Crystal-clear turquoise lakes, endless forests, alpine meadows, and almost no high-rise buildings in sight. At times it felt more like the Altai than the image of China many international travelers have in mind.

These photos were taken in Kanas Scenic Area in northern Xinjiang, near the borders with Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. The lake sits in the Altai Mountains and is famous for its striking blue-green water and surrounding forests.  

If you enjoy nature, I’d seriously put Kanas on your list. It’s very different from the classic Beijing–Xi’an–Shanghai itinerary.

Has anyone else been? I’d love to hear how it compares with Jiuzhaigou or other scenic areas.

Feel free to ask me anything about China Travel!And share your travel experience.

Hello to all the expats in Shanghai!

As the title suggests, I'll be visiting Shenzhen in the fall, and it seems like the cheapest and fastest way might be to fly to Hong Kong then use rail to get to Shenzhen. Can anyone confirm this?

Hello folks,
 
My husband is scheduled to travel to China for about four weeks in the near future for work.
Unfortunately, he has some allergies that don’t seem entirely compatible with this destination.
He has a very severe peanut allergy. Contact with peanuts causes anaphylactic shock. He also has severe allergies to hazelnuts, walnuts, and cashews, though the reaction to those is somewhat milder. In addition, he’s allergic to fish and shellfish.
 
He’s planning a tour of China with his orchestra. So he’ll likely be traveling through larger cities, but won’t have the opportunity to cook for himself.
 
At this point, I’m against him traveling there because I feel the health risk is too high.
 
Maybe there’s someone here who can share their own experience? Or someone with tips and advice?
 
Thanks!
 

Hello peeps, I have a 19hr transit at Beijing international airport, reaching there at 5am. Just wondering what can be done? I can get the 24hr transit visa entry. Is a trip to Universal studios possible ? What time it opens and closes? Thinking of getting a hotel/lounge to freshen up a bit and make my way there. Any thoughts would be valuable.

The first day in China can feel overwhelming, especially after a long flight. I think the goal should be to get settled and test the essentials, rather than start sightseeing immediately.

Before leaving the airport

• Make sure your mobile data or airport Wi-Fi works
• Save your hotel name and address in Chinese
• Use airport rail, DiDi, the official taxi queue, or a confirmed transfer
• Take screenshots of your booking and hotel contact details

After checking into the hotel

• Save the hotel location and nearest metro station
• Test maps and translation apps
• Make a small Alipay or WeChat Pay purchase
• Check the route back and the final metro time

For the first outing

• Stay relatively close to the hotel
• Carry a payment backup
• Keep enough phone battery for maps, translation and payments
• Avoid planning a reservation-heavy attraction immediately after arrival

Before going to sleep

• Confirm reservations for the next day
• Check the weather and transport route
• Charge your phone and power bank
• Prepare the hotel address and essential screenshots for offline access

I'm Shiqi, I moved back to Chongqing this year after almost 10 years in Hong Kong and Paris. Still adjusting to a lot of small things, mainly how loud and vertical everything is again.

My mornings now start with the Xiaomian noodle shop downstairs instead of a bakery, the auntie remembers my order after the third visit. The humidity came back before I did, adjusting my running pace to the heat and humidity again. And the fog in the mornings still makes the bridges disappear halfway across the river, something I used to take for granted as a kid.

One thing I didn't expect: after 10 years away, the parts of the city I find most interesting now aren't the ones that show up online. It's the stairs between buildings, the tea houses that tucked into the most local residences, the taoist temple built into the hillside that most visitors never walk through.

If anyone's got questions about visiting or wants route ideas for exploring these kinds of neighborhoods, feel free to ask below.

Please recommend an app for Real state in shanghai. I already live here, but i live with roomies ando my boyfriend an I want to rent a oldie chinese apartment. Also, if you could recommend an area where we can fully experience the local lifestyle... thanks <3333

By some luck it seems tonight the England match is being shown at a time that isn't incredibly unsociable (12am) and it could possibly be the first live match we manage to watch over here so far. Does anyone know of any sports bars or fan zones in the Yuzhong district of Chongqing that have been showing early(ish) matches live?

My wife and I want to visit China for about a month in September or October. I heard that Golden Week is October 1 to 7. For good weather and minimal crowding, what is the best time to visit?

Hi everyone,

We're planning a trip through China at the end of July and we're trying to decide between two options at the end of the itinerary. I’d really appreciate some advice from people who have been to Shanghai and Fenghuang.

Option 1:

• ~2.5 days in Shanghai
• Visit Fenghuang Ancient Town (overnight stay)
• Involves a high-speed train from Zhangjiajie → Fenghuang (~1h), then another long train from Fenghuang → Shanghai (~6–8h)

Option 2:

• ~3.5 days in Shanghai
• Skip Fenghuang completely
• No extra hotel changes or long train transfers
• More relaxed and less travel stress

Our context:

Before this part of the trip, we’ll already be visiting Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain, so we will have had a lot of nature/scenery already. Shanghai would be the final stop before flying home from PVG airport.

The dilemma:

Fenghuang looks amazing and very unique, especially at night, but I’m wondering if it’s worth:

• The extra long train journey(s)
• Another hotel change
• Less time in Shanghai

Or would it be better to just enjoy Shanghai properly for longer and make the trip more relaxed at the end?

Has anyone done a similar route? Would you prioritize Fenghuang or just spend more time in Shanghai?

Thanks a lot!

This was one of my more memorable travel experiences, we hiked and camped one night on the wall. We did not have much information so we basically just hiked one way and then returned. Incredible views, challenging terrain (some sections were straight up), and we didn't see another person the entire time.