China – quick travel guide

Huge territory of various terrain, food, and intact culture thousands of years old.

China is a really great place to travel because:

1. There’s so much to see. A wide range of culture, nature, landscape, food, and everything intact for a civilization thousands of years old.
2. It’s so different from anywhere else you’ve ever been.
3. It caters to all price ranges. Whereas most countries are either all expensive or all less developed, China has the extremes of both. Which means you can find affordable accommodation and food in nice cities right next to fancy accommodation and food.
4. It’s safe.

Bottomline, China is such an underrated place to travel. There’s so much to see and do, much of it relatively untainted by western tourism and culture. You actually feel like you’re seeing a totally new place. And the price is quite cheap for such a developed country. It’s loads of fun and feels like a whole new continent rather than just one country. Many of the unique things you’d find in Japan or Korea would be eclipsed by far more variety in China.

You could get A LICK (not even a taste) of China within a week. Like at least 4 days per major city. I honestly feel you could be here a month and feel like you barely saw 2% of the highlights. You would almost have to be here at least 3 months or a year to feel like you comprehended it.

As a reference, I feel America could be comprehensively sampled within a month. Western Europe within 2-3 months. But China?? Again…that civilization has been around thousands of years and their country is so big…I really don’t know, 6-12 months?

General tips for traveling in China:

• VISA:
  • As an US citizen, I found it super easy to get a 10-year multiple-entry visa. I filled out the form online, printed it out. Then went to the nearest Chinese consulate. Was given a number to wait and then got called up 10 mins later where I submitted my printed form and passport. They gave me a pickup date just 3 days later. I came back 3 days later and waited just 10 mins to pick up.
  • It’s super easy and the multiple-entry makes it so simple to pop in and out as often as you need/want. China is so big that there’s a very good chance you WILL be back.
  • To be let into the country (and even just on the plane), they’ll probably check that you have an onward flight out of China and also the address of where you’re staying. Have that prepared.
• Accommodation:
  • There’s no AirBnB in China. Usually, you stay in hotels which are surprisingly affordable (even in big cities). You can stay right in the center of town for $35 USD/night if you wanted. Pay up to $50-60/night and you get something much much nicer.
  • They usually provide free toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, room slippers. Many provide 2 free water bottles every day, others have drinking water dispenser. Some have common areas, some don’t.
  • Make sure there’s a laundry machine or else it could be a hassle to do laundry (having to walk several blocks off-site and pay expensive prices), unless you don’t mind hand-washing in your bathroom sink.
  • Keep in mind that some hotels do not accept foreigners. You might book online only to arrive and find out they don’t want the hassle of registering you. I haven’t experienced this yet. I usually just look for English reviews when I book a place on Trip.com.
• Mobile carrier & VPN app
  • One of the common issues with using internet in China is bypassing the “Great Firewall” (GFW) of China to communicate with your friends and family on western apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or use sites like Google, YouTube, Yahoo, etc.
  • The 2 main options for China are to buy a 3rd-party ESIM online which already has VPN built in (so you can access blocked sites/services). Or to buy a local China carrier prepaid plan and then pair it with a VPN app. Generally for less-technical users or people staying in China for only a short time, going the 3rd-party route is much easier and less hassle. You pay a little more but it just works.
  • Best mobile data & VPN apps for China firewall – read this to know which mobile carrier and VPN app to use. (TLDR: get Holafly unlimited plan & LetsVPN app.)
• Transportation
  • Incredible public transportation, modern, fast, efficient, frequent, cost-effective. Trains to get around the country. Metro and buses to get around the cities.
  • Rideshare – I use “DiDi : Ride Hailing in China” app, works well and cost-effective.
  • Taxi – usually safe option and easy to hail one when rideshare cars are unavailable or taking forever (late at night when bars close or during sudden rain).
  • Flights – you can easily find cheap domestic flights even last minute. Just beware that flights within China are often changed, cancelled, or delayed. I found this incredibly annoying as flights sometimes cancel only 2 hours after you bought it. And they’ll send you an email with options to choose another one or refund. If you don’t notice the email in time, you lose out on good replacement options and are forced to choose less convenient times.
• Weather – I went in Jul-Sep which are largely considered the worst months. It was hot, humid, and swampy. Instant sweat as soon as you step out the door. North (Beijing) is cooler than the south (Shanghai, Chengdu/pandas, Hong Kong).
• Apps (essential):
  • China is extremely digital and runs on entirely different apps. Cash is virtually never used. All apps here are essential. Download them all to your phone and try to sign up before arriving to China.
  • Map apps:
    • Apple Maps – easiest one to use for foreigners since it’s already in English and works to give you route directions (car, transpo, walking). But not so many businesses are found on here, so you may need the local Chinese apps. Don’t even bother with Google Maps, it’s blocked and can’t help you at all. Even if you do unblock it with VPN, very few things are listed on here.
    • Baidu
    • AutoNavi
  • Alipay (payment):
    • Download this app to your phone and connect a debit/credit card to it, yes it works with foreign cards. With this you can pay for everything through your phone. It’s super easy to use and absolutely essential…everywhere/everyone takes AliPay!
    • Usually you pay by scanning their code and entering the price & pin, other times they enter the price on their machine and scan your code. (Sometimes when scanning their code gives you a “foreign bank card” error, you can get around it by asking them to scan you.)
    • Chinese bank account – maybe you’ve wondered about this. I thought about it too…but I hear they’ve made it harder for foreigners to open a bank account in China.
  • DiDi : Ride Hailing in China:
    • It works well and cost-effective (surprisingly cheap compared to 98% of places in the world). I pretty much never used public transportation, except maybe for long airport transfers to the city during rush hour (when driving is slower).
    • This app works in both Mandarin and English, so you can type in whichever language you know best. Type location name or address.
    • You can save money by waiting longer, or select more options to get a ride faster.
    • Payment is done by connecting to your Alipay app.
  • WeChat (chat app):
    • All-in one app that does 101 functions. For foreigners, it’s an essential app to add contacts and send messages. You can also look up places and things but it’s all in Chinese and not so easy for a foreigner to use. I use it only for chatting. Note that it only activates when you’re in China. I tried activating before I got to China and it wouldn’t work.
      • WeChat Pay – one of the many functions of WeChat, but I couldn’t get this to work with my foreign debit card. Which is fine since everywhere takes AliPay anyway.
  • Food delivery:
  • Trip.com (booking, travel):
    • By the far the most useful all-in-one booking app. Use it to find accommodation and flights. Great pricing, too. Has all the Chinese places in here but is also great interface in English and easy to use.
    • In case you’re wondering, ctrip.com is the original chinese version.
    • AirBnB is not in China. Booking.com works but I don’t recommend it. Just because Trip.com has everything and would be more convenient to manage all from one app. Also when people suggest places for you, they’ll usually send you a link in Ctrip or Trip.
• Cost – I’ve found China to be surprisingly affordable. I’d easily call it cheapest developed country in the world to live in. Housing and food is affordable. Taxis and rideshares are pretty cheap. You really can eat for $5 any time of day, and from a much wider range of options than just kebab like in all of Europe. Hotels are cheaper than hostel dorm rooms. Massages, haircuts, on and on. You can get first-world comfort at third-world prices. And this is in the main cities…imagine if you went further out…it gets even cheaper!
• Local friends – China is definitely a place where having local friends is essential. More than any other country I know. You need someone who can speak the language, use all the apps, and knows places. Sure you can explore on your own..but having a local take you around will open your eyes to many things you would have never EVER found on your own. Lucky for you, many locals know this already and will often offer to take you out.
• Laws:
  • Drugs – highly illegal in China. Caught having or using marijuana is 15-day to 5 year jail sentence. Caught selling is death sentence. Other drugs are even more strict. DO NOT MESS AROUND!

Miscellaneous tips:

• Tap water – people do not drink tap water in China. They drink from bottles, and most accommodations will give you 2 free bottles every day.
• Food delivery –
• Air quality – China’s air quality can be really bad, due to massive pollution from vehicles, manufacturing, and coal-burning for electricity. Of the 20 worst cities in the world for air pollution, 16 of them are in China. Of course, not all cities are that but you can at least research online if that bothers you. I remember in college, some Chinese kids told me about an expression called “coughing black” meaning that when you coughed into your hands, you could see black dirt come out.
• Business freedom – taxes, etc.
• Shopping:
  • Clothing brands I liked – Urban Revivo, Croquis.

Safety tips:

• dfd

Activities & Tours:

• Massage – massages are super cheap and many places are very fancy despite the cheap price. The masseuses are highly professional and focus on a very functional type of massage that benefits your body in so many more ways than the typical “feel good” relaxation massage from other cultures. As with many other things in China, you can feel their thousands of years of experience in this practice.
• Food:
  • C’mon, we already know Chinese food is amazing. But it’s 100 times more diverse in China. I’ve tried many Chinese foods in my life (especially growing up as a person of Asian ethnic origin) but even so, China completely wow’ed with how many more dishes I haven’t tried.
  • When I first arrived, I thought I’d have to live in China for at least a year to try all the food. Then a local friend told me a famous vlogger said this…but after 6 months, hadn’t even manage to try all the foods in one city. Hahaha!
  • Food in China is shockingly cheap. Restaurants are in steep competition with each other. Everything is delicious and well-priced. When eating with friends, you can stuff yourself completely and still pay less than $10 (yes, even in a major city).

Foods to try:

• fried rice or noodle with beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, eel, crab, etc.
• roast duck vs peking duck
• hot pot
• street food
• dumpling, dim sum
• fish
• barbecue
• seafood
• bone soup
• steamed rice buns
• …ok, there’s just too much to list. Why do I even bother?

No…Chinese people generally do not eat dog or cat. Maybe the really old generation (born 1950 or before) but not the people of today. They think it’s gross or socially-unacceptable just like how a foreigner would think of it.

Customs & Language:

• Languages spoken –
• Hello & Bye – [ni-how] and .
• Yes & No –
• Thank you – [sheah-sheahhh] like “yeah yeahhh”

Itinerary suggestions:

1 month:

• absolute minimum if you want to see several places in China.

2 months:

• recommended minimum time in China

China cities (* = recommended, ** = must see):

• Shanghai** – China’s commercial center, biggest business city (busiest container port), many wealthy residents, and #1 most foreigner-friendly city. Definitely your easiest English-friendly introduction into China. Many people like it. It’s big and has everything. But also nice and clean, very quiet since it seems all vehicles are electric. Not
  • Hangzhou – Manu said it was charmy city. (40min speed train from Shanghai)
  • Wuzhen – beautiful historical river town, short drive from Shanghai, considered one of China’s top visitor sites for travellers of all types. Little pathways and old bridges which cross narrow waterways. Popular thing to do in Wuzhen is to pose for photos dressed in traditional hanfu clothing.
• Chengdu* – the main place for pandas, and obviously great nature.
  • Chongqing – nearby Chengdu, also great nature and very spicy food.
• Beijing** – China’s capital and main city of the north, most popular tourist city, full of historical architecture and cultural tourist destinations. Known for the great wall and cooler weather.
  • Aranya – small modern beach town with futuristic architecture.
• Hong Kong** – beautiful metropolitan city (former British colony), located on an island with many hills and small vibrant streets. Very nice fusion vibe of western and eastern culture mixed together. Great food and English widely-spoken.
  • Macau – former ___ and Portuguese colony.

Yunnan

• Most beautiful tourist area.

Nearby countries:

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Unfiltered notes:

• Huangshan Mountain