now.

14 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Any tips? Where is she staying?

She’s there on a school trip with her grad program and they’re all staying at the Westin Bund and that’s also where they are having classes. She says it’s nice and the location is great. She can’t get enough of the breakfast spread every morning. 

12 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

Did she make a day trip to Hangzhou or Suzhou or did she stay in Shanghai?  Post the pics, I wonder what it looks like now.

They were in Hangzhou on Wednesday for a factory tour, otherwise they’re in Shanghai for classes and site visits. Here are some pics she sent me from her first day there (Sunday).IMG_2223.thumb.jpeg.3a1c9460ae26c1e47fcd6c655fae23f0.jpegIMG_2354.thumb.jpeg.6be6a81c6fc4f8f0db9d035a2498a887.jpegIMG_2368.thumb.jpeg.844eaa2e295d091b935b28cde25712b8.jpegIMG_2381.thumb.jpeg.cb3242e8722332b3ef23ca44179a73a2.jpegIMG_2388.thumb.jpeg.276698e4380582feccb4cb8555e853bd.jpegIMG_2372.thumb.jpeg.53210cf4e06bfb1cf6b2af66fe770a38.jpegIMG_2281.thumb.jpeg.49f1b0e781fd03953c3b127370d97acd.jpegIMG_2324.thumb.jpeg.08267bb8e0815d7cf9079c4f8f8a80c4.jpegIMG_2322.thumb.jpeg.ccf4cf41c20d9edd138b6f640b7ee3da.jpegIMG_2233.thumb.jpeg.0c013e1639fdf4f17304327d5ef4e2db.jpegIMG_2310.thumb.jpeg.b574f4211450094e96bf343187a0c286.jpegIMG_2229.thumb.jpeg.dba4cfc638993af4c5ca3ed97fb018a0.jpegIMG_2235.thumb.jpeg.7b2102bc38ad815ebb38820e42e015a5.jpegIMG_2248.thumb.jpeg.2ad96a59deb0efb9fe92a50a0dbd1eeb.jpegIMG_2269.thumb.jpeg.f2260420ff48059ff5ded61cfd951832.jpeg

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Awesome.  I'm staying a good ways away at the Marriott Hotel Pudong East.  Not sure I will have much time to do any exploring.  

I'm going to a couple of big chemical complexes while I'm there... BASF-YPC and Wanhua.  Should be interesting.

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

Awesome.  I'm staying a good ways away at the Marriott Hotel Pudong East.  Not sure I will have much time to do any exploring.  

I'm going to a couple of big chemical complexes while I'm there... BASF-YPC and Wanhua.  Should be interesting.

Is that by the airport?

  • 2 weeks later...

Just spent the last two days on Shanghai. What a great city. Will definitely go back. 20250428_202642.thumb.jpg.60eb535fecf3e82f7617deeafd5f940f.jpg20250429_072641.thumb.jpg.f34e836df05bb7188ee8e74c0f9212b7.jpg20250429_091931.thumb.jpg.5557b175119095c5a25ce2f79a4313c6.jpg

I was also in China last week.  Flew in to Shanghai, took a bullet train to Nanjing, flew to Yantai, and then back to Shanghai.  It was an interesting experience.

One of the guys I work with over there asked if I like Trump. I was like.... <crickets>.  He goes "We love Trump over here.  Everybody does.  He's a businessman."  I ask "what about the tariffs?"  Him: "They will sort themselves out.  No problem.  Trump is just doing his job.  Most Chinese like Trump and love Americans."  

I was literally shocked.  I have to say that in the time I was there, I never got a single sideways glance.  No hostility at all. In fact, quite the opposite.   

Another funny exchange... Every meal would conclude with sliced watermelon and maybe some oranges or tomatoes.  I was giving them a hard time and telling them that this is why they are all skinny.  In the US, we eat cakes, cookies and ice cream.  They eat watermelon.  Anyway, one of the Chinese guys leans over to me and quietly asks, "Is it true that in America, if you offer a black man watermelon that he will get mad?  Why???".  

Monkey Puppet GIF

As we spent the day together, I asked him how he learned English so well.  He tells me that even though it is banned, he learned a lot from watching South Park.  Haha!  The earlier watermelon comment then completely checked out. 

I was in Beijing and Xi'an earlier this month. The great vs horrific food strikes deep. Great stir fried noodles everywhere, but one evening I was absolutely gassed so I ordered a "pepperoni pizza" from room service. What showed up was revolting. First there was a bowl on the side that I didn't taste but I'm pretty sure was ketchup, no sauce on the pie. The "pepperoni" was what I would describe as slices of bologna with whole peppercorns shoved into it.

Lots of gross stuff out on the street available, but everything else I ate was fantastic. 

I go at least twice a year.

No issues but more questions when I went last time.

Lot less foreigners these days.

*walked a minuscle portion of the Great Wall yesterday 

On 4/29/2025 at 1:54 PM, HookEm said:

I was also in China last week.  Flew in to Shanghai, took a bullet train to Nanjing, flew to Yantai, and then back to Shanghai.  It was an interesting experience.

One of the guys I work with over there asked if I like Trump. I was like.... <crickets>.  He goes "We love Trump over here.  Everybody does.  He's a businessman."  I ask "what about the tariffs?"  Him: "They will sort themselves out.  No problem.  Trump is just doing his job.  Most Chinese like Trump and love Americans."  

Turns out, some Chinese people are just as stupid as some Americans.

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Then there's the issue of, perhaps inadvertently, helping to elevate China's desire to dominate global affairs. 

Spent 5 days in country on cruise stops. Heading home but what an amazing country. Had no idea what to expect, but loved it. Definitely want to come back and explore more. 

21 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

Spent 5 days in country on cruise stops. Heading home but what an amazing country. Had no idea what to expect, but loved it. Definitely want to come back and explore more. 

China was never super high on my list until my wife’s recent trip there. She loved it and her excitement about the trip when she returned home was infectious.

Did you go to the one close to Beijing? They said it was much more crowded than the place we went. 

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