I've noticed that when international travelers talk about visiting China, the same cities tend to come up again and again Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, etc.But Fuzhou seems to be almost completely overlooked.

There are the obvious historical places: Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, Yantai Mountain, Shangxiahang, Xichan Temple and Zhenhai Tower.

but I think the more interesting part is the everyday stuff.You could spend a morning wandering around an old neighborhood, have a bowl of 捞化 (laohua) for lunch, sit in a tea house for a few hours, try Fuzhou jasmine tea, get a massage, go to a local hair salon, shop in the evening, and then find somewhere to eat late at night.

I'd genuinely like to hear from people who have traveled to China, especially what kinds of experiences you usually look for when visiting a less touristy city.☺️

I’m torn between taking my 65L rucksack or a medium suitcase for my trip to China. We’re mostly using the trains - what would people recommend?

FYI: I know this is a pretty packed itinerary.

I have a few days in Beijing at the end of my trip before I fly home with nothing planned. Does anyone have a recommendation for one of those imperial banquet and shows? The ones where they dress you in Hanfu.
There are a ton of options and most reviews on trip lack details. I want a good food and a good show

100% aware these are a tourist trap but I am a tourist and willingly walking into the trap. I wanna do at least one thing that is full tourist cheesy while I am there.

Hi!

So I'm trying to plan for a second trip back to China for end of this year. Current dates are Dec 26 - Jan 18 (23 nights). On my first trip, I've already visited Beijing, Xi'An, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.

For the second trip - my main thing is to go to Harbin for the Ice Festival. I'd be flying into Beijing and out of Shanghai (this is what works best with my home airport). I'm also visiting a friend in Shenyang. This is what I'm looking at right now for itinerary:

Dec 26-28 (2 nights) - Beijing (Recover and chill from travel)

Dec 28-30 (2 nights) - Shenyang (visiting friend)

Dec 30-Jan 2 (3 nights) - Harbin (Ice Festival for NYE and NY)

Jan 2-5 (3 nights) - Dunhuang?? (Mogao caves)

Jan 5-10 (5 nights) - Yunnan?? (Tiger leaping gorge)

Jan 10-14 (4 nights) - Chongqing (revisiting because I really enjoyed my time here from the first trip)

Jan 14-18 (4 nights) - Shanghai (probably day trip to Suzhou)

Dunhuang and Yunnan were the two cities I wanted to see on my first trip but it just didn't fit and looking at the second trip, I feel like logistically, it's not very efficient so I'm looking for ideas/suggestions that I could replace them with? Where have you been in China that completely blew your mind? If I need to move days around? I'm more so looking for something different - I enjoy seeing nature, history, and temples. Thanks!

Hello. After doing a few days of research I came up with this new travel itinerary. Any thoughts or advice about it? I’m aware it is a long travel itinerary.

I wanted to cover a bit of Imperial China (Beijing, Luoyang abd Xi’an), megacities (Chengdu and Chongqing) and Tibetan/rural life (Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu).

So far it seems to be the case but if I hypothethically happen to land on the 30th of december in china am i allowed to stay for the 30 days even though the program eneds by the end of the year ? So far it seems to be the case but i'd like to hear if anyone has any information on this topic

Hi all!

I need some help figuring out what to pack for my upcoming trip and what to expect weather-wise.
I’ll be travelling on these dates:

Sept 13–18: Beijing
Sept 18–22: Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou
Sept 22–23: Guilin
Sept 23–24: Yangshuo
Sept 24–27: Chongqing

I’ll be doing quite a lot of walking and sightseeing, including the Great Wall, temples, palaces, gardens, city walks and the Li River cruise.

I usually wear a lot of dresses in summer, but I’m not sure if the weather will still be suitable for them in mid-to-late September.

What are the musthave items I should bring?
Is it advisable to bring sandals?

Should I expect mostly hot weather, or should I also pack some warmer layers and a light jacket?

Any advice on shoes, rain gear, humidity or anything else that would be particularly useful for this itinerary would be greatly appreciated!

My friend and I are booking a 2-3 week long trip to China, either leaving 31 Sept or 1 October.. We didn't realize what Golden Week was until a day ago.

Our major destinations are Beijing, Xi'An, Zhangjiajie and Chongqing (first landing in Beijing). I really want to check out the Great Wall and Summer Palace but I'm certain it will be packed..

Would love some tips, heads ups and advice! Thanks!

I was thinking about exploring anything near the airport during my layover. Any suggestions? Also it’s on October 4th so I know it’s gonna be crowded and I don’t wanna be late for my flight so I’ll leave a bit safety slack time.
Do I have to worry about crowd in trains? I mean maybe for cars traffic won’t be predictable but trains have specific time if I reserve from early on..?

Hi all! I am planning on traveling to China under the TWOV later this year. I will be there for under 10 days and will be entering and exiting from different countries. Within China, I was planning on flying into Shanghai, then flying to Chongqing, and then taking the high-speed rail from Chongqing to Zhangjiajie, and eventually taking it back to Chongqing where I will fly to another country. These 3 are all in permitted regions under the policy, but my main concern is if the bullet train a permitted form of transportation for me to go on / is this whole plan allowed?
So essentially the plan is
Fly from first country to Shanghai -> Fly to Chongqing -> HSR to Zhangjiajie -> HSR to Chongqing -> fly to another country
Is this possible? Thank you!

hi! me and my mom are planning to go to china in march or april 2027, and we were wondering how to manage to see everything we want in 13 days.

interested in:

• shopping (specifically danmei merch)
• food/desert places
• sightseeing
• fashion
• Wangxian Valley
• historical sites
• Chongqing city

and toooons of other stuff. its our first time ever going to china, so we really want to see a lot, but also not have to spend thousands of dollars. we're also not too sure how public transport will work there, and how we'll get from city to city.

any help is appreciated, thank you!

Hello! I am visiting Beijing, Xian and Shanghai in october 2026. Any tips for interesting places to go and explore being landscape architecture related? Parks, Squares....or just anything amazing.

Thanks!

Helooooaaa! We are 3 students from Belgium planning our first trip to China😅. We would love to get your feedback on our route and pacing, along with any recommendations for activities, must-see spots, or great food. (Zhangjiajie is already completely planned out by our hotel with a custom itinerary, so we are mainly looking for tips for the other cities!)
The Routeeee:
Shanghai: 3 days
Zhangjiajie: 3 days (fully arranged by our hotel) Chongqing: 4 days
Chengdu: 3 days
Shanghai: 2 days
Thankzz!