Request for tips for China Trip

[Jlaw]

Hangzhou West Lake(xihu 西湖) is a place worth visitingBy the way, Beijing Wangfujing snacks Jie I don't recommend that you buy anything,They are good at cheating foreigners I am in Beijing.

I was there in May. Many locals buy snacks there also.

LOL that video is so true. Although I would have been even more brutal and said nah how about $3. There is no such thing as an "offensive" offer when haggling. Vendors often feign anger and disappointment but just insist or walk away. There are PLENTY of alternatives and other vendors selling the exact same stuff. Try to avoid the fakes though. I don't know why but in my experience, vendors selling fakes often say idiotic things like "but this is ..." as if it's the real deal like somehow fakers making a fake of a super expensive product means the fake is worth more.

I bought a Chinese brand pen from a vendor selling legit Chinese branded ones but also fake MontBlancs and a savvy western couple next to me successfully haggled a price down from 150 RMB to 20 RMB. The shop listed the fake at a price of 300 RMB to begin with. All the way down to 20 RMB and the seller let it go showing they are not making a net loss even at that price. During the haggling argument the seller said "but this is MontBlanc!" hahahahaha.

You sure you're not lying? If they list for 300 and sell for 100-150 that is reasonable. Come on, no way they sell for 20 RMB.

 

[hiseen]

Always bargain for prices and be prepared to walk away if you feel like it's a scam. Browse around the area first for general price awareness before bargaining. I was in Malaysia just now and got 'scammed' because I forgot to browse around first, even though the price was bargained down 20%. Another store a few steps away and the exact same product is sold at half the price. Sometimes the mark up can be above 100% so you must be 'ruthless' in bargaining.

And yeah, install VPN. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Especially if you a total foreigner who doesn't understand Chinese and you can't use Baidu or WeChat. Install multiple VPNs instead of just one, just in case. WhatsApp was blocked the previous time I was in China and it will be a pain in the arse if you can't communicate with your friends or family.



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I was there in May. Many locals buy snacks there also.


You sure you're not lying? If they list for 300 and sell for 100-150 that is reasonable. Come on, no way they sell for 20 RMB.

王府井~~5块卖你100....而且非常难吃~~

 

[serenity]

I was there in May. Many locals buy snacks there also.


You sure you're not lying? If they list for 300 and sell for 100-150 that is reasonable. Come on, no way they sell for 20 RMB.

I was next to them checking out other products while they haggled. I was surprised as well. The couple walked away but stayed in vicinity in next shop and eventually seller caved and sold it. Honestly 20RMB for a dodgy pen is about right. Those things are all tax free from black market manufacturers and cost cents to make in mass production. Just two tubes of plastic, designed to look like a famous brand's product. Their listed prices are insane. Sometimes over 10 times what they can sell the product for. So many times I felt like I got a good deal but the next deal is even better until I meet other travelers and realise how I still got ripped off. This is also in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, not just China.

Speaking to relatives they say it is possible many first prices for tourists are 20 times the "last price" because the sellers expect hard haggling these days. I started applying the 20:1 formula in more recent travels but never managed to get close hahaha. I'm a terrible haggler though. Everything is still relatively cheap I suppose and by ripped off we're talking a few dollars for small items. The experiences are fun if you enjoy that sort of stuff.

 

[大汉奸柳传志]

bad timing. two major national holidays are coming so most places are going to get crowded

 

[GeraltofRivia]

If you have time, go to Zhangjiajie National park, a place with extremely unique landscape inspired Avatar.

 

[hiseen]

Hi, we are planning a 12-14 day trip to China, mostly for sightseeing and wandering the country, but also as a way of understanding the country through its past.

Our itenary will take us to Beijing, then Xian, and then to Shanghai, followed by HK & Macau for the final leg.

Requesting advice/tips on what places/sights to visit, explore.

If you wish to inquire about the price, and Booking ticket, click
https://www.trip.com/trains/?language=EN&locale=en_us


How to Choose Train Types When you’re buying China train tickets online, you’ll notice that the journey duration differs depending on which type of train you choose. China train types can be recognized by their letter codes. G, D and C trains are high-speed trains, while Z, T and K are slower or overnight trains. High-Speed Trains: China’s high-speed trains run between Chinese provincial capitals and first-tier Chinese cities. G trains (high-speed trains, standing for gāotiě, 高铁) are China’s bullet trains—the fastest trains with a maximum speed of 400 km/h. Tickets for these trains are the most expensive. D trains (bullet trains, dòngchē, 动车) are the second fastest trains in China with speeds of up to 250 km/h. D trains only stop at major cities, with some being non-stop. C trains (chéngjì, 城际) refer specifically to the high-speed EMU trains that run short distances between cities like the 200-kilometer, 30-minute Beijing to Tianjin route.