China Travel 2.0

Began to connect with Bill from Twitter who come from UK. Found he has some connections with china,  and he knows China and Chinese life well. I think his experience/stories as below can give the travelers from UK(or Europe) a good reference before and during their stay in China.

1, please introduce yourself to our readers, your brief background and where are you now?

I currently live and work in London. I was born and raised here, but left in 2001 to go to university, returning briefly in 2005 before going to work in Ipswich in the East of England. But the pull of the capital was too strong, and in 2007 I retuned to live in North West London. I started off as an Electronics Engineer straight out of university but quickly moved into software development and then R&D. These days I can be found working just south of London for one of the large Consulting firms.

the red lattern
2, please tell us when was your 1st time visiting China happening and whats your understanding of China and Chinese in the beginning. is there any difference between your first touching China and the ideas of the present? what are they?

It wasn’t long ago that I didn’t know anything about China at all. I met my then girlfriend (now wife) in London and started to pick up more and more about her home city of Beijing. The more she spoke about life back home, the more interested I became. It wasn’t until I found myself agreeing to return to Beijing with her for a three week holiday that I started to contemplate the realities of a trip to China. My main concern was that I new no Chinese at all, but beyond that I honestly did not know what to expect. We’d booked our trip over Christmas and so after an early Christmas with my family we set off for Beijing.

Visiting Beijing in the middle of winter is not for the feint of heart. Standing on top of the Great Wall in temperatures below -10°C may seem completely mad, and visiting the forbidden city while it is covered in snow and ice just ridiculous, but I’d highly recommend it for one reason and one reason only: You get the place to yourself (relatively). I have subsequently visited both attractions in peak season and although the weather is better, the crowds most definitely aren’t.

On my first visit to China I was welcomed into a new country and a new family with open arms. I will never forget the small Christmas tree that was waiting in the living room (their first ever) to ensure that I didn’t feel homesick during the Christmas period. As we left for London after our most recent trip I felt for the first time, that I wanted to stay. Who knows, perhaps next time we will.

3, did you Travel a lot in China? please tell us where is the best part of your travelling, why do you think it is the best among all the resorts/sightseeing you traveled.

Given the short amount of time I have actually spent in the country, I’ve managed to visit quite a few cities; Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi’An, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Yangshuo. I’ve liked them all for different reasons and wouldn’t want to pick a favourite, but one city that I’d love to spend more time in is Shanghai. I was only there for a couple of days in the pouring rain and never really got a feel for the city.

I’ve spent most time in Beijing and if I had to recommend two slightly different highlights I’d suggest visitors go and see the Song Qing Ling exhibition located in her former residence on the West bank of Hou Hai(should be north bank of Houhai-Winser). If you are looking for something altogether more relaxing, go and visit the Summer Palace. But, don’t go to the main entrance, try the rear entrance and avoid the tourist crowds for a far more relaxed experience strolling through the grounds.

the modern monk
4, about the Chinese language, we can see your tweets in Chinese sometimes, Chinese is one of your work languages? and why do you learn Chinese? how is your skill now? would you share some tips on how to study Chinese language? or even share us some websites of Chinese learning.

I recently wrote a guest post for the Discovering Mandarin blog on why I started to learn Chinese: “In Chinese we call it”. If you are interested, you are welcome to read the full post (link but not available in China-Winser).  I haven’t had the opportunity to use Chinese for work (yet) and so learning has been restricted to the few spare hours that exist either side of the working day. I don’t have any tips for studying other than to just start. Start listening to Chinese wherever and whenever you can, movies, podcasts, radio, TV, on the train, in a restaurant. It doesn’t matter where you listen, just allow yourself to become familiar with the sound of the language. I’m more than happy for anyone to get in touch if they want to more about my experiences learning Mandarin Chinese.

5, did you stay in Beijing during the Olympic 2008? whats your impression of it? how is the Olympic England 2012 prepared? are there any highlights you’d like to tell us?

Unfortunately I wasn’t in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. Although I did visit the Olympic site in the run-up to the games. I watched the opening ceremony from the comfort of a sofa in London. It was certainly impressive and I can remember spending considerable time trying to find a recording online so that I could show my immediate family.

I remember visiting a museum in Xi’An prior to the Olympics. Along an entire wall of the museum were postcards from the local school children wishing Beijing good luck for the upcoming games. I got the feeling that the whole country was behind the games in a way that just doesn’t seem possible here. The London games will be a success but I don’t think there will be an attempt to replicate the splendour of Beijing 2008. Perhaps it is telling that I was more intrigued by the Beijing Olympics in 2008 than I am about London 2012. Maybe that will change as the games draws closer.

the snow and the fruit
6, for the travelers from UK, are there any tips for them if they are planning travel to China? for instance the hotels booking, the must-see sightseeing, the Chinese people, the different cultures.

For first time travellers to China from the UK I’d offer the following advice

• Don’t leave your visa to the last minute. You now need to book an appointment which can be done online at the Chinese Visa Service Application Centre .
• Book a direct flight. It really is worth it.
• Don’t just visit Beijing or Shanghai. You’ve flown half way round the world, make an effort to see something other than the big two.
• If you see a queue for food, join it. When you get towards the front see what everyone else is ordering have that (point if necessary). Be brave when it comes to food, you won’t regret it.
• When using taxis, make sure you know the name of a big landmark near your destination. Getting to a local landmark and walking the last few minutes is often the easier option.
• Outside the hotel, cash is king and unless you are in the centre of a big city, travellers cheques are hit and miss.
• Be polite, show a genuine interest and above all go with an open mind. The Chinese are a friendly people at heart.

Read Bill’s blog:http://billglover.co.uk/

Follow Bill from Twitter: @billglover

Bill’s photoes on flickr: billgloveruk