The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
____ Lao Tzu
I believe that a lifetime is not enough to visit and understand China. It’s a land of a thousands contrasts where ultra modern technologies meet ancient traditions. It felt stranger and familiar at the same time. After my intense weeks in China, there isn’t a single place that hasn’t left a mark in my heart. I was so impressed by the beauty of the cities, the kindness of the people and the friendly and peaceful atmosphere that I want to return again and again. Researching and planning this trip hasn’t been easy because information is a little lacking and there is a strong language barrier. Nevertheless, I managed to plan for us what it resulted in one of the most amazing trips we ever done. This page will be the hub where you can access all the information you need to plan your own trip to China. Here you will find all the China travel guides with tips that will make your trip smoother.
China a land of contrasts
Similarly to Japan, also China is a a land of strong contrast. For some travellers, the cultural shock may feel even stronger here, not only because of the language barrier, but also because of the incredibly advanced technologies that may be completely unfamiliar compared to those in their own countries. Nevertheless, unlike Japan or even South Korea, China seems to balance innovation and tradition in a way that makes the contrast even more striking.
Indeed, you will encounter ultra-modern cities that feel straight out of a sci-fi movie, such as Shenzhen, alongside places that seem frozen in time, like Fenghuang Ancient Town, which looks as though it came directly from a historical Chinese drama. The dramatic changes in landscapes, architecture, and climate are so astonishing that it is hard to believe all of this exists within a single country.
For this reason, it is best to prepare yourself in advance, because once you fall in love with China, there is no going back!
Prepare for China
China is a peculiar country to visit. Indeed, because of the Great Firewall, many apps and programs we use on a daily basis are not available there. This means that Google, Google Maps, Instagram, Facebook etc. they don’t work unless one use a VPN. Also payment methods are different in China. Indeed, here all is automated and people rely heavily on apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay. Cash? Just forget about them as you probably will never see them around. All of this added to the fact that almost no one speaks English and you probably won’t speak Chinese either. Therefore, communication will be a little challenging.
I don’t want to say this to scare you but just to point out that China is not Spain, so you’ll need to do heavy homework before embarking on this trip and make sure you have everything set up before sitting on your plane.
My First Timer’s guide to China explain every single thing in detail. However, if you need some quick tips, please see them below.
Install all the apps you need
China relies heavily on automation. Most things are done online, via mini-programs or even robots. To make sure you have everything set up for your trip. Download and install the following apps:
- Alipay – for payments
- WeChat – for both payments and communications
- Didi – for taxi
- Trip.com – for travel and hotels
- Amap – for navigation as Google Maps doesn’t work and it’s inaccurate
- Airalo – for your e-sim
Make sure you connect your credit cards BEFORE your trip in your own country. Because once in China the app might ask you a Chinese number and not working with a foreign one.
Passport is your ticket
Remember this phrase as a mantra. Passport is your ticket! China use ID cards for everything (even for paying). Because foreigners don’t have those cards, we need to use our passports. Keep it with you at all times as you could be in trouble without it.
A few things where you will be asked a passport in China:
- For any plane travel (of course)
- Instead of tickets on the train
- For any hotel booking
- To connect all the Chinese apps
- Instead of tickets for many attractions
- For certain transactions
Research your itinerary and accommodations properly
China is huge. It’s not possible to visit all in one go and it needs proper research. If you have less than two weeks, don’t try to do a miracle and stick only to one main city/region and plan accordingly. Once you have a rough itinerary ( I would recommend saving your locations on Amap), research your hotels.
The best places for accommodations in China is Trip.com. Indeed, Booking.com has only a fraction of what you can find here. Also Trip.com is conveniently both in Chinese and English so that you can use your confirmations locally even without speaking the language.
Book your trains in advance
If you are planning to travel long distance, you have to start thinking how to go from one place to another. High Speed Rail is incredible in China. It works perfectly and quickly connect places that would take days to be reach by car.
Also here, Trip.com is the best place for your train tickets. Indeed, the main Chinese app Railway 12306 works only if you have a Chinese number. Just a few things to remember:
- Train tickets go live 15 days before your date. Popular routes get fully booked fast
- You can tell the app you want seats close together but this is not granted. We got allocated even in different carriages, the best thing is asking onboard to change your seat.
- Children under 7 can travel for free on the lap (pay half price if they seat).
- If you miss your train you can still change your ticket at the ticket office for a small fee (6 yuan if I am not wrong)
- Passport is your ticket
Pack lightly
Unfortunately, we haven’t found a Chinese equivalent of the Japanese Ta-q-bin service (door to door delivery). I’m sure there is something similar but as a foreigner I couldn’t find this information easily. Therefore, you need to carry all your luggage with you all the time when travelling from one place to another.
I found this particularly annoying as: many taxi don’t have the space for more than 2 luggage (even the big ones) and carrying all these things in the train was a nightmare.
Since many hotels have free laundry rooms for guests, my recommendation is to travel as lightly as possible to avoid carrying around too many things (and of course to have space for all your shopping!).
Familiarise with basic Chinese terms/phrases
Last year I got really passionate about studying Chinese. I admit I found it much easier than Korean to learn (I’ve studied Korean for 4 years and I’m still very bad LOL) and much easier to remember. Although, I’m nowhere near fluent and can’t read Hanzi at all, I understand some phrases and words and can say basic things. Enough to make myself understood in random situations.
I’m not telling you that you must know Chinese to visit the country, but knowing a few words and phrases before your trip (not just xiè xiè) will only benefit your trip.
For example, I’m allergic to peanuts so I memorised all I needed to ask and understand around this topic to figure out if a dish had peanut in the ingredients. It worked pretty well. I learned also the names of dishes and ingredients and how to present myself, my family and what we do/where we come from.
I still remember the shocked face of one of the restaurant owners when she proposed me some western dishes and I told her in Chinese that I didn’t need western options because I loved Chinese cuisine. She was like “what???”. Of course, I needed a translator 90% of the time but those small interactions made me feel closer to the people I met and (despite I know that my pronunciation was probably terrible), they really appreciated my effort.
Travel information about China
While Shanghai is the most populous urban area in China, its capital is actually Beijing. This is home to more than 22 millions people and historical seat of the imperial power in China. Beijing is the world’s most populous national capital. Nevertheless, when visiting never felt too crowded.
Local currency
The local currency in China is the Chinese Yuan also known as Renminbi. Abbreviations for the currency are correct in both CNY and RMB while the symbol remain ¥. One yuan is divided into 10 jiao (角), and the jiao is further subdivided into 10 fen (分). Nevertheless, in spoken language people rarely call the money as “yuan” or “renminbi”. Indeed, they just say kuai, which translates as “piece” (a bit like in the UK when we call the pound “quid“).
1 Chinese yuan equals more or less to 0.15 USD.
Differently than other countries, China is one of those places where withdrawing money is not necessary for your trip. Indeed, 99% of the transactions are completely digital. Even for very small amounts such as 3 yuan for the metro tickets. Also many international cards are not recognised in Chinese ATM so there is a real risk of loosing your card in the machine.
Make sure to connect all your payment methods to Alipay and WeChat pay and you’ll good to go.
PS: Apple pay works but only in main stores or hotels. Better to have Alipay on hand.
Language in China
The official Chinese language is Mandarin (which is also the most spoken language worldwide!). Nevertheless, China is is linguistically diverse with hundreds of regional dialects, several major Sinitic language families (like Cantonese, Wu, and Min), and numerous minority languages.
Cantonese (technically known as Yue Chinese) is widely spoken in the southeastern area of China (Hong Kong, Macau, Guandong).
English is not spoken or understood in China. Younger generations and people working in hospitality/tech might have more familiarity with the language, but I can grant you for experience that 9 out of 10 people won’t understand any single world in English. Nevertheless, differently than Japan, people in China don’t see language barrier as a huge issue and this doesn’t deter them from interact with foreigners. In a way or another they make themselves understood.
Translators have a huge part when it comes to language, but the friendly personality of most people makes communication a beautiful experience rather than a barrier.
Plugs type in China
China primarily uses Type A, Type C, and Type I. Nevertheless, I found that some 5-stars hotels we’ve stayed had also the UK plug type (G). This is rare, we only found this twice but we were pleasantly surprised.
Safety in China
Differently than what many people think, China is one of the safest countries in the world. Maybe this is due to the tight security and control but there is basically zero crime and a very peaceful life. I really, really loved to enjoy my days and nights there without being worried of pickpockets or being harassed.
The only note, not related to crime, is about electric scooters. I noted these are a little reckless and drive on the pedestrian walkways or in the pedestrian crossing. Being electric they are not noisy so you need to be extra careful to avoid getting hit. This is something they should definitely control.
Driving in China
Driving in China is very challenging. Indeed, international foreign driving licences are not recognised. Therefore, in order to drive, visitors have to obtain a temporary Chinese driving licence at a local vehicle administration office using passport, visa, and translated license. So, unless you are planning a long and adventurous trip on the road, is better to stick to Didi for your long drives. It’s cheap and reliable and you won’t risk a fine.
Where I have been in China
China Travel Guides
Find below all the guides to China! More coming soon!
