Today it turned out I need to travel to Beijing. Have you ever

>>1201694

You sound like a weird guy

Practice with chopsticks, most restaurants that serve tourists and Westerners have forks

File: wang-lao-ji-new.jpg (195KB, 390x256px) Image search: [Google]

195KB, 390x256px

>>1201694
I studied at university there for a summer a few years ago so might be able to help slightly.

The smog is bad but not unbearable.

The only time I really noticed it is when we left central Beijing and it wasn't covering the sun up, and once when I woke up in the middle of the night unable to swallow properly, I started throwing up and couldn't eat anything for about two days.

I went into a shop and a lady saw me struggling to not cough and recommended Wang Lao Ji, which is a hugely popular drink in China (pic attached). It's a herbal tea that comes in a can or bottle but it's delicious, I drank it and it made my throat feel better almost instantly. If your throat hurts this might help, pick up a can of it.

Knives and forks are available at westernised restaurants, but chopsticks are usually the norm. Once you get the technique, they're really not that hard to use. Check out a tutorial on Youtube, I was lucky enough to have a South Korean friend teach me and she also recommended to not rub chopsticks together. I'd seen it in films but she said that it was an insult as it implied the chopsticks were cheap and you were rubbing them to remove any potential splinters (or something along those lines).

Other than that, it's a very interesting place, I really enjoyed my visit and seeing all the touristy stuff. People are generally very nice and helpful and if you go to a touristy place with people from outside the cities they might stop you to ask for a picture depending on what you look like. Have fun, I'm sure it'll be a great trip. (Oh and their version of the subway is absolutely fantastic for getting around on too).

>>1201694
Preemptively see your usual physicians at home. Get a good supply of inhalers, pills, maybe a steroid dosepak, whatever could happen to make you feel better, if you react badly. Maybe pack your nebulizer and a box of saline ampules. I wouldn't count on getting the same care, same exact meds, as what worked for you in the past without some effort. Wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a fresh Sinu-Rinse bottle with some salt packets (buy bottled water, nuke it to dissolve the salt in). Bleach is a good way to disinfect it. City pollution is in your nose and sinuses and you can feel like you work in a coal mine when you blow your nose at night. A few bottles of ?Ocean is the alternative.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a box of plastic cutlery to use when dining out, or a mess kit/bento box kind of set of stacking cutlery to keep on your person, to have in case you can't manage with the sticks. Practice makes perfect, but I guess you could use the attached children's chopsticks devices if you think you're really having issues.

>>1201694
I have really weak lungs, and I enjoyed China.
Do wear a mask outside. (Tbh I once had to wear it inside, too, like when eating right next to a congested road, in a restaurant that had one of its walls almost entirely missing. Like... I had to switch between putting the food in my mouth and wearing the mask, otherwise I was suffocating after a couple of breaths.)

Go to your local DIY shop before you go, get any N95 mask, 3M is a good and cheap one, but anything that says N95 should me more than enough.
Try it at home to make sure you can fit it well.

Worst case you can drop by at any supermarket or convenience store in Beijing, they will have some carbon based masks that are also okayish, and look much better.

(I have other ones I do not recommend, like Pitta from Japan, but that's only good against pollen... Respro City would be good enough for those small particles, but that I consider too big just for walking around, I wear that for sports only.)

They also have spoons next to the chopsticks at all restaurants. Don't be shy to switch to the spoon. Also feel free to bring your own knife and fork if you really cannot learn using the chopsticks.... I would buy chopsticks for home, though, try to pick some beans with them. Or fries, or anything, really. Youtube has good tutorials. It's actually easier than it looks, just practice a little bit, and you'll be fine.

Note that the rice you make at home is probably way less sticky than rice in China. The rice there just sticks on your ... Sticks, so it's easier to pick up.

Also you mostly get a bowl with it, so a trick is to lift your bowl with the food very high, and just showel the food from the bowl into your mouth. It's easier to eat from a bowl than from flat plates.

In the traffic or when standing in line, switch off your brain. You cannot imagine how big it is, until you're there. There WILL be loads of people, that's how it is.

Have fun!! Eat as much as you can, the food is just great.

I was there for all of December (only got back a couple weeks ago), the smog got really bad on my way out, but it was fine for the first 3 weeks of December

Dec/Jan is when it's the worst, but I haven't been around mid Feb, so I don't know how it'll be, but probably not as bad as right now

Most popular restaurants have spoons/forks, or you can carry your own

I just went to shenzhen to visit my grandparents. I had no problems with the air in Shenzhen. Hong Kong was a little hazy but nothing too bad where I had any problems breathing.
People have said this already, but i gotta reiterate; eat. eat as much as you can. I gained 7-8 pounds in 2 weeks engorging myself on food, and im a picky eater at home (1 meal a day, people tell me i dont eat enough) its delicious there. Ate a huge meal at breakfast, and again at dinner it was great.
I've been back for a few days and my apetite has been insatiable. I got used to eating so much there and food isnt as readily availible here for me so ive been constantly hungry.

OP here, thank you for your answers

>>1201740
>You sound like a weird guy
I am a typical home sitter, mostly lurking at /b/ and /r9k/. They sent me to this business trip and it was totally unexpected and I am freaking out.

>>1201752
>Wang Lao Ji
noted. Also thank you for the other stuff.

>>1201694
Smog was pretty bad when I was there. Winter is a good time for experiencing smog. I had a mask that I wore the first day, but then I stopped. I figured that a week of smog probably wouldn't be that bad for my health. I don't smoke, either. It's worse for the people who live there permanently.

Also if you want to eat at the really shady street vendors, and I absolutely recommend that you do, you should probably consider a hepatitis A vaccine. And if you want to fuck hookers, hepatitis B is probably also a good idea to get vaccinated against.

But Beijing is a great city to visit. It is a lot more modern than my European city, but it's also noticeably still a developing country.

See the hutongs, I guess. And the forbidden city. The great wall, wangfujing, the Summer Palace, Zhengyangmen, etc. There is a lot to see. You won't be able to do everything. Spend some time just strolling around, too. that's always good. Stroll around all the weird places.

>>1201752
I could swear that I've heard this exact same story before. It tastes awful, though. The bottles of green tea are way better.

>>1201694
They steam their rice, they don't boil it. It would be impossible to eat wet boiled rice with chopsticks.

As for using them, it's not difficult. Hold them both together by pinching one of them with your thumb and forefinger. Lightly scissor them open and shut by using your middle finger and ring finger on the other one. Then practice.

They are likely to give you a fork and knife without you asking, at least in the more expensive restaurants.

The smog situation is the worst I have ever seen in my entire travels in the Third World and in China. Not even Guangzhou, a manufacturing city, has that kind fo smog. I am actually amazed by how they managed to ruin their capital so thoroughly.

>visiting Beijing in winter

Good luck, anon. Between the bone-numbing Mongorian winds and dystopian smog, you're in for a wild ride.

Just kidding, aside from the horror stories, Beijing is a pretty cool city. There are some cool rock clubs, too. My favorite is the Mao Livehouse, some pretty good local indie/metal/alternative acts play there every week.