Beijing Province Dos and Don'ts

You gotta see the Forbidden City and venture out to see the Great Wall. It might be better now, but when I was there 5 years ago nobody spoke any English and everyone wanted to take pictures of us cause we looked so different. It can be a bit off putting at the start but you find out that the locals are really friendly. I recoomend finding an English speaking local tour guide and get them to introduce you to people. After that it's great!

If you are a light-haired westerner, do not be surprised if Chinese locals come up asking to have a photo taken with you! I am blonde and was asked to pose with families, children, infants, and individuals quite often. I found that people wanted the most photos around the Tianamen Square area.

The only place to have real authentic crispy duck if you are a lover of Chinese food. Learn some simply Chinese phrases too as the locals love to see foreigners having a go, it's a great ice breaker!

The world's most explosively growing city. Try to get in touch with the locals to find the good restaurants. Driving is a challenge and not without risks. The great Chinese cultural siteseeing places are worthwile visiting

Xiangshan is a funny place to visit. The most famous thing to see there is the scarlet autumn leaves. But a week too early you all green, the next week you see no leaves at all (all got plucked!). So make sure you go at the right time (mid Oct.), and watch out for the exact date in the local news.