China travel and business

Practical China help for international visitors

Make entry, payments, trains, hotels and everyday travel in China work—before arrival and on the ground.

Start planning Check entry options

China trip planning materials with a phone, map and travel documents — Before arrivalSet up the systems the trip depends on.

Start with your situation

What do you need to do in China?

Choose the situation closest to yours. Each path starts with the decisions most likely to block the trip.

01Planning my first China trip

Build the route around entry, payment, phone and transport setup.

Open the first-trip guide 02Arriving in the next few days

Check the airport, hotel address, mobile connection and first payment.

Use the arrival checklist 03Already in China

Fix everyday movement, payment and communication problems.

Get on-the-ground help 04Visiting for business

Prepare meetings, transport, receipts, payment backups and documents.

Prepare a business visit 05Something has gone wrong

Recover from a lost phone, failed payment, document problem or disrupted plan.

Open recovery guidance

Essential China setup

Set up the six systems your trip depends on

Complete these before adding more destinations to the itinerary.

EntryVisa, transit and route conditions

Check passport, route and entry conditions before booking.

PaymentsWallets, cards, cash and backup

Prepare more than one way to pay before landing.

Phone & appsKeep essential services available

Plan for SMS, maps, translation and mobile data.

Airport arrivalReach the correct hotel reliably

Carry the address and a transfer fallback outside one app.

TrainsStation, identity, gate and buffer

Confirm the exact station and boarding flow in advance.

Hotel check-inPassport, address and registration

Prepare the information a stay may require at reception.

Practical tools

Check your plan before you travel

Use a tool for the immediate task, then open its linked guide for context, exceptions and official-source checks.

01Visa-free checker

Screen a passport and route for a possible visa-free pathway.

Check entry 02Arrival checklist

Work through final preparation and first-arrival steps.

Prepare arrival 03Payment checklist

Build a primary and backup payment setup.

Check payments 04High-speed rail planner

Check station and boarding decisions before a rail trip.

Plan rail 05China cost estimator

Create a planning estimate using stated assumptions.

Estimate costs 06Emergency phrase card

Keep essential help phrases available for offline use.

Open phrase card

Tools provide planning guidance, not legal, immigration, medical or financial decisions. Confirm time-sensitive rules with the linked official source.

Choose a China base

Choose a city that fits the trip

Start with the job the city needs to do, then compare districts, arrival routes and onward connections.

Shanghai skyline for a first China arrival

First arrivalCompare low-friction gateway cities

Choose a practical first base before adding onward stops.

Business and tradeShanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen

Plan around meetings, fairs, suppliers and regional transport.

Beijing scene for a classic first China route

Classic first routeBeijing, Xi'an and Shanghai by rail

Build a first itinerary with realistic transfer days.

Food-focused tripOrder, pay and manage dietary needs

Prepare for menus, table routines and regional differences.

Guilin landscape for a slower scenic route

Slower scenic routeGuilin, Hangzhou, Xiamen and quieter bases

Balance scenery with transfers and a manageable pace.

Shenzhen skyline near Hong Kong border routes

Hong Kong and MacauTreat the border as a real route condition

Check documents and onward logic before booking connections.

Browse all cities Compare China regions

Practical Updates

Changes that may affect a real trip

Source-backed updates on entry, payments, holidays, trains, accommodation and border routes.

EntryVisa-free and transit rules to verify before booking

Separate destination entry from third-country transit logic.

Read update PaymentsForeign-card setup and the failures to prepare for

Keep a second usable route when linking or checkout fails.

Read update TimingPublic holidays and the days that change a route

Protect transport and hotel plans from peak movement.

Read update RailStation checks before a high-speed rail trip

Confirm city, station, identity and departure buffer.

Read update HotelsRegistration and address proof at check-in

Know what the property may need from an international guest.

Read update Border routesHong Kong and Macau connection checks

Plan each border crossing as an international movement.

Read update

See all practical updates

Why trust X-China

Practical guidance with visible checks

Time-sensitive claims should be traceable, reviewable and useful in the real situation—not merely rewritten from an announcement.

Start with the guide that matches the task, use its checklist to prepare a primary route and a backup, then follow the cited official source before a time-sensitive booking or border decision. China entry rules, payment acceptance, train procedures and holiday operations can change after an article is reviewed, so the review date is a signal to recheck—not a promise that every counter, station or app will behave identically.

Official sources checkedfor time-sensitive rules and procedures.
Practical impact explainedin direct, usable English.
Review dates shownon maintained articles and updates.
Experience labeled honestlywithout invented first-hand claims.
Corrections welcomedwhen a rule or real-world process changes.

Practical first

Start with the systems that can block the trip

Check entry, phone, payments, hotel details and transport before building the rest of the itinerary.

Open the first-trip guide Use the arrival checklist