01Trip readiness
Your first-trip 72-hour checklist
Check entry, first-night address, mobile data, payment backups, transport, health, and offline documents.
8 minRead guide ↗
A practical guide for first-timers
China feels easier
when you know how.
Practical answers for the first trip, then the history, people, cities, and everyday details that make China more than a list of things to book.
01 Official facts02 Real pain points03 Updated guides
LAND
MOVE
DISCOVER
FIRSTCHINATRIP
Five ways in
Start with what you need. Stay for what makes the place alive.
150M+inbound visits to China in 2025
17%+year-on-year growth
Official 2025 figures reported by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism in March 2026.
Essential reading
Solve the friction before it becomes a problem.
Every guide starts with one traveler question, checks the changing facts, and ends with a clear next move.
02Phone setup
The essential apps for China
Start with four tools for payment, messages, maps, and bookings. Add the rest only when needed.
8 minRead guide ↗
03Connectivity
Choose your mobile data plan
Compare roaming, travel eSIMs, and local SIMs without losing the home number used for verification texts.
7 minRead guide ↗
04Payments
How to pay before you go
Set up Alipay and WeChat, carry the right backup, and avoid your first checkout surprise.
8 minRead guide ↗
Right now · Summer
Where to go, what the weather feels like, and how to stay comfortable.
Most first trips begin in major gateway cities. Compare Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, then plan each day around heat, rain, indoor breaks, and reliable transport.
Open the summer briefing01Gateway citiesBeijing to Shenzhen
02Weather decodedHeat, rain, typhoons
03Heat-smart daysTiming, indoor breaks, backup plans
04Trip essentialsPay, connect, move
How we work
Research in Chinese.
Publish for the traveler.
- 01Find the real question
Traveler forums and videos reveal the confusion, not the final facts.
- 02Verify what changes
Official and product sources confirm rules, fees, steps, and dates.
- 03Make it executable
Short English copy, useful visuals, and a clear decision at the end.