MAx - Your video made me cry. Happy tears for you and your family.
StG
Watch out for bedbugs.
Aw, man, that’s so sweet!
Don’t climb the great wall while dehydrated from food poisoning.
Take my word for it.
Lots of good advise in this thread. I spent a week in Tianjin, and a few days in Beijing. There’s just so much to experience, it’s hard to go wrong, Highlights to me were the wall and the forbidden city. I had a semi-native guide, so I was able to understand some of the cultural pieces as well.
Enjoy, and congrats!
I’ve been to the touristy Badaling section of the Great Wall myself, and the wife and I have been to a more isolated area courtesy of Ting’s Tours. Something can be said for both. But if you want to see a less-touristy part, give Ting a call. We can recommend him.
I often washed my own clothes in the shower. Just buy a big plastic wash bowl (should cost around 8元 / $1.30) and little packs of soap can be purchased at a nearby shop for around 2 元 (33 cents). The hardest part is drying your clothes.
As for the water, I always purchased bottled water or used water coolers. Though I always brushed my teeth with the tap water and had no problems. I was worried about heavy metals and other chemicals in the water, not bacteria.
My favorite tourist sites: Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Yonghegong Lama Temple, Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace), the National Museum, the Great Wall (Mutianyu is a good location). Also make sure to walk around some hutong neighborhoods. The area around Gulou (drum tower) and Houhai lake is nice to walk around. Also the area south of the Yonghegong Lama Temple, and well as Qianmen.
Definitely try the Peking Duck.
All of those items involve a lot of walking. They’re big! I’ve visited them when my son was 3 or 4, so he often ended up on my shoulders. One advantage of Forbidden City and the Great Wall is that once you’ve seen one courtyard or section, you’ve seen most of it. They are highly repetitive so it’s more than OK to leave early because your daughter is tired.
We almost got run over our first full day. They don’t slow down at red lights if they’re going to turn right. They often blindly merge. It caught us off guard crossing the street because the pedestrian light was green for us to cross. We didn’t think to pause and let the oncoming car go since they had a red light and we had the “right of way”.
Tide is available locally with different scents. One thing to remember, give the clothes time to air dry. No one uses driers.
As for food, Peking Duck is overrated. Hot Pot (HuoGuo - 火锅) is much better, though the sesame sauce takes a little getting used to. Our current favorite is Dry Pot (XiangGuo - 香锅) but the quality can vary between location. One last note about Chinese dining, the dishes are to be shared. Don’t think you’re ordering 3 separate dishes for 3 people. You might be good with just 2 dishes or 5 depending on size and if no one likes it. Don’t forget to order rice. It is not assumed you want some.
There is a small lane near the Drum Tower that is lined with small bars – I don’t mean the ones lining the nearby lake itself, but off a main street – where a friend of mine on the China Daily took me, and there was a nice little rum bar. That’s all they served, rum in more varieties than I had known existed. I’m not one to drink rum straight usually, but the stuff there was downright tasty.
Ah, doing a little googling, I’m certain this is the place: Salud.
EDIT: And here’s a good overview of the street it’s on. A pleasant stroll As I remember (or was it just the rum?).
Congratulations! It’s been a long journey for y’all. I lived in China for about 15 years but sadly not much help since it was either the countryside or Shanghai. I also have 3 girls that were born in China and have done many trips across the pacific before moving back to the US.
Don’t drink the water. Bottled water is cheap. Make sure it’s got the shrink wrap tamper proof cover on it. Nestle is a good brand. Otherwise, boil the water (hotels should have electric kettles in the rooms).
Don’t fret it. just bring some clothes washing powder with you. Frankly, just bring all that stuff (wipes, toothpaste, detergent, etc) with you. Bring an umbrella stroller, bring a can or two of milk powder that’s age appropriate. I doubt if its needed since Chinese kids are potty trained early, but you can get pampers in supermarkets in any of the big cities.
Ambien is your friend for jet lag. Get a prescription. Remember, half an ambien lasts half as long. Jet lag tip. If you’re tired, just sleep and take naps. Don’t kill yourself to get on schedule. If you wake up at 2:00 am, take half an ambien and you’ll be asleep within an hour and sleep for a couple of hours.
Are you bringing big sister with you? Check with her pediatrician and test in advance if motrin or cough syrup puts her to sleep for a while. Both on the plane and at 2:00am in China.
Do you get your younger daughter in Nanchang or Guangzhou? If Nanchang, by any chance is your job related to Ford? They have a joint venture factory in Nanchang and might be a useful connection.
I assume all the US embassy stuff is sorted out. That said, check out the Guangzhou consulate website in case you need help. My experience was that the US consulate staff bent over backwards to help out adoptees.
Weather should be warm but not hot. It’s really the best time of year to be in China. I’ve only passed through Nanchang. I spent time in the 1980’s in Guangzhou and I can’t recommend any tourist spots (I’ve been to them all and none are noteworthy).
If your eldest daughter gets overwhelmed, each city should have mcDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut and Starbucks. Hard boiled eggs (茶叶蛋）can be had anywhere and is probably the easiest, safest, ubiquitous food you can find in a pinch.
When she was 5, my eldest enjoyed the temple of heaven. Forbidden City is big and a long walk so keep that in mind. Heck, all of the famous tourist sites are build to imperial scale and sometimes it can be a long way to an exit. I like lama temple and if you time it right you can watch one of the chanting prayer sessions - which I really like (your daughter maybe not. 
)
Load your laptop or tablet with kid’s videos before you go. Pirated DVDs for the entire Disney catalogue and more go for about a dollar each but these are not legal in the US.
Chinese aren’t big in general on soothers. Not sure what the adoptee handbook or your own personal views are. That said, for some kids soothers, well, soothe. When I lived in China, I ran into dozens of families with their new kids. The kids were usually understandably discombobulated. Anything you can do to help Rachel with the ability to self-settle down is a good thing. Maybe a soother, hoodie so she can “hide” by choice, favorite toy and blankets, sippy cup, etc.
I’ll post more if I can think of anything. Congratulations
Example: As I alluded to before, I climbed the great wall near Beijing while dehydrated from food poisoning. It was July 3rd, and very hot. We reached the top of the wall, and there was a guy up there selling drinks - water, beer, soda, etc. I bought a water for 6RMB, which at the time was around $0.75. In a major tourist area with no competition.
I landed in Beijing early afternoon, and met up with my co-worker in Tainjin around 4, if I remember right. I unpacked and took a shower. We went to dinner, and he dragged me out for a beer. I went to bed around 8 or 9. Woke up the next morning and was ready to go.
Of course, it helped that my company flew me first class, so I was really comfortable on the flight over. YMMV.
ETA: My flight took us north from Chicago, over the artic circle. The reflection of the sun off the ice is really, really, really, REALLY bright.
GargoyleWB, they used to do that central cashier thing in France as well (and maybe still do). I think the idea is to limit the number of people actually handling money.
$50 per person for the Black Sesame Kitchen meal in Beijing is much higher than most restaurants would be. Are there a lot of locals eating there?
It looks as though I will be the only poster with much knowledge of Guangzhou - I lived there for three months earlier this year.
The subway is new and brilliant, but can get ridiculously busy during festivals.
The Opera House is in a very nice zone in the city. If you go there the museum is a must see. It’s free but only open until about 5pm so be aware of that. The library is very cool (and the bathrooms are excellent) and you can wander about the subterranean shopping complex there for hours, if you like that type of thing.
If you want to get away from the crowds the parks are often quieter (Yuexiu Park is my favourite place in Guangzhou, by a mile. Go in the main entrance, turn right, up the stairs and then follow any dirt path - you won’t see another hiker for at least 20 minutes).
There also is the Memorial Park; another place to enjoy an evening’s strolling. Shopping, of course, is catered for all over the city. As for taxi drivers; IME they were honest and fast.
One other thing; there are dozens of people on the Couchsurfing website in Guangzhou. If you’re a member you would do well to meet up with or write to Balazs. He’s lived in the city for years and is a really nice bloke. He has organized meets there for almost a decade.
There is also the circus, not something I’d recommend but the acts have done their homework.