[True]Scorched_Cascade said:
[True]
This may be hard at times because I'll tell you now, you will be stared at. That being said, the Chinese are not boogiemen, they don't automatically hate westerners, so long as you smile and keep calm you'll do fine.
I'm loathe to say this is true, but I don't know for sure, but it is certainly a good idea to leave politics in the airport back home. Have a good time and don't get into the heavy stuff.
[False] You MUST bring RMB with you as, not being from China, banks will flat out REFUSE to exchange money for you. There is a limit to how much you can bring in and take out (around 20000 RMB coming in, only 6000 going out)
[True]
Seriously, you shouldn't be hassled if you aren't really vocal but it's best to not get into politics at all.
[True]
No matter the occupation, nobody has accepted tips since I've been here. Just don't bother, tipping is not the thing to do in China.
[True]
[True] Adaptors are not hard to get and most display what plugs and voltages they can deal with, shouldn't be a hassle.
Now, a few points of my own:
Watch out for thieves. I came over in a large group and so far we've had; an incompetent pickpocket shadowed me for a while until it became blatantly obvious that I knew he was there, several others have been pickpocketed and one has even been mugged at gunpoint. This all happened in Beijing. Be smart about things. Take your wallet and passport everywhere with you but keep them in your front jeans pockets, nobody but you is getting in there, also keep copy images of all your details (passport, visa, insurance etc)
Don't get too terrified by what I just said, mostly we had a great time and the vast majority of Chinese people are friendly and helpful. There will always be people who prey on tourists, no matter where you are.
In Beijing you should be okay if you know English, there's plenty of signs in both languages, that being said, not a lot of people speak it that well so learning some basic phrases will aid you and garner you some goodwill. Outside of Beijing? Bugger all non-Chinese. Be prepared.
Queueing is not so strict in China, for public transport it is first-come-first-served. You'll need to be fairly focused for the bus and underground (the Beijing underground is amazing, learn the symbols/how to ask for it). If you faff about, the bus/subway will leave without you.
If you get in a cab, make sure the meter's running. Don't ever accept a flatrate that the driver quotes you. Also, be prepared to pay a couple kuai (yuan, but everybody says kuai like the English say 'quid' for pounds) to cover their fuel. It'll still be pretty cheap to get a cab, the most expensive I had in Beijing (besides the initial trip from the airport where I was ripped off for £30) was 21 kuai. Nothing at all.
The subway is 2 kuai to anywhere. Until your card (you get a card) goes through the machines at the other end, you can ride all you want for 2 kuai.
Money stretches a lot further than you think in China, so long as you don't go nuts you can happily feed yourself on 100 yuan per week.
If you go to any Beijing markets and they quote you a ridiculous amount for something, they EXPECT you to refuse. Whatever they offer you, offer 10 or 20% in return. Don't be afraid to walk away from a deal after some haggling, it's a strong tactic and they'll call you back if they'll go lower. Be warned though, the quality isn't great on some things (forget about name brands, they're all fakes) but if you want something you should be able to get a reasonable price in the end, be patient though.
Things to see in Beijing: Top 3 - Temple of Heaven (Fuck. Yes.), Summer Palace (ironically awesome in winter), Great Wall. These places will make your trip.
Other good places: Forbidden City (After exploring the main area, go into the forest to the right, ignore the complex to the left though your mileage may vary, I found it boring).
Wangfujing (good shopping area and you can get some crazy foods down what is dubbed 'snack street', I ate scorpions, seahorse, cockroach and testicle). Wangfujing also has some really good foreign bookstores, English mostly, but you'll be paying through the nose for the most part.
The Sanlitun district has lots of bars. Also, I'd recommend staying at the Sanlitun Youth Hostel, cheap food, free Wi-Fi/cheap computer rental (4RMB per hour) and pretty close to a subway station.
I'm currently in China now (spent a month in Beijing before coming to Zhengzhou) and will be for another few months, if you have any questions, OP, send me a pm.