Only now do I discover the thread about your trip to China.
Re: Sanitary Standards: You obviously are too used to the comforts of hygiene here. I remember that when I went to China in 2004, I had to go, so my grandma dragged me to a washroom and paid a dollar to have me go.
It was nothing more than a pit in the ground.
I was, quite literally, scared shitless, and refused to go. My grandma eventually gave up on having me go and got a refund.
Re: lines: For some reason, I didn't encounter the sort of wild bustling you did when I was in Beijing or Qingdao. In fact, there were lines painted on the pavement, and they were actually parallel to the street, and people didn't shove each other out of the way when trying to get on.
Re: traffic: Getting off the plane for Qingdao, my dad hails down a taxi for his hometown. I sit in the back, with no seatbelts, while dad, in the front, puts the seatbelt on out of habit. He got dust all over himself. On the road, we nearly collide with a truck.
On that note, during peak traffic hours, a three-lane highway becomes a five-lane highway.
Re: food: Next time you go, have 水煮鱼 or 麻辣烫, if you didn't that time (四川 and 重庆 cuisine, respectively). Beware: quite spicy but totally worth it.
Re: smog: Ah, I have an infection due to the poor air quality every time I go to China. Despite the fact that I was born there. And live in what might be the most heavily-polluted region in Canada (okay, in terms of water pollution, but still)
Re: 中国话: I need to hear you perform this.
Re: Horn: In Qingdao, came across a "Residential Area, No Honking" sign. Honking everywhere.
Addendum: Do you find it scary that tap water here tastes better than bottled water in China? It got so bad that I threw up after I drank a sip of some French imitation or other.