Practical guides (English)

Curated for first-time visitors and repeat travelers updating post-2024 entry norms.

Visa & entry

• Transit waivers and regional “bubbles”
• Tourist (L) visa interviews: what consulates still ask

Cities & regions

• Beijing in 72 hours (without sprinting)
• Shanghai metro: lines, apps, and rush-hour etiquette
• Sichuan pacing: Chengdu, Leshan, altitude
• Guilin & Li River: boats, scams to skip, better angles
• Hangzhou & West Lake: tea villages and crowd math
• Xi’an: Terracotta Army + city walls
• Huangshan hiking & sunrise realism
• Zhangjiajie pillars & glass bridges
• Kunming → Dali: altitude & lake loops
• Guangzhou morning tea halls
• Shenzhen ↔ Hong Kong day trips

Culture & daily life

• Temple etiquette for visitors
• Alipay / Weixin Pay for foreigners: 2026 field report
• AQI apps, masks, and indoor backup plans

Transport

• 12306 confirmations decoded

← Latest headlines