Students tips on what to do and what not to do in China!

Students tips on what to do and what not to do in China!

1. If you’re given food by someone, DO try your best to finish it, it’s considered rude or hurtful if you don’t! So eat slowly, but a lot!

I once had 2 whole dishes in a restaurant, of which I’d ordered by mistake (quite often actually), and didn’t realize they were huge dishes, and the woman asked me why I didn’t finish it all, I told her I ordered it wrong but I was full, and she looked really disappointed!

2.   DON’T make it obvious that you’re putting your seat belt on in a taxi, because if the driver sees it, he/she will think that you think his/her driving will be bad!

A friend of mine came into the taxi with me, and with him being fairly new, he didn’t realize you weren’t supposed to put the seat belt on so the driver can see, the driver was turned around and he looked like my friend had insulted his whole family just from the click of the seat belt, the man looked distraught and drove away in silence.

3.   DON’T follow and speak to Chinese ‘English Teachers, English Students that have just come back from the UK’ or anyone that starts up conversation by asking where you’re from.

I had this experience going into and out of the Forbidden City, whereby this is a scam where they take you to a ‘random’ bar or tea house and can often leave you with a rather expensive bill, a true target for foreigners, especially guys.

4.   DO practice using chopsticks!

Just for a few minutes a day, find some videos on YouTube or online and practice getting the technique right for using chopsticks, as it’ll make your life by far much easier when you get here! And DON’T stick them upright in the bowl as this is considered extremely rude!

5.   DO join in with locals

No matter what it could be, you’ll enjoy your life more in China if you just jump in at the deep end and give things a go, even if the situation is kind of uncomfortable, you’ll thank yourself later for the stories that you can tell people, and the Chinese will love you having a go as a foreigner.

6.   DON’T get illegal taxis

Getting these illegal taxis, i.e. someone coming up you and asking if you want a taxi is a big no no, especially for foreigners, they’re extremely dangerous as they’re not authorized, and they’ll try and rip you off and could drop you off in any random location and demand even more money, the majority of the time even at airports, many people will come up to you, try to take your bags off you to take you to their taxi, and you need to set them aside and tell them no to avoid any trouble! So it’s always best to wait for the genuine distinct colored taxis.

7.   DO carry some tissues with you

Quite often when you’re travelling around China, the bathrooms won’t have toilet paper to hand, so to avoid any awkward moments, try to bring some tissues with you or toilet paper.

8.   DO BARGAIN!

This is such an important tip, that I tell every single person that comes to China, when you’re at a market at any of the cities such as the electrical, clothes, gift markets etc. unless the price is specifically stuck i.e. at H&M or Zara for example, you need to bargain at markets. Prices will usually start at around 80% more than the ‘normal’ price just for foreigners, so you need to be stern and strong and negotiate a price that is suitable. I once negotiated down a gift that started at ￥2,000 to ￥200, and that’s just from be being stubborn. You can try different tactics, like walking away, or giving them hope i.e. you’re sure then you’re unsure etc. or you could also tell them that you know the prices and cost prices etc. and that usually means a better price for you.

For more information, please check Study in China Program.