The Guide · 中国旅行指南
Everything, in seven chapters.
The whole field guide, in the order most travellers need it — start before you book, finish on the ground. Every chapter is sourced and dated.
Filter 7 guides
Before you goWeekly
Visa & Entry 签证与入境
240-hour transit, the tourist L visa, and the exact forms you fill at the border.
11 min readRead
On the ground
Safety 安全
What is actually risky and what isn't — scams, solo travel, and the numbers that matter.
8 min readRead
Before you goTested
Internet & VPN 网络与 VPN
Getting online past the Great Firewall — which VPNs and eSIMs work right now.
9 min readRead
Before you go
Pay 支付
Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card, when cash still rules, and the fallbacks.
7 min readRead
On the ground
Stay 住宿
Which hotels can legally register foreign guests, and where to book.
6 min readRead
On the ground
Cities 城市
Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an — what to see and exactly where to sleep.
Hub · 4 citiesOpen
On the ground
Culture 文化
Etiquette, food, a little language, and the unwritten rules on the ground.
10 min readRead
华
Start with visas First time? Start with visas.
It decides everything else about your trip — and it's the one most people get wrong.