I have a question.

What Chinese cities have the biggest Japanese expat communities? Can you y’all give me like a top 5 or even top 10?

What are they like interacting with other foreigners in the country? Are they open to hanging out or are they pretty closed off?

>>2898239
I have the same question but for South Korean expats in China.

>>2898239
>>2898241
Outside of the obvious answers of Shanghai, Beijing, the cities you're looking for are Qingdao and Dalian. Mainly Qingdao. By a longshot for both Japs and Koreans and nowhere else really worth mentioning.

They do not mingle with white expats at all. I don't think its a lack of willingness but just language barrier and no one ever seeks it out

>>2898239
(apart from the obvious answers of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen)
>Japanese:
Suzhou
Dalian
Qingdao
Tianjin
Dongguan

>Korean
Yantai
Qingdao
Dalian
Weihai
Shenyang
Tianjin

>>2898247
in my personal experience, Japanese are only willing to spend time with each other and completely shut down in the presence of foreigners, while Koreans are super fun to be around and love drinking with foreigners. Japanese are usually also not very good at English or Chinese, while Koreans typically have ok English and good Chinese.

Some of my best friends from China are Korean and I hope to visit them in Seoul some day

>>2898239
>What Chinese cities have the biggest Japanese expat communities?
>>2898241
>I have the same question but for South Korean expats in China.
If you really want to know search the internet in the target language of the people you're curious about

Im sick of doing duolingo for chinese, whats a better app?

>>2898281
bilibili. better yet, read a book nigga

>>2898247
>>2898251
Thanks for the answers.

Which would you guys say is better for an American to visit, Dalian and Qingdao?

Want to go visit China, but I feel like starting with a Tier 1 city would be too overwhelming. Kind of want to see a city that also has a large Asian expat pop. because I also want to visit those countries later.

>>2898293
The smaller cities are equally overwhelming if not MORE because they are more chaotic, less infrastructure, less police enforcing traffic laws, more people who will shout WAIGUOREN at you, less people who speak English, etc etc
Just go to Shanghai, it's easy and not overwhelming, and there are lots of Japanese and Koreans there

>>2898293
I really like Dalian but QIngdao is a much better first time choice especially if you're not an experienced China traveller. Neither are espeically international but QIngdao is much more so and has better tourist infrastructure, more hotel choice, more things to do, overall more lively, etc.

Speaking of expats, how is Gubei in Shanghai? Is it more a place to live for expats or is it a nice place to visit tourist wise?

>>2898331
Gubei is nice to live in, not much to visit other than Koreatown, though if you want good Korean food then it's worthwhile. Korean/Japanese/Taiwanese expats live there, Whites less so

>>2898247
>>2898251
Are the Japanese expats really that closed off? I imagine in a city like Shanghai the whole point is the meet other expats from all over the world and even the Japanese would be open to meeting new people there. Correct if I’m wrong.

I know there’s izakayas in cities with a large Japanese expat community. Would happen if I’d go there?

I have never been to Hong Kong or China but I have been to Chinatowns in every city I've visited (CDMX, Montreal, Rome, London, Madrid) and I currently live in one in NYC.

Will I regret staying in Hong Kong for 3 days or should I have spent that time in Japan? I noticed all the Chinese people I know asked me why would I bother visiting instead of spending those 3 days in Japan (already spending 16 days in Japan; was a stopover on Cathay I could've done a 2 hour layover in HK for $1300 or stopped in HK for 3 days for $1350).

They claim there's nothing to do in HK especially compared to Japan and it was a lot better 10 years ago; but I figure if I don't visit it its going to turn into a suburb of Shenzen in 30 years and homogenize further

>>2898368
>I currently live in one in NYC.
The ghetto one in Flushing or the fake one in Manhattan? Can you speak mandarin?

>>2898382
ghetto one in flushing and no

>>2898385
the flushing one is how the non-mainland sinosphere is and the plastic manhattan one is how mainland china is
HK people think they speak English and get mad if you use mandarin so that's a plus for you. I don't know what dofags do but HK has better nature and nightlife and different food from Tokyo

>>2898388
>the flushing one is how the non-mainland sinosphere is and the plastic manhattan one is how mainland china is
you have that backwards. Flushing is recent mainland illegals, Manhattan is Hokkien/Southern Chinese that have been around forever

>>2898368
If you've never been I find Hong Kong much more interesting than Japan but I recognize I'm in the minority on that opinion

>>2898354
>the whole point is the meet other expats from all over the world
uhh the 'whole point' to the extent there is one is, I am here on company assignment trying to earn a living. they're not 19 year olds on a study abroad. that being said of course if you find them, drink with them, and are able to somehow communicate, there's no reason you couldnt manage to make a few friends

>>2898368
Eh, 16 days is enough in japan tbqh
You will enjoy the shift between japan and china

I will read the archive. I have never thought of visiting the travel board.

Planning on going to China this October. Beijing - Hubei - Shanxi - Shaanxi at least.

>>2898424
Hubei is kinda boring but Shaanxi and Shanxi are cool
go to Datong

>>2898427
Thanks!

I actually meant to write Hebei, specifically Shijiazhuang which I am treating as a middle point between Beijing and Shanxi province.

>>2898428
bruh Hebei is even more boring than Hubei, especially Shijiazhuang, it's a city of 10 million people that didn't exist before 1950, there is NOTHING to do other than see some fake old buildings and temples in Zhengding county that you will see in Shanxi anyway
just take the HSR to Datong - Luliang - Yan'an - Xi'an

Is it true Dali is like hipster central in China?

>>2898346
>Taiwanese expats

lol what’s it like to be an expat in the country that wants to invade your country at some point in the future? Can Taiwanese citizens just come and go to China since China doesn’t recognize Taiwan anyway? Are they cool to hangout with?

>>2898433
pre-covid yes, but it has definitely seen a falling off since then

>>2898434
Taiwanese citizens can get a 台胞证 Taiwan compatriot card which functions exactly like a Chinese ID card and gives you the same rights as Chinese nationals to work, study etc. They can even get free public healthcare, education, and pensions in some cities. I knew a few Taiwanese in Beijing and they were generally pretty nice and laid back, and always drank a lot of tea

>>2898429
I thought so but I want to use it as a base to go to Yangquan. I might stay there for like a night at most.

Apart from Red Tourism and important landmarks I don't care too much about visiting stuff. I just like to wander around and go drinking at night.

>>2898434
I only called them expats because that's often practically what they are (sent on corporate assignment) but whether or not they see themselves that way is 50/50 and the locals just see them as other Chinese. It is easy to come and go (they're treated as Chinese citizens just with diff travel docs as other mentioned) and no one really cares, its chill, the invasion thing is mostly US boomer hype

I'm going to China for the first time.
I will visit the central and southern cities (Guangzhou, Chonqing, Changsha, Guilin, and maybe some other places depending on how it goes when I'm there).
What I'm worried about is more about "culture difference" things... Like, is the meme about chinese being dirty and smelly true? On a "India to Japan" scale, are the chinese of these cities closer in terms of etiquette to whom?
If I stay only in the big cities, are toilets "normal" or do they still use the toilet hole in the ground thing? Can I trust tap water to drink?

>>2898454
Chinese people are not smelly, East Asians don't really have body odour, but some people smell strongly of cigarettes. People do litter but attitudes are changing, I would say on a politeness level city dwellers are close to Eastern Europe, not like Indians. Toilets in houses and hotels are always western style but public toilets are like 80-20 squat toilets vs western toilets, even in upmarket malls. Do not drink tap water, it's never safe, even when boiled.

>>2898454
>I will visit the central and southern cities (Guangzhou, Chonqing, Changsha, Guilin, and maybe some other places depending on how it goes when I'm there).
>What I'm worried about is more about "culture difference" things... Like, is the meme about chinese being dirty and smelly true? On a "India to Japan" scale, are the chinese of these cities closer in terms of etiquette to whom?
If you interact with them on a surface level you will feel like you are in Japan in terms of cleanliness. There is very little trash on the street and things are orderly. But if you actually have conversations with them you will see they are India tier in the poorer provinces. Girls will be nakedly transactional and even ask you for money just like in India in the poor cities. Chongqing girls are really temperamental but they're good. You might not see these behaviors in Chongqing and Changsha but if you go to smaller west china cities you definitely will
And yes, in the summer asian people smell after sweating just like everyone else. It has a distinct odour, like burning plastic

>>2898454
Toilets vary depending on where you are. Even Japan has hole in the ground toilets once you get out of tourist areas. They're common all across Asia. China isn't dirty at all, but when you get outside of the cities, it can feel like Appalachia. Areas that are a bit poor and undeveloped but everything is very clearly nicer than it was 10 years ago. One thing that makes that obvious is that basically every single town and place of interest has a train going to it. Big cities like Guangzhou will shock you more by how much nicer they are than your own home. Chongqing feels kind of like a nicer, cleaner Southeast Asian city.

Your biggest problem will be that food doesn't cater to anything but Chinese tastes. If you don't like actual Chinese food, you'll struggle. If you like it, you'll be fine. And every region has its own type of cuisine and it's as diverse as food around the entirety of Europe.

>>2898434
>lol what’s it like to be an expat in the country that wants to invade your country at some point in the future? Can Taiwanese citizens just come and go to China since China doesn’t recognize Taiwan anyway?
The rest of the world sees China and Taiwan as two separate countries, but both China and Taiwan see it as one country. China says the CCP rules the mainland and the CCP has rightful jurisdiction over Taiwan. Taiwan says the KMT rules Taiwan and has rightful jurisdiction over the mainland.

So to enter between China and Taiwan, since they both agree that it's one country, you need this special document that's totally not a passport but looks and acts just like one. China restricts its nationals heavily from entering Taiwan, you need to be in a guided tour for a few days only, or you need to have residence in a different country besides China. Taiwan doesn't care and lets it citizens go to the mainland

>>2898454
Never been to India.

Chinese people are not smelly. I felt the streets were generally clean, I would say cleaner than the average big city street in Western Europe.

Chinese impoliteness manifests mainly in them being unable to make a line and them spitting on the floor (even in interiors). The spitting is dependent on how developed the city is (not seen much in Shanghai, but saw a lot in, idk, Bazhong).

In less touristy cities they will stare at you if you sre a foreigner. If you are an aspie it can get annoying ig, but generally they mean good so I think it's not too bad.

Public street WC are mostly squat toilets. Train stations mostly squat with some western style. These are usually super dirty. At worst you go to the disabled people one. Malls usually have at least some western style ones. Bring your own toilet paper.

I would never go to India but I am always looking forward to my next China trip.

>>2898460
Only time I experienced people smelling unbearably bad in China was when I went to Nanchong. I tried to walk to Lan Zhang memorial hall and for some reason one street was full of african and south asian people. Wearing their traditional clothes and everything. Maybe they were international students and some of them really stink.

Nanchong is a fucking shithole. I think it's the only Chinese city I would not look forward to visit again, except for befriending some really nice locals there and falling in love with a security guard at one of the district train stations.

>>2898460
>Never been to India.
>I would never go to India but I am always looking forward to my next China trip.
I went to India and China back to back and actually liked India more and would rather go back there. India is the most slept on travel destination in the world because they banned tiktok, so they get slandered on there. China is the most overhyped because they run tiktok and shill themselves on there. Overall they're kind of similar in quality imo but I have to give the edge to India. Totally different vibes though of course

>>2898463
Lol one of my professors at university was an English teacher for three years in Nanchong

>>2898469
>Overall they're kind of similar in quality
Define quality? India may well be enjoyable but it's undeniably dirtier and more chaotic by a wide margin

>>2898474
>Define quality? India may well be enjoyable but it's undeniably dirtier and more chaotic by a wide margin
The interactions have more texture, even if you are white their version of civic nationalism extends far enough to accept you. Being white in china feels like being a zoo animal. Being white in india feels like being krishna or some shit. Obviously india has hygiene problems and infrastructure issues, but I only cook at home so I wasnt really impacted by it. It may be a coincidence, but my water in my apartment in China was shut off for several days in a row due to construction, just like in India, so not that much different

The gym in India was dirty, sometimes it had a literal rat scurrying around, while jeets worked out barefoot and bollywood blared through the speakers, but it had more/better equipment than the gym in China, and it was 1/5th the price. Groceries were also about 1/2 the price. Electronics and stuff is more expensive in India but you can always just not buy it there. China has better public libraries, by a landslide, but India has open internet.

Dating in India is way better, its more spiritual and less transactional. If you have yellow fever there are tens of millions of indian girls who look chinese too. Indian guys are bros and legitimately want to befriend you, chinese guys are cynical about you and see you as a threat. English levels are higher in India, the west is seen more favorably. Weather is better too

I could go on but you get the point

>>2898482
Thanks, I'm a China guy but that's a meaningful answer

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>>2898239
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Japan#Asia

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>>2898241
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_South_Korea#Asia

How is Tianjin as a place to visit?

>>2898574
Terrible, unfortunately. Only place in China I felt that way about

might end up in HK and Shenzhen in 5 - 6 days time. Is the typhoon going to be a problem?

>>2898574
Pretty boring and generic, not really worth visiting even as a day trip from Beijing

>>2898281
No app. Pimsleur for speaking, YT for listening comprehension, Hanly for reading

>Chengdu Edition

Speaking of Chengdu, how is it these days?

Keep hearing it’s the hip, trendy place in China right now.

>>2898679
It's pretty dope. Good food, best culture in China. No one gives a fuck about shekelmaxxing and people just want to chill. Girls there are flat yellow west chinese, kinda mid but they have a good attitude. Nightlife is really solid too. English levels are high and people there have a positive outlook towards foreigners

>>2898433
>Dali
Do you mean Dalian?

I would think the hipsters congregate in cities like Hangzhou

>>2898697
Dali (大理) is a city in Yunnan which was (and to an extent still is) very popular with backpackers and hippies

>>2898700
Are the hippies Chinese? If so, I gotta see that

I last visited china in 2015. I miss that place. Everything is so cinema and dreamy feeling. Especially on cloudy days in a city no one back home knows of. Just walking through a quiet neighbourhood with a few shops and nice greenery is a nice experience. Same as what I do with my time at home, but more magical.

>>2898701
Yes there are lots of Chinese hippies/hipsters there. A lot of them are from rich cities just living there and doing some small job like photography/selling food from a stall for a few months while the weather is good

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>>2898703
I never would have suspected this small Yunnan town. Any other unique hipster places? A lot of people in Japan dresses like hipsters, but they were kinda like ghosts who didn't interact with anything. Taiwan's scene had a bit more soul.

Anyway, I'd also like to visit Baotou (包头市) because laowhy86 used to live there and it seemed very unique (and dangerous). Shenzhen would also be neat because it was serpentza's old spot. Rainy days there always looked great.

I will dig up some photos from my 2015 trip and post them. These generals usually lack photos

pic is hangzhou's train station

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Dali looks ominous
https://maps.app.goo.gl/E3zUMj2bL4BhgnFS9

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>>2898718
This was on the train from HangZhou to LiLingDong. I never knew where I was since I was with a group of chinese friends who planned everything. But I found a photo of a ticket, 醴陵东后车站

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tryu79vaDkRsr6t86

Pic rel has that 2010s vibe, which serpentza's old videos also capture so well. Plain clothes, humidity, simplicity, trivial electronics, light social interaction

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>>2898719
Daytime

>>2898720
Found it!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jCW1YJ5GUCoCPFqV7

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Mcdonald's, January 2013

>>2898679
Chengdu is great. Food is good if you tolerate spicy. Great places to visit in the city and around. Big malls if you are into that. Lively city with a cool nightlife offering more western-style places (with a bunch of gay and foreign-populated clubs). Locals are really nice. One of my better China nights was there.

One of serpentzas last good videos, August 2015... How time flies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tW4V38ZgQk

>>2898732
after learning a fair bit of mandarin, I get why you guys used to say his pronunciation was terrible. Ita kinda funny it's so bad after living there for years

>>2898713
>Shenzhen would also be neat because it was serpentza's old spot.

I’ve been told Shenzhen has basically become China’s San Francisco in that it’s been taken over by boring tech guys.

>>2898684
>Girls there are flat yellow west chinese, kinda mid but they have a good attitude.

Huh, I thought Chengdu girls are considered especially pretty? Like the same with chicks from Chongqing.

If not, that’s fine, I’m good flat yellow west Chinese. Honestly, the more Asian a girl looks the more I’m into her…

>>2898735
love the chinky look that looks like it would be a racist caricature that or when they have big eyes and curvy bodies that would be considered chubby/xl in china

>>2898734
Very likely. I'm interested in the pockets of older city that haven't been replaced in the past 10 years. Also the outskirts where he used to live. I know he's just a YouTube faggot, but it's a mind palace for me.

>>2898736
Yea the kind of phenotype you'd be ashamed to show your family. The rat overbite making a "tch tch tch tastey" sound after sucking cock. Squintly little eyes and a huge rack that makes yellow fever painfully obvious. Exactly.

>>2898735
If you listen to Chinese people then every region has especially pretty girls (apart from Guangxi), the actual prettiest (to Chinese people) are from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Your personal tastes may vary

no way, gotta go further north for pale girls with dump truck asses. Tianjin to Dalian to Inner Mongolia

>>2898742
to be fair i need them to have tits or ass/thighs

i feel pedo if theyre flat...i like having something to grab onto and fondle/pinch

the squinty eyes just look exotic

imo though i have noticed when they wear high-waisted pants they're covering up ass/thighs, chinese women just have prominent tailbones and short buttcracks so they arent as bubble butt prominent like a latina/white would be

>>2898747
north = tall skinny lithe and chinky imo

south = short wide stocky with curves and bigger eyes similar build/phenotype to viets

both can have big tits but i think the northern girls have more boobs.

>>2898679
Great place, but it just sucks that because of a diplomatic spat that the US closed their consulate in the city. Makes things less convenient traveling. The closet embassy is now in Wuhan.

>>2898569
I think Japan might open a consular branch in Chengdu. A lot more Japanese expats are showing up there, might make a branch of the Chongqing consulate.

>>2898736
>>2898742
>>2898749
Honestly find with flatness. Most of the time they can have some perky tits and ass.

I just don’t like distressingly skinny girls (who obviously have anorexia) and girls with too much plastic surgery to give them cartoonishly large tits and ass.

>>2898742
Yep, the kind that gives WMAF a bad look to outsiders.

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Be honest…

Have you?

>>2898749
flatties > fatties
north is tall and flat south is short and flat

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Planning on staying here in Chongqing, decided it might be more interesting and different than doing the cyberpunk high floor hotel thing.

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Any suggestions for Shanghai nerdy stuff? I like nature, art and science. Already got the National History Museum and Planetarium planned.
Art stuff I'm completely blanking on.

Also, I'm planning a 14-day trip station from Shanghai, with 2 days in Hangzhou.
Would appreciate any advice for daytrips, I have Suzou planned to see the gardens.

>>2898879
>Art
Shanghai art gallery, Shanghai modern art gallery, west bank gallery... There are a lot
If you like pottery and ceramics you can take a day trip to Yixing in Wuxi to see their traditional purple red pottery and maybe buy some

>>2898879
Tx Huaihai youth energy center and the small shops across the street from it

>>2898879
First National Congress of the Communist Party has a cool museum. And it's free (of course).

I'm hesitant to visit china alone because of how cringe white sinophiles are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUcVB3ZztCA

>>2898986
Why? You probably won't run into one unless you stay in a hostel popular with foreigners, and people won't assume you are like that (if they even know about these "content creators" etc) unless you pull out a phone and camera and video everything

>>2898987
When a dork with green nail polish is farming in a wasteland, foreigners accumulate an image of being extremely odd. It's already bad enough with pedos becoming grade school "teachers", and criminals fleeing their countries to restart their loser lives

>>2898989
The LBH stereotype isn't as widespread in China as it is in Japan or Thailand, most people don't think foreigners are weird they will just think you're a well intentioned but ignorant tourist. Also if you're not acting weird or being weird people won't make such assumptions about you.

>>2898993
On xhs, there is a white trash stereotype that's prevalent. And that gardening grandma was suspicious of this guy, saying there are bad foreigners that come to china. He played dumb and said china is great and very safe

>>2898994

I think this is your own insecurity/anxiety outing yourself. Take a deep breath and understand people do not care nearly as much as you think.

It is not Japan that became the mecca/hajj for every 18-30 year old or even Thailand/Vietnam that has cheap/easy flights from Australia 3x a day where Australians treat those places like Brits treat Spanish islands or Americans treat Mexico/Colombia. The Chinese govt is begging for tourists. Even your average Chinese will mistake you as Russian until you open your mouth. English speaking tourists are pretty rare on the mainland and Chinese would be delighted at the fact that you can communicate with them in their native language (these aren't Parisians laughing at your pathetic attempts at speaking French).

If this doesn't work, take Xanax or consider a flight to Paris or Barcelona instead where the locals will judge you and see you as annoying.

>>2898996
I agree with this post
OP is being a sperg
Chinese dont care, its not japan where you get glared at for folding a napkin too loudly.

>>2898997
Not only that; there's a billion chinese people. Even if that number is fake and overestimated it's still 700mm. That is as many as 2 Americas or the continent of Europe.

If one person judging you is going to ruin your trip, its a personal issue. China is still relatively unexplored for normies. Again, its not Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona, Rome where the locals deal with every other person being a tourist. Even Hong Kong doesn't have that issue.

>>2898994
If you do weird stuff like waving a camera around in people's faces then yes they will be suspicious of you that's true anywhere in the world. If you are just a normal tourist nobody will care. And even if they do so what?

>>2898997
Yeah most of the time it's me glaring at the Chinese people lol

When I was in Vietnam, I was looking for a restaurant to dine at. The restaurant I decided on was totally packed with locals and tourists. The waiter asked if I was ok sharing a tabled. Yeah, of course, it raining and I dont want to keep searching for food. I got sat with a 50 year old boomer with really bad teeth. He had an aussie accent claimed he was a helicopter pilot. Kept calling the waitress sweetheart. Some other tourists sat down beside us, and asked if we were traveling together. I don't like that cringe

Thoughts on Beijing? I've heard both good and bad.

I'm heading there soon to start a TEFL job at a training center. This will be my first time in China. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I will probably be working and getting an apartment near the Haidian district which I understand is a more family/school oriented part of Beijing, and not as "fun."

I don't know Mandarin yet, but have begun learning online. I want to avoid becoming a complete shut-in.

>>2899004
>start a TEFL job
>I don't know Mandarin
??????

>>2899004
Beijing is too big and going anywhere takes an hour at least. Haidian is boring and there's nothing to do other than go to malls, or go to bigger malls at Xidan. If you don't speak Chinese you're going to have a hard time.

>>2899007
90% of English teachers in China don't speak a single word of Chinese

>>2899008
>boring and there's nothing to do other than go to malls, or go to bigger malls. If you don't speak Chinese you're going to have a hard time.
nihao wercome 2 chiner, lound eye

So which city has the best music scene?

I’m into metal, punk, hardcore, emo, alt/indie, and industrial. Is there a single city I should go to or are there specific cities that are better for one of those genres then others?

>>2899067
you again?

>>2899117
Nope. Has someone asked this before?

>>2899008
Any recommendations for audio courses to learn Chinese?

The previous thread had some youtube channels but those are comprehensible input based and I can't really comprehend any input yet.

I've seen Michel Thomas and Pimsleur mentioned around, would appreciate any other course or podcast recommendations.

>>2898235
Should I teach english in China or just try and travel China as a tourist? I keep reading all these things about wow how awesome it is to teach, but I am wondering if it would just be better to take a trip instead.

Anyone been to Harbin in the winter? Looks kinda neat

>>2899208
The less you know about China, the more you will be able to tolerate teaching. If you want the money go for it. Taking a trip won't really do anything for you

>>2899212
Yes I went in January 2025, it's pretty cold but not intolerable. There's a lot to do other than the ice and snow festival (which I actually found a bit disappointing because of the super long queues), and it's probably the best city in all of Dongbei along with Dalian

>>2899219
>There's a lot to do other than the ice and snow festival
What kinds of things?

>>2899338
Siberian Tiger park, skiing, Russian buildings and art, shops where you can buy Russian stuff, lots of other snow activities, walking over the frozen river, lots of Russian churches, Dongbei food (tieguodun)
It's pretty fun

Is China is more intimidating to visit than Japan and Vietnam for you?

>>2899512
Yes

>>2899512
nah it's a bunch of security theatre. chink glowies dont give a single fuck about you as long as you dont hand out flyers. they have bigger fish to fry. the majority of the country is closet dissident. if a foreigner fucks up they send his ass home and ban him. dissident nationals are a bigger PITA for glowies to deal with

>>2899512
China is a completely unintimidating country, as the other anon mentioned most of it is just security theatre (i.e. at the subway security check they dont even look at the bag scanners half the time) but there are two big exceptions I experienced:

- sensitive areas in central Beijing e.g. Zhongnanhai and Tiananmen where security is thorough (for example at Tiananmen if you have an umbrella they make you open it to check if there are any messages written on it)
- Xinjiang because it is full of armed police who will ask to see your passport whenever they catch sight of you

apart from that it's fine

>>2899512
None are 'intimidating' imo but I find Japan far more tedious with the language barrier and stick up the ass 1,000,000 rules to follow culture. Never been refused entry to any establishment in China happened constantly in Tokyo. Flipside is yes China has internet and payment method issues but these are pretty easily solvable.

>>2899530
>Never been refused entry to any establishment in China happened constantly in Tokyo.
The only places that do this are brothels and reservation only restaurants. Quit being a sex addict.

>>2898996
>English speaking tourists are pretty rare on the mainland and Chinese would be delighted at the fact that you can communicate with them in their native language (these aren't Parisians laughing at your pathetic attempts at speaking French).

Really?! That sounds nice :)

>>2899559
I didnt even see many white people in shanghai.
Compare that to tokyo where every train station is full of australians yelling from platform to platform, french people looking upset and sitting on the floor blocking the way and italians looking confused.

>>2899561
You are very discerning! Did you distinguish other whites by their language and or their appearance?

>>2899556
People like you always act like I'm lying when I bring this up but I've never been to a brothel and I get refused from random restaurants all the time. I'm a clean, normal looking white guy and this is a common experience with everyone I've talked to about it IRL so I'm not sure where the disconnect is here

>>2899576
The only time you get refused from restaurants is because they're reservation only and you didn't reserve a seat, or it's closing time. Japanese restaurants close 30-60 minutes before the time posted outside. You're being turned away not because of racism but because you're retarded.

t. 11 years in Japan from Okinawa to Hokkaido. Never had this experience

What's the scam/theft situation in China these days? Do I have to be on my guard as an obvious tourist or is it close to Japan-tier? Are the smaller cities different from the tier 1s in this respect?

>>2899578
Debating prevalence is one thing but to claim that Japanese establishments NEVER decline service to foreigners simply because they're foreigners is just silly (I also don't think its 'racism' but aforementioned stick-up-the-ass culture and sub-zero desire to deal with language barrier or cross cultural awkwardness)

>>2899582
Scams common though you kind of have to be a retard to fall for them. Theft extremely uncommon

>>2899582
Tourist-targeted scams are not unheard of in Beijing and Shanghai, mostly pretty obvious and easy to avoid, but you do have to be careful with taxis. Only ever get in licensed taxis or ones you called online, make sure there's a physical meter (if it's one you hailed off the street), and don't let the driver take your phone. Watch out for romance scams as well. This applies to both big and small cities.

People sometimes steal takeout or drinks that have been left unopened, and older people are super paranoid about theft, but major theft has basically been eradicated

>>2899589
>>2899607
Thanks, that sounds manageable.

>>2899589
>(I also don't think its 'racism' but aforementioned stick-up-the-ass culture and sub-zero desire to deal with language barrier
So then it has nothing to do with being a foreigner. It's a language issue.

>>2899219
>>2899406
Thanks anon! Going around new years myself. Never been to somewhere so cold before so I am eager about that as an experience itself. I'll probably check out the festival thing anyway but good to know theres more to do as well, eager to try some Russian shit.

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>>2899804
you will need a hat, thick gloves, thick socks, double layered trousers, and preferably boots and a scarf. your hands and feet will get cold first and they will be the most uncomfortable, so it's also worth it to buy some chemical handwarmers (热贴) from a convenience store and put them in your gloves and shoes.
picrel queue to ring a bell at the ice and snow festival
all the slides and big rides had queues but you also had to get tickets on the wechat mini program before queuing, in order to do that you had to wait until the hour mark then buy a ticket as they were released, unfortunately everyone doing this would make the cell network super slow and even break at times
it's worth it to go and look at the pretty sculptures and buildings for a few hours after sunset but you should not hold any false hopes of going on the rides, I was only able to go on the ferris wheel after 2 failed attempts to get tickets

>>2898459
>Taiwan says the KMT rules Taiwan and has rightful jurisdiction over the mainland.
KMT administered the Republic of China but doesn't now. Taiwan is the only portion of China under the rule of the Republic of China which you have mistaken for Taiwan as an entity. The RoC claims it is the proper ruler of all of China. taiwan isn't a political nation entity.
>China says the CCP rules the mainland and the CCP has rightful jurisdiction over Taiwan.
the difference is between the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of China. the PRC says is is the rightful ruler of Taiwan and the other islands. if you are trying to be factual, then "china" doesn't say the CCP rules the mainland and has jurisdiction over taiwan. there is a difference between the CCP and the chinese government legally. regardless of whether the CCP existed or not, the PRC would still claim taiwan is territory of the rightful chinese nation.

>>2898731
what a banal answer.

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>>2899806
Thanks for the advice friend, will be sure to rug up and get ultra cozy. Looking forward to drinking some real russian vodka, sausage and all that good stuff. Found it to be an interesting place when I planned to go to Beijing.
Yeah can't imagine I will get many wins with those sort of queues but I am happy to just walk around and take some pictures.

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>>2899830
>Taiwan is the only portion of China under the rule of the Republic of China
not true, the ROC also controls Kinmen island (Jinmen county) and the Matsu islands (part of Lianjiang county) which both it and the PRC consider part of Fujian province. So even within the area controlled by the ROC, Taiwan is just a subdivision. However for convenience and to avoid referring to the ROC as a country, PRC authorities will usually say 台湾地区 (Taiwan area) to refer to the ROC-controlled area which means Taiwan Province + Kinmen + Matsu.

>>2899835
there is a big winter clothing market next to the St Sophia Cathedral where you can buy this stuff for cheap, but I would advise getting boots in your own country bc they usually don't have bigger sizes
if you have the time for a day trip I would rec Hengdaohezi town, you can get there in an hour on the train. It is kinda touristy because there is a big Siberian tiger sanctuary there, but the town itself is very interesting as a major stop on the old Russian railway and it has the only wooden Orthodox church in China

>>2899838
Love trains so Hengdaohezi town sounds perfect brilliant advice. Will see if I can check it out one of the days I am there