Things You Can’t Do in China
August 19, 2008
Travis Sherwin/Orlando
There are a lot of signs around Beijing telling you what you cannot do. It’s probably no more than in America, but it’s really spelled out here.
Here’s list of what you can’t do at the Summer Palace, a popular historical tourist attraction:
You Can't Do This
No motorcycle riding.
No picking flowers.
No sitting on the railings.
No taxis.
No littering.
No playing of music.
No rollerblading.
No ballplaying.
No guns.
No dogs.
No fireworks.
No open fires.
On my way out, I noticed this sign:
What Does This Mean?
Mady, my new friend and translator, said it means, “No open fires in cars.” Who knew that open fires in cars were so popular that you needed a sign to prevent them? (There’s a good chance this sign’s true meaning is lost in translation.)
The wait for a cab as we left the Summer Palace was impossibly long, so I chose to ride in this:
Traditional Rickshaw
It’s a common sight on the streets of Beijing – a traditional rickshaw. We hired the driver to take us to a restaurant for lunch. He told us the ride would be $20 yuan.
Price Haggling
After arriving at the restaurant, the driver told us, “Oh, no, it’s not $20 yuan, it’s $20 yuan per person.”
Mady wasn’t very pleased, but we agreed that the guy probably needed it given the condition of his rickshaw.
And $40 yuan is only $6.70 in U.S. dollars.
-Travis
