All About China > Your trip to China

My first trip to China (Shenzhen and Nanxiong City)

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Lukey:
Hey Guys,

First post, nice forum, good info  :)

I just returned from a business trip to China, I am a product developer and get most my products made there and this was my first visit to the factories where I outsource production. We have a fulltime Chinese employee who deals with the day to day stuff.

I tried to read up as much about Chinese culture as possible before going and for the most part I think things went well, my only advice on the business part would be that the Chinese do not wear suits! It's so damned hot and humid (well, for a Brit at least!) and I was severely overdressed and drenched with sweat! Next time I go it will be polo shirts and slack trousers.

Well anyway, enough about business! I live about 4 hours from the London airports, and the flight to Hong Kong takes about 12 hours, so by the time I got there my timezone was completely screwed, and I had to get from HK to Shenzhen which should have been simple but turned out not to be. By the time I got to the hotel it was about 11pm and I thought the only sensible thing to do was to grab some beers!

I only walked a block away from the hotel I was staying in to try and minimise getting lost on the way back, found a nice Irish bar which had some good beers on tap. Got chatting to some very friendly American guys at the bar and before I knew it the bar was closing it and it about 4am. I stumbled out of the bar and walked in the general direction of my hotel, so I thought, I was walking for ages and stuff looked the same, I was sure I'd gone past some of the stuff already, I saw a couple of girls walking a dog and I asked them if they spoke English, which they did, and so I asked if they knew which way my hotel was, very friendly they were, offered to walk me home.

I don't really remember the journey but I do remember them walking me into some dark alley, they opened a door into a small bar where all the lights had been off, the one with the dog jumped behind the bar and switched everything on and offered me a drink. Well, why not  thought, I didn't know where I was or how to get to where I wanted to be, beer seemed like a logical solution.

Quite suddenly 6 women appeared from somewhere! I turned to the barmaid and tried to explain that I was just a nieve businessman, and it had not been my intention to visit any house of ill repute, but their hands were everywhere. I asked the barmaid and asked her to make them stop, said lets have a drink instead. Anyway they all drank with me, I probably had 4 beers the whole time I was there, I was already past my normal limit, but those girls were knocking back the Gin 'n' Tonics!

Anyway I did eventually convince the barmaid to take me to the hotel (I must have, because I woke up there in my bed and I have no idea how I got there) the last thing I remember was the barmaid taking me to the cashpoint to pay the drinks bill, somehow I'd spent $400! It would have been cheaper to take them up on the services they'd clearly had in mind, but I have my own morals about that sort of thing so it wasn't going to happen.

Chalk it up to experience I guess! They next night when I went out for a beer it was so obvious, there was a street of these places on my way into the town, and there was the place I'd been - "Happy Bar". Damn, I felt dumb right then.

But nothing bad happened at least, and I've had more expensive nights out with 1 women so I guess I shouldn't worry too much :)

I actually really enjoyed it, can't wait to go back, now I'm a little wiser

Arnold:

--- Quote from: Lukey on June 24, 2012, 06:58:03 pm ---I actually really enjoyed it, can't wait to go back, now I'm a little wiser
--- End quote ---

Welcome Luke, now this was an expierence alright.. but on the other hand.. your "Lucky Lukey" you were not taken for much more. What if you did not have the Money to pay your "Bill" at the time, you might have been missing some Limb's waking up in some strange other place.. but the Hotel.

Anyway, glad you make it out safe and watch you drinking especially in another Country.. can lead to much trouble.

Pineau:
Ha Ha... Welcome to scam central. I had the same experience. You got off cheap.  My four days of frolic in Beijing cost me $11,000 USD.  Count your blessings and learn your lesson.

Willy The Londoner:
Yes. When I arrived here in 2009 I got taken for 38 rmb. So it can happen to the best! 8)

Willy

Pineau:
Another scam in Beijing is a rickshaw to take you from your hotel to the temple of heaven. The man booking the rides holds up three fingers and says just "three monies" . Well it turns out to be 3-hundred RMB after you have already arrived. You cant refuse because he has a group of friends that come out of the bushes if you start an argument.  Here you can unravel the swindle by insisting on paying up front before you begin the journey.

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