The discomforts of visitors, such as inefficient service, limited hot water, and difficulties in transport, are minimal compared to the limitations on the local quality of life. The tendency among foreigners, however, is to blame the Chinese for these inconveniences. People stare openly at foreigners, sometimes gathering in small crowds to observe while rash youths follow you around, trying to practise English and get a foreign address. You can quickly become overwhelmed by a language you do not properly comprehend and by customs, hemispheres removed from your own. But beyond all this, there's no denying the grandeur of China's natural scenery, its position on the world scale and the influence it exerts over the rest of Asia.
China requires patience, flexibility and humour.
The unpredictability of wandering the Middle Kingdom has its rewards, and for women going it alone, it's bound to feel safer than home.