[Kurokun] I asked 5 friends: 'What's the ONE thing you wish you'd known before your first China trip?'

Kurokun

Hey all — Kurokun.

I asked five friends who visited China for the first time in the last year. Same question:

"What's the ONE thing you wish you'd known before you arrived?"

Their answers were surprisingly different. Here they are, raw and unedited.

Emma (UK, visited Shanghai):

"The squat toilet thing. I knew they existed. I didn't know I'd have to use one at the train station 3 hours into my trip, before I even reached my hotel. With luggage. Bring tissues. Always bring tissues."

Carlos (Spain, visited Beijing/Xi'an):

"Download a VPN before you leave. I tried to buy one after I arrived and couldn't access the website because... I needed a VPN to buy the VPN. Took me two days to sort out."

Priya (India, visited Guangzhou/Shenzhen):

"That you can't just walk into a restaurant and sit down. In India, you sit, they bring a menu. In China, you scan a QR code, order on your phone, and if you don't know how, you stand there looking stupid while everyone stares."

Lars (Norway, visited Chengdu):

"How cheap domestic flights are. I took the train from Beijing to Chengdu because I thought flying would be expensive. The train was 13 hours. The flight would have been ¥400 and 2.5 hours. I wasted a whole day on that train."

Aisha (South Africa, visited Hangzhou/Suzhou):

"That 'no' doesn't always mean no in negotiations. I was buying silk at a market. The vendor said 'no' to my price. I walked away. My Chinese friend grabbed me and said 'you're supposed to stay and keep negotiating.' I lost the scarf because I gave up too early."

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Kurokun's addition:

If I could add my own answer:

"China rewards patience and punishes impatience. The systems are different, not broken. If you fight them, you'll lose. If you adapt, you'll have an incredible time."

What's the ONE thing you wish you'd known before YOUR first China trip?