# China guidebook



## Eric in McLean (Jul 29, 2009)

We're doing Beijing, Xian and Shanghai with a tour group.  I think I still would like a guidebook that tells me about restaurants and shopping for downtime on our own.  Any suggestions?


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## ScoopKona (Jul 29, 2009)

I'm partial to Lonely Planet city guides. Here's one for Beijing. 

There's a caviat -- the information is more than 3 years old, and good restaurants go bad, or go out of business, etc. I prefer to ask for restaurant advice on foodie forums. You get up-to-the minute info. 

Besides. Your taste in food, my taste in food, and the Lonely Planet reviewer's in food are likely very different.


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## Passepartout (Jul 29, 2009)

Ni Hau, I'm with Scoopy on this. Restaurants come and go. Doubtful much has been printed/updated since the Olympics, which would affect the whole country. I would (and have) asked the concierge or bellman for their favorite restaurant in the area. Be sure to take a card from the front desk to show a cab driver to get you 'home'. Paula and I took off on our own in Shanghai to find a 'hot pot' restaurant. We were the only Westerners anywhere around, but were made welcome, not to mention the main topic for the locals' conversation.

Jim Ricks


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## lily28 (Jul 29, 2009)

I like Fodor travel guide.  If you travel with a tour, I think all the meals in China are usually included.  When you in Beijing, don't miss the peking duck and the duck soup, mongolian hot pot and korean BBQ.  Being a cantonese and like my share of dim-sum, I found the dumpling with different stuffing in Beijing only so so.  Don't miss the shanghai little steam buns in Shanghai.  Your tour probably will take you to a garden/park in Shanghai, where there is a famous restaurent with many people waiting for steam bun carryout.  These buns have pork or crab meats; they taste very good.  You can also eat these little steam buns on the third floor restaurent where the line is much shorter but the buns cost 2-3 x more.


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## Eric in McLean (Jul 30, 2009)

Almost all the meals are included in the tour but I have no problem skipping those meals if there are better options.  For example, every breakfast is a buffet and I can't imagine that the hotels are going to provide different food every morning, so I would probably go out for breakfast at some point.  So far I haven't had any luck with specific recommendations for restaurants on Chowhound so maybe a guidebook will at least point me to some good restaurants in the neighborhood.


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## ScoopKona (Jul 30, 2009)

Eric in McLean said:


> Almost all the meals are included in the tour but I have no problem skipping those meals if there are better options.  For example, every breakfast is a buffet and I can't imagine that the hotels are going to provide different food every morning, so I would probably go out for breakfast at some point.  So far I haven't had any luck with specific recommendations for restaurants on Chowhound so maybe a guidebook will at least point me to some good restaurants in the neighborhood.



I'm in the same boat this October -- package tour (ugh) of Taiwan. I've never been on a package tour, but I can't imagine liking it. But it's a way to improve my relationship with my in-laws. So I'm going to grin and bear it, like a good Laowai.

I went to a "expats living in Taiwan" forum for advice. I found it was spot on, and I learned what I need to know.

I think it's better to be able to spot a good restaurant by looking for the tell-tale signs (a line of locals out the door, no menus in English, little signage in general) than to know the name of a restaurant that might have been great five years ago.

If it were me going to Beijing, I would find a copy of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. (Hint, you're looking for LiQun Roast Duck restaurant.) I would also look at other travel documentaries. Pick up a few guidebooks. Bring the one you like best, notes in the margins from the other guidebooks.


Travel is like everything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it.


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## Passepartout (Jul 30, 2009)

Eric, your tour will no doubt go to hotels that will have Western breakfast. We have noticed in our travels that each culture has it's own way of dealing with breakfast. Americans with our eggs, pork, pancakes etc, Brits with cold cuts and cheeses, Japanese with seaweed and fish and rice. You may find it quite adventuresome to drop into a neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Lily's post- above- outlines some regional specialties. I'm already looking forward to your trip report. 

Jim Ricks


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## MULTIZ321 (Jul 30, 2009)

Eric,

Some links to check:

Shanghai Expat

Transitions Abroad: Living in China:Resources for Expatriates

Expatfinder.com - Expat Bank Bejing

Medical Facilities in China for Expatriates and Visitors - from US Consular China Information Sheet & Imperial Tours


Richard


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## Eric in McLean (Jul 30, 2009)

Technically I'm not an expat.  I'm from Taiwan originally (moved at the age of 12), I speak Mandarin and I love all kinds of Chinese food.  What I really would love to find is a site in English but with middle to upper class Chinese posters who love food!


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## Eric in McLean (Jul 30, 2009)

I believe I have every episode of No Res. and Bizarre Food on China on my DVR.  Unfortunately, I'm not willing to taxi all over the city to chase down a good restaurant.  I'm hoping to stay within walking distance of our hotels and still find good food.  When I traveled to Morocco and Peru, I used Fodor's, which is updated annually and has restaurants broken down by neighborhoods.  When I went to Venice, I used Rick Steves.  Just wondering if there's a book that's better than others for China.


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## MULTIZ321 (Jul 30, 2009)

Eric in McLean said:


> Technically I'm not an expat.  I'm from Taiwan originally (moved at the age of 12), I speak Mandarin and I love all kinds of Chinese food.  What I really would love to find is a site in English but with middle to upper class Chinese posters who love food!




Eric,

I thought that you might be able to get some info on what you're looking for at one of the ExPat sites.


Richard


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## thheath (Jul 30, 2009)

With all the news about Chinese officials detaining tourists I've afraid I might have to rethink traveling there at the moment.  From what I've read if you happen to be on a plane with a passenger that they suspect has swine flu they will contain everyone.  No thanks!


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## geekette (Jul 30, 2009)

you could try TripAdvisor.  For most of the trips I've planned in-depth, I have found locals in the forums that were incredibly helpful.


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## lily28 (Jul 30, 2009)

Hotels that I stayed in China with tours tend to have both Chinese and Western buffet breakfast.  However, foods are about the same everyday at the same hotels.


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## Jya-Ning (Aug 5, 2009)

I think you will have jet lag anyway.  Ask hotel people to make sure you don't walk into too lousy place, than at Peking and Shanghai, when you wake up at 5:30, you can walk around the hotel.  You should be able to find enough breakfast places less than $1 and enjoy it.  I don't think there is rating for breakfast.  If you have trouble to figure where to go, just watch people that carry the breakfast and are not student or ready to go to work place and see where they come from.

I have no idea about Xian.  But I am pretty sure if the tour use local people, you should stay with them for lunch and dinner, and I probably will stay in breakfast when in Xian.  

Shanghai Metro system is pretty good, and if you can speak Chinese, you can try TAXI also.  so if you really want, you don't have to stay in walking area.  But for breakfast, I don't think you will try take the metro.  Although there are hotel area where you don't see the restaurants, most are.

Shanghai has so many restaurants, it will be very hard to not find one.   And most has something special, you will see enough people around.  

Shopping is easy.  Most tour sites will tell you where to find them.  Unless you are looking for special item(s).  Than you should ask local people.

Jya-Ning


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## keith (Aug 8, 2009)

*Beijing meals*

Hello Eric, I have been fortunate that I have had locals show me around. One of my favorites in Beijing is Dadong Roast Duck restaurant. The chain has about 3 restaurants and they make a great Roast Duck. 

There is also another area near Behai Park http://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/beihai-park.htm
which serves Yunnan Food. I think it is called Silk Road, and there is also a patio overlooking the lake. They have sticky Yunnan rice in Bamboo and if your tastes are more local cuisine (for us, exotic), they have items like deep fried bee larvae, etc. 

Ｉ stayed at the JW Marriott and it was a 10 minute cab ride. 

,,,,sorry I am on vacation in Kyu Shu Japan and dont have my files with me, so can:t give you the names of the other restaurants. There were quite a number I have been to, but don:t know the names/addresses.

I havent been to Xian and dont remember the Shanghai restaurants. Sorry for the typos - not familiar with the Japanese keyboards.


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## Eric in McLean (Aug 11, 2009)

I'm asking the tour for a list of restaurants we're supposed to eat at.  Once I figure out how many meals I can skip, I can focus more on where to go eat.  In Xian, there's a bustling Muslim quarter that I want to check out.


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## Tacoma (Sep 8, 2009)

I went on a 9 day tour of China last NewYear's and although the experience was wonderful it was the most stifling tour I have been on (and not because I was with my in-laws:rofl: ).  There was no free time other than say 45 minutes to explore this little shopping area and one 2-3 hour block in SHanghai for shopping.  I would be very surprised if you can take off from your group at any other times. I actually felt that our hotels were chosen to keep us from having any time to explore. We never arrived in at night before 10 or so and had to get up at 7 or so.  Other than managing to take a taxi down to the Bund in SHanghai most hotels were too far removed and the days were too packed to ever be able to have time to go to our own restaurant choices for dinner.  I almost went crazy but would still go agian but limit my number of days on a tour and then take a break to be on my own.

Joan


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## PLL (Oct 10, 2009)

For those visitng big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, I suggest including Guilin.   This is the tour operator we used in Guilin:  http://www.guilinprivatetours.com/main/home/main.php.  

You get to see the countryside and some of the most beautiful scenery in China.  Jade Leo, who owns the company is a great tour guide and very responsive when you email him.  Though the sights in Beijing are a must see, Guilin allowed us to rest and enjoy a slower pace.  Because the 5 of us were on a private tour with our own van, there were no factory tours, no rush.  After touring the sites, Jade took us to wherever we wanted to go.

We also had our own tour guide in Beijing.  For those of you who have small groups - 3-6, and are going to the main cities, it might be more economical to hire your own private guide in each city for more flexibility and comfort.  It's not expensive at all.  Next trip, even if there are only 2 of us, we'd go this route again.  Also, if you buy your domestic air tickets in China, it's cheap.  Your guide might be able to do it for you or if you have friends in China.....   You can also try using C-trip.com and e-long.com - the Chinese version of Expedia.  Cheap tickets are usually available 3-4 weeks before departure. But I believe buying them in China may still be cheaper.   

We went to China expecting the worst but were very pleasantly surprised.  Re toilets, we seemed to have missed the worst.  Our guides knew where the "western" toilets were.   Taxis in Beijing were very cheap as long as you didn't stay far from the city center, you can get around quite cheaply.  The longest taxi ride was from the airport.  We were in Beijing 4 days.  I had time to have clothing tailored, went shopping at the Pearl market and other markets, malls, toured the G. Wall, Summer Palace, Forbidden Palace, T. Sq, Temple of Heaven, Wang F G Snack St.  Had great, reasonably (even cheap) priced meals.   If we wanted to see more, we could have but we wanted a more leisurely trip.  I don't think we could have done all that with a traditional tour group since I like to shop.  

China is such a big country, if you do go, try to go for 2 weeks.  I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could. 





Tacoma said:


> I went on a 9 day tour of China last NewYear's and although the experience was wonderful it was the most stifling tour I have been on (and not because I was with my in-laws:rofl: ).  There was no free time other than say 45 minutes to explore this little shopping area and one 2-3 hour block in SHanghai for shopping.  I would be very surprised if you can take off from your group at any other times. I actually felt that our hotels were chosen to keep us from having any time to explore. We never arrived in at night before 10 or so and had to get up at 7 or so.  Other than managing to take a taxi down to the Bund in SHanghai most hotels were too far removed and the days were too packed to ever be able to have time to go to our own restaurant choices for dinner.  I almost went crazy but would still go agian but limit my number of days on a tour and then take a break to be on my own.
> 
> Joan


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