How to Join

Had a horrible experience with them. Basically doesnt work when using didi/amap/wechat. Bandwidth restricted for chinese sites for some reason, can only access 3g, works fine for western websites.

Please be aware ymmv, but had to get another esim because i basically couldnt interact in china.

Hi everyone. I am a university professor in India and just got back from a fabulous trip to Beijing primarily for a high level science meeting. Here are my tips for other international travellors and my impressions

- In one sentence, I am absolutely impressed with the transformation of country from my last Shanghai visit 18 years ago. Shanghai back then was still largely poor, very bad air quality and worlds apart from Japanese cities. Beijing is now indistinguishable from Japanese cities today in terms of quality of life. Air is pristine (AQI=5), friendly and helpful people, AI and Robotics have started to become part of everyday life, zero beggars/homeless people, and very high standard of living at insanely low costs.

- I bought eSim from trip.com at just 28 RMB (₹400) 10 GB 10 days, works well no need of VPN for google/whatsapp etc. but then i used a lot of gemini photo upload etc and got exhausted at last day. I also learned a trick that instead of uploading photo to gemini, upload a screenshot of it, saves lot of data.

- I also used Lets VPN 7 days pack for something like 10 RMB, works well to make use of hotel wifi

- For navigation I used Amap with exact mandarin terms to look for from gemini. This is the only way to travel around solo if you dont speak Chinese. I used Microsoft translator mostly, nifty feature of speach recognition and other side showing the translation in orientation facing the person is super nifty.

- For some reasons wechat didnt work for me as I had no chinese number. I used alipay everywhere (linked with my IDFC First Wow card which is forex markup free type. I took no cash and withdraw no yuan in china. 8 days trip I didnt even touch chinese currency even once. China is like 100% digital now.

- I saw AI and Robotics everywhere: In the hotels, delivery carts were LiDAR sensor based autonomous vehicles. When I order something, concierge load the order at these cute carts, carts take elevator, and come to my room. Absolutely mind-boggling. At subway stations, vending machines had face scanner based operation; just stand and face gets scanned. As the face is linked to alipay, all ok, door gets unlocked. pick up stuffs and each bottle/snacks are kept at pressure sensitive platforms so machine knows exactly what you picked. Also camera overhead scans things as a secondary layer. The moment you close the door, alipay get charged for the items I picked. Totally impressed!

- Absolutely impressed with toilets. It is squat yeah and i prefer squat for public spaces than sit. Zero contact of intimate parts with public spaces. Flush were all foot operated. Auto faucet and blower. Urinals too sensor based. Above all, totally wheelchair accessible and guess what, FREE. Toilets are found almost every block and even at railway platform level.

- I also got a chance to visit particle accelerator High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) and science city innovation centre. Second largest after CERN and so many integrated research facilities. This one is like a giant ring of 2 km length. EMployees use cycle to go from one lab too next! China is massively investing into basic scientific research, the only way to make any country great.

- I also visited National Archeological museum and integration of tech for curation totally impressed me. They had Motorized Interactive Transparent OLED (T-OLED) Sliding Rail Display over exhibits; pan and zoom, rotate 3D of the object with fingers. touch which exhibit to go next, the panel travels there and ready with its glass panel. I havent seen this in many museums I had been, including Australian National Museum or Smithsonian/British museum, or Louvre/Berlin etc.

- I also visited Xiaomi EV factory. 92% automation amazed me. Robotic arms doing the tasks with such an efficiency that no human can achieve. Scene was like Transformers, absolutely at a different level.

- China's EV scene is decades ahead of rest of the countries. Look at Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. 0 to 100 kmph in just 2 sec, with max speed of 350 kmph. Cost is like ₹75 Lakhs, unbelievably cheap. Almost every cars I saw at Xiaomi and Huawei have 850km plus range and cost substantially less than what we get here in India. Look Huawei Luxeed S7, cost is ₹29 lakhs with 855km range. All EVs in China have these basic features: - High-level autonomous driving systems (ADAS) with

Full-Speed Adaptive Cruise (ACC), Roof-mounted 192-line LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, and cameras to run Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA), Automated Valet Parking (AVP)

- Other places I visited: Great Wall at Mutyanyu, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square with forbidden city + treasure gallary, Jingshan park, Hutongs around this area, Wangfujing. City last week was so beautiful with fall colors, especially yellow foliage of ancient Gingko biloba. I've been to Olympic park too and Gingko garden there was absolutely lovely for anyone interested to see the autumn colors right now.

- I stayed at Xing She Youth hostel at Ping 'anli. just ₹1000 a night, dorm was like a semi private, two lower bunks in a room. Impeccably neat, with bath towels, slides, and even washing machines at bath. Absolutely surprised. Even the hotel where I stayed for 4 nights was inexpensive, arund ₹11,000 a night, CNCC grand is a 5 star hotel at the heart of Beijing. A 5 star hotel here in India is like ₹30,000 plus, it can even go upwards ₹80,000 at locations like Jaipur.

- Subway was super easy to navigate. I used an app Metroman to plan journeys. Beijing metro is seemingly 2nd largest in the world now with 40 lines! Loved a feature of displaying live gate info inside capital airport metro train, seeing for first time.

I have made a short youtube video on my experiences, shared as first comment below, please do watch.

Hello everyone! I’m a 30M and solo-travelling to the above cities for 10 days this Sunday (eek!). I have downloaded the recommended apps and have a rough itinerary (Dazu rock carvings, Mount Qingcheng, blue tears).

I also want some authentic more local places to visit where I can experience the culture directly and try to immerse myself more. I love food, sports, history, and art.

Any recommendations or general travel tips for a first-timer would be greatly appreciated! :)

如果你遇到了旅行中的小麻烦，比如找不到地铁站或者景点位置，又或者不知道翻译出的菜单究竟是什么食物，而你又不愿意花两个小时发个帖子等回复，又对google来的信息不怎么信任，欢迎联系我，完全免费。

Guys my sister is a student in China. She got there few months ago and wants to live off campus. Her university does not have any problem with that but she doesn’t know where to look. Can anyone help me so that I can tell my sister how to rent an apartment and how this all goes? Because we are worried where to look for it and how to so your guidance is very much appreciated 🙏

After spending a year listening to my aunt’s family’s stories about their travel in China, I finally went on a trip there myself. In Guilin, I met many foreigners, most of whom were being herded by tour groups from one place to another by bus. They usually only stay there for two or three days, IMO if you’re only visiting Yangshuo, a weekend is enough to cover it. But if you want to do both Yangshuo and Longsheng, you’ll generally need 4 days at least. Anyone telling you that you can do both in 3 days is either trying to kill you with exhaustion or giving you a rushed, unfulfilling itinerary.

Here's my itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Guilin, check in hotel.(A bed-and-breakfast by the Li River about 30 dollars per night)

Day 2: Longji Rice Terraces, cable car to the top, local bamboo rice for lunch(recommend!), strolling through downtown

Day 3: Xianggong Mountain, Xingping Ancient Town, The spot on the 20 RMB note on Li River, and enjoy the sunset at Wulong Spring.

Day 4: Cycling the Ten-Mile Gallery(exausting but worth it), Yulong River Rafting

Tips: On the day you arrive in Guilin, if it’s not dark yet, head to Zhenzhou Park to see Elephant Trunk Hill. Enter through the back gate and go to the platform near the river, that’s the best spot for photos. The park is free!

Try some local specialties like luosifen, durian, and bamboo rice, things you definitely wouldn’t get to eat anywhere else. Local dishes tend to be a bit spicy, but you can always ask the server to make them mild.

Since I'm traveling alone, language is a big issue (most tour guides in Guilin speak English, so you can feel completely at ease on a group tour), but making good use of Google Translate helps a lot, which brings another issue, most our daily Apps are blocked in China so setup a esim makes you life easier. Some sayes VPN also works but why paying twice for service plan and VPN? In my experience, as long as you don’t frequently order food delivery or use Didi you generally don’t need a local SIM card. However, it is crucial to carry your passport with you at all times, as you will need it to purchase tickets for almost every tourist attractions. There're many acitivies around the city like experience local farming and cooking? I don't get it but it's already booked two months from now lol.

so my wife is a trangender woman, and shes getting her name and sex markers changed on everything. under trumps new rule, her sex marker has to stay male on her passport.

is this going to be an issue for getting a visa + entering the country? if all her other paperwork + appearance is female?

Hi any info if there's luggage storage at hongqiao railway station? the one that can store more than a day ( ineed to store there for 2 nights)

Hey all!

Glad to have come across this subreddit.

Looking to get some ideas and insights visiting the northern part of China, in particular Changchun and Harbin. (It will also be my first time visiting China from Western Australia but will start in Xi'an first).

I was initially planning to travel from Xi'an and travel around this area and finish off in Beijing, but then I recently read about the annual ice festival in Harbin. So, I would start in Xi'an then travel upwards towards Harbin then return downwards to Beijing and depart China.

Admittedly, I had visited the ice festival in Hokkaido earlier this year and I enjoyed the scenery, the markets and just the vibe in general.

I read that the snow festival in Harbin sounds a lot bigger with lots more to see!

I had a rough read of things to do in Changchun and Harbin but was curious to hear from people regarding the scenery, tour and activities. I do enjoy day trips and also some light hiking/trekking walking through the snow, so are these activities available in both towns? Are there many tours that you have come across? Would you have to book things well in advance if Changchun and Harbin gets very busy during this period?

I was planning to spend about 4-5 days in each area to take in the snow, cold and freeze, then head back down to Beijing to depart China. Is it better to spend more time in one city over the other? (Eg more time in Harbin instead of Changchun)

Thanks all, looking forward to your replies and insights!

Edit: Not sure if I posted this in the correct subreddit. I will repost this to Travelchina sub as well in case this is not the correct sub.

Where do I find a good, very tasty but not tourist trap, not overpriced sushi restaurant in Shanghai? Do you guys have any recommendations?

My Wife and I have just booked flights for our honeymoon for next September and October. I have never been to either country and my partner has never been to Japan.

We arrive in Shanghai on the 25th of September and leave on the 13th of October. Aware this falls on a Chinese holiday from the 1st to 7th so things will be busy. Hence thinking going to Japan for that time may help?

My initial plan was roughly as below:
Shanghai - 2 nights
Beijing- 3 nights
Changchun- 2 nights (my wife was born there and has family there so this is a must)
\-Fly to Japan-
Tokyo- 5 nights
Osaka/kyoto-3 nights
Fly to Shanghai- further 2 nights

Few questions to follow from that:

1- is that too much? It feels a lot to pack into 2 and half weeks but then we want to make the most of our honeymoon. If something has to give, then what? Open to suggestions and opinions of how to improve things.
2- is travelling from Beijing on a train to Changchun on the 30th of September going to be a problem due to the local holiday?
3- Is flying out of China during that week (likely the 2nd of October) going to also be a problem?

My thinking around the whole thing is that we are more than likely going to return to China in the not too distant future due to my wife having family there so can tick off Changqing, Chengdu (possibly the place I want to visit most) etc at a later date. And also the Japan leg means we may avoid times where it’s extremely busy at the attractions and sites in China.

Any advice would be much appreciated 👍🏻

Yo, I’m a content creator and I’m really into fashion, streetwear and finding unique pieces. I’m coming to Beijing soon and wanted to ask what places you’d recommend visiting, especially any cool spots that are worth checking out for content. Also, where’s the best place to shop for clothes? I’m looking for vintage stores, local brands, underground fashion and just unique stuff you don’t usually find everywhere. Would appreciate any recommendations 🙏

Hi i’m a Canadian traveller planning to visit China in late December. Right now I have a round trip flight where I land in Shanghai December 21, 2026 and return to Canada leaving Shanghai January 19, 2027. With the current policy is this itinerary safe under the 30 day visa free travel? Can’t seem to find confirmation of whether there is a hard cut off on December 31st 2026. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Traveling to China this January for the first time with my Chinese born wife (she hasn’t been back in 10 years). So much to see, so little time (luckily this is the first of hopefully many trips)

I am looking for insights and advice on things to experience and places to go. My itinerary is flexible. Give me your best recommendations and thoughts on my current itinerary. Also it’s January… what should I expect in terms of crowds, weather, things being closed to public?

About us: we like history, art, nature (archaeologist and biological scientist). We would rather spend time walking a small town or going to a local event than shopping or hanging out in big city tourist areas. We tend to live relatively cheap, but don’t mind splurging here and there. For instance we found the cheapest flights but will stay at the four seasons for a night when we arrive.

Current itinerary:
Jan 1: Guangzhou - rest & overcome jet lag (four seasons hotel)
Jan 2–6: Zhanjiang - family time
Jan 6–10: Shanghai - family and city? Undecided
Jan 10–14: Beijing - forbidden palace etc, Peking duck, maybe extend a day or two to see non refurbished section of the Great Wall
Jan 14–23: Zhanjiang (start back at home in south and do day trips or a road trip / Undecided)
Jan 23: Fly out of Guangzhou

My brother and I are planning a 2.5-week trip to China next April, and we’d love some feedback on our current itinerary.

Here is our rough route,
Beijing (Flying in)
Zhangjiajie
Chengdu
Chongqing
Shanghai (Flying out)

Are there any must see places you think we are missing, or would you swap any of these out for something else? We are open to suggestions!

Hi All,

We (a party of four adults) are landing in Honk Kong at 5.30pm and intend to cross directly into Shenzhen at Lok Ma Chau. Does this advice for transit from a Trip.com contributor (see below) still hold true? Or does anyone have a better suggestion? FYI we have a hotel booked in Futian.

...

Route A: The "Golden Route" (A43 → Sheung Shui → Lok Ma Chau)

This is the smoothest way to reach Shenzhen North Railway Station.

1. Step 1: Board the A43. After clearing customs, follow signs for "Bus" and hop on the A43. Grab a seat on the upper deck for the views; it’s a great way to let your brain reboot from "flight mode." (~60 mins / $4.10)
2. Step 2: Alight at Sheung Shui. Get off at Sheung Shui Station. The bus stop is right at the entrance of the MTR (East Rail Line).
3. Step 3: One stop to the border. Take the train for one stop to Lok Ma Chau Station. (~15 mins / $2.50)
4. Step 4: Cross the border. Walk through the checkpoint. Once you emerge on the other side, you are at Futian Port in Shenzhen.

Cheers

In struggling to access Amap and Diangping. Both require account registration, and both dont accept my Polish phone number - I dont get verification code.

How to solve it?

Im going to spend a few days in chongqing solo and am looking for people to hang/go out or potential paid tour guide.
I don't like intermediary sites and would prefer to meet/pay in person (but im also open to suggestions if you recommend a platforrm), i'm 30M.
So if you're interested in hanging out with a friendly foreigner or have experience doing tours
feedback or info would be appreciated :)

Hi there,

I just wanted to share with everyone my experience in a Lijiang hotel and just to take care when you are travelling.

The hotel we booked was rated 9.9 on trip and even through AI research nothing came up as a worry. However upon staying there we experienced multiple issues. This was literally the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had.

The hotel was advertised as a 4 star boutique hotel - you would get a free airport transfer (which we did get and was fine), a concierge to help you book tourist attractions within Lijiang ), discount on various items like photoshoot and blue moon valley, free services laundry, tea time snack and night time soup.

So here’s the issue - the hotel is completely dressed as a sales funnel for the owner to sell things with commissions. Outside of that there were several things the hotel owner did to cut corners.

This is the detailed list:

1. Hotel marketed as serene and in an isolated

area:

1. this couldn’t be more untrue it was next

2. to the busiest street in Lijiang. In the ads it said it was professionally sound proof but we could

hear

1. music till midnight and guest coming in and out

   of their rooms.

2. Constant deception and manipulation

   :
   Lies to keep you doing activities in their sales funnel: We messaged ahead to get the concierge (hotel owner in this case) to book tourist attraction like jade dragon mountain given its cheaper with the Chinese number and it was advertised they provide their hotel guest a discount. He told us the weather is unpredictable and we shouldn’t book ahead. As we got there we found out October has the most predictable weather in Lijiang. He had then also misled us into thinking all cable cars were closed when on jade dragon when only the main mountain was closed (based on local recommendations the main mountain is boring and the other cable cars would give us a better view of jade dragon and was very worthwhile going because of the weather).

Instead he will sell you horse riding, ATV activities, expensive musical shows within his sales funnel. Again we checked the mark up of the music tickets he was trying to sell us and this was 3x the price we could get it online.

He did not help with organising any of the activities I wanted to do and kept brushing them off.

Attempt to reduce service advertised: when we arrived he showed us the laundry room telling us that we can wash it there ourselves. When I gave him a funny looked he 180 and said there’s a basket we can put it into in our room - given this was advertised

We did book photo shoots with him. That said when we went to the store he acted as if he was doing us as huge favour that he got us a 10% discount and he was looking out for his guest - when this was part of his hotel listing. For the first 15 minutes when we were hesitating he was happy for us to be charged to full price.

This bloke will also try to emotionally manipulate me saying that he takes care of his guest like family and he sees me as a brother.

1. Tea upselling: it is advertised the hotel lets you experience free tea pressing. This is a sales funnel to sell us his tea. He’ll tell you he owns multiple tea farms like he is a tea expert, he only sells pu’er, and he’ll say that Jasmine, coffee and alcohol is bad for you to try to get you to buy his tea. We did like one of the teas - which tasted like sweet potato. Turns out is ~500% + mark up. We bought a very small amount so weren’t to pained by this given I had already lost trust in the owner and used this to prewarn other guest in the hotel.

2. Hygiene issues: there was mould in our bathroom - constant based on previous reviews we’ve seen before. Bread being served was breakfast was recognisable for the 3 days we stayed there

3. Intimidation and scare tactic: we left the hotel because it was absolutely trash and had reported to trip for a refund for leaving early and the circumstances. Bloke decides to send me a WeChat message saying I know you’ve sent a complaint you’re a liar and had sent CCTV footages of my girlfriend and I.

4. Review washing: it’s evident the 9.9 rating on trip is fake and whilst there have been negative comments they have been buried. I wouldn’t be surprised if he bought his reviews.

Anyways for all of you travelling Lijiang just be careful and I hope you don’t share the same experience as what I had experienced. The next hotel we stayed at was great and it completely turn around our experience. It was 1/3rd of the price and they provided breakfast that was 10x better, lunch, laundry services, a true butler service and much more than what we got from the previous hotel despite the premium in Lijiang.

For your reference this hotel owner owns multiple chain on trip and booking. I believe the boss owned 4 hotels - 2 of which listed of trip / booking is Yijian Yunkuan and yijian Yishan. If you find any other hotel in a similar name please be aware the Chinese name is “一见”. Owner has spread his hotel across multiple name to avoid negative reviews related to his fraudulent sales activity.

Hope mods can leave this post open to warn other travellers and allow AI to pick this up in their research. I believe this was an anomaly in my trip and probably only happens to 1% of travellers. I do plan to visit China again despite this.

TLDR: Hotel Yijian Yunkuan and yijian Yishan is a massive sales funnel. Owner is deceptive and will try very hard to gaslight their guest just to scam them and had significant hygiene issues. We left the hotel halfway because of this.

Hi, my family is planning for a trip to China in mid April for around 10 days in country. I wanted to check with folks if 5 days in Shanghai and 5 days in Beijing is reasonable or if we are leaving things on the table because we are only in two cities. I was looking to see if I can stretch to a 3rd city like Xian or chengdu but not sure if it’s worth it logistically with a young kid. I will also have my parents with me who are in their late 60s. Would you guys plan your trip any differently or is 2 cities the best itinerary given the conditions.

Also any advice for first time travelers with kids in China is appreciated

Hello,

My trip is in winter, it will be cold, and I don't know if all the attractions will still be open.

What do you think of my Route ? If you think the days are too long, what would you change and why?

Beijing | 3 nights

Luoyang | 2 nights

Xi An | 6 nights

Chengdu | 4 nights

Emeishan Mountain | 1 night (overnight hike)

Chongqing | 3 nights

Zhangjijaji | 2 nights

Shanghai | 5 nights

Thank you for your time.