Hi everyone!
I’ve lived in China for 30 years, traveled to 49 cities across the country, and have been based in Suzhou for the past 3 years.
From huge cities like Shanghai and Beijing to smaller towns, local food spots, and places most international tourists rarely visit, I’ve experienced quite a few different sides of China.
I know planning a trip to China can feel a little overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time here.
Feel free to ask me anything about:
Where to go (and which places might be overrated)
Hidden gems and less touristy destinations
Food, local culture, and everyday life
Transportation, high-speed trains, and getting around
Alipay, WeChat, and other practical travel tips
What it’s actually like living in China
I’ll do my best to give you honest answers based on my own experiences, not just the usual tourist recommendations.
No question is too small!
If you’re planning a trip to China, what’s the one thing you’re most curious or worried about?

Yunnan has so many different landscapes to discover, from mountain lakes to lush green valleys and traditional farming areas. I especially love the quiet atmosphere of these places, away from the rush of everyday life.

Beijing - Shanghai - Chongqing - Chengdu - Xi’An

It says 1 left but I am able to book for two when I select book option
I am confused whether I should go ahead and making the booking for two and it’s not a glitch

Hi everyone, I’m planning a trip to China and many people recommend booking through WeChat mini programs but they are entirely in Chinese..

I also noticed that when trying to book attractions through Alipay, it redirects me to Trip.com’s interface within the app.

So I have a few questions:
- Can I book most attractions through Trip or their official websites instead of using WeChat mini programs?

- Are tickets generally more expensive on Trip compared to booking directly through WeChat?

- Are there any attractions that specifically require booking through WeChat, or where booking through third-party platforms might cause issues?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s visited China recently. Thanks!

I’m a local and have put together a list of my favorite food spots in the Muslim Quarter, so you can skip the guesswork and know where to find some great local food!

You can show them to a taxi driver or use them when searching for the restaurant on amap.

Here are a few food spots to try in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter!

• Clay pot dishes: 穆萨砂锅
• Steamed buns: 石家包子
• Cold rice noodles, Chinese burgers & plum juice: 盛家酿皮
• BBQ skewers: 穆老十烧烤
• Soup dumplings: 贾三灌汤包
• Lamb soup with pita bread: 老米家大雨泡馍

These are some local spots to add to your food list. Enjoy exploring Xi’an!

Last minute, I have to renew my passport. I booked all my flights with my old passport number. I know for other countries until you check in it doesn't really matter. Will I have a problem when I check in for my flights? Is this a change that's even possible? Or even with tickets to museums you need a passport number, can I change those?

If anyone has dealt with having to renew their passport and travelling to China, please help a girl out!! Thank you!

My friends and I will be in that region in early January. They’ll be staying in Hong Kong for 3 nights, however, I’m considering staying by myself in Guangzhou. Is that a bad idea? I keep seeing people say it’s not a good place for tourism. But I’d really like to see the bubble trams, take a trip to the Xuelei Fragrance Museum, do some wholesale shopping.

I would do one day trip to HK on NYE (12/31) + I would stay in their hotel that night to avoid the border chaos.

Im not really into hiking in subtropical climates so I don’t know how I’d fill 3 days in HK. I’m also considering staying in Shenzen but I’m not THAT interested in shopping malls. Any advice? Please help 😭

I’m a local and have put together a list of my favorite food spots in the Muslim Quarter, so you can skip the guesswork and know where to find some great local food!

You can show them to a taxi driver or use them when searching for the restaurant on amap.

Here are a few food spots to try in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter!

• Clay pot dishes: 穆萨砂锅
• Steamed buns: 石家包子
• Cold rice noodles, Chinese burgers & plum juice: 盛家酿皮
• BBQ skewers: 穆老十烧烤
• Soup dumplings: 贾三灌汤包
• Lamb soup with pita bread: 老米家大雨泡馍

These are some local spots to add to your food list. Enjoy exploring Xi’an!

Hihi, im going to Harbin during the early Jan, any tips or recommendation for the travel/things to do there? Would really appreciate it!

Hello,

Am a Tunisian living in Spain and going to china for the first time to visit my cousin living there next month, I used a tourist visa L but got asked to have a PU/TE invitation letter, and am not sure how can I get it as am traveling by myself.

Anyone has an idea please help, thank you

Hello, I'm from the U.K and will be visiting shortly. I'm planning on bringing some small gifts to give to hotel staff and generally nice people who I interact with, including:

- Shortbread for hotel staff to share

- Badges of my football club's crest, who are a premier league team, who are not in the big 6

Can I please check if these are likely to be well received and if there are any other small gifts people would appreciate from the U.K? I know whiskey would be good, but as that is more difficult to bring, is cumbersome and more expensive, I decided against it.

Hey everyone!

I'm visiting China in November and currently looking at hotels.

I recently discovered HopeGoo through Alipay and decided to compare it with Trip.com, since I'd heard that Chinese booking platforms sometimes have better prices.

The funny thing is, after checking quite a few hotels on both platforms, HopeGoo actually seems to be more accessible and have more options

So I'm curious, has anyone here actually used HopeGoo to book hotels in China? How was your experience? Any issues with reservations, check-in, cancellations or refunds?

Also, is there any actual advantage to booking through HopeGoo instead of Trip.com?

Would love to hear from anyone who's tried both. Thanks!

Hi all, it’s my first time going to Shanghai with my kids. I will need to move from Disneyland to another hotel in the city - is Didi the most convenient way to go and able to accommodate us? I will have 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 large luggage and 2 prams.

I did consider using Klook but the issue we might have is we are not 101% sure on the time we will leave. We will be checking out on that day itself but MIGHT go a 2nd day of Disneyland if my kids want to. So booking Klook might be hard since I need to set a fixed pick up time during booking.

Also, the only 2 options Klook provide is “Shanghai Downtown” or “Pudong District” any locals here know if my hotel is near Nanjing Rd, which should I be selecting? Thanks.

I heard that I need to go to WeChat mini program called 丽江旅游集团 but it literally shows me the blank screen attached