The Media Lied About Safety in China?! 🇨🇳

Summary

In this video, two Western travelers, Luke and Naomi, dispel myths about China by sharing their experiences in Chongqing. They address common Western fears and misconceptions, highlighting the country's safety, friendly locals, and the ease of entry for EU citizens. Contrary to negative stereotypes, they find China to be welcoming, with no incidents of scamming or hostility. The video encourages viewers to challenge their preconceived notions and consider visiting China for its rich culture and warm hospitality.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video discusses the misconceptions and fears Westerners may have about visiting China, often fueled by Western media portrayals.
• 🌐 Western media often paints China as oppressive and restrictive, which has led to a skewed perception among some Westerners.
• 📚 The speakers, being Westerners themselves, initially had reservations about visiting China due to these stereotypes and fears.
• 🛂 They benefited from China's 14-day visa-free entry policy for EU citizens, which eased their travel concerns.
• 📱 Concerns about losing access to Western services like Google and banking were alleviated once they arrived in China.
• 🏙️ Upon arrival, they found that life in China is not as secretive as they had imagined, contrary to Western perceptions.
• 🚦 The video mentions observing everyday rule-breaking behaviors in China, challenging the stereotype of a society living in fear of a social credit system.
• 👮‍♂️ The speakers felt very safe in China, even more so than in many Western countries, with no experiences of theft or scamming.
• 👩‍✈️ The immigration process was smooth and welcoming, contrary to their expectations of intense questioning.
• 💬 Despite the language barrier, locals were friendly and curious, often engaging with the speakers in a positive manner.
• 🌟 The video concludes by emphasizing the vastness and diversity of China, encouraging viewers to explore beyond their preconceived notions.

Q & A

Why did the hosts of the video feel compelled to discuss their experience in China?

The hosts felt compelled to discuss their experience in China due to the negative stereotypes and fearmongering they encountered from friends, family, and the Western media, which often portrays China in a negative light.

What misconceptions did the hosts initially have about China before their visit?

The hosts initially had misconceptions about China being oppressive, restrictive, and secretive, with a belief that Westerners would not be welcomed and that they would lose access to familiar services and freedoms.

How did the hosts feel about the ease of entry into China?

The hosts were pleasantly surprised by the ease of entry into China, particularly mentioning the 14-day visa-free entry for EU citizens, which made their visit more accessible.

What was the hosts' perception of the Chinese people's attitude towards Westerners?

Contrary to their fears, the hosts found that Chinese people were friendly, curious, and open to interacting with Westerners, often engaging in conversation and offering assistance.

How did the hosts' experience with the social credit system in China differ from their expectations?

The hosts expected the social credit system to be highly visible and restrictive in China, but they did not observe it affecting people's daily lives or interactions with them as Westerners.

What was the hosts' experience with safety and personal belongings in China?

The hosts found China to be very safe, with one host even leaving their phone unattended in a barbershop and finding it untouched upon return, something they said would not happen in their home countries.

How did the hosts feel about their personal safety as Westerners in China?

The hosts felt very safe in China, with the male host stating he felt safer there than in any Asian country he had visited, and the female host agreed that she could move around freely without worry.

What was the hosts' experience with the Chinese police and immigration officials?

The hosts had positive experiences with Chinese police and immigration officials, who were friendly, non-intimidating, and did not subject them to rigorous questioning or scrutiny.

How did the hosts perceive the media's role in shaping their initial opinion of China?

The hosts believed that Western media, particularly from the United States, played a significant role in shaping their initial negative opinion of China due to political biases and the portrayal of China as an adversary.

What advice do the hosts have for Westerners considering a trip to China?

The hosts advise Westerners not to be afraid of visiting China, emphasizing that it is safe, the people are friendly, and that the negative perceptions are unfounded. They also suggest preparing by setting up local apps and payment systems.

How did the hosts' experience in China compare to their experiences in other countries?

The hosts found China to be significantly safer and more welcoming than many other countries they had visited, including those in Europe and the United States, where they had experienced higher crime rates and scamming.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Western Perceptions and Visiting China

The video begins with the hosts addressing the common Western concerns about visiting China due to negative media portrayals and stereotypes. They discuss the fear and misconceptions they had before visiting, including the belief that China is restrictive and oppressive. The hosts, being Westerners themselves, share their personal experience of traveling to China to challenge these stereotypes. They mention the ease of entry with the 14-day visa-free policy for EU citizens, which encouraged their visit. The paragraph highlights the initial apprehensions about losing access to familiar Western services and the fear of being in a secretive and controlled environment.

05:00

📺 Media Bias and Personal Biases

This paragraph delves into the influence of media on shaping perceptions of China in the West. The hosts acknowledge the top-down media narrative, particularly from the United States, which often portrays China as an adversary. They share their preconceived notions influenced by Western education and media, which painted China as unsafe and unwelcoming. The speakers also touch on the irony of having opinions based on limited knowledge, using the analogy of disliking seafood without trying it. They emphasize the importance of firsthand experience over preconceived biases.

10:04

👀 Observing China's Reality and Cultural Differences

The hosts share their observations of China, challenging the Western narrative of a society living in fear under a strict social credit system. They describe their surprise at the normalcy and freedom they witnessed, such as people driving through red lights and spitting in public, which contradicted their expectations. The paragraph highlights the cultural differences and the realization that the Chinese do not necessarily align with the Western view of their society. The hosts also discuss the cultural shock they experienced, realizing that China has its own distinct reality separate from the Westernized world.

15:08

🛡️ Personal Safety and Cultural Curiosity

In this paragraph, the hosts discuss their feelings of safety in China, especially as Westerners. They share a personal anecdote about leaving a phone unattended and finding it untouched, which they say would not happen in their home countries. The hosts express that they feel safer in China than in many Western cities, attributing this to the friendliness and honesty of the Chinese people they encountered. They also mention the cultural curiosity they receive from locals, which, despite sometimes making them feel a bit uncomfortable due to the language barrier, is always positive and without malicious intent.

20:09

🏦 ATMs, Takeaways, and the Safety Narrative

The hosts compare their sense of safety in China to other countries they have visited, emphasizing that they feel secure performing everyday activities alone, such as using an ATM or getting takeaway food. They share their experiences traveling in various parts of the world and assert that Chongqing, a city in the middle of China, is significantly safer than many cities in America. The paragraph also touches on their positive interactions with the Chinese police, who are friendly and not intimidating, contrasting with their apprehensions and past experiences with law enforcement in other countries.

25:13

🛂 Immigration Experiences and Misconceptions

The hosts share their positive experiences with immigration in China, particularly contrasting it with a negative experience in the United States. They express their initial fears about the immigration process due to anxiety and the potential for rigorous questioning. However, they found the Chinese immigration officers to be welcoming and non-intrusive, with no extensive questioning. The paragraph highlights the ease of entering China and dispels fears about the immigration process, which the hosts had anticipated to be difficult.

🚶‍♀️ Fearlessness in Travel and the Warm Chinese Welcome

In the final paragraph, the hosts encourage viewers to reconsider their fears about traveling to China, based on their own positive experiences. They discuss the preparation needed for travel, such as setting up payment systems and apps, but emphasize that these are not sources of fear. The hosts share their experiences of not encountering scams or negative attitudes towards foreigners, which contrasts with their experiences in other countries. They conclude by expressing their intention to return to China for further exploration and encourage viewers to keep an open mind about visiting this diverse and welcoming country.

Keywords

💡Western Perspective

This term refers to the viewpoint or interpretation of events and situations from a Western, typically European or North American, cultural context. In the video, it is used to describe the preconceived notions and biases that Westerners may have about China, which the creators feel are not always positive and can be influenced by media portrayals.

💡Fearmongering

Fearmongering is the act of deliberately spreading fear or alarm to influence people's emotions or actions. In the context of the video, it is mentioned to describe how the creators feel that Western media may be contributing to a negative perception of China, possibly causing unnecessary fear or apprehension about traveling there.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed and oversimplified ideas or beliefs about a particular type of person or thing. The video discusses how stereotypes about China, particularly those perpetuated by Western media, influenced the creators' initial apprehension and how their personal experiences challenged these preconceived notions.

💡Media Bias

Media bias refers to the prejudice for or against a particular person, group, or point of view, often reflected in the way media organizations present the news. The script mentions media bias as a factor contributing to the negative portrayal of China in Western media, which may not accurately represent the reality experienced by Westerners visiting the country.

💡Safety

Safety in this context refers to the physical security and well-being of individuals, particularly Western visitors in China. The video emphasizes that contrary to their initial fears, the creators found China to be a very safe place, with examples given such as leaving a phone unattended without it being stolen.

💡Social Credit System

The social credit system in China is a national project aimed at monitoring and rating the behavior of individuals and organizations. In the video, the creators express their preconceived fears about this system, expecting it to be oppressive and restrictive, but upon visiting, they did not witness the negative impacts they had anticipated.

💡Cultural Difference

Cultural difference refers to the variations in customs, behaviors, and social norms between different societies. The script highlights several instances where cultural differences, such as the way Chinese people may stare out of curiosity or engage in conversation, can be misinterpreted by Western visitors but are not intended to be harmful or intimidating.

💡Immigration Process

The immigration process involves the procedures and policies for entering a country, which can vary widely. The video describes the creators' positive experience with China's immigration process, noting that it was welcoming and hassle-free, contrasting with more stressful experiences they had in other countries.

💡Scams

Scams are fraudulent schemes designed to cheat people out of money or personal information. The creators mention their experiences with scams in various countries but note that they have not encountered any in China, which contributes to their sense of safety and trust in the local population.

💡Curiosity

Curiosity in this context refers to the interest or eagerness to learn or know about something or someone. The video script describes how Chinese locals show curiosity towards the Western visitors, often approaching them to ask questions or take pictures, which is seen as a positive and welcoming gesture rather than an intrusion.

💡Perception

Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. The video's theme revolves around challenging and changing the perception of China that the creators and potentially other Westerners have, based on their firsthand experiences and interactions with the local culture and people.

Highlights

Westerners often face misconceptions about China due to media portrayals, which can lead to fear and hesitation about visiting.

China's visa policy, such as the 14-day visa-free entry for EU citizens, encourages more Western tourists to visit.

Western preconceptions about China being secretive and restrictive were challenged by the travelers' personal experiences.

The ease of entry and friendly locals contradicted the travelers' initial fears about visiting China.

The travelers felt they had biases about China without firsthand knowledge or experience.

Media from countries like the USA, which often portrays China negatively, influences Western perspectives.

The travelers found that Chinese people are open to conversation and not living in fear as they had expected.

China's social credit system was not as pervasive in daily life as Western media suggests.

Physical safety in China, including leaving personal belongings unattended, exceeded the travelers' expectations.

The travelers felt extremely safe in China, even more so than in many Western countries.

China's cultural differences, such as direct eye contact and curiosity, were initially off-putting but not malicious.

The travelers experienced no scams or negative interactions with locals, contrary to their concerns.

China's immigration process was smooth and welcoming, unlike the travelers' previous experiences in other countries.

The travelers encourage others to visit China, emphasizing that it is safe and the people are friendly.

Despite visiting non-touristy areas, the travelers felt comfortable and safe, challenging the narrative of China being unwelcoming to foreigners.

The travelers plan to return to China for further exploration, highlighting their positive experience.

Transcripts

welcome back to Chongqing mainland China now  today we want to talk about something that has  

happened to us before which is that uh a lot of  our friends family people that we know and so on  

were sort of asking us why are you going to China  because obviously there is a western perspective  

on China that might not necessarily be the most  positive at all times and I feel like or we feel  

like there's a lot of fearmongering happening  around China itself around the country around the  

people and so on and uh we kind of also felt like  there was not a whole lot of coverage about the  

topic of is China safe for Western People what is  the general situation what is the feeling and so  

on so we just decided to basically hop on here and  uh talk about what is actually happening in China  

for Western People yeah so we are both westerners  obviously I'm from marand Naomi is German and we  

decided to visit China quite simply because of  these stereotypes and of the sort of perception  

that uh a lot of the world paints on this country  so Western media as a whole I don't really need to  

even say it but I'm going to Western media and a  lot of the West in general Paints the picture of  

China as being like the number one most evil  country in the world it paints it as being  

purely sort of oppressive paints it as being very  restrictive it paints it as being sort of you're  

not going to be able to do anything type of a  situation and that before we came here before  

we uh decided to travel here that's something that  really freaked both of us out in a very very big  

way so we initially started planning the trip to  come here we started looking at flights looking at  

different Visa options and then thankfully China  decided to do a 14-day Visa free entry for the  

EU people from the EU which is us so gladly we  uh qualified for that and that's another reason  

actually that pushed us towards uh coming here  so that's a fantastic sort of addition to what  

I'm saying here ease of Entry so we were terrified  about this for a long time we always thought they  

don't want us in their country because they're  obviously hiding everything and the West thinks  

that uh everything here is very very secretive  Under Wraps you cannot uh have a look into the  

daily lives of people and that's something that  we were terrified about when we initially were  

planning to come here because the thought that  was in our head was when we arrive here in China  

what are we going to do we're going to lose access  to everything quite literally everything that we  

know in the western World things like Google  things like uh different banking uh ways of  

banking ways of taking money out we had no  idea how any of that is going to work and  

that basically scared the crap out of us and we  genuinely came here because both of us obviously  

have we have our own bias every single person in  the world has their own bias but uh usually you  

have a bias uh because of something that you heard  or something that you maybe learned in school or  

something like that and um I don't know I feel  like look and I yeah I feel oh she's so cute oh  

no she dropped her phone oh no oh no I hope it's  okay I made her drop her phone U no so a lot of  

the things that you learn might not be necessarily  be positive uh when you go to school in a western  

country and we had an opinion of China Without  Really knowing anything about it I feel like  

and um I'm going to turn you guys around so you  can actually see what's going on around us and  

I always just feel like sort of um it's difficult  to have an opinion about something when you don't  

know anything about something so like for example  I don't know the way I sometimes am a lot of times  

I would be like oh I don't uh like seafood or  whatever but I have never tried the local seafood  

and my opinion is actually has no uh no base to it  basically and I have no reason to say that and I  

feel like that's kind of uh what happened with us  and China hello uh wait is it safe to go thank you  

oh thank you shishi how cute was that welcome  to chong ching he said and um yeah so I don't  

know we were maybe a little bit scared a little  bit frightened there's a lot of fearmongering  

happening and we had an opinion on the basis of  basically nothing and that's a difficult situation  

to be in like just having a negative mindset or  a negative opinion about something or a fearful  

opinion about something without having a basis of  that opinion basically yeah I feel like and this  

is going to sound pretty interesting I think for a  lot of people that are watching that are probably  

from the West I feel like uh there's a lot of  brainwashing and a lot of sort of Mind numbing  

stuff that goes on on both sides so obviously a  lot of the modern day uh government system that  

is set up all over the world and this is not me  just being like a type of a conspiracy head or  

something like that this is just generally what  is actually going on in reality most of the time  

is your getting fed a lot of media so media comes  from the traditional sort of media aspect I mean  

like from TV and radio and the state control sort  of situation that coming from the West to a lot  

of Europe and to America and to Canada and things  like that it's coming from the top down and that  

information is heavily sort of filtered through  things like politics now obviously the number  

one place that a lot of media comes from uh in the  western world is the United States of America and  

because that's where it comes from in the first  place who is the number one enemy of the US does  

anybody have any guesses uh it's the country that  we're currently walking in right now and that's  

China so it's very obvious that a lot of the media  that the US puts out is going to be biased against  

the country that they don't like very much it's  going to be biased against the country that they  

have a lot of sort of opposing political views to  uh it's the same here so it's the same situation  

here obviously a lot of the media that's going to  come out is going to reflect different views in  

different ways depending on what way the country  from the top wants the world or wants the general  

population to view different aspects so I suppose  that's probably why a lot of the people including  

us that's why we had that picture painted in our  minds that China is not safe China is going to  

everybody's going to hate us H nobody's going  to want to speak to us cuz that's I was just  

saying this to Naomi when we were uh just as  before we started filming this before we came  

here I genuinely thought that nobody would want to  even look at us that everybody would be terrified  

of speaking to us that their speech would be so  heavily restricted because they're so terrified  

of this you know social credit uh system that I  always always assumed was the case I haven't seen  

it once here I've seen people do things that  I never thought were even possible uh to do  

in places like Europe I've seen people drive  through Red Lights I've seen people spitting  

in uh subway stations I've seen people uh sort of  like breaking the rules if you want to say that in  

many different circumstances and having absolutely  no regard for that and I genuinely thought before  

coming here that that would not be the case  I thought people would be terrified I thought  

people would be living in fear and I didn't  think that they would be able to freely speak  

to us which has happened many times here by the  way yes exactly and that's maybe something uh if  

you are Chinese or maybe from the Asian continent  uh and uh just listening or listening to what we  

have to say um that's something actually that we  think in Europe or in Germany and in Ireland where  

the two of us are from we cannot necessarily talk  about the other countries in Europe because that's  

not where we're from um we think or we get this  portrait painted of China as if everybody here is  

super aware of their social credit score and uh  I don't know you align yourself with people that  

have a similar score or maybe you're not allowed  to leave the country because of whatever number  

that is attached to your name and face basically  and um walking the streets of China we haven't  

seen a single person talk about it show it see  it there's people uh breaking the rules there's  

scooters driving on the sidewalk which might  necess I think that might actually be okay okay  

with the law here but there's a lot of scooters  for example driving on the sidewalk which would be  

illegal in Germany and uh there's people breaking  red lights there is people walking j walking stuff  

like that and uh nobody cares about a social uh  credit score and don't get me wrong this is not  

a we're not trying to paint the China is perfect  type of a video here either like every country has  

its positives and negatives it's not like we're  trying to portray China as like the uh joyous  

heavens of of paradise or something like that uh  it's more so that we're genuinely questioning um  

why we have this perception of course there is  other things to it uh things like Google things  

like YouTube where you're probably watching us  on right now uh are not necessarily legal in  

there is certain things that you cannot use but  there's other things that you use instead and  

that's uh very very interesting it's just not the  same as what we think is normality but it's their  

normality I mean they don't have to have our  normality it's just different yeah and that's  

one of the things that stood out immediately  to us as well culture shock wise it was a big  

culture shock to us uh we basically realized  that inside China there's a whole different  

sort of reality it's uh something that's very  disconnected from the rest and from the sort  

of uh westernized world I guess you could say  and that's what I wanted to touch on here as  

well because I just wanted to sort of put across  exactly in terms of safety like actual physical  

safety uh today just literally now a few minutes  ago I went and got a haircut and you'll see that  

in one of the separate videos I went and got a  haircut in the barber and I put my phone down  

just before I went to get my haircut and I left  my phone there got my haircut got up paid the guy  

left The Barbers was gone didn't realize that I  didn't have my phone for roughly around 20 minutes  

half an hour even had walked all the way up the  road away from where The Barbers was and then I  

realized I don't have my phone on me this Barber  Shop had like six guys in there six Chinese guys  

all of them by the way very very friendly towards  me didn't overcharge me for the haircut uh charged  

me exactly the same as any local would pay  I left the Barbers without my phone realized  

it we walked casually back towards The Barbers  and my phone was sitting in the exact same place  

where I left it that's something that I'll tell  you right now me coming from Ireland would never  

ever happen in my home country and that that's  not me being disrespectful if there's any Irish  

people listening that's just me being honest  uh if you were to leave your phone behind if  

you even were to set your phone down for a second  in a restaurant or something like that your phone  

would be gone in 2 minutes even if you turned  your head to the side and you didn't realize  

that you weren't looking at your phone for a  second like that your phone would be gone in  

some European countries you might even be looking  at your phone and somebody just takes it casually  

swipes it while off the table while walking  past the table that also has happened quite  

to a lot of our friends in cafes and stuff like  that in Italy or in turkey or wherever you know  

so very very true and in terms of physical safety  uh me as a guy I am a tall white European guy uh  

in terms of feeling safe I have and I'm being  honest here and this if you guys think that we  

are being sort of pushed to make this type of a  video we're honestly not I swear we are not being  

to make this video this is genuinely just to put  across how we feel in this country me as who I am  

in this country I feel genuinely the safest that  I have probably ever felt inside of a of an Asian  

country and I believe now Naomi as a white female  I I'm 100% certain that she can walk around here  

freely uh on her own even and not have a single  worry yeah that's exactly true um maybe like I  

don't know every now and then you might feel  a little bit uncomfortable because obviously  

people are looking at you and the language barrier  is just um very very high so like maybe younger  

people maybe younger people like the girl in the  car there I don't know if you saw her she just  

pointed at us and they might speak a little bit of  English but not necessarily a whole lot and older  

people they're not there's no chance that they  even would remotely speak English and also why  

like they don't have a reason to speak English  if we're being honest here they have a a giant  

massive country and uh they don't need to speak  English in this country so there's not really a  

whole lot of reason for them anyway they uh might  look at you in a very intense way because they're  

just shocked to see a white person I mean we  are in Chongqing since we arrived here uh I  

don't know I don't think we have seen a single  white person I think we are the only white people  

since we arrived in chong ching CH changu was a  few but quite literally we're the only uh white  

people that we've seen SE seen in Chongqing since  we've arrived we've gotten plenty of stairs out  

of curiosity we've gotten plenty of high fives and  handshakes people will just start speaking to you  

in Chinese uh even though you don't understand  they literally will just speak to you but it's  

always them just sort of asking you questions like  why are you here and uh where do you come from but  

it's always very positive that's exactly what I  wanted to to talk about so people might look at  

you like in a very intense way and they're not  breaking eye contact whatsoever H but that's  

just a cultural difference like for for us maybe  coming from a western perspective looking at a  

person very intensively even coming from Germany  where the the Germans there is very very popular  

and very well known um it's kind of a little  bit on a different level here but that's just  

a cultural difference and it's um not not because  they're malicious or whatever or they want to take  

something off of you they're just genuinely  curious and they want to talk to you but they  

don't know how and that's just the that's just  the situation that it is they they might look at  

you which makes you maybe comfortable depending on  the person that you are for me sometimes it makes  

me a little bit anxious but um other than that uh  really nothing like the nobody ever comes close to  

you if they have the chance like here where it's  like a lot of space they wouldn't come close to  

you they have a lot of sort of physical distance  uh culturally unless obviously you're in a crowded  

place and um everything is fine like I genuinely  would go to an ATM by myself taking money out or  

U I don't know get a Chinese Takeaway or whatever  it might be uh hello me uh by myself and I would  

be fine whereas in other countries I would be like  maybe a little bit iffy about it or on the defense  

about it so yeah it's very very safe incredibly  safe yeah uh I've traveled a lot obviously both of  

us have traveled a lot we've been all over Asia  we've been all over Europe I've been all over  

nearly everywhere uh I've traveled quite a lot in  the United States as well Naomi was there once too  

I was there I think maybe four or five times in  the states uh all over different sort of parts of  

uh America and I'll tell you something right now  guys this right here local Chongqing in the middle  

of nowhere quite literally in China is 500 times  safer in any city that is in America and I'll just  

tell you that straight up that's just how it is  and I'm sorry to any American that's watching this  

cuz Americans a lot of times have this sort of  uh internal fascination with America and uh me  

being who I am I'm someone who's very fond of  America and I love a lot of the things about it  

and I am someone who is if I'm being totally  straightforward and honest with you guys I'm  

someone who has always been very fond of that  country and of the Constitution that they have  

and of the way that they freedom and things like  that that's me 100% and that's the reason one of  

the other reasons why I had so much doubt about  coming to visit this country China uh because  

because I really really love a lot of the values  that America has and I always thought I always  

thought that I was very much against the values  of a country like China that's not the case at all  

since I've arrived I found out that it's actually  quite the opposite of what I thought it was uh  

you'll realize that people can freely laugh and  talk they freely uh walk around together speaking  

to whoever they want whenever they want speak very  loud as well speaking very loudly as well there's  

no such thing as being like quietly speaking  here and I believe that's something to do with  

Chinese culture the whole sort of speaking with  your really sort of echoing your voice out there  

curiosity from the people every person wants to  speak to us constantly they come up to us like we  

just said and they'll just start talking talking  talking talking take pictures with us there's no  

sort of being scared of who we are or anything  like that quite the opposite actually so in terms  

of uh sort of being afraid to come here you have  absolutely no reason to be uh the police that's  

another thing I'll touch on cuz that's something  that I was very afraid of as well an immigration  

too the police in this country really incredible  so we've come across many of them uh even like  

security and different like Metro stations the  police in general that are out on the street all  

they do is literally just wave at us hello some of  them will say how are you one time I went into a  

bathroom here in in changu I went into a bathroom  I had a duck stuck to my hat or a chicken stuck on  

my hat the police officer just said that's a nice  chicken and then he started having a laugh with  

me they are really not intimidating people and I  don't see a reason for you as a Westerner to be  

afraid of coming here especially if you can figure  out the Visa situation and if you can figure all  

of that stuff out it's a very smooth process and  I think that's what Naomi wants to quickly touch  

on is just how incredible the immigration process  was here as well exactly um I was really scared  

because I'm like uh I don't know sometimes I'm  a little bit socially weird I guess or socially  

anxious so I was just um I guess scared of the  immigration process because you know you're in  

this type of situation where you try to enter a  country and then they're like oh what do you want  

to do here or in the US for example when I try  to I have a German passport I Tred to immigrate  

immigrate I try to go through immigration in the  US and uh I got questioned really hard and the  

guy made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't really  know what to say because it was like a work trip  

you know so it's like not really organized by  me or whatever I was just invited to go uh on a  

sales kickoff basically and uh then I don't know  I was made really uncomfortable and I thought it  

was going to be so so difficult to enter China  basically because I thought uh the questioning  

was going to be a lot more a lot heavier maybe  they're going to remove you to an extra room and  

then we're going to be separated from each other  and I have to ask that's what I thought January  

that's what I thought in uh on the contrary we got  on the plane we arrived uh in changu International  

Airport the guy looked at me he scanned my  password and he said welcome to China and he  

didn't ask a single question a single question  nothing I got the guy that I had oh my god the  

guy that I had literally was just like so uh what  cities do you want to see and I just said CH ching  

and changu he said oh good choice welcome to China  there was it I was it I wasn't even asked that  

question I wasn't ask anything was ask nothing  because I have a a German passport and I believe  

Germany and China are quite close so there was  nothing just literally welcome to China that was  

it yeah so in terms of immigration it's nothing  in terms of safety it's safer let me put it this  

way it's safer than 99% of the destinations  that you think are totally fine so for example  

Barcelona one of my favorite cities in Europe I  love Barcelona I love Spain I love Madrid I love  

everywhere in Spain I've traveled to Spain so many  times as an Irish guy that's literally The Chosen  

destination of a vacation for most Irish people  but I'll tell you what people are waving out of  

their cars at us the destination of choice was  is Spain but I'll tell you what for Irish people  

Spain Barcelona especially Barcelona at the moment  unfortunately is way more dangerous you have a  

huge pck pocket marketing problem in Barcelona  you have a huge cleanliness problem it's quite  

filthy in a lot of places and crime in general  it's really really high all throughout Europe and  

all throughout a lot of America a lot of Canada  even a lot of the Americas in general is a quite  

high crime so if you're looking at that and you  have no problem at all with going on holiday  

to somewhere like Rome or Paris or Barcelona or  Greece or anywhere like this the crime rates in  

those places are substantially higher than where  we are right now in China so why are you afraid  

of coming here is it just because you think that  the government is out for you or something like  

that because that's what I thought it's not the  case at all we have to say though as well that we  

only experienced uh changu and changqing so far  so I don't know there might be dangerous parts  

of certain areas out there but uh we didn't  experience any of but maybe just to preface  

preface it a little bit uh we have experience in  these two cities and that's uh the extent of our  

experience and also maybe another thing that I  was really scared of was uh scamming I thought  

oh because we don't speak the language you know  sometimes you don't know what things are supposed  

to cost or you don't know um how to ask for the  price or whatever we didn't have a single not one  

problem in the entire time we have been in China  now we we are I'm so trusting of Chinese people  

that I would literally go with my alipe and I let  them type in the number because even if I figure  

out how to ask how much is it they're going to  answer me in Chinese I don't know Chinese numbers  

so I just go and I show them my alipe they type in  the number and uh it's always exactly what it says  

on the menu so that's very true really no problem  what's coming we've been all over southeast Asia  

we've been all over lot of South Asia and this  is our first sort of Eastern Asian country now  

in China but we've been scammed in the Philippines  we've been scammed in Vietnam we've been scammed  

before in Thailand we've been scammed there's  people in the Burger King waving we've been  

scammed in uh quite literally we've been scammed  in India we've been scammed in Sri Lanka we've  

been scammed in a huge amount of the countries  nearly every country actually that we've been  

to where we've not been where we're obviously not  locals it hasn't happened once here so keep that  

in mind uh zero scams zero sort of uh aggravation  towards you as a person who's very clearly not a  

local it's actually the contrary here a lot of  times uh they type in a number into my alipe and  

I'm looking at it and I'm like are you sure this  is the price this is it seems to be too little  

right now for example with the barber experience  that we had with Luke where he typed in 301 which  

is under four when it was like nearly an hour of  service or with my nails or with the food or stuff  

like that it's just a lot of times it actually  seems like they're trying to undercharge you  

yeah true that's what I get like a lot of times  they'll literally give you stuff for free just to  

say welcome so yeah keep that in mind guys and I  hope that we have by us telling you these things  

like we're literally in areas that are not even  popular tourist destinations as westerners here  

in China and we feel very very comfortable we feel  very very safe and we hope that we have hopefully  

calmed you down a little bit if you are preparing  for your trip to China and don't get us wrong  

as well you need to prepare a lot like you need  to set up certain apps certain software certain  

payment systems that might be it's better if  I think if we put that into a different video  

different video you have to prepare a lot but it's  not the things that you actually have to be scared  

about so there just forget being scared there's  no reason to be scared yeah yeah it's a it's a big  

very big very beautiful place and uh we're going  to be coming back here many many many more times  

as well and this is not our our last video we have  many more videos but we will be making a lot more  

trips here just because we want to explore a lot  more and because of what we just spoke about in  

this video it's a very positive experience China  is also such a vast country with so many different  

people so many different areas Cuisines and so  on so I think you can probably spend a lifetime  

in China trying to see it all and you're not  going to see it all that's true guys but for  

now my name is Luke my name is Naomi we are the  two mad explorers and this is your reminder to  

keep exploring and I'll see you guys in the  next China Adventure shy for watching byebye