.

TravelTips24 : Asia : East Asia : China : East : Jiangsu : Nanjing

Nanjing

Nanjing (南京 Nánjīng), historically also Nanking, is the capital city of Jiangsu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and is the central city of the lower Yangtze Basin. It is a renowned historical and cultural city.

Nanjing means "southern capital", Beijing "northern capital". Nanjing was the capital of several dynasties and has various relics including Ming tombs that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It was the capital of the Republic of China from their 1911 revolution until the defeat by the communists in 1949.

Travel to Nanjing & Visa Requirements

Flights and airtickets to Nanjing

There are no flights from Nanjing airport to Shanghai. There is train service. However, there are flights to most other major cities in China, including Hong Kong, and some international flights.

The airport is best reached either by taxi or airport bus. The airport is in Lukou and taking a taxi from downtown will cost ￥100 or more (there's a ￥20 toll about 3 km from the airport). Drive time is around 30 minutes. There are very nice coaches which will take you to about four different locations in Nanjing; fare is ￥25.

There is a bus four times a day from Shanghai Pudong Airport, with a stop at the other airport, to Nanjing Zhongyangmen (and back). From there, take the metro or a taxi to your destination. It costs ￥136 from Shanghai and ￥136 or ￥152 from Nanjing. It takes about five hours, during the night only four.

That bus is a long run; many people prefer to take a train to Shanghai then bus, taxi or maglev train to the airport. As a compromise, one might take the train to Suzhou and the direct bus from there to the airport.

By train

There are numerous daily departures to Shanghai, about four hours away on slow trains and a bit over two on the new fast ones. See High-speed rail in China. Both types of train also stop at Wuxi and Suzhou; some continue on to Hangzhou. In general, the fast trains are worth the extra cost; they offer much better equipment, comparable with a business class flight. The train cars are great as well, and much more spacious than those of an airplane. Generally, the Chinese train system might appear a bit "weird" for European passengers, but it's comfortable and just as reliable, and is recommended for most trips over a bus trip.

By road

There is a modern highway system between Shanghai and Nanjing, which will allow you to travel quite quickly from city to city. Keep in mind of traffic in morning and evening. If you're just one person, it's much cheaper to travel by train, if you're larger group, car gets cheaper. But keep in mind that you need to be a very experienced driver to participate in Chinese traffic, better use trains/buses between the cities and taxis in the cities, unless you're really on for a challenge.

If you are interested in driving yourself, see also Driving in China.

By boat

Nanjing is situated on the Yangtse river. Scheduled passager liner service is available along the Yantse river between Shanghai down stream and Wuhan (Hubei province) upstream, although, the river is mostly used for transport of goods, not for persons. Better to use the railway.

Tours & Getting around Nanjing

Taxis start at ￥ 9 and there are many buses available too, generally at ￥ 2. Taxis are a great way to get around. You can generally go anywhere in and around Nanjing for less than 15RMB. At current exchange rates this is comparable to bus fare in a North American city.

Insist that the driver start the meter as soon as you are picked up (starting at 9RMB). If the cab driver starts driving without using the meter and you don't say anything he/she will assume you don't know any better, and for that matter probably don't have any clue how much a reasonable fare would be. Any fare over 20RMB is probably a scam. Also, you should receive a printed receipt detailing the cab number, km traveled, times, and money exchanged from the driver upon exiting the cab. Don't expect to get a cab during both the morning and afternoon rush hours: demand is high and the drivers do their shift changes around these times as well. For those unitiated, tipping is not expected in China, in cabs or in restaurants--it's very refreshing, the prices listed are what you pay. Cabbies in Beijing or Shanghai who frequently shuttle foreigners around may be accustomed to getting gratuities under the table, but in Nanjing the practice is totally alien and you are likely to befuddle or even insult a driver by insisting he/she accept additional 'free' money.

If you are staying a while, you can get a card that pays for buses and subway, just swipe it past the machine. This gets you 20 % off on buses and 30% off on subway.

There is also a subway from the train station in the North end, along Zhongshan Lu through the center, to the South train station and then West into the suburbs. A second line going East-West along Zhongshan Dong Lu and Hanzhong Lu is under construction. It will most probably be opened for public on 1 October 2009.

Most of the streets have a gated section for bicyclists, so riders are relatively safe from passing vehicles.

Nanjing attractions and sightseeing

  • Purple Mountain(紫金山), (From Nanjing take bus 9 or Y1). is East of the lake, Northeast of city center. It contains the tomb of the first Ming Dynasty emperor and his consorts, the mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (leader of the 1911 revolution), the tomb of Sun Quan from the Three Kingdoms period and other impressive stuff. You could spend a day or more just exploring this. Admission varies but is around ￥100. The park has a shuttle "train" you can ride and is included in the price of certain tickets. There is also a cable car going up the hill, and if you have the right shoes, feel free to walk down from the hill. Prices are fairly acceptable, for one-ride ￥25, for up-and-down ￥45. edit
  • Presidential Palace. is a great way to spend a day exploring the headquarters of past emperors and later, the Nationalist government. The Palace includes the offices of many top governemental officials, including Chang Kai-shek and Sun Yat-sen, as well as the residence of Sun Yat-sen. It is one the few places in mainland China where the flag of the Repulic of China still flies. The informational placards are printed in four languages.40RMB.  edit
  • Nanjing Museum, (right on the main street of Nanjing). offers you a lot of different culture scenes, including the sailing of Zheng He (the eunuch admiral of the Ming Dynasty who explored at least to Africa, perhaps further) and real-silk-making. It's a great place to spend either a hot or rainy day. edit
  • Monument to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. which memorializes the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who died at the hands of Japanese troops in Nanjing. The memorial features an excavated mass burial site, while a newly opened, mostly-underground, multimedia museum explains the entire history of the event in both English and Chinese. A harrowing, but definetly worthwhile place to visit.  edit
  • Confucius Temple, (Fu Zi Miao) once an imperial examination testing center for the entire Jiangsu region, this once-massive facility is now a museum comprising a tiny fraction of the original buildings. The rest is a massive labyrinthine market, a top tourist draw in Nanjing and a place where you can get all your haggling out of your system. Get your picture taken with the Confucious sculpture and grab some tea on one of the gondolas on the canal. On the southern side of town next to Zhonghua Gate and the Taiping Museum.
  • Zhonghuamen the southern gate of Nanjing's city wall. This massive gate is one of the best preserved parts of Nanjing's city wall, and one of the best remaining examples of early Ming defensive architecture extant anywhere. The wooden castle at top was destroyed by fire, but the immense masonry (each complete with the mason's name and home province by order of the emperor) substructure remains. The two courtyards are outfitted with an archery range and vegetable gardens respectively. The main gate has three immense depots within, where, long emptied of provisions, you can find some scale models and exhibits about the gate. In one depot you can find an air raid siren used during the Japanese attack on the city.
  • Xuanwu Hu...Nanjing's lovely lake. There are three islands in the middle of the lake all linked by causeway, complete with a children's amusement park, a small zoo, and lots of great views of the city and Purple Mountain. Paddle boats can be rented as well. On a nice day its almost too picturesque...this lake, not too mention all the tree lined avenues, is probably one of the reasons Nanjing has such high esteem within China as a beautiful, livable city.
  • Taiping Museum and Zhanyuan Gardens. A small museum focusing on a little-known historical event in the West (1843-68), the Taiping Rebellion. In addition to being one of the most sanguinary episodes in recorded history (some estimates put the loss of life higher than the dead from WW1!) it was a crucial moment in China's relationship with the West, modernity, and its relationship to its own imperial history. The quasi-Christian, peasant-lead rebellion overran an area greater than Texas which it ruled, at one point threatening the Qing government in Beijing, from the old Ming capital of Nanjing. On exhibit are documents relating to Taiping history and the grinding reduction of their movement by enterprising Qing generals and their European auxillaries, culminating in the seige of Nanjing. Next door is a beautiful garden. Within easy walking distance of Fu Zi Miao and Zhonghuamen.
  • Sun Palace, between Xuanwu Hu and Purple Mountain is a hotel resort with an indoor waterpark. For 60kuai you can use the waterpark which has a nice wavepool (activated on the even hours), a lazy river around the perimeter, a fantastic children's area, a high-dive, and of course some great slides. It's a great time, and perhaps the funnest thing you can do for 60kuai..
  • Kunqu Opera: the Jiangsu Kun Opera in Nanjing is highly regarded. Don't pass up a chance to see a traditional Chinese artform firsthand. Expect the dialogue to be sung in ancient Chinese...LED subtitling in contemporary characters is provided.
  • One of the bridges over the Yangtze has sculptures that are a classic of socialist art. Workers and farmers have tools; military have weapons. They all have books, presumably of Mao's Thought. The bridge was built after the clinch between the Soviet Union and China in the early 60's. The Soviet Advisors told Mao that it wouldn't be possible, but the Chinese built it anyway. This was the first major project built entirely by Chinese, without foreign help. Very interesting monument, and on the other side there are completely new towns in the making (Finished around spring 2006) including direct subway-connection.

Nanjing city tours

If you are staying in Nanjing for any time and want to visit a number of scenic parks then it is worth buying a Purple Mountain pass for ￥100 and/or a city pass for ￥120. The Purple Mountain pass can be bought at the entrance to Sun Yat Sen's Memorial (and possibly at any of the other parks on the mountain) and provides you with free entry to nine parks on the mountain. If you are going to visit more than 2 or 3 of the parks on the mountain you will save money with the pass. The city pass can be bought at the entrance to any of the big parks in the city, such as the zoo or Yuhuatai Memorial Park and provides you with free entry to 21 different locations. You need to provide a passport photo for each pass. The passes are valid for a calendar year.

Learn

  • Nanjing University of Science and Technology [1].
  • Southeast University [2].
  • Nanjing University [3].
  • Hohai University [4]
  • Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics [5].
  • Nanjing Normal University [6].
  • Nanjing University of Finance and Economics [7].
  • Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications [8].

Work

All of the universities and various other schools hire language teachers. See Teaching English for the usual places to look for such jobs.

Locally, jobs — including frequent requests for native speakers of less widely taught languages such as Italian and German — are often advertised on the bulletin board at Skyways; see "Eat" section for location.

Nanjing souvenirs & shopping

Xinjiekou is Nanjing's fashion district, the cosmopolitan, fast-paced heart of the city bathed in neon. It's the closest thing Nanjing has to Tokyo or Times Square. All the major retail is centered on this area...which despite it's complexity is only a couple of square blocks in size. There are giant department stores, a Wall-Mart, Watsons, Suning, and "Fashion Lady"--a bewildering, subterranean world of clothing boutiques and vendors that can best be described as a video game come to life. On the outskirts of Xinjiekou is Deji Plaza and some higher-end establishments selling everything from single-malt scotch to MINIs. Deji Plaza (8floors) has numerous retailers like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Ermengildo Zegna, Gucci, COACH, Hilfiger, Vasque, Crocs, etc. while there may be some haggling in Fashion Lady don't expect any in Deji Plaza.

The area around the Confucius Temple in the South of the city has a lot of shopping, especially clothing and tourist items. It is a maze of tiny individual shops, fun to explore even if you are not buying. Haggling over prices is the name of the game here. If you are skilled in the art of bargaining you can easily get an asking price of ￥380 reduced to 80 without breaking a sweat. The streets outside the Temple area provide more shopping opportunities, as does the underground mall. The entrance to this mall is sandwiched between two shops but the neon lights provide a clue. This is a shopping experience you will want to return to again and again.

While you are there take a stroll through the temple, and over the historic bridge which offers great photo opportunities. If it's a cup of tea that interests you check out the little gold roofed floating tea houses on the canal.

Nanjing Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Budget

Nanjing has dozens of small noodle and jiaozi shops on the streets.

Especially recommended for Germans or generally people liking good bread and sandwich is the German Bread Store next to Nanjing Normal University. It is just behind the construction site in front of the main entrance of the university (and the McDonalds). You can get a large sandwich (enough for lunch) and a drink for 20 Yuan, and also various original german bread. Not cheap, but great if you're missing some original taste. Just be prepared to meet some other guys speaking various european languages. Most probably the only place in Nanjing were foreigners are a majority at all times.

The secondary street (Qingdao Lu) running northbound from the KFC before the intersection of Shaghai Lu and Guangzhou Lu has an excellent Hui "miantiao fanguanr" (noodle restaurant). Its Hui, so mutton and beef are the order of the day (don't stroll in with a ham sandwich like an unwitting friend of mine!); a massive bowl of--perfectly hot and greasy--soup will only cost 6 kuai. Superb. Just beyond, closer to Nanjing University, is a series of good "jiaozi" vendors who are quite cheap as well. This area is right off of Nanjing U's campus so there are plenty of cheap eats to be had.

For those with a DIY mindset, wary of vendor food, or junk-food-junkies, there are plenty of SUGUO CVS / HOWDY SUGUO's around which are roughly analogous to 7-11's, or corner convenient stores. A full-size SUGUO can be found on either Zhujiang Lu or Beijing Lu (dong)--this is a full-size supermarket.

The Wall-Mart ("wa-er-ma") at Xinjiekou also has an extensive grocery/live foods market on the basement level.

..and there is always the 7kuai menu at McDonald's.

Mid-range

Gold & Silver is a great find for foreigners looking for yummy Chinese food. It is located across from Nanjing University Xi Yuen foreign students dormitory. The manager is a very friendly guy who has worked with foreigners for over 20 years. The walls are covered with pictures of international visitors throughout the years. Stay away from the fried foods, but the soups and other dishes are pretty good. It may seem a bit pricey compared with other local small places but it is well worth it. Dishes range from 10–30RMB.

Skyways Bakery, owned by a German/Belgian couple, has two locations — one on Hankou Xi Lu between Shanghai Lu and Ninghai Lu, phone 86634834 and the other at 10 Taipingmen Lu, phone 84812002. Their sandwiches, at ￥ 20 including a drink, are good quality and quite large. They also have good salads and coffee at reasonable prices.

Bebbis, Phone: 847 301 21 / Fax: 847 302 24, [9]. A fondue restaurant in Interlaken, Switzerland. They now have a branch in Nanjing: Bebbis Restaurant, Orient Departement Store / Floor-1

Kung a Korean restaurant owned and managed by a Korean, it is situated in Mu Xu Yuan Da Jie, right next to the main gate of the Mei Hua Shan Zhuang compound. If you want to go there, just tell the taxi driver "Mei Hua Shan Zhuang" and when you get out at the front gate, walk about 20 meters to the left. The restaurant is very popular among Nanjing's Korean community, serving a wide variety of traditional Korean dishes such as Bulgogi, Kimchi (in all its colorful variations), etc. You should expect to pay about 150RMB for a good selection of dishes, so it is advisable to go eat together with four or five friends so you can split the bill.

24hr Coffee Tea is a cafe/restaurant straddling either side of Shanghai Lu, just north of Blue Sky, and south of Skyways. There are actually two locations on either side of the street. I usually ate lunch at the one on the west side of Shanghai Lu. This comfortable, yet unassuming, place has excellent coffee and tea as well as reasonable lunch options. The little bento box deals are terrific, and come with a cup of soup and fruit. The servers are very attentive and the food typically comes out very fast. The menu is all characters (no pinyin) and the servers do not speak English: it's all Mandarin, no crutches. Wifi if you have either a China Mobile or China Unicom acct. This is probably more on the expensive side of mid-range... a big lunch and two pots of cafe au lait can set you back over a 100RMB, although you could certainly spend less.

Blue Sky is an expat bar on Shanghai Lu. Very popular with "waiguoren"--particularly Australians. Pool table and juke box. A sort of scatterbrained menu that offers bar fare like burgers, to vindaloo. Decent food, but rather sloooow (don't try to grab a quick lunch here). Expensive but a good place to go if you're hurting for an ale or stout: Chinese beer is invariably light and you can break up the monotony with a nice heavy import. Be prepared to spend at least a 100RMB.

There is an extensive food court underneath Xinjiekou off of Fashion Lady...lots and lots of options including a ramen place.

Splurge

OMAX Restaurant offers a great steak, tender and cooked to perfection for ￥ 68, as well as other "western style" meals, and Chinese dishes. The owner/hostess speaks fairly good English and there is often a piano player. 5th Floor Bangkok Yatai Plaza, a block from WalMart in the Xinjiekou District

Skyways Bakery has lots of relatively expensive baked goods. The apple pies, tarts, and cheesecake are all excellent. They also have cinnamon rolls, croissants, muffins and cookies. Nice, though small, selection of ice cream here.

Jack's a surprisingly credible Italian place. Waitstaff very fluent in English--and it's clear English speaking expats are probably the primary clientele here. Expect to spend at least 150RMB per person, with 250 per head being quite possible if you need a carafe of wine and some appetizers.

Tairo teppanyaki restaurant in 1912. Excellent food, and a decent option if you have a lotta extra kuai burning a hole in your pocket. This chain of teppanyaki places has consistently good food prepared right before you, and its eat till you drop. May have an all you can eat Haagen Dazs option for 160RMB. "Bing qi ling" or not, try the snake pancakes.

New Cafe is a self-consciously contemporary restaurant/lounge just next to Nanjing University, at the corner of Qingdao and Hankou Lu. They have a fairly extensive selection of western brunch fare: waffles, omelets, french toast, paninis. They also have a good selection of coffee, tea, and rather decadent desserts. The food here, sort of continental American with the inevitable anomalies, is good, particularly the presentation...the service however is negligible. If you just have to have a sundae or french toast and don't mind having to hunt down a server, this is a great place. Wireless access here if you have a China Mobile acct (or is it China Unicom?). At least 50RMB per person for tea and a pastry--plan on 80. A full breakfast or lunch will be more still.

About a block south on the same street that New Cafe sits on (Qingdao Lu), there is a small German cafe inconspicuously tucked away. Very good coffee in a cozy Bavarian/Thuringian environment. Pricey. Expect to pay at least 25RMB for a good cup of coffee anywhere in Nanjing: this place is no different.

Deji Plaza outside of Xinjiekou has a cafe (3rd floor?) and two restaurants (7th floor). The larger restaurant on the seventh floor is very good for larger groups. A good place to end up after a hard day's shopping at Louis Vuitton, before hitting the arcade or cinema on the floor above.

Also worth checking out with a large group is a restaurant on the outskirts of Confucious Temple that offers a 14 course dinner that might best be described as Chinese tapas. This is a very good way to sample dishes that you might not want to purchase entree-sized portions of anywhere: coagulated duck's blood soup, tofu, etc. A fun way for more finicky groups to experience real Chinese food.

Nanjing nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

Night life here in Nanjing is very much alive!

Nanjing's 1912 is comparable to Shanghai's Xintiandi. It is roughly a city block of two and three-storey buildings, with paved courtyards between. Almost all are restaurants, bars or nightclubs, with a few spas and upmarket clothing shops to vary the mix. Many of the buildings look like they might have been around since 1912; the newer ones are in matching style. The location is great; just West of the Presidential Palace, right downtown. There is underground parking for cars and extensive outdoor parking for bikes and motorcycles on the North side of the complex. Restaurants include:

  • two Japanese places
  • a Thai restaurant
  • at least one Korean place
  • a large classy Cantonese place that, surprisingly, does not have dim sum
  • at least a dozen other upmarket Chinese places
  • "Bebbis"

There is a web site [10]; as of August 2007, it was only in Chinese.

The area around Shanghai Lu, which runs between Nanjing University and Nanjing Normal University, has quite a few expats — mainly foreign students or English teachers from the two universities — and some places that cater to them. On Shanghai Lu near Guangzhou is "Blue Sky", an Aussie-owned bar with good music and a free pool table. Moving North from there, the Behind-the-wall Cafe with reasonable Mexican food and good music is just off Shanghai Lu and one location of Jack's, for good Italian food, is on the last corner before Beijing Lu.

Nanjing cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

Budget

  • Jasmine International Youth Hostel, No 7 Hequnxincun, Shanghai Road, ☎ 025-83300517(jasminehostel@gmail.com). Clean place, very friendly staff and guests with decent levels of English, only really Chinese here at the moment and most seem to come just because they like the hostel as opposed to the city. Free Wi-Fi on the ground floor and in the entertainment room. Centrally located, close to Nanjing university and Grand Hotel.¥45for a bed in 6 bed dorm.  edit
  • Nanjing Danfeng International Hotel(丹凤国际青年旅館), 59-1 Yushi Street, North Floor 6 (三十路鱼市街站旁的华诚超市六楼), ☎ 025-83226770. Easily the best budget option in Nanjing. Private rooms are spotlessly clean, and excellent size for the money. Although their listing on numerous websites says it is "wireless", each room is equipped with wired Internet connections (you can borrow an Ethernet cable from the reception desk). Those without can share the communal computer for free. Don't share a private room with anyone you don't want to see naked, as the bathroom/toilet is housed inside a strange transparent glass enclosure.Small dorm rooms (3 people/room) from about ¥50, larger single & double rooms from about ¥160.  edit

Mid-range

  • International Conference Hotel Nanjing. [11] Nestled at the foot of Purple Mountain in the province of Jiangsu, this Nanjing hotel provides 4-star accommodation with fantastic scenic views.

Splurge

  • Hilton: Went bankrupt a year before, now reopened, still in the city but a little bit farther away from the center. Good if you want to make business in the east of the town. Great if your main reason for visiting Nanjing is seeing the Purple Mountain and Xuanwu Lake (both are reasonably walkable from here) or seeing the Nanjing Museum which is literally on the other side of the parking lot.
  • Sheraton Nanjing Kingley Towers, right in the middle of the town, offering you all the service you're used to have in a 5***** hotel, if you've a good guide you should get the rooms for around ￥ 400–￥ 500 per night, including breakfast.

Jinling the first modern high-rise hotel in Nanjing, and sort of an anchor for Xinjiekou. Very nice, but nothing remarkable. Good, central location for exploring the Xinjiekou, and Confucious Temple is easily walked to from here as well.

Contact

Stay safe

Nanjing is not as dangerous as Shanghai and not as safe as Hangzhou. Take care of your belongings, since there are quite a lot of pickpockets, but little violent crime. Nanjing residents are by and large a very warm and gracious people who'll go well out of their way to assist you if you are in need--especially if they see you as a guest in their country. As a foreigner you might be a tempting target for the occasional pickpocket but I have never heard of any assaults perpetrated on foreigners by locals (foreigners, conversely have the rowdy reputation)...that's not saying it never happens, but for a city of Nanjing's size you should consider yourself very safe. There is no reason to be foolish either: don't flaunt money, or your iPod or digital camera for that matter. And don't go drunkenly exploring unknown parts of town on your own in the dead of night, and you should be just fine. When traveling in general it is always wise to let somebody know when and where you intend to be when traveling alone.

Don't visit brothels, and don't buy, possess, or sell drugs. This isn't moral preaching: beyond the risks you might normally associate with either, China is a one-party state where there is no real concept of due process and you shouldn't expect the local PSB officers to be either sympathetic, consistent, or immune to corruption. Nanjing's citizenry is considered throughout China to be urbane burghers with a very distinguished civic history; that same stereotype doesn't apply however to the underclass of destitute migrant workers from rural Anhui province nearby. Many of these rural immigrants are being exposed to urbanism and modernity for the very first time and are not even accorded the same civil rights as the indigenous Nanjing populace.

Always respect the local laws and customs, after all you're a guest, granted special permission by visa to be there, and if there is anything truly universal among people worldwide it is the common dislike for obnoxious or disruptive tourists; particularly, as an English-speaking foreigner in China it comes across as deeply condescending, especially in light of the history of extraterritoriality (starting with Treaty of Nanjing in 1842), to behave as though the local laws simply don't apply to you--even if they apparently don't apply to the locals themselves. There is greater danger to yourself if you engage in criminal activities, than the remote possibility you might be preyed upon by some criminal. Don't let Nanjing's laid-back nature tempt you in to doing something irresponsible and/or regrettable.

WATER All are warned to avoid drinking tap water. Bathing, toothbrushing, clothes washing are all perfectly fine to do with tap water. Water served in any restaurants will be either filtered, boiled, or from a spring.

TRAFFIC Like any booming Chinese city flushed with new money (that covers just about all Chinese cities) there are a lot of new car owners, who incidentally are new drivers. Becoming a pedestrian fatality is by far the most likely physical danger you will face. Even a little accident will be a sticky situation if you don't have a good command of Mandarin, and don't know the laws or protocol around handling accidents. If you've read any other literature about traveling in China you've probably encountered the same warnings: cross streets like your life depends on it--it really does.

If you cherish that Western, humanist notion concerning the preciousness of individual human life, and expect cars to yield the right of way to pedestrians you might be in for a very rude awakening. None of that applies in China. Do not ever assume any vehicle will stop for you. Chinese traffic has its own internal logic, that at first glance looks like total chaos. Traffic flows, surprisingly well at that, in a unregulated (signs and road markings are blithely taken to be mere suggestions) environment somewhat akin to people walking on a busy downtown sidewalk in a big city. Everybody is going in different directions, constantly cutting and weaving, always sensitive to the body language of others to anticipate movements around them and adjust accordingly to avoid a collision.

Cars and bicycles and motorcycles all follow the same sort informal, big-fish-little-fish behavior...one vehicle only yields, quite naturally, to one which poses the probability of greatest damage to itself (i.e. the bigger one). A bus yields to a lorry, a car to a bus, a scooter to a car, a bicycle to a scooter, and a lowly pedestrian must yield to just about everything other than fellow pedestrians. When two things of equal size approach one another you get a battle of wills. Everybody is constantly evaluating all the competing traffic, looking for behavioral clues, and trying to weigh the risks as to how daring a move they might get away with. Its a mentally active (exhausting really) form of traffic and not one that lends itself to absentmindedly chatting on a cell phone while crossing an intersection. Everybody's goal is to get somewhere really fast without a collision, not avoiding tickets (traffic police are largely ignored) nor being safe. Imagine a street packed with cars whose inexperienced drivers are all trying to rush different women in labor to different hospitals--it's a lot like that. Everywhere.

Even the sidewalk is a place to be wary...cars and mopeds and scooters and bikes, despite having designated lanes, have no reservations about using the sidewalk if a good opportunity arises. When walking on a sidewalk it is very common to have a constant current of scooters and bikes flowing around you...you may not see them but they are passing you based upon percieved body language--if you have been keeping a steady pace in a straight line, you will be expected to continue doing so. Nonetheless, a bike or scooter will occasionally extend the friendly (it will seem rude if you're not used to it) warning honk or bell to you from behind...if you hear one right behind you DO NOT STEP ASIDE TO SEE WHAT'S UP, that person is letting you know he is passing you, not angrily pressuring you to clear out of his way. Spontaneously turning around, or stepping aside, greatly increases your chances of getting hit, although that's your first instinct. Accidents on sidewalks are just as likely as accidents out in the middle of the street.

Cope

Get out

This page was last edited at 03:10, on 5 November 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Drew Lietzow, David and Carson Roen, Wikitravel user(s) Pashley and Morph, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license