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Comment by shell0x | Hacker News Reader

That sounds great. I'll be in China/Hong Kong for holiday and it seems like I could fix some broken devices there :)

You will need to speak Mandarin. I was in Shenzhen (for an academic conference) recently and hit the electronics stores, all of which are staffed by folks who pretty much exclusively speak Mandarin. That said, it was awesome just to wander around, even by myself as an english-only speaker. And the train system is super easy in Shenzhen, like Beijing.

I got robbed on a train just as I was about to get off at shenzhen once, it was in broad daylight and the train was full of people. Lost my phone. My biggest mistake was carrying a huge bag carelessly.

Keep your valuables hidden, keep a look out for suspicious people and look them in the eye.

Mandarin will get you around, but Cantonese will make you friends.

everyone in Shenzhen says Chaozhou language (潮州话) will get you even further.

You most certainly can.

Here's my 2c for places to go in HK: > Sham Shui Po > Mong Kok / Yau Ma Tei > Wan Chai Computer Center > 298 / 188 Hennessy Road

If you go to any of the places above, don't be afraid to bargain. If you pay cash you'll be well served by doing a quick survey of a few stores - there's usually a clear price and you should go below it. You won't have to worry about any language issues, too.

As a high school student, Ap Liu Street/Golden Computer Center was my favourite hangout :)

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