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China guides for first-timers: entry, paying, trains.
The practical part first, in the order you will need it: before you fly, at the border, then paying and getting around. Shanghai is filmed and written up; Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi'an land after December.
Pick the thing you need to sort out:
Before you fly
The setup guides
Each one is the video plus the written steps, checked against the official page on the date shown.
GUIDE 13First time in China: 13 things to set up before you fly
Visa-free list, arrival card, Alipay and WeChat, cards, cash, trains, maps, packing.
Read the guide
GUIDE 14China arrival card online on a computer
Upload your passport, let it fill the form, save the QR. Every screen shown.
Read the guide
GUIDE 14China arrival card in Alipay on your phone
The same card through the Alipay mini program, for people who do it on the way.
Read the guideShanghai, answered
What we filmed, turned into the practical answers
Four place guides from the trip, mostly at night: how to get there, when to go, what it costs.
The BundHow do I get to the Bund at night, and when do the lights go off?Guide
Nanjing RoadWhen is the neon on, and where does the walking street start?Guide
River cruiseWhich pier, which ticket, and is the night cruise worth it?Guide
ERA showWhere do I book ERA circus tickets and how do I get there?Guide
The videos and photo sets behind these pages are on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Shanghai Disneyland after dark is next.
Still under the foil
December: Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi'an
Pandas, hotpot, a metro that runs through a building, and the Terracotta Army. The guides from this trip land here first, then the videos.