Complete China Travel Guide · Updated 2026
China Travel Guide 2026
Lucky-number pricing (8 = wealth, 4 = death). Alipay Tour Pass + WeChat Pay setup. Didi Chuxing English. Chinese New Year 2027 travel window. Airport transfers for 15 cities + top 8 airlines. Everything Trip.com won't tell you.
Chinese Numerology
Chinese lucky + unlucky numbers for travel
Chinese numerology is baked into real-world pricing, hotel floor labels, aircraft row numbers, phone number valuations, and license plates. Understand these before you book — Chinese travellers absolutely notice.
Lucky Numbers
Use: Prices ending in 8 (¥88, ¥888, ¥1,888), 8-night packages, "Top 8 flights" rankings.
Use: ¥666, "6% cashback", 6-day tours.
Use: 9-night honeymoons, ¥999 anniversary rates, long-stay pricing.
Use: ¥288, ¥2,888. Pair discounts.
Unlucky Numbers
AVOID ¥4, ¥44, ¥144, ¥444, Room 4, Floor 4, Row 4 on aircraft, "Top 4" rankings.
AVOID entirely.
AVOID entirely — never in a price, ranking, count, or timing.
Real-world examples: Beijing 2008 Olympics opened 08/08/08 at 8:08pm. Chinese phone numbers with 8-heavy digits sell at 5-10× premium. Every major Chinese hotel skips floor 4 (goes 3 → 5). Emirates + Etihad skip row 4 on flights to China. Beijing car license plate “京A88888” sold for USD $173,000.
春节 · Chunyun · World's largest annual migration
Chinese New Year 2027 = Feb 6 (Year of the Sheep)
Travel window Jan 25-Feb 17, 2027. 3+ billion trips. Trains + planes book out 60+ days ahead. Hotels 2-3× normal rates. Book early October 2026 for reasonable fares, or accept peak-season pricing.
✓ Do
- • Book flights + hotels by early October 2026 (booking cliff Nov 1st)
- • Consider “chunyun escape” destinations: Thailand (Phuket + Bangkok), Japan (Tokyo + Osaka), Bali
- • Use Trip.com — dominant Chinese OTA, best CNY inventory + Alipay/WeChat Pay accepted
- • Attend lion dances + temple fairs — free + spectacular
✗ Don't
- • Try to book train tickets less than 30 days out (mostly gone)
- • Visit tourist attractions on Day 1-3 of CNY (locals + domestic tourists jam every site)
- • Expect banks / government offices / non-tourism shops to be open (many closed 7-10 days)
- • Book intra-China domestic flights (2-4× normal price during chunyun)
Payments
Alipay Tour Pass + WeChat Pay + Didi Chuxing
Foreign Visa + Mastercard do NOT work at Chinese taxis, street food, small restaurants, or most metros. You have three options — set up BEFORE arriving.
1. Alipay Tour Pass (recommended)
Link foreign Visa/Mastercard/Amex to a temporary Alipay wallet (90-day validity). Works at 95%+ of Chinese merchants — taxis, restaurants, metros, shops. Setup: Alipay app → Tour Pass → link card. Instant approval.
2. WeChat Pay (Tourist)
Similar to Alipay Tour Pass but via WeChat app. Both work at every merchant — use whichever you prefer. WeChat wins if you already use it to message contacts in China.
3. UnionPay card
If your home bank issues UnionPay (China's domestic card network), it works at any Chinese ATM + POS. Common in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia.
4. Didi Chuxing (ride-share)
Uber left China in 2016 (sold to Didi). Didi's English app (“Didi Rider”) accepts foreign phone numbers + international cards. Universal coverage — every Chinese city. Pay in-app.
Top 8 China airport transfers
Airport transfer guides for 8 top Chinese cities
Book with the right OTA
Trip.com — China's dominant OTA
Trip.com (formerly Ctrip) is the #1 booking platform in China — 400M+ users, integrated with Alipay + WeChat Pay + UnionPay. Best CNY inventory, best domestic Chinese flight rates, and Mandarin-native customer service. Save an average of 8% vs Western OTAs on China flights + hotels.
Search China flights on Trip.comTop 8 Chinese airlines
Top 8 Chinese airline route maps
Fly to China — compare 750+ airlines
Beijing PEK · Shanghai PVG · Guangzhou CAN · Shenzhen SZX · Chengdu · Hangzhou · Xi'an · Kunming
Beijing hotels — Great Wall, Forbidden City, Sanlitun
Hotels, hostels & more · Trip.com
Stay connected abroad — no roaming bills
Buy a travel eSIM before you fly and install it by QR code.
China + Chinese New Year deal alerts
Weekly China flight + hotel + tour deals. Special Chinese New Year 2027 booking-window alerts (deals drop Sep-Oct).
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FAQ
China travel — what people ask
Why do Chinese hotels skip floor 4?
The word "four" (四, sì) sounds nearly identical to "death" (死, sǐ) in Mandarin — so 4 is considered deeply unlucky. Many Chinese hotels, hospitals, and residential towers skip floor 4 (and 14, 24, 44) entirely — floors go 3 → 5. Airlines including Emirates + Etihad also skip row 4 on flights to China. Never book a room ending in 4 for Chinese guests.
What Chinese numbers should I use in prices for Chinese travellers?
Use 8 wherever possible — ¥88, ¥888, ¥1,888. Eight (八, bā) sounds like "prosper/wealth" (发, fā) and is the most lucky number in Chinese culture. Beijing Olympics opened 08/08/08 at 8:08pm. 6 and 9 are also lucky (smooth-sailing and eternity respectively). Always avoid 4 and 14.
Can I use my Visa or Mastercard in China?
Foreign cards work only at international hotels, high-end restaurants, and some airport shops. Everywhere else — taxis, street food, small shops, most restaurants — you need Alipay Tour Pass (link your foreign card to a temporary Alipay wallet) or WeChat Pay (same). Set these up BEFORE arriving in China. UnionPay cards also work everywhere.
How do I use Didi Chuxing as a foreign tourist?
Download Didi Chuxing (滴滴出行) app — the English "Didi Rider" version works with foreign phone numbers + international credit cards. Uber left China in 2016 (sold to Didi). Book rides in English, pay with card. Coverage is universal in every Chinese city.
When is Chinese New Year 2027 and should I travel?
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) 2027 falls on February 6 — Year of the Sheep. The travel window ("chunyun") is Jan 25-Feb 17 (peak). This is the world's largest annual human migration — 3+ billion trips. Trains + planes book out 60+ days ahead. Hotels 2-3× normal rates. Fantastic time to SEE Chinese culture (lion dances, fireworks, red decorations everywhere) but book EARLY or expect chaos.
Do I need a visa for China?
15-day visa-free entry (as of 2024-25 policy) is available for most Western passports (US, UK, EU/Schengen, Australia, NZ, Japan, Canada, South Korea). For longer stays, apply for the 10-year multi-entry L visa in advance. GCC citizens visa-free. Check current policy at consular website before travel — China updates visa-free lists regularly.
What is the cheapest way from Chinese airports to city centres?
Metro/subway is fastest + cheapest in every major Chinese city. Beijing Airport Express ¥25, Shanghai Metro Line 2 ¥8, Shanghai Maglev ¥50, Guangzhou Metro Line 3 ¥9, Shenzhen Metro Line 11 ¥7-10. All accept Alipay Tour Pass / WeChat Pay. Foreign cards do NOT work in Chinese taxis.