If making signs in Chinese characters was my job, I would be very, very bad at it. However, I might hire someone who knows the language well before erecting a permanent sign at a major tourist destination. For a long time, this didn't happen in China and we snapped the photos below before they invested in changing the signs for the Olympics.
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/81/223673860_17e28f9686.jpg?v=0)
The guy in this photo is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. He's the blind adventurer Miles Hilton-Barber.(notice the broken cane, his favorite schtick) Photo is from the Three Gorges Dam. He did not turn over.
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/223675857_f03cfeb447.jpg?v=0)
I never could figure out why they wanted to protect the railings. This was at the Summer Palace, where I felt compelled to write a rant about tourism and tour groups.
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/235734483_b4f9565d3c.jpg?v=0)
An earnest request at Yellow Mountain. Most tourist travel in China (outside the cities) is controlled. Most people are herded onto busses and kept in a group, led by a flag-bearing guide who speaks English and may use a megaphone. We are very independent travelers and grew quite tired of these guides.
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/223695298_31b7069366.jpg?v=0)
At the Three Gorges Dam.
![Chinese Sign by you.](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/90/223676152_cf5ba6f157.jpg?v=0)
I didn't take it as a compliment.
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/82/217778496_61f477d1d1.jpg?v=0)
I think they meant "crab"
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/80/211692010_c28554c990.jpg?v=0)
4 Stars!
![4 Star Toilet - Forbidden City, Beijing China by you.](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/82/233837976_f587cefc74.jpg?v=0)
And finally, not a sign, but an illustration of a difference in culture. I present to you, on the busy streets of Beijing - a car-to-car turtle salesman.
![Car-to-Car Turtle Sales by you.](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/90/237322979_027cf71443.jpg?v=0)
Reading back through this, it may appear that we didn't like China. I would say that the tourist experience in China, compared to other places, was not as enjoyable. We were only there a month, which is far too short of a time to know if we really like it or not. We left the country wondering what would change before the Olympics and what Westerners would say upon returning.