Apps & Connectivity
Internet and VPN in China: What Won't Load and How to Stay Connected
What won't open in mainland China, how roaming, travel eSIMs and Chinese SIMs compare, what the VPN rules say, and...
Travel Guides
Travel Guides & Articles
Explore our comprehensive travel guides for China
Money & Payments
How to Use WeChat Pay with Foreign Cards: Setup, Fees, and Fixes
Which foreign cards WeChat Pay accepts, how to add yours step by step, the 3% fee and the 90-day waiver, limits, and...
Money & Payments
How to Use Alipay with Foreign Cards: Setup, Fees and Fixes
Which foreign cards Alipay accepts, how to register and add your card step by step, the 200-yuan fee rule and...
Food & Dining
How to Order Food in China Without Speaking Chinese: QR Menus, Photo Translation and Paying
Order and pay in a Chinese restaurant with zero Chinese: picture menus, QR-code ordering and what to do when it...
High-Speed Rail
How to Book China Train Tickets with a Foreign Passport: 12306 vs Trip.com
12306 or Trip.com? Both work with a foreign passport. Here's the whole process from registering and passport...
Visa & Entry
How to Apply for a China Visa: Forms, Documents and Timing
The China tourist visa in four steps: the COVA online form, the documents that actually matter, submission-day...
South China
Hong Kong and Macau Travel Guide: Visas, Border Crossings, Trains and What to See
Hong Kong and Macau visa rules by passport, why going back to the mainland is a new entry, West Kowloon trains,...
Attractions
China's Historical Sites: Where to Go and How to Book
The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Army, Mogao Caves and more: which sites must be booked ahead and how far,...
High-Speed Rail
China High-Speed Trains: The Complete First-Timer's Guide
How China's high-speed trains work for a first-time visitor: booking with a passport, choosing a seat class, the...
Safety & Health
Health and Medical Care in China: Vaccines, Hospitals, Pharmacies and Paying
How health care works for a visitor to China: no entry vaccines for most, which medicines you can bring, how...
Northeast China
Harbin Winter Guide: Ice and Snow World Dates, Tickets, Cold and Getting There
When to go to Harbin for the ice season, how cold it really gets, trains from Beijing, buying Ice and Snow World...
East China
Hangzhou Travel Guide: How Many Days, What's Free at West Lake, and How to Book Lingyin
Two days in Hangzhou: which of the three railway stations to book, how to get around a lake district that limits...