All guides
Read the pre-departure checklist first — it links to everything else in the order you'll actually need it.
Start Here
China Pre-Departure Checklist: What to Set Up Before You Fly
The two-week countdown for first-time visitors to China — apps to install, accounts to verify, bookings to make, and the mistakes that are hard to fix after landing.
Updated June 2026
Money & Payments
Alipay & WeChat Pay With a Foreign Card: Full Setup Guide (2026)
Step-by-step setup of Alipay and WeChat Pay with an international Visa, Mastercard, or Amex — fees, limits, what foreign cards still can't do, and where you genuinely need cash.
Updated June 2026
Internet & Apps
Internet in China: eSIMs, VPN Reality Check, and What's Blocked (2026)
How to keep Google, WhatsApp, and Instagram working in China — why a travel eSIM beats a VPN, what's actually blocked, and the trade-offs of roaming vs a local SIM.
Updated June 2026
Visas & Entry
China Visa-Free Entry & 240-Hour Transit in 2026: Who Qualifies
Which passports can enter China without a visa in 2026, how the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit works for Americans, Brits, and Canadians, and the rules that trip people up.
Updated June 2026
Transport
China's High-Speed Trains: Booking on 12306 or Trip.com as a Foreigner
How to book Chinese high-speed rail with a foreign passport — 12306 vs Trip.com, seat classes explained, passport gates at stations, and the timing rules that matter.
Updated June 2026
Transport
Getting Around Chinese Cities: Didi for Foreigners, Metro QR Codes & More
How to use Didi ride-hailing without a Chinese phone number, pay for the metro with Alipay QR codes, and navigate Chinese cities when taxis can't read your destination.
Updated June 2026
Language
Surviving China Without Chinese: Translation Tools, Phrases & Menus
The translation toolkit that actually works in China — offline packs, camera translation for menus, WeChat's built-in translator, and the 15 phrases worth memorizing.
Updated June 2026
Accommodation
Hotels in China for Foreigners: Who Accepts You, Registration & Booking
Why some Chinese hotels turn away foreign guests, how police registration works, which booking platforms to trust, and how to avoid the midnight 'we can't host foreigners' surprise.
Updated June 2026
Food
Eating in China Without Chinese: QR Menus, Dietary Needs & Delivery
How scan-to-order restaurants work, translating menus on your own phone, communicating allergies and dietary restrictions in Chinese, and whether food delivery is worth it for visitors.
Updated June 2026
Planning
A First-Timer's 7-Day China Itinerary: Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai
A realistic one-week route through Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai with the logistics built in — which tickets to book when, train times, neighborhood choices, and where first-timers lose half a day.
Updated June 2026
Authentic China
Street Food & Night Markets in China: What to Eat, Where, and How to Order
The street foods actually worth seeking out — jianbing, roujiamo, lamb skewers, tanghulu — plus how to spot safe stalls, what things cost, which famous night markets are tourist traps, and how to order everything by pointing.
Updated June 2026
Authentic China
Tea in China for Visitors: Tea Houses, Gongfu Basics & Avoiding the Tea Scam
What actually happens in a Chinese tea house, what it costs, the regional teas worth trying, how gongfu brewing works, how to buy tea to bring home without overpaying — and how to dodge the infamous tea ceremony scam.
Updated June 2026
Authentic China
Beyond the Landmarks: Hutongs, Longtang & Everyday Neighborhoods Worth Wandering
Where to see China actually living — Beijing hutongs past the touristy ones, Shanghai's former French Concession side streets, Chengdu's slow life, wet markets, and morning park culture — plus how to wander respectfully without speaking Chinese.
Updated June 2026
Authentic China
Timing Your China Trip: Festivals Worth Planning Around, Crowds to Avoid & Local Nightlife
Which Chinese festivals are actually worth building a trip around (and which dates to flee), plus the local experiences — KTV, square dancing, bathhouses, late-night crayfish — that turn a sightseeing trip into a real one.
Updated June 2026