When you're traveling in Asia it can be very tempting to head toward recognizable brands so you don't have to face language issues and possible embarrassment when you order. You know the Starbucks servers in Shanghai will speak English enough to understand you need a triple-Venti-caramel-no-foam-whipped-cream-decaf-latte and you know you'll be able to point to the pictures in the McDonald's in Beijing. Failing that, you think, well Spaghetti Bolognese is rather internationally understood, so I'll eat Italian tonight. I know what I'll get.

But to skip eating locally while traveling in China is to skip part of the culture. In China, food IS culture. Eating is a big part of daily life - it's important and people enjoy it. It's like not going to the Louvre in Paris, skipping the Dome in Florence, not going to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Are you in China? Then you must eat Chinese food.

All that in mind, I never said it is always easy. And I, for one, have on more than one occasion ordered fried rice because I knew what it was, even though there were some mighty mouth-watering dishes on my neighbors' tables.

Dim Sum is one of those things that folks are universally familiar with but might be intimidated to try. On a recent trip to Hong Kong with my husband's family, eating Dim Sum was high on their to-do list and after a great meal, I thought about them trying to do it on their own without us Old China Hands along to help. So to ease the intrepid Dim Sum seeker's mind, I've written a how-to on eating Dim Sum. Rory Boland, our Guide to Hong Kong and Macau has also broken it down. Armed with our info, you'll be sure to enjoy your authentic Dim Sum experience.

A reader recently wrote in the following, "I bought a very expensive pearl necklace at Fanghua in Beijing. When I returned home to the USA and had the necklace appraised, our jeweler said it was not worth the price I paid for it."

This is very disappointing for anyone and when you're buying something expensive and think you're getting a good value, then it's doubly so. My general advice has always been if you're not an expert buyer, then be do be careful. A good guideline is to spend what you're comfortable losing - so if what you bought breaks or turns out to be a fake, then you're not too disappointed. Of course, buying pearls in China can be a good value. If you know what you're doing, South Sea pearls can be purchased at a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere (US$1000 vs $10,000 elsewhere) but that's still a significant amount of money and not many folks would be happy if their $1000 strand turned out to be fake.

So buyer, do beware. If you're shopping in Shanghai and want some help buying pearls, then you may want to look into using a personal shopper like Ms. Angela McDonald. McDonald's been in Shanghai for many years, speaks Chinese and has her own pearl business. She's now offering tours and educational seminars to teach people how to buy and she takes people to reputable sellers.

If you're on your own, then make sure you keep your head about you, bargain hard and test the pearls for fakes.

Read more:

• Shanghai Personal Pearl Shopper
• How to Buy Pearls in China
• How to Bargain
• Pearls Circles Wholesale Market in Shanghai
• Hong Qiao Pearl Market in Shanghai

Just a few days ago I was sitting in the sunshine basking in our late October warm weather. Now, with snow in Beijing and cold temperatures here in Shanghai, those warm days seem like a distant memory. Winter's on it's way and if you'll be in China in December, January or February, you might want to start making some plans.

There are some fun festivals and events that should warm you up even in the coldest temperatures. And if you can't stand the cold, then there are plenty of locales across southern China that will help you defrost.

Read all about Winter in China.

November can be a really lovely month to travel in China. The October holidays, and associated fare increases, are long over and folks are settling down for the winter. Therefore, November can be a relatively peaceful month in which to travel and see some of China's Top Attractions.

While northern China will begin to see some really wintery temperatures in late November, central and southern China will still see moderate and comfortable temperatures in which to sight see and tour.
Enjoy China in November!

Here I am multi-tasking again. By the way, the weather cooled off today, apparently we're expecting a cold front in Shanghai tomorrow accompanied with drizzle...thank you sun, we enjoyed you during your long visit. I'm in a café called Amokka on Anfu Road in the heart of the former French Concession. It's one of those places I hate to love but the coffee is really good and the big tables and good wi-fi connection are conducive to my multi-tasking (eating lunch and working).

But today I ordered green tea as I'm saving my coffee for later. It came in a tea bag labeled Lipton. Now, I'm going to hope that the tea was bagged here in China but I'm sorry, with all the wonderful tea on offer here, must you offer me a bag of Lipton tea? This, at a cost of 22rmb, is actually insulting.

From now on, at places with names like Amokka, I'll stick to coffee and follow my better instincts to Song Fang Maison de thé for my tea-drinking needs. I should have known better. (But shame on any self-respecting café in China for serving bagged green tea. Ahem.)

More about tea in China:

• Song Fang Maison de thé Review
• How to prepare and drink Chinese tea
• Visiting Yixing, home of the traditional Chinese teapot

The Chinese saying is 一汾钱一汾货, "yi fen qian, yi fen huo" (pronounced ee fen chee-ahn, ee fen hoo-oh). This translates literally to one cent gives you one cent's worth of merchandise. Makes sense, right?

There's a whole industry of fake goods in China that lots of visitors to China go wild for when they arrive but there's a healthy local market for them as well. It goes beyond pirated DVDs and fake Gucci bags (those are the ones the tourists buy). Very few locals will spend money on legal copies of software when copies of everything from Microsoft Windows and Adobe Photoshop are available for install at every cybermarket. There are smart phones on the market that look like iPhones, operate like iPhones and smell like iPhones for a fraction of the cost (just don't drop it, it will likely shatter and don't expect and after-sale warranties on fake goods).

As a travel writer, I get asked frequently where to buy the fake goods. The answer is easy to give: every large market in China sells fake products - be it eyeglasses, watches, bags, shoes, clothing or electronics. But I remind visitors that you get what you pay for. People are often surprised when they get home and their watch doesn't work anymore or their sunglasses don't actually offer any UV protection whatsoever. The best example comes from my poor husband who bought a "leather" briefcase at the old Xiangyang Market (Shanghai's famous fake market that's now been closed and moved). To his credit, he needed a new bag for an upcoming business trip. We lived close by the market so it seemed like a quick and easy option. After an important meeting in Frankfurt, he closed the meeting, grabbed his bag and left the room - with just the handle in hand.

You get what you pay for. If you come to China and do some shopping, it will be tempting to sample some of these fake goods. But don't pay too much money for them and don't forget, yi fen qian, yi fen huo.

It is so rare that Shanghai sees an extended period of good (let alone gorgeous) weather that I simply can't help singing about it. For the past week or so the skies have been blue - not the yes-I-can-see-through-the-haze-that-there-is-a-blue-sky-out-there-somewhere blue but true, cloudless crystal blue. The air is filled not only with the smell of dust and construction welding but also 桂花 (guihua) or osmanthus flowers that make the city actually smell clean. And the temperature is perfect - warm without humidity during the day, cool enough to need a light sweater during the evenings.

I am sitting at this very moment at Kommune Café off Taikang Road having just finished a Peking Duck salad, a perfect combination of East meets West. I figure I earned the right to sit outside for a few hours and try to get some work done; I finished a whole morning of Chinese class after all.

So if you're in Shanghai, please, skip the meeting. Skip class. Skip the seminar. Grab a seat outside and enjoy the weather. It simply won't last.

Capping off the northern end of the Bund is the newly opened Peninsula Hotel Shanghai. If you are walking in that area, or know Shanghai well, you, like us, probably wondered at the seemingly not-so-great location of this grand, landmark hotel. After all, the Peninsula Hong Kong dominates Kowloon like a grand matriarch. Shanghai's Peninsula sits demurely, a newcomer to the historic Bund edifices, at the northernmost end west side of the Bund, behind the highway that empties onto Zhongshan Yi Road. The outside architecture is nothing really very special; it's meant to fit in with the art deco facades down the road and to look grand.

Walk inside and you'll forget that what you thought outside. On a bike ride today, a glorious fall afternoon in Shanghai, we decided to peek inside and see how the new hotel looks. Kindly, we were given a grand tour of the property, despite having a rambunctious 4-year-old along, and we were impressed with what we saw (of course). The rooms and restaurants make good use of the view (no highway in sight) and what you'll get from the bar on the top floor is an uninterrupted view of Hongkou, Pudong and the Bund itself. Stunning.

They have an introductory rate at the moment for 2009rmb that runs until the end of February 2010. But I'd ask a few questions before booking. First, the entire area is a construction site around the hotel. If you're facing Beijing Road or north to what will be the Bund Park, you might be woken up early or kept up late with banging and pounding. And while the indoor swimming pool and terrace are the crowning points (in our opinion), the water hasn't been heated yet. I'd be a tad disappointed if I couldn't use the facilities. Not all the restaurants are open and the spa opening date is set for November.

The Peninsula Shanghai

No. 32 The Bund, 32 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road, Shanghai 200002

Photo: the entrance to the Peninsula Hotel Shanghai. © 2009 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Halloween doesn't have much of a following in China, yet. While other Western holidays like Christmas have made it over the Pacific, Halloween hasn't caught on as a big thing to do in China.

If you're really in the mood to celebrate Halloween during your trip to China, then you're best off hitting the bars in Beijing or Shanghai. Typically, the clubs and bars use Halloween as fun gimmick to dress they're staff up in silly outfits and demand cover charges and costumes from their patrons. Read more about celebrating Halloween in China.

If you happen to be in town this Saturday, you might want to check out the Eco-Design Fair. It's become a twice-yearly event that draws lots of eco-minded locals and expats alike. There's usually some pretty random stuff on display but you'll also find some great local designs by small companies who are starting to build eco-friendly businesses based in China. Eco-friendly in China, you say? Yes, the movement is gaining momentum and as the local population becomes more health conscious (and richer) there's an increased interest in protecting the environment, gentle consumerism and responsible manufacturing.

Details:

• Saturday, October 17, 2009
• URBN Hotel | 183 Jiaozhou Road
• 10am - 5pm
• Eco-design fashion show starts at 11am