Payments, apps, metro, internet, first-day setup. Our free checklist covers everything you need before visiting China.
These are the questions every first-time visitor asks. We've answered them all, clearly and honestly, with zero jargon.
Alipay, WeChat Pay, Visa and Mastercard explained.
Read guide →What happens to Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram and Google Maps.
Read guide →eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM: which to pick, and when to buy.
Read guide →12306, Trip.com, and how to book before you go.
Read guide →Metro, DiDi and bike sharing. The apps locals actually use.
Read guide →Maps, translate, ride-hailing: the 8 essentials ranked.
Read guide →Solo travel, women at night. The honest data, not clickbait.
Read guide →Each city is a different China. Start with one, and we'll show you around like a local.
West Lake, tea mountains, AI startups. Ancient beauty meets China's most dynamic tech ecosystem.
Explore Hangzhou →Forbidden City, Great Wall, hutongs, and the heart of China's past and present.
Coming soonSkyline bars, French Concession lanes, and the world's best metro.
Coming soonPandas, spicy hotpot, teahouse culture, and the slowest-paced big city in China.
Coming soonTrains run through buildings, roads stack 8 layers high, and the night views are absolutely unreal.
Coming soonXi'an, Guilin, Lhasa, Zhangjiajie… we're just getting started. More cities, same insider approach.
Stay tunedEvery article targets a real search query: the exact questions foreigners type before visiting China.
China runs on QR codes. Set these up before you fly.
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram are all blocked. Here's how to stay online.
Maps, translate, ride-hailing, food delivery. The apps that make China easy.
The world's largest high-speed rail network, and how to use it as a foreigner.
Move through Chinese cities like you've lived here for years, not like a tourist staring at a map.
The master checklist. Everything above, organized by timeline: before you fly, when you land, first 48 hours.
Written by someone who actually lives here. Firsthand knowledge, not recycled paragraphs.
Deeper dives. The stories behind the sights. Designed to be shared.