If someone from Iceland, Ghana, or Oman were to visit you in the States, wouldn’t you want them to understand some things about your culture before they arrived?

From popular culture, movies, YouTube videos, articles, blog posts, and travel guides, we can derive culture, cultural context and clues. We encourage you to do this as you prepare to visit someone else’s home country! Here’s a list of resources that may help you understand your host culture and ease the transition between home and host countries:

Recommended Books and Guides:
Lonely Planet Discover China
Diversity Abroad
Travel and Leisure
CIA World Factbook: China
Trip Advisor #CISabroadtip: check out their smartphone app too!
Vayama: Etiquette in China
Chinese Culture, Etiquette & Protocol
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: China
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Beijing and Shanghai
Fodor’s China
China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps
National Geographic Traveler: China
Unorthodox Survival Guide For Living In China by a CISabroad advisor

Recommended Videos and Movies:

More videos!

Travel Tips: How To Not Look Like A Tourist While Traveling
Travel Tips: Why you need a U.S. Passport Card

#CISabroadtip: keep in mind that Facebook, YouTube and other sites are blocked in China. If you want to access these during your time abroad, look into getting a VPN.

Language Resources:
Google translate
Word Lens
Mango Languages
iTranslate
Learn a language for free: the five best websites
Living Language
busuu
Memrise
#CISabroadtip: One great language resource specific to Mandarin Chinese is the app Pleco. And remember to add Chinese (pinyin and handwriting) keyboards to your phone if you have a smart phone or tablet.