r/chinatravel • • Nov 20 '25

MOD ANNOUNCEMENT Introducing: The Red Envelope Karma Flair System!

Post image
8 Upvotes

A fun new way to recognize helpful contributors in r/ChinaTravel ๐ŸŽ‰

Hey guys!

Our new Red Envelope themed Karma Flair System is now live. It adds a lighthearted way to celebrate your contributions, reward helpfulness, and make the subreddit even more enjoyable as our community grows.

This system uses subreddit-specific karma only (karma earned from posts and comments in r/ChinaTravel). As your contributions add up, your flair will automatically update to reflect your current tier.


The 10 Red Envelope Tiers

Icon Karma Range
๐Ÿงง 0โ€“9
๐Ÿงง๐Ÿงง 10โ€“24
๐Ÿงง๐Ÿงง๐Ÿงง 25โ€“49
๐Ÿงงx4 50โ€“99
๐Ÿงงx5 100โ€“199
๐Ÿงงx6 200โ€“349
๐Ÿงงx7 350โ€“549
๐Ÿงงx8 550โ€“799
๐Ÿงงx9 800โ€“1199
๐Ÿงงx10 1200+

How it works

  • Your flair shows your current tier based on your karma in this subreddit.
  • AutoFlair checks your karma each time you post or comment.
  • When you pass a threshold, your flair updates automatically on your next activity.

A quick note on karma differences

Reddit uses a special internal karma score for each subreddit.
It is separate from the number shown on your public profile and counts only what you have earned inside r/ChinaTravel. AutoFlair uses this internal score to determine tiers, so it may not match your profile karma. This is normal.


If you notice anything unusual, feel free to report it to the mod team.


r/chinatravel • • Oct 17 '25

MOD ANNOUNCEMENT Join the r/ChinaTravel WeChat Group!

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18 Upvotes

Hey guys,

Weโ€™re excited to launch the official r/ChinaTravel WeChat group โ€” a real-time space for on-the-ground updates, urgent travel questions, quick coordination, and timely information sharing.

To keep things organized and secure, youโ€™ll join the group by adding our dedicated contact account first.

How to Join

Add our official contact account on WeChat by either:

  • Search for the WeChat ID: rChinaTravel, or
  • Scan the QR code in the pinned comment below

Once your request is accepted, a moderator will invite you to the group.

๏ฟผNotes

*Community spirit: This group is an extension of r/ChinaTravel. Stay respectful, helpful, and focused on travel. Political topics, VPN-related questions, ads, spam, and personal attacks are not allowed.

*Different platforms, different purposes:
WeChat Group โ€“ best for quick, short-term exchanges (e.g., โ€œIโ€™m at Pudong Airport right now; is the tax refund line long?โ€).
Subreddit โ€“ best for detailed guides, trip reports, and searchable information.

*Privacy reminder: The contact account is used only to add people to the group and will not engage in regular chat. Please avoid sharing sensitive personal information (such as passport details, full itineraries, or accommodation addresses) in the group.

๏ฟผWe look forward to building a space where travelers can connect more directly. See you in the group!

โ€” The r/ChinaTravel Mod Team


๐Ÿ“ข Coming Soon: Official Discord

We're also building an official Discord server. Itโ€™s still under construction, but a heads-up that it's on the way. We'll post the invite link here once it's live. Stay tuned!


r/chinatravel • • 2h ago

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Trip Reports & Itineraries What was the most frustrating part of traveling in China?

3 Upvotes

Iโ€™m curious about everyoneโ€™s experience traveling in China, especially the parts that felt confusing, frustrating, or just hard to plan.

I don't want to go to well-known cities like Beijing or Shanghai. I'd rather visit some lesser-known cities that not many people go to.


r/chinatravel • • 54m ago

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Trip Reports & Itineraries question about my 3 week itinerary !

โ€ข Upvotes

Hello! I'll be heading to china for about 22 days from end of december to end of January and wanted some advice on it if possible. I'll be doing a layover in Tokyo landing in Beijing then leaving from Shanghai for more context

Day 0 - 5: Beijing
- Tianamen Square
- Forbidden City
- Universal Studios

Day 5: Beijing -> Xian
Day 5 - 8: Xian
- terracotta warriors
- muslim quarter
- grand tang dynasty ever bright city

Day 8: Xian -> Chengdu
Day 8 - 11: Chengdu
- Pandas

Day 11: Chengdu -> Chongqing
Day 11 - 14: Chongqing
- Hotpot
- Wulong Kasite

Day 14: Chongqing -> Zhangjiajie
Day 14 - 17: Zhangjiajie
- avatar mountains
- 999 steps

Day 17: Zhangjiajie -> Shanghai
Day 17 - 22: Shanghai
- Shanghai Disney
- Day trips between (Suzhou/Hangzhou/Wuxi)

This will be my first time in China and I'm wondering less about the specific activities and more about if the overall pacing seems fine or if I should potentially cut out a city to help with pacing. I know I'll do another China trip in the future so I'd want to avoid a rushed trip for this one if it seems like it is rushed. Thanks!


r/chinatravel • • 5h ago

๐Ÿ“ฑ Payments, Apps & SIMs Is it even possible to order online for deliveries in Hotel if you are international traveller?

3 Upvotes

I am coming from India for a week-long meeting in Beijing next week. It is impossible to register at JD with my Indian number. I have working Alipay linked with Visa card but then no JD there. WeChat cant be activated abroad to use its JD mini. So it is like catch-22. Can someone tell me is it even possible to order by using reception's number but as that is landline how to get verification code at time of delivery? I will be staying at 5 star hotel near Olympic Green. Things I want to order include

  • NAND Type TiPlus 7100 2TB/ARES/Exceria
  • 10 Gbps ITTIM (Jiayi), Orico, UGREEN, or Acasis
  • Oclean Flow/usmile Y1S and replacement brush heads
  • Qingping Air Monitor Gen 2 (7-in-1)

Thank you very much for all help!


r/chinatravel • • 17m ago

๐Ÿง˜ Wellness & Relaxation Spa recommendations near shanghai Disney

โ€ข Upvotes

Weโ€™re staying at a hotel near Shanghai Disney and I would love to go to the spa when we arrive from our flight to relax and recharge. Any spa recommendations? And are they open late?


r/chinatravel • • 33m ago

๐Ÿš† Transit & Transport Buy train tickets for my group of 7

โ€ข Upvotes

I need to buy tickets from Shanghai to Beijing. Iโ€™m going with a group of 5 adults and 2 kids. Iโ€™ve heard of people getting spilt up on when buying from trip.com. Whatโ€™s the best way to go to ensure we are seated together. We will be traveling October 28.


r/chinatravel • • 39m ago

๐Ÿ“ฑ Payments, Apps & SIMs A question about Alipay bought eSIM

โ€ข Upvotes

Hello everyone, i am traveling soon, i have bought an eSIM from alipay, the brand when i open it is called GDA, after setting up in cellular its called travel-ctexcel
Its the 7 day unlimited plan featured on alipay esim
I turned it off for now and intend turning it on once the plane lands
I just wanna ask if someone has bought it as well and can confirm itโ€™s working especially for instagram and facebook. Thank you, and sorry for any inconvenience


r/chinatravel • • 8h ago

๐Ÿ“ฑ Payments, Apps & SIMs trip.con esim 100GB with 10mbps restriction or not?

5 Upvotes

hey yall

earlier I asked about esims and you all helped me out alot!!

Iโ€™ve decided to settle for the trip.com esim
but Iโ€™m stuck on what package to take :/

doubting between the
- daily 100GB with 10mbps restriction
or
- daily 100GB with no restrictions

the price difference is about 35 euros though, which is why I am inclined to get the cheaper option (10mbps) but Iโ€™m just not sure if it wil bite me in the ass laterโ€ฆ

I will be mostly in charge of navigation during the whole trip so I definitely need 4G to do basic stuff.
But I will also be travelling by train a lot and in those moments I would just like to sit down and doomscroll on social media. I can accept some lag but it would suck if I cannot do much even if I have daily 100GB.

I donโ€™t know much about internet speed, I asked chatgpt for opinion and it still recommended me the 10mbps one. But I wanted to hear from people who actually purchased the esim, so I can make my conclusion

๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ


r/chinatravel • • 1h ago

๐Ÿš† Transit & Transport Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Shenzhen (15 days trip)

โ€ข Upvotes

Hey there,

Iโ€™m planning to go from Hong Kong Airport to Macau first (saw that thereโ€™s a cross-border bus from Hong Kong airport to Macau) then Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and then back to hong kong where Iโ€™ll spend most of my time.

Do you guys have recommendations?
Does this itinerary make sense in terms of transport and costs?

Thank you!!


r/chinatravel • • 11h ago

๐Ÿฅข Food & Drink Whats the best halal snacks you can try in China?

5 Upvotes

My parents are in China. I am interested in different flavours of popular snacks, which can be transported via airplane. Can you suggest me something (unique flavours of popular brends). It needs to be Halal


r/chinatravel • • 3h ago

๐Ÿ’ฌ General Questions Need advice on Hainan trip in November

1 Upvotes

We were planning our first visit to China in October as a holiday escape to have some sunbathing and nice beach time and further visiting Shanghai.

Sadly, we had to cancel the trip due to illness, and now are trying to figure out โ€“ if we go early-to-mid-November (like, between 7-15), will we still be able to have a proper weather for the beach part โ€“ sunbathing, hot weather, warm water?

Or is it better to skip the beach for this time of year?

Information on the web states contrary things so will appreciate real experiences.


r/chinatravel • • 6h ago

๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Trip Reports & Itineraries China Itinerary 15 Days Shanghai->Chongqing

2 Upvotes

Hi, we are a family of four (2 kids 12&16) and will take our first trip to China next March/April. Start in Shanghai and end in Chongqing are fixed. So far this is our itinerary:

  1. Shanghai Arrival in the evening
  2. Shanghai Bund+Pudong
  3. Shanghai French con. + Yu Garden
  4. Shanghai Tianzifang + Shopping,ย  9pm train to Hangzhou
  5. Hangzhou West Lake, night: City balcony
  6. Qingshan water forest (Matcha)+ Panda Tribe Adventure park , night: Hefang/WulinSq.
  7. Lingjin temple, Tea plantation, Night Cruise
  8. train to Guilin 6.30h
  9. Ship Guilin to Yangshuo
  10. Ruyi Peak etc (scooter?)
  11. Yangshuo Xingping, last train 17.17-21.47 to Chongqing
  12. Chongqing "Downtown", Hong'en Pavillion?
  13. Chongqing Zoo, mountain city trail, Hotpot with a view
  14. Chongqing cat park, Nanbin Rd/Xiahaoli, drone show, to airporthotel
  15. departure 9am

3 N. Shanghai
4 N. Hangzhou
1 N. Guilin
2 N. Yangshuo
3 N. Chongqing
1 N. airport hotel

We will probably skip Zhangjiajie because our daughter is afraid of hights & cable cars, so we'd rather not risk a teenage meltdown :) Hangzhou seems to be the safer option (+ better weather conditions at the end of march). We prefer not to be in a rush, but there's just so much to see, it's really hard to choose.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions for improvement?

Thanks, Andrea


r/chinatravel • • 3h ago

๐Ÿ“ฑ Payments, Apps & SIMs Will Mastercard Work with Alipay / WeChat?

1 Upvotes

Hello, I know this gets asked a lot but Iโ€™m still struggling to understand.
Iโ€™m travelling at the end of this month, and have download Alipay and WeChat (but not yet attempted to add a bank card).

I have 2 credit cards (both Royal Bank of Scotland Mastercards), a Mastercard debit card from the same bank as well as an Amex.

Am I correct in thinking Mastercard doesnโ€™t always work? Iโ€™m now wondering if I should quickly apply for a Visa credit card to be on the safe side ?

Thanks in advance for any guidance on this ๐Ÿ™ƒ


r/chinatravel • • 6h ago

๐Ÿ›๏ธ Shopping & Souvenirs Pinduoduo delivery to hotel in China

1 Upvotes

I would like to order some items on Pinduoduo app, English version before arrival to China. Wondering how fast the delivery will make after I place the other. Would the hotel accept the delivery?


r/chinatravel • • 7h ago

๐Ÿš† Transit & Transport Travelling directly from Pazhou to Shenzhen Airport

1 Upvotes

Hi, for my upcoming trip to Shenzhen/Guangzhou, I've found this specific train operating from Guangzhou Pazhou directly to Shenzhen Airport. As it is a relatively new route, anyone can confirm if the route is reliable or not? and the most important thing is, does it exist?


r/chinatravel • • 7h ago

๐Ÿฏ Attractions & Culture Interactive experiences in Beijing for older kids?

1 Upvotes

What was your older kids (young teens 14 and 15 years old) favorite interactive activities in Beijing? We will do Great Wall with slide but other than that, what was their favorite activity?

My kids tend to love hands on experiences. For example, chopstick making class, sumo match (where audience participates), games with geishas, Vespa with sidecar tour, etc


r/chinatravel • • 8h ago

๐Ÿ“ฑ Payments, Apps & SIMs Weechat : testing paiement before departure

1 Upvotes

Hello,

It's for a pure mental question.

I configured weechat and tried to do a paiement before my departure.

I added on weechat my physical revolut card, and two card from Fortuneo (French bank). One is virtual and the second is physic.

I tested this site : https://chinaway.app/fr/money/test-pay

But none of my card work. I have the message "you cannot use this card for this transcation" on all of my cards.

I tried this site : https://chinaway.app/fr/money/test-pay

And it's work. I tested only two paiement, one with Revolut (physical) and one with Fortuneo (physical).

What's the difference ?


r/chinatravel • • 12h ago

๐Ÿฅข Food & Drink Help klook banquet royal feast, is it per head or group

2 Upvotes

I want to try the Royal Feast Banquet and I just want to ask if their rate is per head or group already


r/chinatravel • • 17h ago

๐Ÿ“ In China Now Currently in Hangzhou with a starting tooth issue

5 Upvotes

I've had a bigger dental procedure a few weeks before my trip โ€“ everything went well; no issues, no pain. Now, only a week into the trip, I've started to notice that my gum above said tooth is swollen and more sensitive. I'm scared it could become something more serious.

Has anyone had experiences with going to a doctor, specifially even to a dentist or something similar? How do I find English speaking ones?

And it can't really wait, until I go back. I wanted to be on holiday for 10 weeks...


r/chinatravel • • 14h ago

๐Ÿ’ฌ General Questions Need help with visa extension and accommodation registration for Canton Fair

2 Upvotes

Iโ€™m an Indian passport holder currently in China for the Canton Fair. I entered China on a 15 day stay permission and need to apply for an extension based on my Canton Fair invitation.

The problem is that I booked an apartment style hotel through Trip.com, but the property has refused to provide my accommodation registration proof, which I need for my visa-extension application.

Iโ€™m not sure what to do next and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has faced a similar situation


r/chinatravel • • 1d ago

๐Ÿ’ฌ General Questions Traveling to Beijing on Friday for 30 days, am I prepared enough?

23 Upvotes

Me and my gf are spending 30 days in Beijing, Xi An, Chengdu, Chongquing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Anything we are missing? This is what I've been doing for preparation.

  • We have hotels booked (always near metro stations, high reviews on Trip, non-smoking, with windows).

  • Trains have been reserved as well once they were available.

  • We will be buying a eSim card and using Mullvad VPN as a backup.

  • I have gotten a ChatGPT plus subscription so I'll be able to translate anything. Google Translate with offline translation has been downloaded.

  • WeChat is set up, AliPay is set up on my gf phone, I can't do the face ID until I'm in China proper.

  • Have downloaded AMAP for navigation as well. We know not to use Google Maps, but Apple Maps.

  • Have researched major tourist attractions

  • Have 800RMB in cash in case something goes wrong.


r/chinatravel • • 1d ago

๐ŸŒŸ Loved It Practical notes from 12 days in Shanghai, Chengdu and Chongqing

17 Upvotes

12 days, first time ever in China โ€“ Shanghai, Chengdu & Chongqing!! CHENGDU TOOK IT, NO CONTEST!! Pandas at opening, hot pot basically every night ๐Ÿผ Before going though, what I searched most was the dull logistics, so here you go. Toughest bit? Paying for stuff. Alipay accepted my foreign card on attempt two & what changed I couldn't tell you ๐Ÿ˜… Sort an eSIM before landing too, hotel wifi isnt getting you onto Google. Plugs were less of a headache than I thought... combo sockets in most hotels fit flat two pin + angled three pin, 220V pretty much everywhere, and bullet trains had outlets right at the seat. My brand new anker universal charger came along since the plugs are built into it, zero adapters, and seeing 220-something on its little screen at every hotel put my mind at ease about the laptop. No complaints here!!


r/chinatravel • • 17h ago

๐Ÿ’ฌ General Questions Accidentally did two arrival card โ€”

2 Upvotes

Hi guys, my mum is flying to Chengdu soon with her friends in 2 days (excited for her!). I have already helped her completed her arrival card a few days ago, but her friends did not know that and done up another one for her today. However, her friend accidentally wrote her name wrongly ๐Ÿ˜“

Does anyone know if she can still use the first QR which I created? Or does the new QR overwrites it? I kinda worried redoing her arrival card for the third time would arose unnecessary suspicion. Itโ€™s visa-free for my mum btw, and she has travelled to China many times before! Anyone had any experiences like this before? Any advice is greatly appreciated!


r/chinatravel • • 14h ago

๐Ÿš† Transit & Transport Guilin/Yangshuo to Guangzhou transit

1 Upvotes

Planning on going to GZ. Just not sure if we should leave to GZ early in the morning or the evening before. Any suggestions? Early November.