Bingzhongluo

Main street

A handful of modest hotels; all are basic, with slow DSL internet and no English spoken.

Etiquette

• Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
• Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
• Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
• Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
• Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
• Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
• Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
• Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4

Scams and watch-outs

• Police checkpoints between Liuku and Gongshan target foreigners; illegal taxis/private drivers are arrested.
• ¥100 entry fee for tourists at the gate; inspectors do not ask for ID but impose it on anyone who looks like a tourist.
• Poorly trained dogs on hiking trails; bring a stick and consider a rabies vaccine before travelling.
• The local hospital is empty with only phone numbers on a blackboard — no real medical care.
• Roads are dangerous: one-lane, partially collapsed, with blind corners and heavy trucks.