China Travel Guide 2026: What's New for Visitors (8 FAQs)
Five 2026 policy changes every visitor meets — visa-free (77.7% of H1 entries), ¥200 refund floo…
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City and route field notes
China High-Speed Rail Silent Carriage: How to Book the Quiet 静 Car
The 静 silent carriage on a Chinese high-speed train: how to check it off in 12306, what the 5 qu…
China Train Luggage Rules: The 130 cm Rule Foreigners Miss
On a Chinese bullet train the limit is the three sides of your bag summing to 130 cm, not its in…
5 China Train Mistakes Foreign Travellers Make (And How to Fix)
Five things about Chinese rail mistakes that are wrong: wrong station, overshot stop, missing yo…
卧改坐: 9 Questions About Chinese Sleeper-As-Seat Tickets
卧改坐 (sleeper-as-seat) is a real 12306 ticket type: soft-sleeper lower berths turned into benches…
China Highway Service Areas: 8 Things at Almost Every Stop
China has nearly 4,200 pairs of highway service areas. What is actually inside one: toilets, fre…
Things to Do in China With Kids: 9 Days, 3 Cities
Things to do in China with kids, from 9 days on the road with a 5- and 9-year-old: child ticket …
Domestic Flights in China: 7 Steps From Booking to Boarding
Booking a China domestic flight with a passport: where to buy the ticket, how early to arrive, b…
Walking West Lake in Hangzhou: 15 km, 11 Hours, ¥218
A 15.4 km loop of Hangzhou's West Lake on foot: a 06:42 start, ¥218 spent, one blister. Which se…
China Metro: 8 Questions First-Time Riders Ask
Security checks, ¥2-3 fares, transfers, last trains, luggage rules and riding the wrong way — 8 …
China's 5 National Parks: The Numbers Behind Each One
Area, province, flagship species and best season for all five of China's first national parks, p…
Zhouzhuang or Wuzhen? Choosing a Jiangnan Water Town
Two ancient water towns, one hour apart by train, very different in feel. Distances, founding da…
Bullet Train or Sleeper Train? Choosing a China Route
Bullet train or sleeper train in China: journey times, bunk types, what a bed costs, and when th…
Golden Week in China: How to Travel Oct 1-7
Oct 1-7 moves a huge share of the country at once. How 12306's 15-day pre-sale, the waitlist, fr…
Dali or Lijiang? Picking One Yunnan Old Town
Dali or Lijiang: altitude, crowds, daily cost and what you actually look at, compared side by si…
Sending Packages Home From China: 9 Questions
What you can post from China, what gets seized, what a 2 kg box costs, EMS vs courier timings, a…
Metro or DiDi in China? The 4 Situations That Decide It
Metro or ride-hailing in Chinese cities: what each really costs in yuan and minutes, plus the 4 …
Chengdu or Chongqing? The 5 Differences That Actually Decide It
The two most-asked-about cities in southwest China compared on food, cost, pace, hills and night…
7 Days in China for a First-Timer: The Itinerary I'd Actually Do Now
Beijing for 3, Xi'an for 2, and 2 days of buffer or a city break — a realistic week that skips t…
The Great Wall of China: A First-Timer's Guide
Which section of the Great Wall to visit from Beijing, how to get there, what to wear, and how t…
Buying a High-Speed Rail Ticket in China Takes 7 Minutes. Here's How
Step-by-step: buy a China high-speed rail ticket with a foreign passport — the app, the ID rules…
Useful Mandarin Phrases for Travelers
Pronunciation-friendly Mandarin phrases for greetings, ordering food, shopping and getting aroun…
What to Pack for China: The 12 Things That Matter and the 5 That Don't
A short, opinionated packing list for visiting China — plugs, power, meds, and the 'luxury' item…
Cash or Phone? 10 Questions About Paying in China
Do you need cash in China? Ten practical questions about Alipay, WeChat Pay, foreign cards, fees…
How Much Does Shanghai Really Cost Per Day? (Real Numbers, Not Blog Averages)
A day in Shanghai on three budgets — frugal, comfortable, and 'I'm here once' — with the actual …
Top 10 Travel Destinations in China for First-Time Visitors
Ten places that give a first-time visitor the widest picture of China's landscapes, history and …
Where to See Giant Pandas in China
The best places to see giant pandas, when to go, and how to visit responsibly.