{"id":10926,"date":"2015-03-23T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T13:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=10926"},"modified":"2015-03-22T09:18:57","modified_gmt":"2015-03-22T13:18:57","slug":"10-tips-for-first-time-china-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/10-tips-for-first-time-china-visitors\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for First Time China Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

After living in China for five years, I’ve had plenty of experience giving advice to people traveling here for the first time. Thanks to my involvement in the Couchsurfing community, I’ve had tons of guests over the years who have picked my brain about visiting\u00a0the Middle Kingdom. There are also at least a few times a year where I get that same Facebook message or e-mail – “I’ve got a friend who’s going to China. Do you mind if he gets in touch?” For those of you out there who find yourself in a similar situation – trying to plan a trip to this huge, complicated, perplexing country – here are 10 tips to get you started:<\/p>\n

1. Do Your Research<\/h1>\n
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Take it from me, China is not the best place to wing it. It’s a vast, diverse, and often times confusing place. Prior to your trip, it’s best to do a solid amount of research as to where it is you want to go and what exactly it is you want to get out of your trip. Get on YouTube, Wikitravel, and of course peruse the archives of our awesome blog to learn a bit more about China, the people, culture, food, and places of interest. Chances are there’s a lot about China you don’t know. For example, did you know that there are actually 56 ethnic groups here<\/a>? Having a bit of background information will make your first trip to China much more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

2. Get Your Visa in Order<\/h1>\n

Applying for a Chinese visa can be a frustrating, time-consuming process. Make sure you read up on the current visa policies and application process for your country. As an American, I can only speak for what it’s like in my home country. To get a Chinese visa, you need to either travel to the nearest consulate or the embassy in D.C. to do it yourself. Otherwise you’re looking at a big fee to have an agent take care of it for you. Pay attention to details and, if anything, make sure you have more information than necessary. You’ll need to type up the application, get a passport photo, and have a copy of your flight\/hotel; and that’s just for a tourist visa. Also, you might as well maximize your visa. Even if you only plan to travel to China once and stay for two weeks, why not apply for the new 10-year multiple entry visas? Who knows – you might like it enough to want to come back! For more, check out our guide on Chinese visas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Learn a Little Chinese<\/h1>\n