Guides
Practical, kept-current essays for foreign visitors to China. Payments, visas, transit, itineraries, and the boring-but-critical connectivity decisions. Updated whenever the rules change.
VPN & eSIM for China Tourists — 2026 Guide
Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, YouTube, Facebook, the New York Times — all blocked behind the Great Firewall. The good news: there are two reliable workarounds for a tourist. The bad news: VPN apps you can't already install will be blocked from the App Store the moment you land. Set up before you fly.
Shanghai 3-Day Itinerary for First-Time Visitors (2026)
Three days is the sweet spot for Shanghai on a first visit — enough to see old Shanghai, modern Pudong, and the lane-houses of the French Concession without rushing or repeating yourself. Here's the route a local would actually recommend, with timings, metro stops, and food.
Shanghai Metro Guide for English Speakers — 2026
Shanghai's metro is the longest in the world — 20 lines, 510 km, 415 stations. It's also the easiest way for a tourist to get around: every sign, every announcement, every kiosk operates in English. Here's how to ride it efficiently in 2026.
240-Hour Visa-Free Transit to China — 2026 Guide
China expanded its transit-without-visa scheme from 72 hours to 240 hours in late 2024. A US, UK, or Australian passport now gets ten full days to walk Shanghai, Beijing, or Guangzhou without applying for a tourist visa. Here's the exact rulebook — and the three mistakes that send people home on the next flight.
How to Use Alipay as a Foreigner in China — 2026 Guide
Cash is out, cards are tolerated, and Alipay runs the country. Here's exactly how a foreign visitor sets up Alipay in 2026, what works, and what's still painful — written for a first-timer landing in Shanghai or Beijing tomorrow.