China during the Olympics

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bmayer

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I am thinking of traveling to China during the Olympics. Is anyone planning on going either to travel the country, or to the events?

I am looking for people to travel with or information on cities for local culture and scenic areas. I am trying to avoid places like the Forbidden City as everyone and their mother and 18 brothers will be there.

I want to be in country for 1-2 weeks.

Any tips, hints, reading much appreciated.
 
Ask everyone you meet where to find a Panda Express and their secret recipe for orange chicken. :)
 
I wish I were but due to $$$, I'll be lucky if I save up enough in time to make it to the London games.
 
I spent a month in China this past summer. Beijing is a little bewildering and will be packed and unpleasant during the Olympics, most likely. But China isn't like the USA. Whereas we say that the Olympics came to a certain city in the US, China considers the Olympics to be a national thing, not just an honor for Beijing, so they are building arenas to hold some events in other cities like Nanjing.

After going to Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, I'd have to say I liked Nanjing the most. Beijing and Shanghai are sprawling, and they have the "big city, everybody's out to cheat you" feel to them. Nanjing is a medium city in comparison, so you're not far from department stores and modern conveniences, but it is home to five universities, so you get more of a "college town" feel with a fair number of foreign students around (American, European, African, Middle Eastern, etc).
 
I've been travelling there for business since the mid 1980's.

Don't worry, it doesn't matter where you go or what time of day, you'll be swarmed by the masses so you may as well hit the tourist sites.

Just remember that most of China's cultural relics were destroyed or damaged during the Cultural Revolution from the 1960-1970's so whatever you see today is only a relatively-new 'copy' of the original. The most amazing thing you will see is how China became a modern country in only 20 years.

Depending on your travel tastes, I recommend the Lonely Planet Guide as well as the British Rough Guide lines of books.
 
Hit the tourist spots

There are a few really fantastic places in & around Beijing. You will not be able to avoid the crowds. So lower your head, press through the masses, take lots of photos and try to set plenty of time aside for cocktail hour. Nothing revives like a few hours in a cool place with gin & tonic. I'm serious about this last part.
 
I suppose you could always check out the China North International Shooting Range. It's expensive (average price $1.25 per shot for small arms), and you're closely monitored by a range nanny (I mean closely, as in, inside your personal space monitored), but on the other hand, you can shoot all sorts of machine guns, suppressed weapons, anti-aircraft guns, mortars, and RPGs. You have to supply your own earplugs.

Keep in mind, however, that by patronizing this facility, you are directly funding the People's Liberation Army. But hell, you're going to China already, so...
 
3 questions:

1) How is this at all gun related?

2) How has this thread been open for almost a full month?

3) Why is THR such a popular place to ask OT questions?
 
BazookaJoe is Correct

So here is a way for bmayer to get an all expense paid trip to Bejing for the Olympics. The US Shooting team still has a few slots open for it's Air Gun Team. Tryouts will be later this month, Feb 28 - Mar 3 in Colorado Springs, CO. Two spots in the Men's Air Rifle, and one spot each in Women's Air Rifle, Women's Air Pistol & Men's Air Pistol are still open.
 
I suppose you could always check out the China North International Shooting Range. It's expensive (average price $1.25 per shot for small arms), and you're closely monitored by a range nanny (I mean closely, as in, inside your personal space monitored), but on the other hand, you can shoot all sorts of machine guns, suppressed weapons, anti-aircraft guns, mortars, and RPGs. You have to supply your own earplugs.

Keep in mind, however, that by patronizing this facility, you are directly funding the People's Liberation Army. But hell, you're going to China already, so...
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Why doesn't OUR military do this?

I'd pay, and so would many others. It'd be good PR. Better than air shows, even.
 
When I was in China last summer, I made friends with a few Chinese girls who went to the university where I was studying.

It turns out that before any Chinese student is allowed to attend a university, they are required to qualify for military service. The training includes basic small arms instruction. The girls I talked to said that they had to qualify with the Wu Liu Shi (Five-Six Type) SKS before being allowed to continue their educations.

Apparently the old Type 56 SKS is still used for training and reserve forces in China, though they have used several other assault rifles in recent years.
 
How is this at all gun related?
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It seems to have turned into a gun related post in quite a tangental fashion. Leave it to People like us to bring guns up in any topic of conversation whenever and wherever possible.God bless "gun people". We always have something to talk about. :D
 
It seems to have turned into a gun related post in quite a tangental fashion. Leave it to People like us to bring guns up in any topic of conversation whenever and wherever possible.God bless "gun people". We always have something to talk about
Click to expand...

:p
 
If you're going, don't forget that it is forbidden to carry any bladed object other than fruit knives. I had 2 Benchmades confiscated at a local airport when my wife and I went to visit her in-laws last year. They were checked in, but the xray screener noticed them. I was lucky they only took the knives and didn't fine me or give me jail time.

Enforcement of the no-knife law is a fairly recent thing, starting around the same time as the UK knife ban. I should have seen the writing on the wall when the Chinese TV news stations started doing stories villanizing knife-wielding psycho fruit sellers on TV, complete with dramatic music, stop motion, and zooming in on the knife :rolleyes: Prior to this I carried one of my benchmades every day for the three years I was living and working in Beijing.
 
Read about tourist scams. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

China is as safe as you want it to be. If you maintain your situational awareness and don't do anything stupid, you'll be fine. Do not fall for any of the honey trap scams. If anybody (male or female) approaches you in an overly friendly manner and wants you to go with them to lunch or to coffee or for a massage out of the blue, don't buy whatever story they're feeding you unless you can verify it.

If you do choose to go with the person, you'll very quickly be able to tell whether or not the place you're about to enter is actually a cafe (or if it's a brothel). If it is a brothel, you will get yourself into a world of trouble just for going inside, even if the police don't catch you.

You don't have to do anything with any of the girls to run up a huge bill, so don't think you're "safe" just because you respectfully decline their advances.

If you so much as enter any of the side rooms or sit in a booth, you will be hit with a fee for taking up space.

If you have a Coke or eat one of the pretzels on the table, you pay an outrageous fee for food ($20 for a Coke, $10 for a small bowl of pretzels). Don't even ask how much it will cost if somebody hands you an open beer or a glass of liquor and you make the mistake of even holding it in your hand.

If girls enter the room, it doesn't matter how fast you realize what's going on or how fast you tell them no. Once they've stepped into the room, you've got to pay for their company. You don't want to know how much.

All in all, 15 minutes of explaining that you aren't interested in a prostitute can easily cost you $1000, because as you're trying to excuse yourself from the place, the "manager" will come over and seem to be sympathetic toward you while offering you some seemingly innocuous refreshments (soft drinks, beer, peanuts, pretzels) to run up your bill before you escape.

Why not just walk out? Because these places are run by organized criminals. The bouncers are skilled in the art of persuasion.

Your best bet is not to walk in. Your proof that your instinct to back out was valid will come when your "friend" suddenly seems very agitated and insists that you come with him. At that point, you can safely tell him or her to find another idiot.
 
spiroxlii said:
It turns out that before any Chinese student is allowed to attend a university, they are required to qualify for military service. The training includes basic small arms instruction. The girls I talked to said that they had to qualify with the Wu Liu Shi (Five-Six Type) SKS before being allowed to continue their educations.

Apparently the old Type 56 SKS is still used for training and reserve forces in China, though they have used several other assault rifles in recent years.
Click to expand...

I work with several engineers that have completed this training... funny thing is, a couple of them keep asking "when can we go shooting with you"... LOL
 
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