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China in Scenes画 里 中 国
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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
Back to the landscape

ANOTHER SCENE · THE MODERN CITY

Look up.
A city comes alive.

A Pudong skyline, a passing metro, an electric car and a hall welcoming the world. Come closer to see contemporary China light up and connect.

02 / City lights · Contemporary ChinaBack to the landscape
An imagined modern Chinese city composition: the Pudong skyline, a wave-roofed exhibition hall, a metro, buses and electric cars
A doorway to the world
When the city lights up
How a city moves
What powers these cars?
A ride back to the landscape
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

FOUR WAYS TO READ A CITY

Look at the lights. Meet a city connected to the world.

Starting with the Pudong skyline, this painting brings together inspirations from different Chinese cities: towers, railways, street life and a convention hall opening to the world. It is an imagined city composition rather than a map of a real neighbourhood.

Choose the towers for the skylines and light displays of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Follow metros and buses, or explore electric cars. The exhibition hall on the right introduces the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, CIIE in Shanghai and CIFTIS in Beijing.

Each place opens a closer illustration with an article below. Let curiosity introduce the city, then use the practical guides to start planning your own day.

Open the practical city transport guide

FOUR PLACES · FOUR CITY STORIES

From the skyline to the world.

City lights, public transport, electric cars and international fairs. Choose a detail and come closer.