Welcome to "Travel In China"!!

In the summer of 2006, I read in a newspaper about a robbery happened on a bus in Chongqing, China. Three robbers held up passengers at knife point. According to newspaper reports, the fifteen passengers were terrified yet silent. An American traveler in the back of the bus phoned the police on his cell phone, but the police officer on the line could not understand his English and simply hung up. The robbers escaped with their loot in hand.

The event provoked widespread discussion. I talked with several American travelers who tried to persuade me that China should have English-speaking policemen at every station. As one college student from Cambridge told me, “China is holding the Olympic Games in 2008. People all over the world are rushing in, so China must have policemen who can provide security and services for us.”

I remained unpersuaded. In the regions that are isolated, the police officers there may not encounter an English-speaking person for years. “It seems a waste of resources to train an officer merely to let his skills fall idle,” I told the traveling American, “When foreigners come to China, they should be encouraged to learn the basic language skills necessary to make do in China.” I conceded to his argument insofar as the government should equip certain major cities’ stations with English-speaking officers.

Rather than insisting that the Chinese government train numerous people to offer English services, it may prove practical and culturally valuable for foreigners to have some basic Chinese phrases under their belt. Appreciating that the government has neither the will nor the resources to blanket the country-side of China with English-speaking police, I decided to create a website with some basic Chinese phrases that would be likely used in an English-speaking traveler’s daily life. As I live in the city of Jinan, which does not have any English newspapers or tourist information bureaus for foreigners, I created my own tourist guide in English for the city I know and love. I wrote descriptions of both the tourist attractions and, adding a personal touch to my new project in which I was carrying out with great pleasure, I reviewed my favorite restaurants of the city. I also carried out interviews with the shop-keepers of my local favorite stores, libraries, museums, and restaurants.

Travel To Korea

In October and December, 2006, I traveled to Korea to take the SAT. I was frustrated in the country because I did not know any Korean, and few Korean knew English. I had to use gestures, and it was really like the Chinese saying “Chickens talk to Ducks”. I suddenly realized how difficult and challenging it could be for foreigners who did not know any Chinese to travel in China. My determination to create the web was confirmed by this special experience. I want to bring convenience and comfort for the foreigners, at least with the Chinese phrases printed out, they should not be totally at a lost.

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