Two weeks in China trip report (3/22-4/4)
Our take
The author’s confession that China has shifted from a place of dread to one of genuine anticipation is a powerful entry point into understanding the country’s modern allure. This personal evolution mirrors a broader trend among seasoned travelers who discover that China’s rhythm—a blend of staggering technological adoption and deeply human-scale interactions—defies simple preconceptions. For readers charting their own course through Asia, this report resonates as a candid field note from someone who has moved past the initial culture shock to appreciate the nuances. It pairs well with other recent traveler reflections, such as the logistical deep-dive in “2-week trip to China”, which also grapples with the pace of change across multiple megacities.
What makes this account particularly valuable is its focus on the friction points of daily life, which often reveal more than the postcard moments. The haze over Beijing and Shenzhen, a stark contrast to last year’s clarity, subtly underscores the environmental trade-offs of rapid development—a reality check amid the glowing light displays and silent electric car fleets. Similarly, the observation about Alipay’s linguistic disconnect is a brilliant microcosm of China’s tech ecosystem: globally dominant platforms that operate on entirely local logic. These details provide a grounded counterpoint to the high-speed Maglev rides and futuristic cityscapes, reminding us that the China experience is a layered negotiation between the seamless and the stubbornly analogue.
The social and economic textures painted here are equally compelling. The ubiquity of malls, each bustling yet seemingly unsustainable, poses an unspoken question about domestic consumption patterns. The persistent, attentive sales associates highlight a service culture that can feel both welcoming and claustrophobic to Western sensibilities. On the human front, the author’s warmth toward the locals’ patience with his Mandarin and the genuine surprise at the scarcity of other Westerners cuts through geopolitical narratives to spotlight a simple truth: day-to-day hospitality often transcends political tension. His food journey, from adventurous goose deconstruction to the relatable observation that “Chinese food in America is not all that different,” bridges the exotic and the familiar, making the culinary landscape feel accessible rather than intimidating.
Ultimately, this trip report is a testament to the power of repeated, immersive travel in reshaping perspective. The author isn’t just checking off landmarks; he’s building a relationship with a country, noting the subtle shifts in smog levels, the proliferation of new EV brands, and the rhythms of 996 work culture. His forward-looking wish list—indoor skiing, more time on Pudong’s riverfront—hints at a continuing curiosity. For the reader, the lingering question isn’t just “what should I see?” but “how will my own understanding of China’s complex, high-speed society evolve with each visit?” In a world of fleeting impressions, this account champions the value of returning, of looking beyond the initial dazzle to the intricate, sometimes contradictory, systems that make a place truly unique.
| | This is my second work trip to China. This actually happened about a month ago but this was the first time I've had to write-up something. I always thought I'd dread China but it's really become special to me for the people, the scenery, and the technology. It's really like no place I've ever visited and I look forward to going each year. I’d usually post these China trips in the travelchina sub but there is bit of a following out with mods there and people are looking for a new place to share. Someone suggested here, so here I am. Still new here so if this isn’t appropriate in any way lmk. That said: Primary cities visited: Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai Picture context: picture 1: Some of the amazing animated building light displays in Shenzhen picture 2: electronics market in Shenzhen picture 3: Shanghai skyline picture 4: Xiaomi car display in Beijing Weather: For end of March beginning of April weather was great. Seemed to be unseasonably warm in Beijing which was nice. Shenzhen was starting to get a tiny bit humid. Shanghai was cooler and had a solid day of rain one day. One thing different this year from last is all the cities had much more of a haze/smog to them. Was impressed last year how clear things were - very different this year. Maybe just a time a year thing? Logistics: Hotel wifi and VPN were spotty when I tried to use them. I continue to believe Verizon Travel pass is the best way as a tourist to get around in China. Everything just works and it's fast. Apple maps appears to be just as good a local map apps and is in English. Google maps sucks don't even try to use it. My Alipay and wechat worked with no intervention from last year. That was nice. I prefer alipay over wechat because I can add notes to expenses so I can remember what they are when I get back. Interesting note on Alipay is whatever it’s called in Chinese is apparently nothing like ‘ali’ or ‘alipay’ because if you say want to pay that way most people I’ve encountered don’t understand what you are trying to do. But once you show them the app icon they get it immediately. People: Still impressed by two things in China. How nice and accommodating locals were to an American white guy that only knows a fer words of Mandarin and how very few white people you see in China out and about. English is barely spoken anywhere but pretty easy to get around with a translator app. Still a lot of smoking there ☹ 996 is a real thing there. All people at the high tech companies work 9am-9pm 6 days a week. It’s pretty brutal. They do take 12-2pm off each day for lunch an sleeping (no joke). Food: Traveled with a couple Chinese speaking coworkers who were foodies so got to try some more exotic specialties including a fully deconstructed goose, duck tongues, quail/pigeon, and blood cubes. Beyond the exotics, I find Chinese food very high quality, extremely cheap and to be honest not all that different than a Chinese in America (maybe a controversial opinion). Pretty much all meals I had were family style with a bunch of dishes coming out and placed on a rotating lazy-suzan type thing. It's a great way to experience a bunch of different food. Felt bad for some vegetarian coworkers. China had very few options for them. I ate like a king. Starbucks are super fancy here. Most are the Starbucks Reserve. Coffee in general is super big in China. But so are delivery orders. If you walk into a coffee shop there is a good chance you’ll be behind a large number of delivery orders and waiting a bit for your drink. Shopping: I had a bit more time to do some shopping. The amount of large malls is surprising. They are literally all over the place - sometimes across the street from one another. And unlike the US, the malls are all busy with people. It's not clear how the economy supports all these shops - things are relatively high priced from what I can tell. I also now hate shopping in Chinese malls because any store you go into you get a sales associate glued to you. I guess this is supposed to be good service but it's incredibly off-putting. Cars: Talked about this last trip but electric cars are everywhere in all China cities. Roads are eerily quiet without gas engine cars. These electric cars are cheap and look great too. Probably six new electric car companies that sprang up from the previous year I was there. Some cool new tech in some models like non-recharging cars. When your battery gets low you drive to a place and get a battery swap for like $10-$15. It’s all automated and apparently the swap takes just a couple minutes. Supposedly there are self-driving taxis there, but I didn’t see any. Beijing: Mostly business here. Highlight was going to higher end Peking duck restaurant with a Chinese coworker. It was really really good. Did The great Wall and Tiananmen last time. Can search my post history if interested. Shenzhen: Most of my time was here. Home base of the coastal city area. During the weekend did the usual trip to the electronics market in Huaqiangbei - it's fun to see all the stuff but I'm not sure how good the deals actually are. I ended up just getting a handheld gaming system for my kid that had 1000s of ROMs preloaded for like $30. I probably could have got it cheaper but didn't feel like haggling. Hired a local guide that speaks english to go on a bike rid around the city. Started in talent park and then biked down the coast to K11. About 2hours. Was really fun way to see the city and I had no idea that the K11/seaworld area even existed. That area appears to be more ex-pat friendly. Ended up at seaworld for dinner at an outdoor Italian place (gecko pub) that had live entertainment that was actually very good. Second day of the weekend a few for us went to Guangzhou to the leather markets. Guangzhou is the knockoff capital of china and maybe the world. Hired a Didi to take us there and back (1.5h each way with the driver waiting for us while we shopped). The knockoffs are very high quality if you go for the 1:1 higher prices stuff. I ended up buying a rolex data sub for myself, a birken 30 and a van clef bracelet for my wife. It was fun but you really do need to haggle really hard to get a good price. Usually ended up a 25-50% of their starting price. But since my coworkers wants things too we ended up buying multiples of items which may have give us some buying power. It was a fun experience and at least for the birken and the rolex you'd be hard pressed to find any flaws. Next time I want to try the indoor skiing place on the outskirts of Shenzhen. Looks massive. Beer: Shenzhen has some very good breweries. My two favorites were Tagsiu (several around Shenzhen) and E.T. Brewery. Ended up at one or the other at the end of most nights. Commune on the costal city promenade is both a very good restaurant and actually has a very impressive selection of bottled beers from around the world. It also stays open very late. '28' is also some kind of local canned beer you can find at most convenience stores. Also quite good. Shanghai: Didn't make it to Nanjing road last time but did on this trip. Fun to look around but pure madness with all the people. Prices seem very high. Dinner one night on the Bund at the very good french restaurant Mr. and Mrs. Bund. The most out of the box experience was going to a club on our final night. I think it was called MOSSO-livehouse. Was recommended by a Chinese coworker. We go in and get escorted a private booth type thing with a dedicated person to serve you. Had to order a bucket of beer minimum (budwiser yuck) but the performers were amazing. Various people got up an sang songs with their band and they were all really talented with amazing production value/lights/lasers. We might have spent like $50 on beer total there and got a good couple hours of entertainment. We were the only middle aged white guys there but nobody seemed to care. Fun times. One of there trips I hope to get more time on the Pudong side. Ended up eating at a fancy strip of restaurants one night on that side right near the river. Don’t remember the name unfortunately. Maglev (only one in the world still running) to PVG is always a fun way to end the trip. Certain times of day it apparently gets up to 400km/h but my trips it tops out are 301km/h. Still very fast! That's all for now. Hopefully something useful/interesting here for folks here.
[link] [comments] |
Read on the original site
Open the publisher's page for the full experience