Do I need a visa to visit China?

As of 2026, Japanese and Korean passports enter visa-free for up to 30 days under a trial policy that has been extended several times. Most European passports also get 30 days. Others can use the 240-hour transit exemption. Check your embassy's site before you fly.

Will Google, LINE and KakaoTalk work in China?

On local networks they are blocked. Use an international roaming eSIM bought before departure; traffic routes through your home country and everything works without a VPN. Hotel Wi-Fi is a local network.

Cash or apps in China?

Alipay with your home credit card covers 95 percent of the trip. Set it up at home. Carry about 300 RMB in small notes. Bank of China ATMs accept foreign cards.

How much English is spoken in China?

Hotels and airports, yes. Restaurants, taxis and shops, mostly no. Every card on this site ends with a Chinese phrase to show on your phone.

Is China safe? Do I tip?

Very safe, including late at night. No tipping anywhere. Keep your passport on you: trains, museums and some parks check it.

7 days in China · for first-timers from Japan, Korea and beyond

The big sights are easy. It's the small bowl that trips you up.

Everyone tells you to see the Great Wall. Nobody tells you how to drink douzhi without spitting it out, how to open a soup dumpling without burning your lip, or how to unlock a shared bike when the app is in Chinese. This guide is only the small things.

Read the free details Get the full 7-day guide

Free: 8 details + the 7-day skeleton. Paid: every hour, every address, 60 point-and-say cards.

Travellers meeting a panda at the Chengdu breeding base

Visitors paying by QR code on the Bund in Shanghai

Eating soup dumplings, sipping the soup from the spoon

Unlocking a shared bike near the Forbidden City

Late-night lamb skewers on a Beijing hutong street

Butter tea in a guesthouse looking out at snow mountains

Try it: tap the card, show your phone to the counter

3RMB A bowl of douzhi. Cheapest culture shock in Beijing.

1.5RMB / 15 min A shared bike, once you can unlock it.

0% Tipping. Never. Anywhere.

30days Visa-free for Japanese and Korean passports (as of 2026, check before flying).

The details

Each card is one thing you'll actually do. Steps, where, price, the one mistake, and a phrase to show.

Install these before you fly

All free. All must be set up at home, on your own network: verification texts and card checks fail once you are on a Chinese connection. An hour tonight saves a bad first morning.

You do not need a Chinese phone number or a Chinese bank account for any of these. A foreign number and a Visa, Mastercard or JCB are enough.

The 7-day skeleton

Beijing → Shanghai by high-speed rail. This is the free outline. The paid guide fills every hour, with the Chinese address for each stop and what to do when it rains.

Want every detail? That part is paid.

The free page gets you started. The full guide is what I'd hand a friend the night before they fly.

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Before you fly

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