Enjoying the Culture 183Once you have your boarding pass, you will need to pass
through both document inspection and metal detectors. In
China, you are not allowed to carry on any alcoholic beverages;
they should have been put into your check-in luggage. If you
are carrying a bottle of wine, beer or a bottle of spirits, it
will be confiscated. On occasion, some hard bargaining has
led to a quick detour into a small nearby room where the
bottle is returned, but don’t count on it. You will be asked
to open any bottles or cans that you are carrying on so that
the airport security agents can smell what is in them. There
is very little concern over carrying fruit or food, although
within recent years if you are buying Shanghai hairy crabs to
transport, they must be properly bound and packaged. In the
early days, it wasn’t unusual to see a box of upended crabs
scurrying across the airport or find an upended box of them
loose in the overhead luggage compartment.
If you are flying domestically, there is no need to fill in
forms. Customs will merely require your passport. If you are
flying international out of China, you need to fill in two forms
for submission: one is a customs declaration form and the
other an exit form.
Once through customs, your gate should be easy to
identify. There are usually small restaurants that serve local
food and kiosks that sell snacks and drinks within the airport
terminal. Domestic flights usually start boarding 15 to 20
minutes before departure time, international flight 30 to 45
minutes before departure time.
There are some unique phenomena that you will experience
flying in China. One of the first is the preference mainland
Chinese have for carrying on as much luggage as possible. Do
not plan to receive a fair share of luggage space in overhead
compartments as many people will carry multiple boxes,
bags and suitcases onto the flight. If you get stuck without
an overhead area to put your carry-on luggage, pass it to the
airline steward or stewardess and they will normally either
find a place to put it, store it in the serving area in the back,
or strap it into an empty seat near the back.
The second phenomena, which is experienced throughout
China, is a need to rush and be first. On almost every flight,