To hijack, in Japan, it’s said that 80% of the population are Buddhist, 80% are Shinto and 80% have no religion.
To get back on track, are Chinese vegetarians as strict as Western vegetarians? Almost everyone I’ve met in Japan who claims to be vegetarian still eats fish and seafood.
The vast majority of vegetarians in China are buddhist. A vegetarian in china is pretty much vegan without the vegan philosophical overtones. No eggs, milk, seafood, meat, etc. Basically, rice, wheat, veggies and tofu. Buddhist vegetarians also don’t eat garlic or onions.
Given where the OP is travelling and where I’m guessing they will be eating, probably won’t have food cooked in lard.
I would start the tour with explaining everything to your English speaking guide and give 'em the vegetarian buddhist thing. Every meal they are going to have to prewarn the staff as you’ll probably be having a set menu each time. I’m sure there will be some Buddhist temples on the itinerary, and they should all have veggie restaurants. the temple restaurants are hit and miss in terms of being great food, but they will be veggie.
Interesting reading, and though I’ve never been to China, I’ve been overseas some to the Mideast as well as Europe. I offer the following suggestion: Bring a few small LED flashlights! The ones you can clip on your pack or belt loops. Ever try to use a stoop toilet at night with no lights? It’s not always easy to find your you know what with both hands! Some hotels I’ve been in have little or no hallway lighting either.
The lights are cheap and you could also use a few for gifts to local folks who’ve been particularly nice to you or your group.
Check out www.onebag.com for the only packing advice you’ll ever need. Take this stuff as gospel.
I’ve never been to China, but I live in Africa. For food safety, everyone has their own level of risk that they are comfortable with. There is no way to completely eliminate the chances of getting sick, but luckly most the things you can get won’t kill you (and there are vaccines for a good chunk of the ones that will). Mostly you risk a few days of gastro-intestinal distress. This could be a bummer on a short trip, but it may be worth it.
In my mind, street food is the best food in the world and makes or breaks a trip. But it is a risk. If it’s hot or peeled and not obviously teeming with flies, it’s probably safe. If it looks like it’s been sitting around for a while, it’s probably not. Don’t be scared of the food- cooking will get rid of the nasties so just eat cooked food and you’ll be fine. Lime juice and hot peppers also help keep the stomach bugs at bay. But don’t spend all your time worrying about the food. A billion people live there every day, and mostly the survive.
Oh right, six is like Y in sign language. It’s been a year and a half since I used the hand counting. Heh.
Another suggestion: Bring a couple of small packs of tissues (kleenex or generic), the kind that can fit in your pocket. Public restrooms do not have toilet paper and you may catch a cold from all the germs you aren’t used to flying around (there’s a lot of spitting in China. A LOT.) Also, public restroom sinks are cold-water only and don’t usually have soap, so you may want to bring a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. And if you want a western toilet (the kind you sit on, not the kind you squat over), find the nearest McDonalds or KFC - unless you’re in a fancy hotel, that’s the most likely place.
The toilet=-paper suggestion is a good one. Remove the cardboard tube in the center for ease of packing.
Of course, so many of the “toilets” in China are a hole cut in the floor from what I could tell.
I went a few years ago to Beijing, Shanghai, Tai’An, and Suzhou. Suzhou was especially nice.
I had Hep A and tetanus shots when I went. Bathrooms vary greatly from full western, to simple holes in the floor.
Food everywhere was cheap and plentiful, stock up on bottled water whenever you can.
Many intermediate towns had wonderfully tasty local beers.
If you get lost, memorize the name of your hotel and always carry a pamphlet/card from the hotel with you. Cab drivers are everywhere and will always be able to get you back cheaply.
Chinese people were the most spontaneously friendly and openly curious of any country I’ve traveled to. I felt genuinely welcomed and appreciated everywhere I went.
They don’t drink beer or other alcohol either.
I found the Buddhist resturants (check the local English paper) to have the most wonderful veggie food I’ve had anywhere. Particularly in Beijing and Shanghai.
HangZhou is the most beautiful city I’ve seen in China, maybe the most beautiful in the world. We LOVED it there. (Our 8-year-old daughter was born there–she’s beautiful, too. :))
Also, what Siam Sam said about clothing sizes. My 17-year-old daughter who traveled with us is a tiny little thing: 5’ 1" and about 85 lbs. or so, size 0. She forgot to pack a bathing suit, so we went shopping for one. The sales lady said “Oh, you’ll need a Large!”
Really? It’s done on one hand, using different signals for 6-10.
It was entirely common when I lived there(Beijing/Tianjing) from 2003-2005.
I’ve seen the hand counting thing too. The thumb is 1 as well, which is different from our way.
As for vegetarianism, I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I found pork chops on the menu in a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in China. When I asked the waiter what it was made of, he said “pig”. I said “but pig is an animal.” He replied: “no, pig is a vegetable”.
For the sake of your conscience, get China Guy’s card. But realise that the attitudes are very different - many people simply don’t get vegetarianism unless it’s for religious reasons, but even if they think you’re a Buddhist vegetarian, you might still get stuff fried with a bit of pig fat, or a tiny lump of pork, or something else. The point is that you tried your hardest.
I’d also say (but take this with a pinch of salt) that you don’t need bottled water to make tea, as long as it’s been properly boiled. Brush in bottled water, don’t open your mouth in the shower, but don’t get scared about stuff - the best food is often from street vendors and it would be a shame to miss it. Just go for it, and if you get a bit sick, no biggie.
My Nephew just returned from a business trip to Beijing, China. He did nothing special except to drink bottled water. No problems have yet been reported.
here’s a link with photos on the finger counting: http://www.beijingmadeeasy.com/practical-beijing/chinese-finger-counting
basically, your fingers are imitating some of the Chinese characters. Pretty easy for most people to pick up and it is useful.
Here’s an idea I heard from someone who visited China which I thought was brilliant:
Get a cheap calculator, preferably one with a large display. Use that to indicate what price you’re willing to pay for something.
My experience is that bargaining is practically a way of life over there. I’ve seen people start off by offering to pay 50% of what’s on the price tag, if there is a price tag in the first place.
It 's amost the opposite here. If you tell someone it’s for religious reasons, they’ll probably just lie to you and still put the crud in your food because they know better than you the “right” way to fix the food. If you tell them it’s because of an allergy, they’ll scour the bowl before putting your food in it and they’ll do it right. Evidently landing in Hell is your problem but nobody wants to see you go to the hospital.
And I find it quite odd that a country that still has a sizeable Buddhist population has almost zero vegetarians.
Chinese, especially anyone under 60, is nominally a buddhist. The analogy of being Irish in the US on St. Patricks day is a very good one.
After living in Thailand all these years, I find it odd that people think of Buddhists as vegetarians. There are some, but the vast majority of Buddhists here consider them oddballs, albeit harmless ones.