After several weeks travelling across China, it was time to say goodbye.
Beyond the big sights, there were lots of little things I got used to along the way. Some I will genuinely miss. Others... definitely not.
What I will NOT miss
1. Endless announcements and being told what to do
Railway stations, tourist attractions, boats, buses, pedestrian areas—somewhere, somebody always seems to be making an announcement. And when there wasn't an official announcement, there was often a tour guide with a portable loudspeaker nearby.
Many of those announcements also seemed determined to guide you through every step of daily life: Mind the gap. Mind the step. Mind your head. Hold the handrail. Don't cross here. Stand there.
Sometimes the instructions were useful. Sometimes they were unintentionally entertaining. But after several weeks of constant announcements and reminders about what to do and what not to do, silence started to feel like a luxury.
I'm looking forward to being trusted to negotiate a step without audio assistance.
2. Crowds
I expected crowds at the Great Wall or the Terracotta Warriors. But the sheer number of people at gardens, viewpoints, railway stations and other attractions could still be exhausting.
My almost-empty observation deck at Shun Hing Square in Shenzhen and my nearly solitary evening at Panmen in Suzhou therefore felt particularly special.
3. Squatting toilets
No further explanation required.
I know they have their supporters.
I'm not one of them.
4. Sweet savoury food
This one repeatedly caught me by surprise.
Something looked savoury. I expected savoury.
Then I took a bite.
Sweet.
Bread, sauces, meat dishes and snacks sometimes contained considerably more sweetness than my European taste buds expected. Combined with my inability to eat spicy food, choosing meals could become quite an adventure.
5. Exchanging information via translation apps
Translation apps made this trip possible.
I used them at hotels, restaurants, shops, railway stations and plenty of places in between. But much of the communication was really an exchange of information rather than a conversation: someone spoke or typed, the app translated, I read it, then typed my answer and handed the phone back.
Extremely useful—but I won't miss constantly communicating through a screen.
Although, considering that I was still trying to explain at the Shanghai airport lounge that “Frau” wasn't my surname, the apps didn't solve absolutely everything.
6. The gap between the bus and the pavement
German bus drivers would probably fail their driving test if they regularly stopped as far away from the pavement as some of the buses I encountered in China.
Sometimes getting off felt like an additional sightseeing activity:
Mind the gap. A very large gap.
Perhaps that's why there were so many announcements reminding me to mind the gap.
7. So much plastic and so many single-use items
One thing I definitely won't miss is the amount of plastic and single-use packaging.
Things were individually wrapped that I would never expect to be wrapped in Europe. In some hotels, even the towels came individually sealed in plastic.
It may feel hygienic and convenient, but after several weeks I couldn't help noticing just how much waste all that packaging must create.
What I WILL miss
1. Sightseeing ice cream
Why just visit an attraction when you can also eat it?
One of my favourite little discoveries in China was the elaborate ice cream sold at tourist attractions, shaped like the sight itself. Temples, pagodas, pandas, historic buildings—there seemed to be an ice cream for everything.
They were fun, ridiculously photogenic and became part of the sightseeing experience.
I genuinely think Europe needs to adopt this immediately.
2. Stamps
Another thing I hadn't expected to become slightly obsessed with: stamps.
Museums, attractions, shops and other places often had decorative stamps you could collect in notebooks or on postcards.
It turned sightseeing into a little treasure hunt.
Combined with carving my own Chinese name seal in Chengdu and later seeing historic seals in the Shanghai Museum, stamps became one of those unexpected themes running through my trip.
3. Mobile-phone holders in public toilets
Of all the little practical innovations I encountered in China, this might be one of my favourites.
A little rack for your mobile phone in a public toilet cubicle.
So simple. So obvious.
And once you've become used to having one, you start wondering why every public toilet doesn't.
4. Doing almost everything with your phone
China took me some time to figure out digitally, but once everything was set up, the convenience was remarkable.
My phone became my wallet, ticket machine, taxi dispatcher, map, translator, restaurant menu and booking tool.
Add my passport—which was linked to train tickets and required for many attractions—and I could travel around the country with remarkably little else.
Pay with Alipay or WeChat. Call a DiDi. Book a train. Reserve an attraction. Scan a QR code for a menu. Navigate with AMap. Contact a hotel through WeChat.
The irony, of course, is that this convenience can make the beginning of a China trip quite challenging for a foreign visitor. You first have to get your digital ecosystem working.
But once it does, it's incredibly convenient.
5. The lovely packaging
And somewhat contradicting my complaint about all the plastic, I will miss the beautiful packaging.
China really knows how to present things. Tea, sweets, souvenirs and gifts often came in elaborate boxes and bags that were almost too nice to throw away.
Sometimes the packaging seemed nearly as important as what was inside.
Less plastic, please—but keep the beautiful boxes.
6. Punctual high-speed trains
Oh, Deutsche Bahn, we need to talk.
China's high-speed railway system spoiled me.
Trains generally departed when they were supposed to depart and arrived when they were supposed to arrive. With such an enormous network and huge passenger numbers, the efficiency was impressive.
To challenge their reputation for perfect punctuality, my final high-speed train from Suzhou to Shanghai managed to arrive four minutes late.
Four minutes.
Germany, take note.
So, will I miss China?
Definitely.
Not the squat toilets, loudspeakers, crowds or mountains of plastic. But I will miss the trains, the little conveniences, the beautiful packaging, the ice creams and stamps—and the feeling that almost every day brought something I hadn't experienced before.
I left knowing much more about China than when I arrived, but also knowing that I had only seen a tiny part of it.
Goodbye, China. Until next time. 🇨🇳
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