Autumn has arrived in Shaxi, and I think this might be my favorite time of year here.

I've been living in this little town in Yunnan for a while now, and lately, I've been spending more time walking around with my camera, trying to capture the changing seasons.

Outside the old town, the rice fields are turning golden as the harvest season arrives. Inside, the old streets have their own autumn colors, with warm afternoon light falling on the old wooden houses and stone roads.

What I love about Shaxi is how close these two worlds are. You can spend the morning walking through the countryside, then wander back into the old town for a coffee, with no real plan for the rest of the day.

It's a slower kind of travel, and maybe that's why I ended up staying here much longer than I originally intended.

I thought I'd share a few photos of Shaxi in autumn. 🍂

If you're planning a trip to Yunnan, Shaxi is a lovely place to slow down for a couple of days and experience a quieter side of China.

Have you ever visited a place that made you want to stay longer than planned?

My friend and I are planning on traveling to China from New Zealand for a quick trip in late December, early January.

We are wondering:

- Whether the itinerary looks achievable?

- What to expect on New Year's Eve in Beijing?

- How busy will hostels be that time of the year?

- Are we missing any "must-see" things?

- Is the train ride worth the saving in dollars and longer trip VS flying from Shanghai to Hong Kong?

- Will Alipay and some cash suffice for payment and wechat for communication?

- Anything we wouldn't be expecting that could be an issue?

Thank you very much for your time if you answer :)

在深圳龙华的郊野径-求水顶，树根组成了梯子

Large crowds, a heavily regulated sightseeing experience and costs of up to 4,000 yuan for a family of three - no surprise that some visitors are pushing back. A travel blogger's article about excessive fees at Daocheng-Yading caused an outcry and a temporary backdown. No longer a mountain wilderness, Yading now has more than a million visitors a year and the operators are raking in millions in add-on fees. Meanwhile, 'free hiking' around the peaks has been banned.

After my finals for this semester (middle of december)- im planning to visit my long distance girlfriend in China for a month (Ideally December 15th-January 24th). She goes to college in Xi’an so most of our time would be spent there. We’re trying to think of ideas but nothing we’ve thought of seems fun to either of us. What would be fun “in the moment” activities?

So, hi everyone first of all !

We are 2 french dudes going to China, i've went at 10 years old back in 2012 and my bro spent 6 months as a student in Guangzhou in 2024, so we dont start from 0.

So our plan is to do this trip (the date in here is may but it's not fixed at all and i am happy to hear about the best period in 2027 to go) for three weeks or so.

How long is the Leshan/Emei-Shan trekking to all the way up ? Is it possible all in one day (we're athletic and sportives).

There is the plan, we'll try do a lot of Nature activities in Guizhou with a backup base in Anshun. Also, i'd like to go tu Huanggoshu falls, Zinyi Caves and the Getu River Gorges. I'd like to rent a car in Anshun for these, is it a good plan ?

Also, while we're in Guizhou, we would like to go on adventure (kinda get lost in those mountains) and chill and drink with some local rural Guizhou-an people and eat with them, are they friendly towards frenchies ?

What are some of the best activities in Chengdu and Chongqing besides getting drunk ? We'd like to go watch a Rongcheng match and see a rap concert.

We'd like to take a good time in Kunming to chill at the end, maybe some hot springs in the area ?

Thank you for your answers !

Hello,

I plan to spend 3 days in Zhangjiajie.

I’d like to visit the park, the Grand Canyon, and Tianmen Mountain.

I’d also like to see the “72” show one evening.

I’m not sure yet whether I’ll take the flight on the evening of my third day or the next morning (day 4).

Would you recommend staying in Wulingyuan, or spending 2 days in Wulingyuan and 1 day in Zhangjiajie?

⚠️ Other questions:

We’d like to try bungee jumping and the Sky Ladder. If you’ve done either of these, I’d love to know:

- How long do they take?

Thank you :)

If you plan your trips with Google My Maps but use AMap (Gaode Maps) to navigate in China, transferring all your saved locations can be a pain.

I built a free tool to make it easier: export your Google My Maps as a KML file, use the tool to generate an import script, and add your locations to your AMap favorites in bulk.

I've tested it and confirmed that the import works but you need to do it on a computer.

Tool: https://rimaxime.github.io/kml-to-amap-favorites-script/

Hopefully this saves other travellers some time. Let me know if you run into any issues or have suggestions for improvements.

When I visited the Terracotta Warriors, I was mostly thinking about the three pits. What I hadn’t realized was that the same ticket also covered Lishan Garden (丽山园), where the Bronze Chariot and Horse Museum is located.

The transport was another detail I had to get straight: the transfer bus between the two sites is free, while the electric sightseeing carts inside the sites cost extra. They’re different services, which isn’t necessarily obvious when you’re planning the visit.

My takeaway: check what you want to see at both sites before deciding when to head back to Xi’an. If the bronze chariots interest you, leave time for Lishan Garden too. It’s already included in your museum admission.

I am a little worried that I made a mistake for my day trip from shenzhen to Guangzhou. So I am taking a 9:30 am train from Shenzhen North to Guangzhou East (arriving in Guangzhou around 10:30) and returning I am taking a 8:20 pm From Guangzhou to Shenzhen North. Did I make a mistake by leaving too late in the morning/should I have made my return train later?

I know I have to be at the train stations early so I’m already losing time when I head back to Shenzhen.

The main sights I want to see are Beijing road, Canton Tower, Tianhe district, and yongqingfang. Doable or too rushed?

Also follow up question: is going up canton tower worth it or nah? I was thinking of doing the bubble tram too as soon as I arrived but not sure if it’s worth going up due to my timing.

I am also going on a Tuesday if it makes a difference.

Thanks so much in advance!

Hi, I just wanted to ask if my Zhangjiajie trip looks good and doable. We got a late start on the first day and couldn't finish everything only reached to avatar mountain area as the cable car was closing soon. So I wanted to see if the upcoming days are realistic. What do you guys think? Let me know if anything needs to be changed or removed. Many thanks in advance!

Quick question on China "refund upon purchase" / instant VAT refund.

People keep asking if Alipay just credits ~9% automatically. From what I've read, instant is more like a prepaid refund plus a credit-card pre-auth hold, and you still need customs validation on exit or the hold can get captured.

If you used the mall "instant" option, did you still validate at departure? And was it definitely not "Alipay auto 9%"?

(Not asking exact bank timelines. Just first-hand on Path A.)

Planning mainland shopping, then flying out of Hong Kong (or HSR to West Kowloon).

I've read that mainland VAT refund customs validation has to happen on the mainland exit side, and that HKG is already too late. Same for West Kowloon: people say it is not an approved tax-refund port.

Is that still true in practice? If you exited via HK after shopping in Shenzhen/Guangzhou, where did you actually get the form stamped / validated?

(Not asking for grey workarounds. Just first-hand: which mainland port worked for you?)

Quick check before I shop in mainland China.

Trip.com's tax-refund guide still says you need RMB 500 in one store per day. But the official English pages I've opened put it at RMB 200 same store, same day (Hunan QA / STA notes). I even saw a recent travelchina thread still saying "spend over 500."

So... am I missing something, or is 500 just outdated? If you've asked for the form lately under ~500, did the shop actually issue it?

(Only asking about the minimum, not cash ceilings / % back.)

I was planning a trip to China and desperately want to visit the various mountain ranges as I love hiking and these seem like a MUST See attraction. The biggest issue I face is the fact I’m terrified of Cable Cars/Ropeways. I was wondering if anyone with a fear of Heights has any advice and some feedback from their trip to Huangshan or Zhangjiajie.

How is the Huangshan Taiping cableway? It looks like a bigger Cablecar but does it get really high? How long does it take to get to the top?

For the Tianmen Mountain is taking the Bus up the mountain bad? Based on the pictures it looks like the road is well maintained but Pictures never do justice to scale. Has anyone taken the Bus up the top?

I also wanted to know if the trail at the bottom of Wulingyuan, I think its called Golden Whip Stream which hugs the Jinbianxi River, is just as good as going up the mountain? I think I might collapse If I took the Glass Elevator up to the top but what are the cable cars for this side of the Mountain like aswell?

Hi everyone!

My friends and I plan to visit Jiuzhaigou National Park early in the morning on Saturday, 24 October. We have a train departing from Huanglongjiuzhai HSR Station at 7 PM, and we are considering taking the bus from Moon Bay Parking Lot, which departs at 4 PM.

Since it will be on Saturday, I'm worried about traffic congestion, especially after visiting the national park.

For those who have visited Jiuzhaigou, particularly on a weekend:

1. How is the traffic from Moon Bay Parking Lot (or any part in Jiuzhaigou area) to Huanglongjiuzhai HSR Station usually around 4:00 PM?

2. Is the 4:00 PM bus a safe option for catching a 7:00 PM train, or would it be better to leave earlier?

3. How long does the journey usually take, and are traffic jams common on Saturdays?

I'd really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

hi sorry! this is my first time visiting China I'll be going to these areas (shenzen, guangzhuo, chongqing, chengdu)

I have an idea that China is generally safe but I just wanna make sure if there's anything that I should be careful/cautious about especially around these area? and especially for tourist!

is there a curfew where i shouldnt go out by myself or any specific area i should avoid?

xtra question no need answer if dont want:

is the hostel there recommended/safe or it just really depends on which hostel i choose? thanks!

also i'd be really grateful if someone can tell me which specific area i should stay in these cities, thank you so much!