When it comes to spitting, says Nauman, People have loud productive coughs and subsequent spitting. It is common to see men, women and even kids hocking one in the streets. Try to ignore it or it will aggravate you at every step.

Vicky Collins, a freelance television producer on assignment in Beijing for the Olympics, says, It is true that there's a lot of spitting going on. Today I applauded a man on the street who was practicing some martial arts with a type of spear.  He looked extremely pleased with my praise, gave me thumbs up then hawked a loogie.

Stay safe: Watch out for topics and taxis
Bonnie Girard has lived in China for at least 21 years and is the President of China Channel Limited. She advises visitors to nix certain topics of conversation. You risk putting your Chinese colleagues, friends, hosts or acquaintances into a sticky if not risky position if you try to force conversations about controversial political or religious issues. Dont jeopardize someone else's freedom in the exercise of one's own.

Girard also encourages travelers to avoid sticky situations on the road: China has one of the worst records in the world for fatalities per number of vehicles on the road. Your life is worth more than the embarrassment or the face of a bad driver if you happen to be in a car with one. So if you are in a car with a bad driver, say that you have a heart problem or are sick and you need them to slow down and drive sanely. If language is an issue, use sign language. Ham it up.

Bruce McIndoe, President of iJET Intelligent Risk Systems, says things aren't any safer or easier for pedestrians. Getting across the street is like the game Frogger. When you go across the street, you're advancing lane by lane and trying to zigzag your way safely through traffic. Accidents are so common that McIndoe urges travelers to bring along their own first aid kit and to check if their medical insurance offers coverage while in China. If it doesn't, he suggests buying a medical insurance policy for travelers. People need to be psychologically prepared, says MCindoe. This is a rough and tumble, grimy environment. It's not like London or Washington, D.C. Beijing is congested, hot, and dirty. You have to adapt to that and live with that and come prepared.

And, Wolfe points out, In China, they don't waste food. So every part of an animal gets used. It's a great way to do it, but that means people may end up eating some surprising things.

Vicky Collins can attest to that. In restaurants, waiters and waitresses arrive immediately and hover over you until you order. This can be disconcerting to westerners trying to slog their way through a menu they can't read that's full of unfamiliar foods. My friend and I ended up ordering donkey the other day not our intention at all.

Faced with a situation like that, Wolf says, You just need to go with an open mind, and realize people eat differently and do things differently. If you think something looks yucky, just don't eat it.

Just go with the flow
Exactly, says Jon Campbell of YGTwo Productions. While bathrooms and restaurants may seem dirty and the lines in Beijing may resemble a swarm of bees rather than a march of ants, this is not to say that Beijing is a rude disgusting mess of humanity. It's just different. "And to navigate through this difference requires taking a deep breath, and remembering that.

Well, maybe not so different. Collins reports that at a live opera performance in Beijing she heard someone talking on their cell phone. As we all know, that happens here in America all the time.