How to Use Alipay in China as a Foreigner
How foreign travelers can set up and use Alipay with an overseas card, understand fees and limits, fix common failures, and keep backup payment options ready.
Read guideStart your China trip with practical tools, local tips, and places most visitors miss
China Trailhead
China is easier, warmer, and more fun when someone explains the practical pieces before you land: payments, internet, apps, trains, and where to start.
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Photo: Zhang / Qimiao · CC BY 4.0 · Cropped · Kanas Lake, Xinjiang
Essential guides
What Apps to Download Before Visiting China
The essential China travel apps to download before departure, covering payments, maps, transport, translation, bookings, and communication.
Read guideHow to Buy China Train Tickets as a Foreigner
Choose a purchase channel, use your passport details exactly, check both station names, and distinguish ordinary sales from the official Beijing–Shanghai advance-reservation pilot. Station arrival and boarding are covered separately.
Read guide10 Days in China: First-Time Visitor Itinerary
A ten-day Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai route with separate transfer days, realistic city pacing, and date-specific train and attraction checks.
Read guideBeyond the tourist trail
Hidden China
● 12 Hidden China guidesRegional locations are approximate.
About me
Hi, I'm Xi Yu.
I love traveling and sharing the interesting places I discover. I hope you'll find a place here that you'd like to explore, too.
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