First-time travelling to China? Here, recent first-timer, Jaime Lyth answers all your questions about experiencing the Sleeping Giant

Planning a trip to China can seem daunting at first, it’s a huge country that’s existed for five millennia.

Global tourists have been flocking to China since the government began unrolling new tourism incentives in the past year, including an expanded visa-free policy (which sadly does not include New Zealand, yet).

There are several ways you can prepare yourself as a first-time traveller in China, here’s what you should know before you go.

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Is China cheap to visit?

In general, most things in China are more affordable than in New Zealand. This means you can be pretty strategic when you pack and save room knowing you’ll be able to buy most things for cheaper while you’re in China.

Flights to China are pretty reasonable with several airlines reopening travel options post-pandemic. Depending on when you’d like to travel, prices for economy flights at the moment vary between $700 to $1300 for round trips from Auckland to a major city like Shanghai.

Your biggest expense will likely be accommodation or guided tours, depending on your travel plans.

Food and snacks are cheap and easy to come by, and convenience stores provide a wide range of affordable items. For example, I managed to buy two beers, a power bank and a pair of socks for the equivalent of $20 NZD.

Beer is incredibly cheap, and even available in vending machines in some areas. It also appears to be the norm to serve 500ml beer bottles at restaurants.

Some restaurants in China will only sell wine by the bottle and may have a small selection or variety, but in supermarkets and convenience stores, wine is affordable.

There was a huge range in pricing for clothing which wasn’t always easy to determine by looking at the product itself or the store.

Do I need a visa for China?:

Tourists visiting China need to get an “L-Visa” from their local Chinese embassy or consulate.

China issues single, double, and multiple-entry visas. For a regular single-entry tourist visa, the maximum duration of stay is often 30 days.

For the application, you need to fill out a form and provide your passport alongside your itinerary (including flights and hotel bookings) or an invitation letter from an individual in China.

You will also have to provide a coloured ID-style photo with a white background during the application process.

How to get there

You can get direct flights from Auckland to China’s major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Those travelling to other parts of China from New Zealand will likely require a stopover.

For example, I flew from Auckland to Haikou, China – which took just under 12 hours, followed by a two-hour flight to Changsha.

While you’re there, make use of their incredible bullet train system to get around and avoid going through customs and security at airport level.

A tour is a great option for a place like China, which could be difficult to navigate alone for a first-timer with not many people speaking English.

Specialist China travel companies include Wendy Wu Tours, who guided me on my trip, made it easy to get around and had a detailed itinerary planned out, with transport included.

Money and payment

In China, the most common form of payment is via apps like Alipay or WeChat, instead of Eftpos or credit cards.

These apps work similarly to ApplePay, where you connect your card to the application. But instead of using Paywave, Chinese payment apps use a scannable QR code to make payments.

It’s important to ensure you complete the authentication steps before travelling or you may run into issues trying to pay.

You can carry some local currency (RMB) for urgent expenses, but China is moving towards a “cashless” model so even the smallest local vendors tend to have QR digital payment options.

Internet, apps and the “great firewall”

Many apps and websites commonly used by Western populations are blocked in China.

This includes, but is not limited to, Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and even Google Maps.

Using your roaming data with your New Zealand phone provider is one way to avoid getting blocked from using the above websites.

Using a VPN, or buying an eSIM Card (Travel SIM Card) is another option.

Just because you can use a website with a VPN, doesn’t mean it will be the same experience as using it at home.

For example, you might be able to surpass the firewall with a VPN and load Google Maps, but there is much less detail and information about places in China on Google Maps than there is for New Zealand places.

So downloading specific Chinese applications for maps, translations, and ride sharing (their version of Uber is DiDi) can be helpful.

What to pack

China is a huge country geographically so the weather can differ significantly between regions and cities.

It’s best to check the forecast of the specific place you will be staying to understand the type of weather you need to pack for.

Most hotels on China’s mainland provide free single-use toiletries, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and soap.

But, when you’re out and about, it’s a drastically different story.

It’s a good idea to carry hand sanitiser/soap and tissues/wipes around, because many public bathrooms, even in shopping malls, do not offer either.

Many public bathrooms will also only have squat-style toilets (no seats), whereas hotels may have western-style toilets.

Checklist

CHINA

GETTING THERE

The writer flew direct from Auckland to Haikou, China with Hainan Airlines in 12 hours.

DETAILS

For extra peace of mind, visit China as part of a guided tour with Wendy Wu Tours. wendywutours.co.nz

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