Should You Visit China?
By Josh May 6, 2008
With the Olympics coming, China’s travel industry is about to get loads upon loads of promotion. NBC will undoubtedly feature Beijing-related pieces in between events. Bob Costas (or is it his writers?) will have some humorous monologues about the cultural differences between China and the U.S.
As long as anti-government protests don’t rage in the streets of Beijing, the games will be a boon for China’s tourism business.
That raises a question: will China’s newfound popularity make it into a giant over-visited Asian theme park? Will soccer moms toss around the words: “going to China this summer?” The same casual way that they now refer to Italy or The Bahamas or Hawaii. Most of all, will the games make China a more expensive place to visit?
Fear not!
China will always be the same unique and infuriating place it always was. It’s simply too big and the political climate too unpredictable. Thousands of people will continue to flock to the Great Wall, cameras clutched in their sweaty hands; but China is a vast country and much of it will remain unexplored as far as tourists are concerned.
Train travel and domestic flights remain reasonably priced in China. The inter-city train system is actually quite good (except when it snows heavily). Prices in Shanghai and Beijing are quite high, compared to the rest of China, but they are generally still cheaper than, say, Japan or the U.S. Rural areas are quite cheap, but, if you speak English, keep your phrasebook handy or make sure your gesturing skills are flawless.
Beijing and Shanghai are mega-cities on par with New York in terms of population. Smaller towns (I mean under 5 million inhabitants) like Dalian, Xiamen, and Harbin have their own flavors and atmosphere and plenty to do, but are mostly untouched by mass tourism, big city prices, and over the top commercialism.
China is big. It would take more than the Olympics to make it smaller.
Topics: Asia, Budget Travel Tips, Destinations |
One Response to “Should You Visit China?”
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Great to read a post on this topic.
I too have been interested to see the aftermath of the Olympics and the effect on tourism in China as well as awareness and action on China's human rights abuse issues.
Only time will tell I guess.
I have been keeping up to date with this issue through Amnesty International, they have an Uncensor Campaign related to the Olympics and censorship - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/76384?h=plw&recruiter_id=14449172