pros and cons of traveling independently in China

[gerimayuWine]

Most people seem to visit China with on an organized tour, but we'd like to take a different route and travel independently. Is this wise? I know that the language will be a barrier but other than that can you offer advice on whether we could manage on our own or whether it really would make more sense to take a tour?
Thanks!

[Ruby]

As you mentioned, the language will be the biggest of the cons, which is why people book organized trips, if anything to make their trip to China as enjoyable and as smooth as possible.

If you travel independently in china, you'll also find it hard to know what to do and get around, though most people in China speak English but the language barrier can be an issue.

I personally think that you'll benefit from arranging a tour of China with a local guide who knows the area, back roads and things only a local would.

[koreth]

I'd have to disagree with the statement that most people in China speak English, especially in the context of traveling around the country. That hasn't been my experience in my years of visiting the country. I am conversationally fluent in Mandarin and have spent most of my time there in places with almost no westerners.

It is true that many young people have studied some English in school to fulfill the national education requirements, but (a) almost all that study is in written form, (b) almost none of it involves conversational English, and (c) with no opportunity to use it on a daily basis, most Chinese forget it within a couple years of leaving school. If you stray from the areas of China that are heavily frequented by western tourists, it's not all that common to find locals with much ability to communicate in English, and even in tourist areas the English is often limited to the vocabulary required to sell items to passersby.

That's not to say there are no English speakers (plenty of college students want to practice English with any foreigner they see) and obviously any decent tourist hotel is going to have English-speaking staff, but it's probably not wise to show up there expecting that it'll be a simple matter to find someone to talk to as needed while traveling solo.

Hiring local guides is a great piece of advice.

Apart from the language issue, though -- which is a huge one! -- China is pretty easy to get around. The public transit system is extensive and affordable, and all cities of any decent size have zillions of taxis. I've never had any trouble getting a train or plane ticket to wherever I want to go, or riding buses around town, though the buses are pretty much English-free zones, as are the taxis.

If you (original poster) have time to take some Mandarin classes before you go, a solo trip is doable, but you'll probably still want to hook up with a local guide for advice about what to see and do.

[gerimayuWine]

Thanks for the input everyone!

@Koreth: Where do you think I should start my trip in China? Also, hoe hard is Mandarin to learn? Can I learn the basics in two weeks?

[koreth]

It depends on what you want to do on your trip, but for sheer concentration of interesting stuff to see and do, you can't really top Beijing. It has loads of historical stuff if that's your style -- the Forbidden City alone will take you a full day to see all of, more if you stop and look at all the exhibits -- and is home to a lot of more modern things like the country's most vibrant art scene. It is also, I'll warn you, heavily polluted, as are a lot of other places in China. Don't bring any white shirts because they will be grey shirts by the end of the day. Though I will say that it's substantially better now, post-Olympics, than it was a few years ago.

Other options would be Xi'an (lots of historical stuff there too), Shanghai (not much ancient history, but probably the biggest club scene in mainland China), Hangzhou (many historical sites, but much more laid-back than Beijing) or Guilin (where the surrounding countryside looks just like those Chinese landscape paintings you see hanging on restaurant walls).

Sadly, unless you speak another tonal language like Thai or Vietnamese, you'll find it hard to learn much Mandarin in two weeks. It's widely regarded as among the hardest languages for English speakers to learn, and in my opinion most of the difficulty is at the beginning: in addition to the fact that intonation determines words' meanings, it also has several sounds that don't occur at all in English, which it will take months to even learn to hear as distinct sounds, let alone reproduce well. That said, I recommend the Pimsleur Mandarin audio course -- they have a reduced-price "Quick and Easy" version with just the first 8 lessons. For a quick intro to Chinese characters, try "I Can READ That!" by Julie Mazel Sussman. Don't be surprised if you get there and can't understand a thing, but you'll at least know how to say a few phrases.

Also, make sure you have a travel book that lists the names of places in both English and Chinese characters. Many guidebooks don't, and are thus useless for showing to a taxi driver who can't read English. I don't have any good recommendations for you here but maybe someone else does -- I imagine some Amazon reviews will probably mention this.

[gerimayuWine]

thank you for the info and tips Koreth! it seems like two weeks might not do it. Oh well, after your advice, im definitely booking with a local guide.

You seem very knowledgeable of China Koreth, what's your favorite spot in China, and Asia for that matter?

[Jenna]

I second Beijing! Beijing is just filled with attractions: the Forbidden City as mentioned, Tienanmen Square, Beijing Zoo, the technology district, the botanical gardens, the temple of the reclining Buddha, the Temple of Heaven, etc. Have fun!

[beliefsvn]

thank you for the info and tips Koreth! it seems like two weeks might not do it. Oh well, after your advice, im definitely booking with a local guide.