Gaokao in China: What Every June Visitor Must Know
If you’re visiting China in June and something feels off — your hotel is full, the streets are unusually quiet, parents in red are gathered outside a school, or your phone signal just…
Does It Snow in China? Cities, Seasons & What to Expect
We’ve been guiding international travelers through China since 2006. One of the most common questions we get before winter trips: Does it actually snow in China? Yes, it snows in China — reliably…
China Rainy Season by City: A Practical Travel Guide
China’s rainy season is not one thing. It’s ten different things happening in ten different cities at ten different times of year — and most travel guides flatten all of that into “summer…
How Much English Is Spoken in China? 25 Cities Rated
The short answer: English works well in Shanghai, reasonably well in Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an, and becomes a genuine obstacle in most of the rest of China. The long answer depends on exactly…
China Scenic Area Rating System Explained: What the A-Level Rankings Really Mean for Travelers
In 1999, China had over 30,000 tourist sites and no reliable way for a first-time visitor to tell the extraordinary from the mediocre. That’s exactly why the government built a national rating system…
China’s G Train vs D Train: What Every Foreign Traveler Must Know
If you’ve tried booking a China train ticket and found yourself staring at a long list of G and D numbers wondering what the difference is — you’re not alone. This is one…
Chinese Grottoes Explained: History, Art & Where to Go
Every travel guide tells you the Mogao Caves have 45,000 square meters of murals and the Longmen Grottoes contain over 110,000 carvings. Almost none of them explain why any of this exists in…
Where to See Wild Monkeys in China: Beyond the Tourist Trail
China is one of the best countries in the world to see wild monkeys in their natural habitat. We’re talking about rare golden snub-nosed monkeys with blue faces surviving at 4,000 meters altitude,…
China High-Speed Train Seat Classes: The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Seat
After some first business class mistake (¥1,748 for a 4-hour Beijing-Shanghai trip when first class would’ve been fine), we learned China high-speed train seat classes matter more than you’d think. This guide combines…
Golden Week Holidays in China 2026: Your Complete Survival Guide
Standing at West Lake in Hangzhou on October 2nd, we watched a German couple desperately search their phones for accommodation. They’d arrived expecting to find hotels easily—Hangzhou has thousands. But during Golden Week,…
China Southern Airlines Reviews: The Brutally Honest Truth from Real Passengers
When Sarah from Manchester saw the flight price—£612 for a return trip to Sydney via Guangzhou—she did what most of us do. She Googled “China Southern Airlines reviews” at 2 AM, cursor hovering…
How Much Cash to Bring to China? Complete Guide for International Travelers
Every single day, our inbox at Travel China With Me receives the same frantic email. It usually goes something like this: “I read on a forum that China doesn’t use money anymore. I…
