Anyone been there and can offer tips? Going with my wife and 7 year old kid this coming summer and couldn't be more excited. Love to know any tips for eating vegan (none of us eat meat) and cool commie things to see and do, here is a first draft of the itinerary so far:
Land in Hong Kong and spend a week there
Train to Guilin, spend 2 full days there (4 days total counting travel days)
Train to Changsha (home of Chairman Mao), again 2 full days, 4 total with travel days
Train Hangzhou, 4 full days here, 6 total with travel days
Train to Shanghai, 5 full days, 7 total
Train Beijing, 5 full days, 7 total leaving early morning last day
Never been to China, but I can offer basic generic travel tips:
Adjust your sleep schedule weeks before you leave to avoid jet lag. Much better to have a few unpleasant "jet lag" days at home before you leave than missing out on fun stuff the first few days while you adjust.
Learn what basic medicines look like over there and what to ask for at a pharmacy. It can ruin a holiday if you're stuck with a headache and no paracetamol or anything. Also, if you've got a kid, knowing what child friendly medicine exists over there is always a good idea. You don't want your kid to miss out on their holiday either.
Don't feel like you have to spend every second "doing something" either. Sounds like you'll be traveling around a lot, so having the occasional "rest day" can make the whole experience a lot more fun. Don't just assume you'll be able to rest on the train or plane.
If you or your wife are a light sleeper, investing in some earplugs and eye covers could make it much easier to sleep, especially if you're sensitive to sleeping in unfamiliar environments. Especially if you're going to be taking a nap on a train or something like that.
A lot of this is probably very basic stuff you already know, but I still like to share it, just in case.
Have fun!
Don’t underestimate the value of just sitting there and people-watching.
The most bourgeois thing I've done is get a nice eye mask with Bluetooth headphones in it. They're great as a light sleeper with a snoring partner and for long trips
We travel a good amount, the best thing that works for me to avoid jetlag is to stay up all night (I can't ever sleep on planes anyways) then just go to bed at night at my destination. It's worked really well so far for me, my wife not so much though haha.