Very good advise for any visitors who are planing for their virgin travel to the beautiful and old country-China

 visit to China, particularly for someone like myself, who has no travel experience in Asia (outside of Japan), can be a tough experience if undertaken without preparation. Although China's major cities, for the most part, (modern abstract art) provide accomodation and amenities comparable to those of Europe and North America, there are absolutely some pieces of advice that I was glad to receive ahead of time and others I wish I had known prior. Don't be put off by my suggestions - these were, for the most part, small inconveniences, and regular travelers will have no problem coping with China.

• Drinking tap water isn't possible, (sofa manufacturer) but hotels generally provide free bottled water in the bathroom. Be wary of venturing out, particularly for a long day, without carrying some with you.
• It's also wise to bring along a plastic bag with toilet paper, as this is generally unavailable in many less touristed parts of both cities and countryside.
• For the love of Pete, bring along comfortable shoes (polycarbonate sheet ) - I know this is standard advice for all travelers, but it's particularly relevant in China where roads, pathways and sidewalks are frequently uneven and in disrepair (and it's incredibly tempting to go an extra 5, 10 or 50 blocks to see more and more).
• Traveler's checks can be a royal pain to use in 99% of the places you'll visit (the exception being Western hotels); rather, we successfully employed a combination of US cash (which is easy to change in touristed locales) and debit cards (ATMs abound). Do yourself a favor and check the exchange rate online before you rush into a bad deal.
• Watch out for counterfeit bills - they run rampant throughout the tourist vendors of the cities. We encountered multiple bills (50RMB and 100RMB notes) in both Beijing and Shanghai that were false. Look for the shiny, interwoven vertical strip, the proper watermark and compare, if possible, to bills you've received from a bank.
• Speaking of currency, watch out for merchants, including banks and hotels, to reject bills that have been damaged in any way. The smallest tear or missing corner will cause difficulty with street vendors and established businesses alike (I had near-perfect notes rejected by our hotel).
• The popular airports feature two (spherical roller bearing ) particularly troublesome types of scams - the "un-official" help who will assist with bags, ticketing, or "accompany" you to the right counter, gate, restaurant, etc. then demand excessive compensation. In Beijing's airport we discovered that security guards will often back up these semi-officially dressed scammers, making it very hard to refuse the $10-$20 US demanded. The second scam - taxi cab drivers inside the airport use a traveler's lack of knowledge (nail products)of the taxi pickup station (honestly, just follow the signs with the picture of taxis on them) to proposition a ride into the city for a rate of 2-10X the true cost from a licensed taxi. Since they're technically providing private "limo" service, my understanding is that it's not against the law, just foolish to engage in.
• The dress code is less formal than in years past,(pvc ceiling panel ) particularly in hot months and cities (Hong Kong and Xiamen, for example, rarely get cool). For dressier restaurants or conferences (particularly in the search industry, notorious for its casual dress code), khaki pants, and a thin button-down shirt (even short sleeved) is perfectly acceptable. While shorts are not often employed by the locals, I personally found it impossible to do without them and didn't experience any problems due to the informal attire.
• The heat and humidity can be pretty (nail product)rough, particulary on weather wimps like those of us from the Pacific Northwest :) In Xiamen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, 100% humidity with temperatures from 80-95 Fahrenheit are not uncommon, and the nightime is rarely any relief. Air conditioning in smaller cities like Xiamen and Xi'an can be inconsistent at best. Even in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, there are plenty of indoor locations where we sat and sweated openly and profusely, despite the supposed presence of A/C.
• One very good suggestion I (spherical roller bearings) received was to carry a handkerchief (actually, one of my fiancee's bandanas) around to help keep cool. This served a double-purpose of substituting for hand towels. Often, after washing your hands, there will be no way to dry them.
• Foodborne illness failed to strike anyone in our tour group, nor anyone I spoke with at the conference. US medical authorities recommend shots for Tetenus and several other diseases prior to taking a trip, but again, we encountered no trouble, nor any reports of such.
• The above aside, there are plenty of "adventurous" dietary choices available, and while pharmacies are around, the proper medicines can be tricky to identify - it's probably wise to bring along anything you think you might need, from antacid to cold medication to allergy pills
• Pollution can get very rough, especially in interior cities like Beijing and Xi'an. While we were in Beijing, the factories temporarily were shut down, giving us one very nice day of clear blue skies (this, apparently, is testing/preparation for next year's Olympics). However, after several weeks of continuous operation, my understanding is that it can get very bad. In Xi'an, I couldn't wear my contact lenses and came back to the hotel at night covered in a thin film of black/gray dust.
• Internet access is fairly cheap and reliable in every hotel we visited (many of which were not "Western" or 5-star). Two things to be aware of, however, are the slow speed and blocked sites. Technorati, Wikipedia & Techcrunch were three of the sites that are blocked by the Chinese government.
• The streets are pretty insane. Remember that cars always have the right of way - a crosswalk, even a walk sign, doesn't mean the same thing it does in the rest of the world. Be very careful crossing the street - tourists do get hit.