Things you need to know before coming to China

Some of you may be planning to go to China in the next months or be coming here very soon. Whether it is a short or a long stay, there are things you absolutely need to know before coming here to China.

This article's author has just arrived in China recently, and over these weeks has experienced a few new and unexpected things. Knowing these things before coming here will spare you a lot of misunderstandings and unpleasant surprises. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s experience some Chinese culture!

- Toilets

First thing that western people need to know is that in China the public toilets are often equipped Turkish-style squat toilets! This means that you need to be prepared to strengthen your legs, because every time you need to “go”, you’re going to need to do the good old "Asian squat":

Another thing: don’t forget to carry toilet tissues with you at all times – unless it’s a high-end restaurant, café or hotel, you aren’t going to find any toilet paper beside your squat toilet.

Once your business is done, be sure to throw the paper in the trash can and NOT THE TOILET. China’s rapid development means there’s still a lot of old, narrow pipes around. Flush the paper and watch in horror as it clogs and overflows!

- Communicating

If you don't have one, you need to install a translation app on your phone!

Chinese people often do not speak English and without one it will be difficult to get your meanings across. If you have a long stay planned, it is highly recommended that you bite the bullet and take beginners, Chinese classes. Learning just a bit of the language will unlock so many options for fun and daily life.

- Social networks

You also need to remember that just about all Western social media networks do not work in China. This means no Whatsapp, no Facebook, no Youtube, no Instagram, and no Google and Gmail!

If you can't live without them, you can install a *V*P*N* on your phone. You need to make a subscription and then you will be able “jump the wall” and navigate the full internet normally.

Alternatively, if you want to immerse yourself completely in the Chinese online world, there are a number of social networking apps you can try installing: Wechat (the Chinese version of Whatsapp), Baidu (is like Google), Weibo (similar to Facebook), Bilibili (like Youtube) and Amap or Baidu Maps (like Google Maps and a must-have to find your destinations and public transport!)

- Paying method

You’ve probably already noticed this one yourself, but in China nowadays almost nobody uses cash. Maybe you are wondering: "So how do they pay?" That’s easy: with their phone! Leave the wallet at home - you do not need it here!

If you are staying in China on a long-term visa, you can open a bank account and then download Alipay or Wechatpay and link it up for all your payment needs. Also, if you plan to take a little side trip to the People's Republic of China for a short period, Alipay is also useable there. Short-term tourists can use the international version by linking up their foreign credit cards to top up, with direct conversion of foreign cash to RMB.

So, do not be surprised if you see Chinese people always with their phone: they do pretty much everything with it.

- Water

Tap water in China is rarely safe to drink straight.

So, in order to prevent stomach ache or other health issues, you should drink by the bottles they sell in shops, or if you have the chance, you can boil the water, and once is boiled, you can drink it. So, remember: never drink water directly from the tap!

- Crowds

Another thing you need to be mentally prepared for is the crowd behavior you will encounter on the subways, on the buses, and in shops at certain times of the day.

China’s population runs up a count of 1.435 Billion people – insane when compared to the rest of the world. You can witness one clear effect of this on the subways. When those train doors open, you need to be fast and cheeky – most of the time, people won’t wait for all the people to get off, and to ensure they get their place in the car, will rush in as fast as they can. Your feet may get trampled a little, so be wary!