China Travel Scams Guide: Common Tricks and How to Avoid Them
On my second trip to China, a friendly student asked me to help practice English, then steered me toward a tiny teahouse where the bill came to RMB 1,200 for…
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Beijing Xian Shanghai Itinerary: China’s Classic Triangle by Rail
If you have one week and have never been to China, this is the route I tell people to take. It covers the three cities most first-timers want: the imperial…
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Hainan 7 Day Itinerary: Beaches, Rainforest and Island Roads
Most people fly to Sanya and never leave the resort. I did that on my first trip and regretted it. On my second visit I built a Hainan 7 day…
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Guizhou 7 Day Itinerary: Waterfalls, Miao and Dong Villages
I picked Guizhou because I wanted a China trip that was not the usual Beijing-Shanghai loop. What I found was a province of misty peaks, the widest waterfall in Asia,…
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Sichuan 7 Day Itinerary: Pandas, Peaks and Chengdu Food
I planned my first Sichuan 7 day itinerary around one stubborn idea: see giant pandas, stand under a 71-meter Buddha, and walk a real mountain, all in one week without…
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Yunnan 10 Day Itinerary: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La, China
Yunnan is the one province we tell first-time China travellers to protect with at least ten days, because it is not one place — it is a vertical slice of…
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China One Month Itinerary: A Complete 30 Day Route for First Timers
A month is the sweet spot for China. Two weeks barely scratches Beijing and Shanghai; three weeks lets you add one region; but a full China one month itinerary is…
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China Ski Resort Hotels Guide: Slopeside Stays for Winter Trips
Ten years ago, recommending China ski resort hotels to a foreign client meant explaining that the “resorts” were mostly crowded beginner hills with concrete blockhouses for lodges. That has changed…
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China Seafood Dining Guide: Coastal Markets, Menus and Fair Prices
The first time we sent a client to a Chinese seafood market, he came back convinced he had been scammed — the crab he picked from the tank weighed different…
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China Bubble Tea Guide: Ordering Milk Tea Like a Local
Few things signal “you are really in China now” like the first time a staff member slides a sealed plastic cup across the counter and you realize the drink in…
