Trip to China
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Anonymous
| Way too many cities IMO. |
Anonymous
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Hong Kong stay Kowloon side in TST. The Regent is amazing. There is a Hyatt a bit inland if budget interferes. You see the Hong Kong skyline and nighttime lights.
Take the Star Ferry. The museums in TST are excellent too. |
Anonymous
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I moved back here from Hong Kong a few months ago. What would you like to know?
Things to do in Hong Kong: Eat! Hong Kong is an absolute foodie Mecca. Dim Sum in particular is a must-try, traditionally served more or less what we consider brunch/lunch time in a very informal diner-like venue. You can absolutely find it served in a fancy setting for dinner if you want. Walk the waterfront along the Kowloon side in the evening to see the lights. Take the Star Ferry across the harbor. It is just a tourist thing now but a fun experience that is practically free. (Can be paired with walking the waterfront) Hong Kong Park and the Tea museum are worth a visit. They are a short walk from the lower station of the Peak Tram. Keep an eye (and ear) out for Yellow Crested Cockatoos, some of the rarest birds on earth (~2000 total wild population) but a significant flock reside in the park and are easily seen, particularly at dusk. https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/one-of-the-rarest-birds-in-the-world-finds-a-city-sanctuary-in-hong-kong/ Take the peak tram up to the peak mall. This is a total tourist scam but you must do it anyway. The tram doesn’t take you to the actual peak. It takes you to a very touristy mall. This is one of the better collections of gift shops in HK. This is also the kickoff point to… Walk Lugard road (Harlech fitness trail). This is a loop that starts and ends at the peak mall. It is level, paved, and about 1.5 miles long. It has spectacular views off all sides of the island. An optional side trek is to hike up to High West, a proper mountain peak, unlike the mall. Hiking up to High West is strenuous, hundreds of uneven stairs, but the views are spectacular on a clear day. (Save your legs if it is cloudy.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugard_Road High West : https://droneandslr.com/travel-blog/hong-kong/mount-high-west-hike/ Big Buddha is fine and in a pretty spot but is of recent construction as a tourist site and is a trek to get to. Tai O village is a real trek, not worth it on a short trip. If you want to visit a fishing village I recommend Cheung Chau Island. This is an easy ferry ride from the Central Ferry Pier and the island is fun, a bit like stepping out of a time machine. I recommend eating street food there, fish balls in particular. You should also seek out a specific bakery famous for making filled lucky buns. (White buns with a red symbol) Island: https://www.mstravelsolo.com/things-to-do-in-cheung-chau-island-hong-kong/ Buns: Kwok Kam Kee, G/F, 46 Pak She Street, Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, 9841 5683, www.kwokkamkee.com I am with everyone else as far as Shenzhen is concerned… it was just a bunch of fields a few decades ago. Yes, it is now a giant and relatively prosperous city but it is devoid of character. It would be like flying to America to visit Reston. A quick note on paying for things, Hong Kong and the Mainland are total opposites as far as cash is concerned. Cash is almost out of use in the mainland but is essential in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong most taxis accept only cash, Hong Kong Dollars. Meanwhile mass transit in Hong Kong requires an “Octopus Card,” a credit card form factor payment card that you can top up with cash. You can obtain the card itself at the Hong Kong airport at the Hong Kong Express train desk, or in MTR (subway) stations, or in a 7/11 or Circle K. Once you have the card you can add cash in any 7/11 or Circle K at the cashier. In addition to mass transit you can pay at many small shops, ferries, vending machines, etc, with an Octopus card. Taxis rarely accept Octopus, cash only. Uber works in Hong Kong just as it does in the US. Goods Of Desire is a nice gift shop in Central. If you have specific questions hit me. |
Anonymous
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My few tips: download WeChat or Alipay to pay for things by phone in China.
Didi instead of uber Bring a few hundred dollars in cash and exchange them for yuan when getting to HK airport. Cabs are about $70 from the airport to downtown and they don’t take credit cards. Lucky I had a spare $100 when I landed and was able to exchange it, but for some reason I had trouble pulling money out of the atm on both my work and personal cards (turns out my bank thought it was fraud ) |
Anonymous
In Hong Kong taxis won’t take yuan, only Hong Kong Dollars (HKD). ATMs can be a problem… Look for Standard Chartered or HSBC ATMs. Avoid Bank of China, etc. |
Anonymous
Years ago I was in Beijing on a smoggy day and I couldn’t see my hand when it was extended in front of me. I hope it’s better now. I don’t think I’d take kids younger than teens. |
Anonymous
| If you love the food you should go to Chengdu. |
Anonymous
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Where would one find the best General Tso’s Chicken?
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Anonymous
| Buy a burner cell phone to use in China and leave your PC at home. Any electronic device will be loaded with spyware. |
Anonymous
| Thank you. Which airlines do you recommend from DC? |
Anonymous
I had major issues in Beijing and on the Great Wall with my moderate asthma (adult, mid 20s at the time and in great shape). I couldn’t take more than 2-3 steps without being unable to breathe. It was very, very bad. I’d never had my asthma flare that bad before and it’s never happened since. |
Anonymous
Inhaling is awesome! I'm Chinese American and took my teens last summer to Beijing and Shanghai (Xian and Yellow Mtn too). I did Badaling with my mom years ago for my first trip and the difference is night and day. There's almost nobody in the former because it is a ways out but not terrible. Absolutely worth it. I really enjoyed Beijing more this trip than years ago - consider a ride through old town carriage ride. Get Peking duck which is good in Beijing. In Shanghai it's dumplings. Shanghai is actually great for pizza if you can believe it lol! That's a new thing now there. Everyone pretty much speaks English in big cities. My cousin is in Schenzen and yeah- a totally modern city. Amazing place I wish I got there. I'd really love to return. China is full of wonders and not anything like what Americans imagine esp in the large cities. The shopping is glorious. We brought new luggage there to bring everything back hahaha. Shanghai is a lot of shopping but I actually preferred Beijing. You will find also that there's a ton of good places to eat in the shopping malls - the buildings have like 9 floors and there's usually 2 floors of just food - it's also great deals. Like $7USD gets you a full delicious meal. Don't think of eating at the dept stores as eating at our food courts at Tysons is what I'm trying to say 
Think Shanghai as NYC and Beijing as DC. I prefer NYC to DC 1000000x over but Beijing has really improved its ambiance and isn't as "stuffy" as I remembered to be. The trains are awesome so you'll enjoy that.
Have so much fun!!!!! |
Anonymous
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^Jingshaling not inhaling! lol
PS - you can't skip Shanghai. That's basically akin to skipping seeing NYC if you're visiting E coast in US. WTF? lol I agree that Shanghai is not as "scenic" as many other places in China - it's such a beautiful huge country. However you can't skip Shanghai - there's enough culture there to warrant time. I did do Xian but enjoyed it more many years ago with my mom. It's crazy built up now. A completely different vibe. It's all Cosplay - that's a huge thing in Asia not just China. Esp Japan. I would stick with Beijing and Shanghai and add a couple other places. Xian is where the Terracotta warriors are so typically everyone goes there for that. The wall is also another attraction. It's like QC - the city is built with walls surrounding it and at night it's all lit up. It's very cool but it's def a zillion bazillion people. Like Times Square vibe. The southern towns are really pretty. It's a crazy huge country so pick the towns that have what you want whether mountains, water, city feel. They will all have history pretty much. I speak fluent mandarin so for me it doesn't matter but if I was like my DH a white guy I"d stick to the larger towns. |
Anonymous
I do hope you are joking. General Tsao’s U.S. an American creation. NYC in 1973 |
Anonymous
The only direct flight from DC is to Beijing on Air China. Used to be a United flight also pre-Covid. I've taken it twice. It's perfectly fine, though the "western" (English language) movies to watch are amusing. It's a mix of action movies, and Hallmark-style movies. No controversial topics covered. |