China,
made simple.
An independent English-language guide for overseas visitors. Visas, paying, getting online, and the cities worth lingering in, at an unhurried pace.
First visit? Start with the essentialsStart here
Four things to sort before you land.
Visas and entry
Pick your passport to see whether you can enter China visa-free, use the 240-hour transit rule or need a visa, and what to have ready at the border.
Paying in China
China is close to cashless. Set up one of the two mobile wallets before you fly and the whole trip gets easier.
Staying online
eSIMs, roaming, and which of your usual apps will and won't work once you land.
Getting around
High-speed rail, metro cards on your phone, and hailing a taxi without speaking Chinese.
Cities
Beijing
北京Imperial capital, hutong breakfasts, and the Wall a day trip away.
Shanghai
上海Riverfront art deco, plane-tree streets, and the best transit in the country.
Chengdu
成都Teahouses, hot pot, pandas, and a city that refuses to rush.
Xi'an
西安The Terracotta Army, a city wall you can cycle, and street food in the Muslim Quarter.
Hangzhou
杭州West Lake at dawn, tea terraces, and under an hour by train from Shanghai.
Guilin
桂林Karst peaks and the Li River. Most people base themselves in Yangshuo.
From travellers
Welcome to China Unhurried, and why it exists
Planning · Panda · 1 month ago
Do the Terracotta Army backwards: Pit 3, Pit 2, then Pit 1
Xi'an 西安 · Panda · 1 month ago
Give Kunming two days on the way west, not a stopover of two hours
Kunming 昆明 · Panda · 1 month ago
Hunan Museum tickets go a week ahead and vanish at weekends
Changsha 长沙 · Panda · 1 month ago
Stay a night in the old town instead of day-tripping from Shanghai
Suzhou 苏州 · Panda · 1 month ago
Upcoming
English Salon at U-CUBE, Jing’an
Shanghai · Fri 19:00 · repeats
English cornerXicheng English Salon
Beijing · Tue 19:00 · repeats
English cornerNational Library English Salon
Beijing · Thu 19:00 · repeats
English cornerTimes are Beijing time (UTC+8).
Hosting something?
Language exchanges, walks, dinners. Post it and let travellers find you.
Post an eventChina rewards the traveller who slows down. We write the practical parts so you can spend your attention on everything else.