I lived in Beijing for 5+ years. Some days, the air is perfectly clear. Some days, you can't see across the street for the smog. Wintertime is usually the worst for air quality. You never know what you'll get though, so take masks and plan indoor activities on bad days. Get the IQAir app to track AQI levels and predictions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP.

How’s air quality in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai? Anyone travel with mildly asthmatic kids? Any issues?

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.

I was in Beijing for 5 days and my throat hurt the entire time. Even if the air looked clear, it still bothered me.

Thanks. What is your experience in using their apps/payments? How did you get VPN to be able to use non-chinese apps?

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. Which airlines do you recommend from DC?

Just do Google flights. It’ll probably be United.

We had n95 masks long before covid, got them for Bejing trips. Air there depends on wind as well as dust and pollution. One day wind shifted and we realized there were mountains on the horizon, lol

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. Which airlines do you recommend from DC?

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.

Anonymous wrote:Where would one find the best General Tso’s Chicken?

I do hope you are joking. General Tsao’s U.S. an American creation. NYC in 1973

^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 wrote:You can do the whole trip on speed train, which would be much more pleasant than flying. First class tickets are pretty reasonable prices last time we were there and very comfortable. You can walk from Shenzhen into Hong Kong.

For the great wall, I would recommend going to a less popular location to avoid crowds. Look into Jinshanling, which is wilder and more scenic. Simatai is also a great choice for seeing parts of the original wall. Do NOT go to Badaling, which is the closest.

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 wrote:NP.

How’s air quality in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai? Anyone travel with mildly asthmatic kids? Any issues?

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.

Thank you. Which airlines do you recommend from DC?

Buy a burner cell phone to use in China and leave your PC at home. Any electronic device will be loaded with spyware.

Where would one find the best General Tso’s Chicken?

If you love the food you should go to Chengdu.

Anonymous wrote:NP.

How’s air quality in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai? Anyone travel with mildly asthmatic kids? Any issues?

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.