A little context changes everything.

Visiting a new country brings enough decisions. Working out how to pay for lunch, find a train or show a driver your hotel address should feel manageable.

First China brings those practical details together for English-speaking independent travellers. Start with a guide, make a personal checklist, and save the essentials for the moment you need them.

Where we can help

Our first collection covers everyday travel preparation across mainland China, with arrival guides for Beijing and Shanghai. We focus on preparing your phone, payments, bookings and first journey from the airport.

Independent and free

You can read the guides and use the checklist without an account. We do not sell tickets or process bookings. This first edition contains no paid placements or affiliate booking links.

Clear about what we know

Guides link to official sources and show when those sources were reviewed. This is a desk-researched first edition. We have not independently tested every service, app, bank card or mobile network. Read our editorial approach for details and corrections.

Photography

Shanghai skyline photograph: © Stefan Fussan / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized, converted to WebP and displayed with a crop. The adapted photograph remains available under CC BY-SA 3.0.