Sapore di Cina

Learn Chinese, Travel or Work in China

Enrollment procedures for the Chinese exams HSK, HSKK, BTC and YCT

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Chinese exams registration procedure

The first step for enrolling in all exams: Create an account on www.chinesetest.cn

The first thing you have to do is go to the site www.chinesetest.cn; if you’ve never studied Chinese, look at the highest point on the top right of the page and you’ll see a listing of all available languages (简体中文 | English | 日本語 | 한국어 | Français | Русский | Español), from which you can choose the language that works best for you. For explanations, I will use the command terms in Chinese.

Once you’ve chosen your language, you must create an account by clicking on the blue rectangle with the writing 注册 (registration, see the photo at the beginning of this article).

You’ll then see a form 用户注册 (user registration, see the figure below) to fill out. The writing in parentheses in the middle (以下带*表示必填项) indicates that everything that has an asterisk (*) must be filled out. [Read more…]

Where to Study Chinese in Beijing – Best Private Schools and Universities

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Study Chinese in BeijingPeking University (Beida)

Before you begin

If you are planning to study Mandarin Chinese in China, you probably thought about coming to Beijing. The goal of this article is to help you to understand whether Beijing is the right destination for you or not. You’ll find out:

  • The pros and cons of studying Chinese in Beijing.
  • The best universities for studying Chinese in Beijing.
  • A short list of well-known agencies and private schools for studying Chinese in Beijing (under construction).

If you’re interested in a more general overview, you can read Studying Chinese in China: What’s the best choice for you?

Study Chinese in Beijing – Index

  1. The pros of studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing
  2. The cons of studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing
  3. Private Schools in Beijing
  4. Universities for studying Chinese in Beijing
  5. Find a school and move to Beijing with the help of an agency

[Read more…]

The Best Working VPN for China in November 2018 (with Comparison Table)

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Best VPN for China

Before getting started

This article is a complete guide that is updated monthly on how to easily access Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Youtube and other websites that are blocked in China, using a VPN.

The first part of this article explains what a VPN is, the simplest and most effective way to access the Internet without restrictions.

The second part is a comparative review of ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, NordVPN and VPN Area, in our opinion one of the best VPN providers for China. We compare the prices, functionality and performance of the four VPN.

We also give a short review of the most popular VPN in China and show the results of the survey of VPNs that our readers in China use. On top of that, you will find multiple sections to help you evaluate and optimize your VPN and in general which types of websites are blocked in China.

Important: Many of the VPN services mentioned in the article have offered us exclusive deals for our readers. To get the discount, all you have to do is access the VPN service’s website via one of the links that you’ll find in this article.

Click here if you want to jump directly to the
comparison of the best VPN for China!

What VPN do we recommend for China?

  • ExpressVPN: A VPN that’s easy to use, fast and which has proven to be one of the most reliable VPNs for China over the past years.
  • VyprVPN: A VPN with an excellent quality to price ratio, good performance in China and numerous options for a secure connection.
  • NordVPN: A VPN that is very complete and easy to use. It has a good performance in China if you choose the right server.
  • VPNArea: A VPN that’s less popular in China and a bit difficult to use, but which has one of the best performances on the market at a very low price.

Important: Due to the increased restrictions to VPN which came into effect in October 2017, you should always keep your VPN updated in order to make sure it works at its best.

What is a VPN and why do I need one in China?

As you probably already know, the internet doesn’t work like we would like it to in China and a large number of websites are blocked by the “Great Firewall.” Among the websites that you can’t access there are Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and Google+.

There are many other blocked websites, and depending on what you do, it may be virtually impossible for you to work in China without a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The most striking case is probably that of Google.com, which often returns an error message when used from within the Middle Kingdom.

But there is still hope…

In order to solve this problem, you can install a VPN, which masks your I.P. address so that your laptop appears to be connected from the U.S. or Japan even if you are in China.

[Read more…]

A visit to the Unit 731 Museum in Harbin

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Harbin Museum Unit 731

It’s about ten in the morning when we leave our hotel in the center of Harbin and we quickly hurry towards the closest bus stop looking for bus number 338 which, according to the tourist map taken from a hotel near the station the night before should bring us to the Unit 731 Museum.

“If we’re lucky it will pass right by here” – I think – while little by little along with my wife Yan, we cross the street and check an information board that immediately dashes my hopes.

We look around for someone who can give us directions and the most trustworthy person we find seems to be a young man with headphones and an iPhone who I presume was listening to music.

I go up to him and in my broken Chinese I ask if he knows the closest stop on our bus route. He doesn’t know but is very helpful, and after a quick check on his cell phone he completely ignores me and gives my wife directions.

“It’s about 20 minutes from here” – Yan explains to me in English (we speak English among ourselves for more complex matters and Chinese for simpler ones) – “but once we reach a certain intersection we’ll have to ask someone.”

“Great!” – I think while we walk in the way we were directed. [Read more…]

Study Chinese in China in a Private School or University – The Guide

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Study Chinese in China

Before you begin

This article is a general overview of the different options that you have for studying Mandarin Chinese in China. I’ll discuss the pros and cons of every option and suggest the one that best suits you according to your level, expectations, occupation and budget.

P.S.: If you’re interested on studying in a specific city, click here to find the list of cities that we have already published a specific guide.

Study Chinese in China – Index

  1. Study Chinese in a private school
  2. What private cchools do you recommend?
  3. Study Chinese at the university
  4. Do an internship in China
  5. Get a private Chinese tutor
  6. Guides to study Chinese in the main Chinese cities
  7. Frequently asked questions

[Read more…]

Karaoke (or KTV) in China Singing or Sex Club?

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KTV in China

I wrote this short story in 2011. It was firstly published in another website, but the website closed down last year, so we decided to republish the story here on SDC, as we think it’s still interesting, and relevant!

A nice encounter

Muse Club, Shanghai, almost one a.m.

I’m more bored than ever and I decide to contact a girl from Anhui province that I met two days ago on the pedestrian bridge at the intersection between Yan An Road and Xi Zang Road. I send her a text message:

“我在Muse, 你干什么?” (I’m at Muse, what are you doing?)

She answers:

“我在KTV工作.你们几个人?” (I’m working at the karaoke. How many of you?)

“我一个人，你要来吗?”　(I’m alone, wanna come?)

“和你聊天跳舞，你给我钱吗?” (If I talk and dance with you, will you pay me?)

“Oh shit, another prostitute!” I think while I give up and order a Carlsberg. [Read more…]

How to Book a Hotel (or Hostel) in China

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hotels china

How to Book a Hotel (or Hostel) in China – Index

  1. What online portal do you have to use to book a hotel in China?
  2. How to get a hotel booking valid for the visa application process?
  3. What type of hotel should I choose?
  4. Internet connection in Chinese hotels
  5. Where to book your hotel
  6. Are Chinese hotels safe?
  7. The best hotels in the top Chinese cities
  8. The best hotels in other popular Chinese cities
  9. The best hotels for your Transsiberian trip
  10. Frequently asked questions

Before you begin

The purpose of this guide is to show you how and where to book a hotel in China. If you’re interested on booking a hotel in a specific Chinese city, you can head directly to our hotel reviews.

Before going on, you need to be aware of these points:

  • Chinese hotels must register all of their customers with the police station. So, you will always have to show your passport when you arrive at the hotel.
  • Not all hotels in China have a license to lodge foreigners. Because of this, I recommend that you make a reservation in advance and avoid having to try several hotels before you find one that you can stay at.
  • In order to obtain a tourist visa for China, remember that you’ll need an invoice of the hotel/hotels with the full name of all the people that will stay at the hotel and need a visa as well (unless you have a letter of invitation). Below, in this article, we explain how to get this document.

[Read more…]

Tibet Tours and Everest Base Camp Tours – Tips and Agencies

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Tour in Tibet

Tours to Tibet and the Everest Base Camp – Index

  1. What documents you need to visit Tibet
  2. What kind of agency you should choose in order to travel to Tibet
  3. The differences between a private and a group tour
  4. The best time period to visit Tibet
  5. The most popular Tibet tours and how many days you’ll need
  6. How to minimize altitude sickness
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Need a travel agency? Ask a free quotation

Before you begin

I took a Tibet tour in 2010, so most of what you’ll read on this page comes from personal experience. First of all, though I started my article on Beijing Tours explaining in which cases you should take a tour and in which cases you shouldn’t take a tour to Beijing, when it comes to Tibet, things are different. Why?

Because nowadays if you want to visit Tibet, you need a “Tibet Entry Permit” and only a licensed travel agency can provide you with it. Also, you aren’t allowed to travel by yourself in Tibet: you need a travel guide. Therefore, the only way to legally travel to Tibet is to join a tour with a licensed travel agency.

If you’ve already decided to book a Tibet tour but you aren’t sure what travel agency to choose, we can suggest a reliable agency to you Click here to contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

[Read more…]

Traveling to the autonomous county of Tujia and Miao of Youyang, near Chongqing

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Traveling to Youyang

We’ve received and publish this great article from Manuel Recchia

Located to the southeast of the Municipality of Chongqing, the most extensive and populated of the four Chinese municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing), the autonomous county of Tujia and Miao of Youyang (酉阳土家族苗族自治县) is the largest county of the Municipality.

Called Youzhou in ancient times, Youyang represents a real cultural cradle for the 18 ethnic minorities that live there. Among these, the most consistent is the Tujia ethnic minority (whose history might go back to the Ba people who occupied the area of the modern province of Chongqing about 2,500 years ago), followed then by the Miao, Han, Hui, and other ethnic minorities.

Without a doubt the crown jewel of this county is Taohuayuan, 桃花源, or “The peach blossom spring”, a scenic area that got the highest rating of 5A (AAAAA).

How to get to Youyang

There are two main ways to get to Youyang, both starting from Chongqing: the first is to take the train from the north station of Chongqing (Chongqing Beizhan, 重庆北站) and the second is to take a bus from the west station in Chongqing (Chongqing Xizhan Qichezhan, 重庆西站汽车站). [Read more…]