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01 / What should I arrange before departure?
Before you go
Entry checks, insurance, phone setup, useful apps and accommodation.
- Practical guide
Check your entry requirements
Find the right official entry rules for your passport, purpose and itinerary, and separate visa-free entry, transit and arrival-card formalities.
- Practical guide
Check travel insurance for your trip
Check eligibility, medical care, evacuation, exclusions, hospital payment and claim documents before a short trip to mainland China.
- Practical guide
Choose internet access
Compare connection options by device compatibility, SMS access, activation and backup needs before your mainland China trip.
- Practical guide
Prepare maps and translation
Search Chinese place names, check branches and entrances, compare routes, save addresses and translate short messages for Beijing and Shanghai.
- Practical guide
Confirm hotel check-in
Prepare your original travel document, confirm arrival and payment details, and understand the difference between hotel and non-hotel registration.
- Practical guide
Work through your departure checklist
Prepare the documents, phone access, payments, bookings and Chinese hotel details you will need on arrival in mainland China.
- Topic overview
Choose your cities and prepare in order
A first trip to China, step by step: entry checks, a workable route, phone access, payments, arrival and your first city days.
02 / How do I get settled on my first day?
On arrival
Airport transfers, a way to pay and a cash backup.
- Practical guide
Plan your first day
Get connected, find payment help, reach the right hotel and make the first evening manageable after landing in Beijing or Shanghai.
- Practical guide
Beijing airport to your hotel
Identify PEK or PKX, compare rail and road transfers, and work through Beixinqiao or Caoqiao to your hotel's confirmed entrance.
- Practical guide
Shanghai airport to your hotel
Plan PVG or SHA to your hotel, with Line 2 examples, the Hongqiao T1/T2 connection and checks for the final station-to-door leg.
- Topic overview
Choose payment methods and backups
How to pay in China: identify account, card or merchant failures, check unclear transaction results and choose a usable backup.
- Practical guide
Set up Alipay
Set up Alipay with an eligible overseas card, separate phone, identity and card failures, and find official support and a payment backup.
- Practical guide
Set up Weixin Pay
Link an eligible card to Weixin Pay, follow your account’s verification prompts, identify failures and find official payment support.
- Practical guide
Keep cash and cards available
Prepare cash and a physical-card backup, check a declined purchase, and keep the right records if an ATM gives no cash or retains your card.
03 / How do I get around and handle daily tasks?
Everyday travel
Maps, translation, metro journeys, taxis and travel between cities.
- Practical guide
Find places, save addresses and translate
Search Chinese place names, check branches and entrances, compare routes, save addresses and translate short messages for Beijing and Shanghai.
- Practical guide
Complete a metro journey in Beijing or Shanghai
Take the metro in Beijing and Shanghai: choose a ticket or payment method, keep entry and exit records, make transfers and get help if a gate fails.
- Practical guide
Prepare a taxi journey
Choose a metered taxi or an app-booked ride, match the pickup and vehicle, and keep the destination and payment clear.
- Topic overview
Understand train travel
Understand the 12306 booking system, passport-linked e-tickets and the details to check before a Beijing–Shanghai rail journey.
- Practical guide
Book a train with your passport
Use 12306 or a station counter, check the passenger identity and exact stations, and confirm that payment resulted in an issued ticket.
- Practical guide
Find your station and board
Check your departure station, use the original booking document, find your gate and seat, and keep your document for the exit.
- Practical guide
Change, refund or deal with a missed train
Choose the right action before departure, after missing a train or when a service is cancelled; check fees, passport documents and refund status.
04 / How do the practical details fit my city?
City guides
A city overview, airport connections, a place to stay and a daily route.
- City overview
Beijing city guide
A first-time Beijing guide to choosing a base, grouping your sightseeing and planning arrivals and reservations.
- Practical guide
Where to stay in Beijing
Compare Wangfujing, Qianmen and the hutong areas, then check the specific hotel, station access and arrival arrangements.
- 3-day itinerary
Beijing in three days
Plan three full days in Beijing around the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Mutianyu, with booking checks, rest stops and flexible alternatives.
- Practical guide
Choose meals in Beijing
Choose Beijing roast duck, zhajiangmian, lamb hotpot or douzhi, check the order, and fit meals around Qianmen, Wangfujing and your sightseeing days.
- City overview
Shanghai city guide
A first-time Shanghai guide to the riverfront, neighbourhood walks, museums, airport choices and a practical sightseeing rhythm.
- Practical guide
Where to stay in Shanghai
Compare central Huangpu, Jing’an, Pudong and a Hongqiao transit stay, using your actual plans rather than the district name alone.
- 3-day itinerary
Shanghai in three days
Plan three full days in Shanghai: Yuyuan, Museum East and a Jing’an-to-Butterfly Bay route, with transport, meals, booking checks and shorter options.
- Practical guide
Choose meals in Shanghai
Compare xiaolongbao and shengjian, check noodle toppings and benbang dishes, and fit meals into your Shanghai old-city, Pudong and Jingan days.
- 9-day itinerary
Connect Beijing and Shanghai in nine days
Plan nine days between Beijing and Shanghai, with three full days in each city, a separate rail day, closure checks and realistic transfer buffers.
- Practical guide
Reserve the right attraction visit
Check the venue, branch, ticket type, identity document and confirmation before making a Beijing or Shanghai attraction the anchor of your day.
- Practical guide
Prepare checkout, airport checks and boarding
Prepare your airport, terminal, documents and deadlines; handle check-in, bags and departure checks, with fallbacks when a pass or connection fails.
05 / How do I choose and order a meal?
Food & ordering
Local dishes, meal planning, ordering language and dietary questions.
- Practical guide
Order a meal and explain dietary requirements
Order a meal in China with clear questions about portions, spice, ingredients and charges, plus Chinese phrases and dietary communication limits.
- Practical guide
Choose meals in Beijing
Choose Beijing roast duck, zhajiangmian, lamb hotpot or douzhi, check the order, and fit meals around Qianmen, Wangfujing and your sightseeing days.
- Practical guide
Choose meals in Shanghai
Compare xiaolongbao and shengjian, check noodle toppings and benbang dishes, and fit meals into your Shanghai old-city, Pudong and Jingan days.
06 / What should I know, and where can I turn for help?
Culture & getting help
Everyday etiquette and routes to official assistance.
- Practical guide
Handle etiquette and tipping by situation
Handle tips, service charges, shared meals, photographs and everyday questions with practical checks for the place and situation you are in.
- Practical guide
Find official help and emergency contacts
Mainland China: police 110, fire 119, medical emergencies 120. Find non-urgent official help and steps for medical care or a lost passport.
07 / What should I check before making a purchase?
Shopping & tax refunds
Eligibility, shopping documents and departure steps, including refund-upon-purchase conditions.
Guides in preparation. No article is available in this category yet.