Beijing Tips:

I just returned from a month of teaching and touring in China, so here are my tips.

Anyone else have something to add?

1. Bring little packages of kleenex to use in the toilets (although Beijing was better for having tp than most cities)

2. Carry a card with your hotel''s name and address in Chinese

3. Be prepared to bargain for items when shopping 20-30% of what the shop keepers price is.

4. Make sure you tell the taxi drivers to put the meter on and that you want a receipt

5. Be careful with your personal items, there are huge crowds of people everywhere

6. A local guide can be very helpful in touring sites, making arrangements and acting as a middle-man translator. I used an excellent guide that I would highly recommend (send me a message if you would like his e-mail)

7. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is spectacular, and suposedly less touristy.

8. Snacks from home are a good thing and so is Immodium.

9. Bring bug spray.

10. Bring an open mind, things are different and not necessarily as sanitary as in the Western world