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How to get around in China
Marketplace Host Kai Ryssdal traveled to China for a two-week reporting trip. In this video series he shares tips and tricks for navigating Chinese cuisine, travel, and culture.
Kai Ryssdal: There are a couple things you ought to know before you go to China.
First of all, unless you speak chinese or have a friend who does don't leave the hotel room without getting someone to write down the name and the address of the place you're staying.
Ryssdal: (Speaking with taxi driver in Chinese)
Once you get where you're going and you're ready to come home show it to the cabbie, otherwise you may never see your hotel again.
Item two, if you're Shanghai or Beijing give serious thought to taking the subway. The systems in both cities are clean, on time and easy to navigate. And as much as cabs dissapear at 5pm on a Friday in Manhattan so to can you wait for a long long while on a street corner in Shanghai for an empty taxi to come by during rush hour.
Finally, pay only the metered fare. No need to tip fifteen or twenty yuan. Three bucks or so is going to get you most places you want to go.
Hello Kai and Marketplace crew,
Thanks for "China Survival Guide-How to get around in China". Heading to China for 8 days in September, so any other resources you could post or recommend for Americans heading to China for the first time would be appreciated.
Thanks for helping a biologist overcome her previous "economics aversion". I no longer channel surf when the topic hits and even buy the occasional copy of "The Economist" - I doubt it would've happened for folks like me without folks like you. Cheers, Teri
Kai's Chinese building elevator with no call button reminded me of an Agatha Christie observation. Travelling through Russia, she said she quit worrying about the Russians when she realized they put the drain hole in the wrong end of the bathtub."
Most hotels will have a little business card that says "take me to the ___ hotel @ (street address)." Pick one up at the front desk, have fun around town, and don't loose that 'key' or address written in the native language. I suggest going to a pearl market, and shop, shop, shop! You'll pick up a string of pearls for 1/3 the price you can get them in the states. Get twice or three times as many strands as you think you'll need for gifts, and you'll be happy you did! Pearls are timeless.
