<p>As a Canadian-born Chinese who lived for half a year in Beijing and has been living in Shanghai for over seven years, I might be able to offer a few pointers to you.</p>
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<li>how bad is capital punishment in china? is it possible that they could falsely accuse me of a crime and execute me without fair trial? (sounds extreme, but it's in the newspapers sometimes).</li>
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<p>Like everyone has said thus far, just behave with common sense when you're living in China. If you are an American citizen and you do commit a serious crime, you will most likely serve a couple nights in a local holding cell before being extradited to the United States (if the Embassy and your family can work quickly to get the paperwork done). Although I cannot speak from personal experience, I'd say from observation that Chinese officials tend to be more lenient towards foreigners (in fact, there seems to be a direct correlation between the general level of treatment and one's skin color). I believe that most capital punishment cases and executions occur to political prisoners, so unless you go out in the middle of Tiananmen Square and lead a protest in favor of the F**** G*** and other religious sects/cults recognized by the state as extremism, you should be fine. Bottom line, act sensibly.</p>
<p>Oh, and don't bring banned books/movies into the country. I read an article the other day about an Australian diplomat who was frisked and detained because she brought with her a censored book which covered politically sensitive issues regarding the PRC's history. Although the list is probably endless, some major names that pop into my mind are the movie "To Live" (starring Gong Li), Jan Wong's "Red China Blues" (Great book, btw, about a Canadian-born Chinese who studied at PKU during the Cultural Revolution and actually served as a Maoist Red Guard), and any live news footage or published material covering the Tiananmen Square Massacre (i.e. don't wear a t-shirt emblazoned with the now-famous image of the young studnet protestor standing defiantly in front of PLA tanks).</p>
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<li>how safe is it in beijing?</li>
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<p>Avoid dark alleys, side streets, etc. If you've never visited Beijing, I'd avoid taking taxis at night, especially since you will be very unfamiliar with the layout of the city during your first few months. Local taxi drivers love to swindle foreigners, including foreigners of Chinese descent, by either leading to you to the wrong destination or driving you in cricles. BTW, you will stick out like a sore thumb in the local population if you don't speak Chinese; even Chinese speakers who have been living abroad stick out because the local dialect is very distinct. You may think you speak impeccable Chinese, but any perceptive local will figure you for a person from the South, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or even Singapore if you don't speak Pekingese. In general, though, most locals are relatively courteous towards Chinese-looking foreigners (they might stare at you if you're white). As you learn the language, try to pick up some conversations with the local taxi drivers - they love to chat it up with their passengers.</p>
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<li>health concerns... chances of contracting something along the lines of SARS, perhaps a form of avian flu, etc.? a friend who studied abroad said they weren't given many health warnings while in china when at the same time, these health warnings were cited in the USA.</li>
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<p>Sometimes I feel that the health warnings issued abroad regarding pandemic-potential illnesses originating from China are designed to create undue hysteria. Unless you sleep in a chicken coop, breathing in the fumes released by chicken dung, eat raw chickens and chicken eggs, or expose yourself to chicken blood, you are not likely to contract avian flu anytime soon. During the SARS scare, many foreigners, caught up in all the paranoia, fled the country, taking the first flight out and temporarily leaving their overseas lives behind until the craze died out. My school, in fact, ended an entire month early because a portion of the student population had suddenly disappeared. I remained in Shanghai and didn't worry about much. About the most extreme measure I took to "defend" myself against SARS was wear surgical-like masks when frequenting public areas with large crowds. All in all, take the same health precautions you would if you were back home. Don't drink the tap water in China - go bottled or boiled. Your best defense against SARS, H5N1, what have you, is washing your hands thoroughly with soap.</p>
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<li>would studying in china hurt me during background checks for government jobs? (i'm an american citizen)</li>
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<p>I doubt it, unless your experiences at Peking University lead you to develop fervent anti-Taiwan, pro-One China policy views. Then you might run into some trouble. </p>
<p>As for one of the poster's claims that his american friends in Shanghai couldn't apply to George Washington University or Georgetown because those schools are located in DC, that's a bunch of baloney. I live in Shanghai and two students from my school have already applied and been accepted Early Action to Georgetown.</p>
<p>anything else that i should be aware of?</p>
<p>If you want to go shopping for pirated goods at the well-known counterfeit markets (San Li Tun, Russian Market, Silk Market, etc. - these I remember from a few years back), try to go with Chinese friends who can help you out with the bargaining. Otherwise you'll be cleaned out by the outrageous prices that the clothing vendors charge to green foreigners.</p>
<p>finally, awkward question, but someone said that if i go to china, some girls will try to go after me because i'm an american citizen. true?</p>
<p>Perhaps. This myth is probably truer for white American citizens than for Asian American citizens. I will say this, though: Do not be surprised if you see many mixed couples in Beijing. And by mixed couples I mean considerably older white men with considerably younger Chinese women. (This may seem stereotypical but the generalization does hold up upon closer observation.)</p>
<p>I hope that my advice helps. Have fun in China!</p>