Which Chinese Public Holidays Can Disrupt Your Trip?

How Spring Festival, Labor Day, National Day, adjusted working weekends, and smaller public holidays affect trains, attractions, hotels, opening hours, and a first trip to China.
Can You Bring Prescription Medication Into China?

How to prepare prescription medication for a trip to China, including original packaging, doctor letters, controlled drugs, reasonable personal-use quantities, Customs questions, refrigeration, and backup planning.
What Can and Cannot You Bring Into China?

A practical China Customs guide for travelers covering red and green channels, prohibited and restricted articles, cash, food, plants, medicine, personal-use quantities, and what to do when unsure.
How Do You Complete China’s Arrival Card and Get Through Immigration?

What first-time visitors should prepare for China’s arrival card and immigration inspection, including online submission, flight and hotel details, fingerprints, questions, and what to do when information does not match.
Should You Use Cash, Bank Cards, or Mobile Payment in China?

A practical three-layer payment setup for China, including Alipay, WeChat Pay, foreign cards, RMB cash, ATM withdrawals, hotel deposits, and what to do when one method fails.
Should You Use eSIM, Roaming, or a Local SIM in China?

How to choose between roaming, a travel eSIM, and a Chinese local SIM, including foreign app access, SMS verification, Chinese phone numbers, dual-SIM setup, and arrival-day backups.
What Should You Prepare Before Traveling to China?

A practical pre-arrival checklist for China: apps, payments, mobile data, hotel address, documents, phrases, and backup plans.

Before You Fly

Pre-arrival setup, packing, phone, payment, and account preparation.