Land ready,
not lucky.
A first-stop desk for the few things that can derail an independent China trip: the right entry route, a working phone, a payment fallback and a first night that checks in cleanly.
The eight desks inside CathayGuide
Visa & Entry 签证与入境 Officially sourced A plain-English route check for transit, tourist visas, arrival forms and the documents that prove your plan. 02 
Safety 安全 The practical risk desk: scams, solo travel, emergency numbers and where ordinary caution is enough. 03 
Internet & VPN 网络与 VPN China-tested A phone-first plan for maps, messages, translation, blocked services and backup access before Wi-Fi matters. 04 
Pay 支付 Payment setup, scan failures, cash fallbacks and the moments when a foreign card still needs a backup. 05 
Stay 住宿 Front-desk reality for passports, small lodgings, apartments and the first-night booking that should be boring. 06 
Cities 城市 City bases, day counts, neighbourhood trade-offs and which stops deserve space in a first China route. 07 
Culture 文化 Dining, gifting, photos, queues, basic phrases and the small courtesies that reduce friction. 08 
Airports & Arrival 机场与抵达 Updated Choose the right airport, get to the city after landing, and make the first hotel journey hold together. 09 
Public Holidays 法定节假日 2026 verified Official days off, working weekends, crowd pressure and the dates that should change a multi-city plan. Know the next move before the doors open.
The homepage is the fast entrance, not the whole library. Use it when the trip is close and you need the airport-to-hotel chain to hold together.
Save the proof you may be asked for
Keep the relevant entry documents, booking address and onward details reachable without digging through email at immigration.
Make the phone useful before baggage claim
Maps, translation, ride-hailing and account recovery all depend on one thing: the phone having a working route online.
Have more than one way to settle the bill
Test the main wallet, carry a modest backup and know which card support path to use if the first QR scan refuses.
Make the first night administratively simple
The first stay should prioritize a front desk that understands passport registration over a charming but uncertain listing.
What this homepage is watching
The fragile parts of a China trip are usually operational, not scenic. When an entry route, wallet setup, connectivity option or lodging workflow changes, the relevant guide gets a visible source note instead of a silent rewrite.
Change-sensitive pages get extra care. We treat border rules, payment ceilings, blocked-service access and hotel registration as maintenance work, not evergreen travel inspiration.
- RuleOfficial bulletin or consular notice
- AppProvider documentation or product change
- TripFresh reader report with a reproducible detail
- DeskInternal check before updating visible dates