The opportunity to go to Beijing, China, was an unexpected and exhilarating experience, but it also came with a unique set of challenges.
As a bustling metropolis steeped in rich history and culture, Beijing offers countless attractions for travelers.
However, several aspects of visiting this city may catch first-time visitors off guard.
In this post, I’ll share seven things I wish I had been better prepared for when traveling to Beijing.
From navigating visa requirements to dealing with language barriers and unexpected bathroom situations, these insights will help you plan a smoother, more enjoyable trip to China’s capital.
Travel Visas
(The following information is based on our experience traveling from the United States)
To get into China, you will need a travel visa.
And I’m not talking about a credit card.
To get a visa, you complete a travel visa application, and the Embassy of the country you are petitioning will review and accept or decline your entrance into the country.
Start this process early.
We had a month to submit our paperwork. Due to the nature of our trip, everything was spur of the moment and rushed.
It was very stressful, expensive, and unfortunately unavoidable.
However, if you have the time, use it. The process can take months to navigate and figure out.
If you are in the United States the easiest option will probably be to go through an agency.
Several countries require you to visit their Embassy to apply for a visa physically.
China is one of those countries.
Luckily, you can hire an agency to represent you at the embassy so that you can get your visa.
An agency will help you get all your paperwork together, and then they will take it to the proper authorities to represent you when petitioning for a visa.
We used this agency: Passports and Visas to order our China travel visa.
One task to jump-start your process is to get two passport photos. These will go into your travel visa application.
Be sure to review the rules for visa photos before taking them. We were told we could not wear jewelry, glasses, or hats, and our ears had to show.
Part of the stress of getting a travel visa is sending your passport along with your visa application.
Those who grant travel visas use your passport as a form of identification, and the travel visa itself will be mounted onto one of the pages of your passport.
The agency will return it to you, but the length of time it takes them to process your application varies.
The sooner you get the process going, the better.
A travel visa lasts 10 years.
So, within ten years, you can travel to China multiple times.
From my understanding, the visa does not transfer between passports, so if the passport with your visa expires, so does the visa.
Transportation
There are taxis and buses for public transit.
However, we used the subway as it is a significantly more accessible way to travel around the city.
There is an initial learning curve as you learn to read the rail map and understand how the stops work.
There are stairways leading down to the subway all over the city. We never had to walk more than a mile to reach the nearest one.
A mile is a long way for some people, especially little ones, so it’s a good idea to plan to be on your feet for long stretches.
Once you’ve found the stairway and gone down, there will be a ticket booth or self-help ticket points at the entrance.
We found that most of these had an option in English, making buying a ticket easier.
If, however, these booths aren’t available, having a map of the line and knowing the point you want to end up at helps communicate.
You can show the ticket booth attendant the line you want so that they can give you the correct ticket.
We took a photo of the map hanging at the entrance to help us determine our location as we traveled. This was very useful because we used it to buy tickets several times during our trip.
Part of the adventure is wondering if your ticket will reach where you think you’re going.😉
Language
Many people in the world speak English.
In every country I’ve traveled to, I’ve found someone I could communicate with.
In China, many people speak English because they use it for work, but there are many more who don’t.
Being able to communicate without knowing a common language is a traveler’s challenge and an opportunity to learn.
We went prepared with a few simple phrases to show that we wanted to appreciate that we were in their country.
Here’s a great post: 25 Useful Chinese Phrases for Travelers by Journeys with Stephen
Not wanting to be typical spoiled Americans and respect the people whose country you’re visiting is a sign of a cultured traveler.
Also, don’t be annoyingly loud.
It’s a busy city, but I rarely heard the loud crowds that I would expect in a large city in the US.
Bathrooms
If you have never traveled outside of your country (specifically if you are from the United States), here’s a quick mental prep: Most toilets in Beijing are squat toilets.
This means there is a ceramic toilet on the stall floor over which you will have to squat to do your business.
Also, used toilet paper is tossed into a bin in the stall, not flushed down the toilet.
In my experience in Beijing, there was one sitting commode-style toilet in every public restroom. But don’t bank on using one because it’s usually occupied.
Air quality
Be prepared for smog.
The air quality in Beijing is pretty lousy.
Everything has a yellowish cast, and the sky is coated in a haze.
During our visit, we did have a pretty heavy rainstorm, which cleared the air for a day.
This is something to remember, especially if you are used to cleaner air.
It took a toll on my energy level.
If you would like to see the current air quality conditions, visit IQ Air: Air Quality in China
Security checkpoints
There are security checkpoints in many locations around Beijing.
Putting our bags, purses, and other items through a scanner and walking through metal detectors became normal.
Internet
I’m not an expert, and I’m not sure what all the jargon means, but Google and all apps associated with Google don’t work in China.
We took for granted that we could get into our Gmail accounts, Google Photos, and even Maps if needed.
As it turned out, none of those things work due to internet accessibility laws in China.
Something to keep in mind.
Here’s a helpful blog post from Eggplant Digital: No Google in China – But What Does That Actually Mean?
Final thoughts
China has a rich heritage of history, culture, and art. Exploring the city of Beijing was a fascinating experience, and I recommend it to anyone desiring an adventure.
Hopefully, you can learn from my experience and mentally prepare.
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