Things to Do in China

About China

The smell hits you first — soy sauce caramelizing over pork in a Shanghai alley at 5 AM, right next to a French concession villa where plane trees drop leaves like golden coins. This is China compressed: the clack of mahjong tiles from an apartment above Dalian Road mingles with the electric hum of BYD taxis on the Bund, while the Huangpu River carries both centuries-old sampans and LED-lit dinner cruises that cost ¥288 ($40) for river views and unlimited xiaolongbao. In Beijing's Gulou district, teenagers queue for craft beer brewed with jasmine tea at ¥45 ($6.20) a pint, then stumble past the Drum Tower where percussionists have marked time since 1272. Chengdu's Wide and Narrow Alleys serve rabbit head hotpot at ¥68 ($9.30) while the real action happens in back lanes where grandmothers sell hand-pulled dan dan noodles for ¥12 ($1.60). The trade-off: you'll need WeChat Pay for everything, Google Translate for half the menu, and the patience of a monk for train station queues that snake around entire city blocks. But when you finally bite into soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung in Xintiandi — the broth exploding like liquid gold while the skyline blinks in approval — you'll understand why this country rewires your brain permanently.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Download the 12306 app before you land — it's the only reliable way to book high-speed rail, and G-trains from Beijing to Shanghai run every 15 minutes at ¥553 ($76) second class. Metro cards work in 45 cities now, buy one at any station for ¥20 ($2.75) deposit. Taxis from Beijing Airport Terminal 3 quote ¥150 ($20) to the city center, but the Airport Express costs ¥25 ($3.40) and gets you there in 19 minutes flat. Watch for scammers at train stations offering 'VIP tickets' — they're usually just regular seats at triple price.

Money: WeChat Pay and Alipay are now mandatory for most vendors, but international cards still work at major hotels and international chains. Withdraw cash from Bank of China ATMs with foreign cards — the fee is ¥20 ($2.75) per transaction. Street food stalls rarely take cards, so carry ¥100 ($13.75) in small bills. Exchange rates at airports are terrible; use ATMs instead. Pro tip: screenshot your QR payment codes before entering areas with spotty internet — subway turnstiles in Chongqing won't wait for your connection.

Cultural Respect: Never stick chopsticks upright in rice — it resembles funeral offerings. In temples like Shaolin, bow slightly before entering and remove hats. When photographing locals in Dali's old town, ask with 'keyi pai zhao ma?' (can I take photo?). Tipping isn't customary except at high-end international hotels where 10% is appreciated. Queue-jumping happens — stand your ground politely. Business cards are exchanged with both hands, read carefully, then pocket respectfully. The biggest mistake: assuming everyone speaks English — download Baidu Translate for menus.

Food Safety: Hot food served hot is your safest bet — night markets in Xi'an where lamb skewers sizzle at 200°C kill everything. Avoid raw vegetables at street stalls unless they're peelable. The boiled water rule is outdated; bottled water costs ¥2 ($0.28) everywhere. Look for restaurants with steam coming from the kitchen — empty ones at lunch hour are empty for a reason. In Beijing's hutongs, follow the locals to stalls with longest lines at 7 AM — that's where the best jianbing at ¥8 ($1.10) hides. Bring Imodium, but honestly, the food poisoning risk is lower than most guidebooks claim.

When to Visit

April and October are China at its most forgiving — Beijing's sky clears just enough to see the Forbidden City without a pollution mask, while Shanghai parks burst with cherry blossoms and temperatures hover at a perfect 22°C (72°F). These months also see hotel prices spike 60-80% and tourist sites where you queue for two hours to see three minutes of the Terracotta Warriors. May brings rain to the south — Guangzhou gets 200mm (8 inches) that month — but it's when Yangtze River cruises drop to ¥2,200 ($302) from peak-season ¥4,500 ($618). June through August is sauna season: Beijing hits 38°C (100°F) with humidity that makes your glasses fog, but it's the only time to see the Great Wall's dramatic summer storms from ¥40 ($5.50) cable cars. September is the sweet spot for adventurers — Tibet opens fully with daytime temperatures at 20°C (68°F) and permits easier to obtain, while flights to Lhasa drop 40% from peak rates. November to March is budget traveler heaven: Beijing hotels plummet to ¥200 ($27) from ¥800 ($110) summer rates, and the Harbin Ice Festival carves entire palaces from river ice at -20°C (-4°F). The trade-off is coal heating season in northern cities — bring masks rated N95 or higher. Chinese New Year (late January/early February) transforms everything — red lanterns line every street and fireworks echo until 3 AM, but transportation shuts down for a week and prices triple. Golden Week in October creates the world's largest human migration — book trains 30 days ahead or get stuck. For the committed, March offers empty temples and ¥99 ($13.60) high-speed rail promos, but pack for 10°C (50°F) weather that feels colder with Beijing's wind. Summer beach season runs June-August along Hainan's Sanya coast, where resort rates increase to ¥1,500 ($206) nightly from off-season ¥400 ($55), but the water hits 28°C (82°F) and the coconut water tastes like liquid sunshine.