Before you start learning Chinese, be sure that you know which part of China you will be visiting so that you can learn that particular dialect. For example, if you are planning on visiting Hong Kong, you will want to learn Cantonese, as this is the dialect that is spoken in this part of China the most
After you have learned a few words in Chinese and have picked up the alphabet, you will be able to start to communicate in Chinese to others. Although your language will be rusty at first, you will soon get the hang of it. Chinese is not a difficult language to master, once you select a dialect and learn the alphabet. As soon as you pick up the concept of the language, you will then be able to pick up an increasing number of words. The more you force yourself to speak Chinese, the better off you will be. You will find that it becomes easier to communicate in this language the more you use it.