Traveling into or in China with an American Passport draws a lot of attention, unfortunately in the majority of instances with a negative connotation. I have had the fortune of traveling to many countries in Europe, South America and Asia as a USA citizen and I must admit many times feeling quite spoiled by the “no prior-visa required†to enter many countries with stays of at least 30 days at a time. The first instance of feeling singled out due to my USA passport was when I had to travel to Brazil on business and was obligated to stand in line at the Brazilian consulate in Madrid at 6:00 AM to get an appointment at 11:00 AM and then pay $450 USD for a business visa. But, this would not a lot in comparison to what I have experienced in China.
Granted, I clearly understand that many countries have developed a “pay-back†attitude towards the USA based on it’s treatment of their citizen’s wanting to travel to the US. In some cases the US requiring people to set an appointment a year in advance for a personal interview with a US Immigration officer and having to show proof of having enough collateral (homes, business, bank accounts) in the home country to ensure that the person would have to be a fool to want to stay in the US illegally. Then quite often being denied the tourist visa despite jumping through all the hoops.
In addition to the “special†treatment of USA passport holders by the Chinese Visa Authorities (more expensive and longer process than for citizens of other countries) you will quickly realize that prices for many things are much higher if you are an American or have the misfortune of being perceived as one. This begins with shuttle buses from the airport and from other border entry points and is prevalent in everything else from food to shopping anywhere.
My Chinese friends affectionately call me “money faceâ€, but they are not talking about my face, they are talking about the prices that are quoted whenever I or even they inquire while shopping with me for just about anything.
Chinese vendors have a very clear understanding of the exchange rate and they also know that everything in the USA and Europe costs a lot more than in China. They know that even if they charge you 5 times more than they would charge a Chinese person; you will still smile and think that you are getting a bargain compared to USA or European prices.
In some cases you will have no choice; for example a plain black cup of coffee generally speaking will cost you from $4 to $12 USD depending on the location of the establishment. You may say OK, if the coffee is good!… but remember, Chinese are tea drinkers and know little to nothing about Coffee, so you may get worse than truck stop coffee for these prices; I have!
But the most serious and unpleasant situation is that many Chinese hotels simply do not welcome Americans (or the like), some hotels in China are exclusively for Chinese citizens. The idea that as an American you can come to China and travel in an “ad-hoc†manner or on a tight budget very quickly becomes nearly impossible. I actually have been refused entry at a hotel on the basis of being a foreigner even after my friend made the reservation online. Now granted these are not 5 or even 3 star Hotels. Again, remember that common perception is that if you are an American (or look like one) you will only stay in 5 or 4 star Hotels, you won’t mind paying $12 dollars for a cup of coffee and of course you will buy a Rolex knock-off on the street for $200 USD. Chinese perception of Americans is very Hollywood based.
I have not been able to get a clear answer on the hotel issue, I have been told simply that these hotels “are only for Chinese citizens†and I also have been told that the reason is that “no-one in the hotel can speak Englishâ€, even though I was accompanied by people who speak Mandarin at the time.
Unfortunately this makes travel in China as an “adventurer†somewhat impossible. You can certainly travel in China as a American and on your own if you stick to the 4 and 5 star hotels which will cost you in the range of $150 to $400 + USD per night. You can also take tours designed for foreigners with tour guides who speak English. Beware that tours for foreigners are designed to be shopping centric, out of a one day tour, you may get 60 minutes to tour the Great Wall and the balance of the time being shuffled to “factory†or “museum†tours which are in fact, 5 or 10 minutes of looking at some art and 30 – 40 minutes of a selling presentation. Yes, the tour guides get a commission on all sales from these tour stops and will often pressure you to buy!
Of course you can also hire a private bilingual guide for as little as $50 USD per day and be able to choose where and when you want to go opposed to the group tours shuffling you at their pace. It is also very important to note that many tour sites or museums are only replicas as much of the original Chinese artifacts were either moved out of the country or destroyed by the Communist movement.
Many young Americans have packed up two pairs of jeans, a few translation and guide books and toured Europe and south America on their own experiencing the countries at the local level and spending very little money. However, China is not near that option yet, this is partly due to language and safety reasons but also largely due to the remnants of Communist styled government policies in China.
I did manage to sneak into a Hotel reserved strictly for Chinese citizens by waiting outside the hotel while my friend concluded the registration, and the result was… that I did not want to stay in the hotel after all. I have done my share of business travel staying in 4/5 star hotels, but I also have done my fare share of travel while avoiding tourist traps and getting as close to the local experience as possible. Unfortunately this hotel turned out to be a little too local for my taste. (see pictures)
This Hotel - Exclusively - only for Chinese citizens
The cost was approximately $15 USD/night. I did not stay in the hotel, I only took the pictures, then moved to a different hotel. However, the experience did shed some light on the possibility that these hotels reserved for Chinese citizens, may simply lack an official certification which would allow them to host foreigners.
On the positive side I have discovered a very economical hotel chain similar to the La Quinta or Hampton Inns in the USA, called 7 Days Inn Hotels (see photos) rates for this hotel start as low as $25 USD, rooms are clean and the hotels are safe.
Chinese hotel chain - 7 Days Inn - very nice, inexpensive hotel.
I do have to caution you that some of the locations of this chain may refuse to let you stay on the same premise of the hotel not being for Americans. However in any of the major cities there should be no problem, but always keep in mind that life will be much easier if you do have someone with you who speaks Mandarin and can read basic simplified Chinese. While the 7 Days Inn hotels have signage in English and the room information sheets also have English, the website does not support English, the staff will likely not speak a word of it and surrounding restaurants and transportation may not be foreigner enabled.
In all cases it is highly advisable if you intent to travel on your own in China, that you carry Yuan (RMB) in cash, dollars will be difficult to change in areas that don’t have branches of the main banks and also your credit cards will be worthless anywhere outside of downtown Beijing or Shanghai or the International Hotels like Shangri-La, Hilton, Hyatt or similar. You must also beware that everywhere you go your Yuan bills will be closely inspected for counterfeits and is likely that you will get some of them possibly even from the bank, so don’t be alarmed when someone rejects a bill from you, even the same bank where you got it. The most common bill is the Y100 which of course is the most popular counterfeit, but it is only $14 dollars you will loose if you wind up with one of them as you will have no other recourse.
As a whole Chinese are fascinated with westerners, the further you get from downtown Beijing or Shanghai the more people will literally stop, point and stare at you. Many young girls will smile nervously then say “hello†and many service people will try on you their best “welcome – please sit downâ€. Don’t be surprised to have many of them point a cell phone at you to get your picture. If the people you meet manage to speak a little English they will quickly declare their desire to be your friend, but it is more likely that you will make friends in the course of doing business than in a plan of tourism.
Chinese are very reserved with outsiders, even if you are friends it is not likely that you will ever be invited to their home. But, when it comes to shopping and touring you too will be identified as “money-faceâ€.
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