Travel series
China Travel Guide — the series
Practical, plain-order notes for visitors to Shanghai and Beijing: entry rules, getting around, and what to do with the hours you have.
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Beijing for first-timers: what the city itself tells you to prepare
What the Beijing municipal government's official English travel guide tells inbound visitors to prepare before they fly — the four things to pack, the two you cannot bring in, and the four numbers to keep on your phone.
A beginner's guide to Shanghai, in plain order
The Shanghai municipal government's official beginner's guide, read end to end — passports and visas, arrival and customs, paying and getting around, and who to call when something goes wrong.
Shanghai with International Friends: a local's private list
Over the past two years I've hosted the same kind of visit more times than I can count — HQ bosses flying in, British in-laws, foreign friends passing through. Each time the brief is the same: show them Shanghai in a way that feels like Sha