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From the 25th to the 5th I will be visiting Beijing with some family friends there. I'm obviously going to all the touristy stuff (Great Wall, the hutongs, Forbidden City, etc.), and will be attending a few things at the embassy, but most of my time is open and free, so I'll just be around the city.

On the off-chance that anyone here has been there...suggestions?

Hong Kong?
Sorry, it's the only place in the middle east that I've been.
Worth the trip though, if you want *cough* cheap *cough* computer games or hardware...
Have a good time!

I hear their markets are quite good.

I was supposed to go last Easter. Fucking SARS. Lost $500 after fighting tooth and nail to get the other $2500 back.

Work with the CIA to bring democracy to China.

Oh, you mean things that won't get you killed? Erm....a tour of the city sounds nice.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

I hear they have some really cool viruses over there.

I hear they have some nice prisons. If you're lucky, maybe they'll show your execution on TV.

Dorsk: Since when is Hong Kong considered part of the Middle East?

Darth Wong wrote:I hear they have some really cool viruses over there.

And giving blood is literally a death sentence in some areas. I'm sure the bacteria is a whole fuckload of fun.

I'm pretty certain the embassy and the place I'll be staying may be bugged, so I'm toying with the idea of standing up against a wall and screaming "BETTER DEAD THAN RED!" at the top of my lungs.

Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

HemlockGrey wrote:
Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

Keep out of Communist China.

On the bright side...at least it's not North Korea you're visiting....

HemlockGrey wrote:Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

Ask to see the prisons where they keep the political dissidents. Tell them you want to interview one of them so that you can tell his story to the world.

HemlockGrey wrote:I'm pretty certain the embassy and the place I'll be staying may be bugged, so I'm toying with the idea of standing up against a wall and screaming "BETTER DEAD THAN RED!" at the top of my lungs.

Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

why would the EMBASSY be bugged?

Alyrium Denryle wrote:

HemlockGrey wrote:I'm pretty certain the embassy and the place I'll be staying may be bugged, so I'm toying with the idea of standing up against a wall and screaming "BETTER DEAD THAN RED!" at the top of my lungs.

Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

why would the EMBASSY be bugged?

Didn't you see Red Corner?

My dad's been to Beijing on business, and he says it's a beautiful place and that he'd love to visit again. I don't remember any specific points of interest he mentioned other than Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City. He did say to stay out of the way of the military-type guards patrolling the square. 6' -plus Chinese guys marching in lockstep and stopping for no one can ruin your day, so even if you're not finished setting up your picture or something, step aside (not that my dad had a problem with that, he's smart enough to stand aside; he just said they were intimidating).

Enjoy your visit, you lucky bastard! I hope I can go to China sometime soon.

Gandalf wrote:

Alyrium Denryle wrote:

HemlockGrey wrote:I'm pretty certain the embassy and the place I'll be staying may be bugged, so I'm toying with the idea of standing up against a wall and screaming "BETTER DEAD THAN RED!" at the top of my lungs.

Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

why would the EMBASSY be bugged?

Didn't you see Red Corner?

I did not see care for that film, but I have to give it credit; it managed to be anti-communist, anti-Chinese (the country, not the people), anti-Western imperialism, and anti-capitalist all at the same time.

Joe wrote:I did not see care for that film, but I have to give it credit; it managed to be anti-communist, anti-Chinese (the country, not the people), anti-Western imperialism, and anti-capitalist all at the same time.

It also managed to be better than I thought it would be. Which isn't saying much, mind you, but there it is...

Foment rebellion.

Wander around eat food.

And hope you don't get pegged as some foreigner.

Alyrium Denryle wrote:why would the EMBASSY be bugged?

Intelligence gathering. Depending on who you believe every single major world power bugs the embassies of all the other powers. They help gather info which is eventually used for war plans, gaining advantages in various negotiations and so on and so forth.

HemlockGrey wrote:I'm pretty certain the embassy and the place I'll be staying may be bugged, so I'm toying with the idea of standing up against a wall and screaming "BETTER DEAD THAN RED!" at the top of my lungs.

Any other, slightly more practical, slightly less dangerous, slightly more serious suggestions?

Ask to see specs for various military equipment. If they say it's classified, just reply "Why? Anyone can see most of it in Russians Military Antique Museums!"

And run.

I hear the hookers are nice. The soldiers know where to find the best ones, so be sure to ask them.

Just bring me back some Avian Flu. Don't worry, I've paid the coroner for you.

Bring food supplies enough to last the entire visit. And pack your own toilet paper. My government teacher went to China once and... Yeah. Just pack your own toilet paper.

ask the police about the local sex parties. according to newspapers in japan they're supposed to be quite big and caused a rather nasty scandal. though i can't remember if that was in beijing or hong kong. . . .

Darth_Zod wrote:ask the police about the local sex parties. according to newspapers in japan they're supposed to be quite big and caused a rather nasty scandal. though i can't remember if that was in beijing or hong kong. . . .

STDs have us figured out so well.