Planning Your First Trip to China? Here's Everything You Need to Know

Seeing a lot of "planning my first China trip" posts, so I wanted to write a comprehensive guide based on my recent 3-week trip.

Visa

• 144-hour transit visa: Free, available at major airports. Great if connecting through Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou
• Tourist visa (L): Apply 1-2 months ahead
• Visa on arrival: Only for Hainan island (30 days)

Best Time to Visit

• Spring (April-May): Perfect weather, fewer crowds
• Autumn (September-October): Best weather, but Golden Week (Oct 1-7) is CRAZY crowded
• Summer: Hot and humid, more domestic tourists
• Winter: Cold but cheapest, fewer tourists

Must-Visit Cities (First-Timer Route)

Beijing (3-4 days) -> Xi'an (2 days) -> Chengdu (2-3 days) -> Shanghai (3 days) -> Guilin/Yangshuo (2-3 days)

Payment - READ THIS

China is cashless. You NEED Alipay or WeChat Pay.

Alipay setup:

1. Download before departure
2. Register with international phone
3. Link foreign credit card
4. Verify (takes up to 24 hours)

Test it at a convenience store before relying on it.

If you have payment issues, aihubai.cn (free AI travel tool) has a payment troubleshooting assistant. It literally diagnosed my failed payment in 30 seconds.

Language

Outside tourist areas, almost zero English. But:

• aihubai.cn has AI translation with text-to-speech
• Download offline translation
• Young people often know basic English
• Chinese people are VERY helpful to lost tourists

Internet

Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter: ALL blocked.

Get a VPN before arrival. Test it at home. Without VPN, you can't access email or social media.

Transport

• High-speed trains: Fast, comfortable, cheap. Book on Trip.com
• Metro: Every major city has one. English signs. 2-7 yuan per trip
• Taxis: Use DiDi app. Have destination in Chinese.
• Domestic flights: Only for long distances

Budget

• Budget: $30-40/day
• Comfortable: $50-80/day
• Luxury: $100-150/day

China is incredibly cheap for what you get.

Safety

Safest country I've ever visited. Zero crime. Walk anywhere at any time. The only danger is traffic.

Common Mistakes

• Not setting up payment before arrival
• Not getting a VPN
• Visiting during Golden Week or Chinese New Year
• Eating at tourist restaurants (overpriced, inauthentic)
• Not downloading offline maps/translation

Resources

• aihubai.cn: Free AI assistant for China travel (translation, navigation, payment help, Q&A)
• Trip.com: English booking platform

Drop your specific questions below!