Most important
Visas & entry
China's entry rules have changed repeatedly since 2023 and continue to be extended, expanded and adjusted — usually in the traveller's…
Practical guides
These are the pages you will actually open while you are in China. Each one is written from the perspective of a foreign passport holder with a foreign phone number and a foreign bank card — the three things that make China different.
Set up before you fly
Money & payments
The currency is the renminbi (RMB, "the people's currency"); the unit you count in is the yuan, written ¥ or CNY and spoken as kuài in…
Internet, VPN & apps
What is blocked Mainland China filters a large part of the foreign internet. As of 2026 the practical list of things that will not load on…
Trains, metros & flights
High-speed rail: the default China's high-speed network exceeds 48,000 km — more than the rest of the world combined — and it has quietly…
Accommodation
The rule nobody warns you about Chinese hotels must register every guest with the local Public Security Bureau. To register a foreign…
Health & safety
How safe is China, really Very. Violent crime against foreigners is rare, cities are extensively policed and camera-monitored, and it is…
Shopping & bargaining
What is actually worth buying Skip the mass-produced souvenir. The things worth carrying home are the ones China makes better, cheaper or…
Solo & female travel
The safety question Solo travellers, including women, consistently report that Chinese cities feel safer than European or North American…