China Travel Companion

Your first trip to China shouldn’t feel complicated.

A step-by-step digital guide for the Chinese city you’re visiting. Open it on your phone to find what to do, what to look for and what to try when plans go wrong.

$39 per city · One-time purchase · Free previews

Shanghai’s Pudong skyline and Oriental Pearl Tower across the Huangpu River
Welcome to ChinaBig adventures.
Clear next steps.
Shanghai · 上海

The unfamiliar moments

What can catch you off guard.

Illustrative scene: a traveler at arrivals checking No connection on the front of her phone01

No internet on arrival

Maps, ride-hailing and translation suddenly become harder.

Illustrative scene: a traveler checking a failed payment on his phone while a cashier waits02

A payment that won’t go through

Your usual card may not be enough at a QR-first checkout.

Illustrative scene: a confused traveler hesitating beside a metro ticket machine03

The local system feels unfamiliar

The service exists. Knowing what to tap or where to go is the hard part.

Illustrative scene: a traveler with luggage outside a closed hotel, unsure whom to contact04

When Plan A fails

Finding a backup takes time when you’re tired, carrying luggage or already running late.

Three stages, clear next steps

That’s what the guide is for.

Prepare before you leave. Know what to do when you arrive. Keep a backup when plans change.

  1. 01Before You Go · Documents, internet and payments
  2. 02When You Land · Airport, connection and hotel transfer
  3. 03Your First Day · Check-in, transport, food, trains and places

Choose your destination

Where are you going in China?

Explore a free sample, then decide whether the full city companion is right for your trip.

Each city has its own airport and local guidance. Any detail still awaiting confirmation is marked beside the relevant step.

City photography & credits
  • Shanghai — The Huangpu skyline. Zean Wu · Unsplash License
  • Beijing — Temple of Heaven. tommao wang · Unsplash License
  • Guangzhou — Canton Tower after dark. Oleg Illarionov · Unsplash License
  • Shenzhen — Waterfront sunsets. Vincent Chan · Unsplash License
  • Chengdu — A panda encounter. Alexander Schimmeck · Unsplash License
  • Chongqing — Liziba’s through-building train. ダモ リ · Unsplash License
  • Hangzhou — West Lake & lotus gardens. jevens julian · Unsplash License
  • Xi'an — The ancient Bell Tower. Bao Menglong · Unsplash License
  • Xiamen — Gulangyu island rooftops. 拍照铺 pjoup · Unsplash License
  • Qingdao — Red rooftops by the sea. Hat Trick · Unsplash License

The research behind your trip

Why you can trust the guide

01

Official-source research

Entry, transport and payment steps draw on the relevant authorities and service providers.

02

Local practical context

Traveler walkthroughs help explain the signs, screens and service points you will actually encounter.

03

Dated and reviewed

Research revisions are recorded. Details awaiting confirmation are flagged beside the relevant step.

04

A backup when things change

Find an alternative when an app, counter or transport plan does not work as expected.

Latest recorded revision: 7 Oct 2026 · About our research

Sources include official authorities, transport operators, payment providers and published traveler accounts. Sources are not endorsements. Revisions are dated; this guide is not a live status feed and does not promise daily updates.

Illustrative use cases · Not customer reviews

No customer feedback has been collected yet. These examples describe the help the guide is intended to provide.

  • Your first payment

    The kind of help I would want before my first payment: what to tap, and what to try if it fails.

  • A smoother arrival

    Having airport, connection and hotel steps in one sequence would make arrival feel much more manageable.

  • A backup when you need it

    I would want a backup beside the main instructions, so one failed app doesn’t derail the day.

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