Travel guide

Guides for the parts of China that surprise people

Not a list of attractions. These are the systems you have to operate: paying, connecting, moving, and getting help when something goes wrong.

  • All guides reviewed 2026-11-07
Essential 11 min read

How to Pay in China as a Foreigner: Alipay, WeChat Pay & Cash

Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly, understand the ¥200 fee threshold, and fix the five failures that leave travellers unable to pay.

  • Set up before you fly
  • The personal-QR trap
  • Fee cliff at ¥200
  • Failure flowchart
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Essential 12 min read

Internet in China for Tourists: eSIM, SIM Cards and What Actually Works

Which eSIM actually works in China, why a local SIM is not the same as roaming, how airport Wi-Fi verification fails, and what to install before you fly.

  • Four ways online
  • Routing decides it
  • Ask before you buy
  • Pre-flight app list
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Useful 9 min read

What a Trip to China Costs: Daily Budgets and Real Prices

Daily budgets for three travel styles, what a noodle lunch, a metro ride and a Forbidden City ticket actually cost, where China is cheap, and where it quietly is not.

  • Three daily budgets
  • Real price bands
  • Ticket booking rules
  • Eleven ways to save
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Essential 10 min read

Getting Around China: High-Speed Trains, Metro and DiDi

Buy train tickets with a foreign passport, ride the metro with a transport QR code, use DiDi in English, and avoid the airport taxi traps.

  • Passport = ticket
  • Metro transport code
  • DiDi setup
  • Airport traps
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Essential 7 min read

Emergency Numbers and Help in China: 110, 120, 119

Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119, traffic 122 — what to say, where to go, and how to replace a lost passport without losing your trip.

  • Four numbers
  • Lost passport flow
  • What embassies can't do
  • Scam scripts
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Useful 6 min read

China Visa and Entry Rules for Tourists: What to Check First

Visa-free entry, 240-hour transit, arrival cards and the 24-hour hotel registration rule — with the official sources to verify your own case.

  • Visa-free vs transit
  • Arrival card
  • 24-hour registration
  • Overstay risk
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Not sure what to read first?

If you land tomorrow, read the payment guide. If you land next month, start with the checklist and work through it in order.

Open the checklist