140 wanderlust.co.ukApril 2020
bargaining).Withthesephrases,
Chinawillbeabreeze!”
ScottHumm
Guidingstar
Beijing
”Ihiredafabulouslocalguide,Iris,
andplannedmyBeijingitinerary
withher.TheConfuciustemple
wasahighlight,aswasthecookery
lessoninavillage.Houhailakehad
beautifulviews,smallvillagesand
walks,takingmebacktonature
awayfromthebustleofthecity.”
CarolynPayne
Allisnotlost
China
“Alwayscarrythenameand
addressofwhereyouarestaying
writteninChinese.Thisisa
necessity,especiallyifyouarelost
orfordirectingtaxidrivers,etc.”
CarolynnWoodland
Swallowthedictionary
China
“PlecoisagreatChineselanguage
appfortravellers.Thebasic
dictionaryappisfreetodownload.
PointyourphoneataChinesemenu
Fromusefulphrasesandappstotravellingacrosscountrybybullettrain and exploring the best
festivals,foodandtemples,you’vegotplentyofadvicefortravellingtoChina...
MindyourMandarin
China
“Chinacanbeoverwhelming,
butafewphrasescanhelpyou
getby.‘Buyao’–don’twant
(whensomeonetriestosellyou
thingsyoudon’twant);‘Cèsuŏ
zàinăr?’–whereisthetoilet?
(forwhenyou’vehadtoomany
platesofnoodles);‘Tingbu
dong’–Idon’tunderstandwhat
you’resaying(forwhenyoukeep
gettingaskedquestionsyou
don’tunderstand)’;and‘Tài
guìle’–tooexpensive(when Shutterstock; Dreamstime
Travel
tips
Foreign army
”If you’re going to Xi’an
to see the Terracotta
Army, be aware that
very little English is
spoken anywhere”
Angella Willis
Winter wonderland
”In winter, visit Harbin’s Ice
Festival,” says reader Rebecca
Paynter. “Wrap up warm –
wandering around in -20C is
not for the faint-hearted!”