Skip to content
China in Scenes画 里 中 国
EN中文ES
StoryA world of stories, stitched into a sleeveStoryChina is worth getting up forStoryA garden you read one view at a timeStoryThe journey outside the train windowStoryOne small boat, a country of waterwaysStoryA morning, a chair, a cup of ChengduStoryThree cities, three ways to light the nightStoryRead the city through its moving partsStoryThe electric car passing your windowStoryThrough the doors of China's international fairsStoryYunnan, through the hands that make itStoryFour Yunnan landscapes, four ways to exploreStoryYunnan in song, from the snow mountain to the stagePractical guideThe 24-hour pre-flight checklistPractical guideMake mobile payment work before arrivalPractical guideeSIM or local SIM: choose by what you needPractical guideYour first 72 hours, in the right orderPractical guideThe small app stack that covers most tripsPractical guideHow to get around: metro, bus and high-speed railPractical guideHigh-speed rail without the station panicPractical guideHow to communicate: a pocket Chinese phrasebookPractical guidePlan a supplier or factory visit that stays on schedule

CHINA TRAVEL, CULTURE & EVERYDAY WONDER

There's a story
in every scene.

山 川 · 人 间

Beyond the places you've heard of, a thousand little discoveries are waiting. Come a little closer.

Step into the scene
01 / Mountains, rivers & everyday lifeNext scene · The modern city
An explorable Chinese landscape with breakfast stalls, distant mountains, a covered boat, a garden, a train and a city skyline
A taste of the morning
Beyond the mountains: Yunnan
A world beyond the wall
A story carried by water
China, through a train window
Follow the city lights
Three painted worlds. A closer look at China.

Move across the painting. A place lifts. Click to step inside.

← Swipe to explore. Tap a painted place to enter its story. →

01 / THE LITTLE THINGS, EXPLAINED

How does it workin China?

Pay, connect, get around and communicate. Four useful starting points for your journey.

A little preparation. More room to explore.

01

How to pay

Cards, mobile wallets and a sensible backup.

Mobile payments · Cards · Backups
02

How to get online

Find the right SIM or eSIM for your trip.

SIM · eSIM · Connectivity
03

How to get around

Metros, buses and high-speed trains, step by step.

Metro · Bus · High-speed rail
04

How to communicate

Useful words and phrases, with Chinese and pinyin.

Useful phrases · Pinyin · Audio

02 / THE JOY OF NOTICING

A different side of China.

Small rituals, unexpected places and everyday things worth a second look.

05
BOATS · RIVERS · THE ART OF CONNECTION6 min read

One small boat, a country of waterways

A covered boat opens a conversation about wooden ships, great rivers and the human-made channels connecting them.

03 / CURIOSITY, MEET CONFIDENCE

A little preparation.
A lot more possibility.

The practical things, in a useful order. Tick them off as you get ready for your own China story.

Open the pre-trip checklist
BEFORE THE JOURNEY / 行前小记00 / 04

0 / 4 ready for the journey

Your checklist stays in this browser.

A PLACE FOR YOUR NEXT CHAPTER

Where will your curiosity take you?

Our travel atlas is being reworked. Explore the stories in the painting while the next chapter takes shape.

Under construction