China here we go!

From New Panos

The purpose of this blog is to help inform people about China, so that they can make the most of their 2008 vacation. I figure there will be a lot of people traveling to China for the Olympics. Many of those people will have on their itinerary a visit to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Hong Kong, but where else is there to go and what exactly is there to see in these places?

I've lived in Shanghai for two years and traveled to much of the country during that period of time. I'm be no means an expert, but I can give you a westerner's perspective on the country and its culture.

This blog is not meant to be complete, just a compilation of thought and ideas...I hope it's helpful to someone!

General China info.:

Money: June 2008 its about 6.8 RMB to 1 USD (2 years ago it was 8 to 1!)
RMB aka Yuan or Kuai
Coins:
1 jiao (mao is the slang term) - equivalent to 10 cents
5 jiao - equivalent to 50 cents (i.e. 2 x 5 jiao = 1 RMB)
Bills:
Sometimes you find jiao bills (maybe even fen, 1/10th of a jiao, if you're lucky!)
1 Yuan (kaui is the slang term)
5 Yuan
10 Yuan
20 Yuan
50 Yuan
100 Yuan

Costs:
600ml bottle of water - 1RMB to 5RMB (depending on how rich you look :)
650 ml Chinese Beer - 2RMB to 10RMB (grocery store price)
The most famous Chinese brand is Qingdao named after the city on the coast east of Beijing.
My favorite is Suntory (I think its Japanese)
Tip: more expensive does not mean better taste, even with in the same label
Fun fact: China has a beer brand called REEB (BEER backwards)
Street Food - great if you have a strong stomach