Ten things travellers will never understand about China

China might currently be one of the most talked-about nations on Earth, but that doesn’t mean we know everything about this ancient yet fast-changing nation.

Why everybody holidays at once

Crowds at a section of the Great Wall of China during Golden Week.Credit: Getty Images

China has three Golden Weeks: one around New Year, one around Labour Day in May, and a third around National Day on October 1. They were instituted a quarter-century ago to stimulate domestic spending, but why they continue is baffling. It makes no sense for everyone to holiday at once and have 900 million people compete for railway and airline tickets. If you happen to be in China over these periods, good luck to you.

How to pay for things

The biggest challenge for foreigners? China’s almost cashless and card-less economy, with everything from train tickets to taxis booked and paid for on apps. Everybody – even at street stalls – pays using QR codes that charge digital wallets via WeChat Pay and Alipay. The problem? You need a Chinese bank account or must go through a convoluted system to link to an overseas account. Why is such an advanced system so complicated for foreigners?

Why Japan gets all the credit

Many of Japan’s most famous cultural icons originated in China, whether temple architecture, kimonos, bonsai, the tea ceremony, certain festivals, or all-the-rage ramen noodles, which were only introduced to Japan in the late 19th century. Sure, the Japanese adapted and (some claim) refined them all, and cultural and culinary borrowing is a great thing. But let’s give a nod to China, the nation that invented practically everything in eastern Asia.

The silly buildings

A coin-shaped building in Guangzhou.Credit: iStock

Although architectural madness has been toned down of late, it’s hard to understand the contemporary Chinese liking for weird buildings or unnecessarily extravagant ones. The most famous is Beijing’s national stadium, built for the 2008 Olympics, which looks like a bird’s nest. Other buildings resemble giant doughnuts, ancient Chinese coins, teapots, the lucky number eight, lotus flowers, giant eggs or abstract blobs. China also bags five of the world’s 10 tallest skyscrapers. Enough already.

How unknown it is

Laojun Mountain in Henan province.Credit: iStock

One of the world’s largest and most populous countries, with 5000 years of history and an incredible economic impact, ought to be well-studied and well-known, right? Yet most people can’t nominate more than a couple of provinces, imperial dynasties, or famous Chinese. Most tourists follow the same trail to Beijing, Shanghai and Xian. Henan Province alone has ancient capitals Kaifeng and Luoyang, fabulous Buddhist caves, kung-fu centre Shaolin Monastery, and the temple-dotted Song Mountains. Get adventurous.

The constant racket

Peace and quiet aren’t something you readily find in China. The Chinese are used to being in crowded spaces. Their solution is obliviousness to other people. Expect loud restaurant chatter, radios blaring in parks, shrieking on mountaintops, and tour guides yelling through loudspeakers. You can let it drive you insane, or you can see it as a symptom of Chinese enthusiasm for life and learn to appreciate it – at least for a while.

The depth of food culture

Hardly anyone understands “Chinese” food, which in Australia is mostly Cantonese and has been adapted to Western palates with ingredients such as pineapple, carrot, peas, lemon, and onion, which are seldom seen in authentic dishes. Moreover, few foreigners know how to order a balanced meal from a Chinese menu: no wonder they think everything is stir-fried, deep-fried and heavily sauced. Swot up on regional cuisine, find yourself Chinese friends, and dine in a large group. Your palate will thank you.

Anything beyond the big cities

Kana National Park in Xinjiang.Credit: iStock

Visitors to China tend to concentrate on culture and big cities. You probably don’t realise that half of China is virtually empty. Huge regions such as Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia are sparsely populated, and everywhere, you’ll find mountains, national parks and beautiful countryside to gladden the hearts of outdoors types and landscape lovers. You’ll find steamy sub-tropics, high mountains, deserts both hot and cold, massive gorges, and much more.

How the Chinese can sleep anywhere

Napping anywhere, any time is a skill to be envied.Credit: Getty Images

Every traveller should be in awe of the Chinese ability to sleep anytime, any place, and in the most awkward positions. If only we had the knack ourselves, travel would be so much easier and less tiring. The Chinese can sleep while standing on a bus, on a luggage rack in a train, draped over a chair, under a parked truck, on the floor of a food hall, or on a handy climbing apparatus in a park. Brilliant.

How different it is from the media image

The Western media has almost nothing positive to say about China, instead producing a constant stream of criticism and negativity. Yes, China has its problems, but many first-time visitors are shocked to find a progressive, forward-thinking, well-run country full of optimistic, opinionated and proud people who’ve seen vast material and social improvements in their lifetime and are determined to do even more. Forget the China-bashing, and go and see it for yourself.