Life in China - ExamineChina

How to book flights in China – complete guide for foreign travelers

China is a massive country, so when it comes to domestic travel, flights are the fastest and most convenient option for tourists and business travelers. Domestic flights in China connect major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, saving hours or even days in comparison to rail or road travel. This guide provides a step-by-step approach for booking flights, airline options, typical fares, and essential travel tips, ensuring a smooth journey across China. How to book domestic flights in China as a foreigner Foreign travelers can easily book domestic flights in China with a valid passport; no Chinese … Read more

How to get around in China – a complete guide for foreigners

China is a great destination. It is a vast country with a dynamically developing transportation system, which is crucial when it comes to getting around as a tourist or a businessperson. Navigating China can be challenging at first for them, … Read more

China visa-free policy 2026 – what travelers need to know

China has announced an extension of its visa-free entry policy for citizens of selected countries until the end of 2026, which allows travelers to enter China for short stays without a visa. The decision reflects Beijing’s efforts to boost tourism, business exchanges, and people-to-people connections in the post-pandemic era. The list of countries with visa-free access was also expanded. China visa-free policy 2026 Under the extended policy, citizens of several European and Asian countries can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days per visit. The visa-free entry is valid for tourism, business, family visits, cultural exchange, and transit purposes. According to the official announcement by the Chinese government, the visa-free scheme is effective until December 31, … Read more

Subway in Beijing

Beijing, the capital of China, is a city where three thousand years-long ancient history and modernity converge in a vibrant tapestry of culture, cuisine, and commerce. As one of the world’s largest and most dynamic cities, Beijing offers travelers a … Read more

How to travel from Hong Kong to Guangzhou by bus

Hong Kong and China exist under the “one country, two systems” policy. This means that Hong Kong is a part of China but has unique systems that differ from those in mainland China. For example, they are separated by a … Read more

How to travel from Hong Kong to Guangzhou by high-speed train

Since Hong Kong is not in mainland China, traveling between Hong Kong and Guangzhou or any city in mainland China can seem tricky. Actually, it is not difficult. Below, we explain step by step how to travel from Hong Kong … Read more

How to get to Guangzhou from Hong Kong

Guangzhou and Hong Kong are among China’s top travel destinations. These two places are fascinating hubs that attract tourists and businesspeople. In this article, you will learn how to get to Guangzhou from Hong Kong. How to get to Guangzhou … Read more

Alipay – how to set up?

If you live or travel to China, you need to use mobile payments to keep up. Over a billion users embrace digital payment solutions, using apps such as WeChat Pay (Weixin Pay), Alipay (zhifubao), and others. In this post, we’ll … Read more

WeChat Pay – how to set up?

Mobile payments have become essential to everyday life in a fast-paced society. Over a billion people in China use digital payment solutions to purchase goods and pay for services. China’s most popular mobile wallets are Alipay (zhifubao) and WeChat Pay … Read more

Alipay in China

Cash is becoming a thing of the past in China. Almost 1 billion people in China actively use mobile payments. Two major companies propel digital payment in China: Alibaba and Tencent. Alibaba’s Alipay is preferred over Tencent’s WeChat Pay by … Read more

WeChat Pay in China

Whether it is one of the bustling streets of China’s cities or the remote corners of its countryside, people use WeChat Pay to purchase goods and services. WeChat Pay is a mobile payment platform that has changed a lot of … Read more

Foreign credit cards in China

There is some great news for all foreigners going to or living in China. Foreign credit cards in China are now accepted for mobile payments. Foreign tourists can pay with WeChat Pay (Visa cardholders) and AliPay (Mastercard cardholders) when traveling … Read more

Alipay Tour Pass

When going abroad, many wonder how to make payments for purchases and services. Mobile payments are getting more popular, but they may not work in a foreign country. China is known for being advanced in this area, from paying by … Read more

Shanghai factories reopen despite lockdown

Since Shanghai was put under hard lockdown, many factories halted production. As the situation normalizes, Shanghai factories reopen to ensure economic growth and reach the planned annual growth rate for this year. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has … Read more

Traveling to China – preparations. What should you know?

Traveling to China requires some preparations beforehand. It is important to get ready both on the business front and on the cultural one. We can help you start by introducing some aspects that will make preparations for the journey easier. … Read more

Cost of living in Guangzhou

Guangzhou (also known as Canton) is the city of the largest and oldest trade fair in the world. A city of business that is eagerly visited by numerous entrepreneurs from around the world. The capital of Guangdong Province has over … Read more

Cost of living in Beijing

Beijing, the capital of China, is one of the most popular cities among tourists. This is the second (after Shanghai) city in terms of population in China, and, in addition, one of the four separated cities bordering the Hebei province … Read more

Days off in China

International cooperation requires adaptation to the circumstances of both countries. Entrepreneurs dealing with Chinese businesspeople should be particularly aware of the irregular calendar of Chinese holidays. Those traveling to China should also be mindful of the dates of public holidays. … Read more

Cost of living in Shanghai

Shanghai is one of the most popular cities in China, visited by numerous people from around the world. Some go on a tourist trip, while others plan to stay there a little longer. Many people choose to study in this … Read more

Mastercard gets green light in China

Mastercard has obtained preliminary approval to create and operate bank cards in RMB. Mastercard’s activity in China is gaining access to the $27 trillion payments market (2018) as part of the financial opening of China. The new Mastercard project is … Read more

E-commerce in China

China is the world’s biggest e-commerce market. It has over 50% of e-commerce sales, totaling to 2.78 trillion USD. Among the products that the Chinese buy online are clothes, cosmetics, electronics, and even fresh produce (more than 50% of customers). … Read more

Global brands in China

Foreign brands in China are popular, especially among the Chinese middle class and younger generation. The Chinese crave the “American lifestyle,” resulting in the popularity of brands such as Starbucks, Apple, and KFC. Purchasing American or European products is an … Read more

Chinese food market rises – and so are the food prices

Not long ago, the share of imports in the Chinese food market was very low (4% in 2007). But the situation changes very fast. The purchasing power of the Chinese people rises along with the appetite for imported food and … Read more

The rise of Chinese B2C ecommerce

The E-commerce market grows in size year after year. Which country is on the top? The answer is China. China is the biggest eCommerce market in the world. How did Chinese B2C e-commerce become so big? Chinese B2C ecommerce In the … Read more

Great Firewall of China – what is it, how does it work?

Over the years, many web pages have been blocked in China. The long blocklist was extended to include Wall Street Journal and Reuters. These are not the only English-language web pages that cannot be accessed from China. It is all … Read more

Trends and statistics of Chinese e-commerce

The Chinese e-commerce market is expanding. The added value of the digital economy in China accounted for more than 38% of the country’s GDP. Almost ¼ of physical goods (FMCG) were bought online, compared to 4% in the US. It … Read more

Chinese visa regulations

The growing importance of China is reflected not only in the large number of Chinese companies making big investments overseas but also in the influx of foreign nationals into China. If you do business in China and plan to go … Read more

Baidu – a persistent search for the ideal

A typical internet user has several habits that he formed over the years. If we want to search for information, we usually open Google even without thinking. The corporation from Mountain View has practically monopolized the world’s internet search market, … Read more

WeChat – mobile communication, mobile business

Tablets and smartphones have conquered the Chinese market. There are over 970 million smartphone and 460 million tablet users in China. There is a lot of potential in the Chinese mobile apps market. Tencent Holding, which developed popular QQ messenger … Read more

Android in China – what kind of apps are popular?

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in China. It holds a share of about 78% of the Chinese market. The second most popular is iOS, with a share of about 21%. How is Android in China possible if … Read more