Cities 城市
Local knowledge rather than lists of sights — the handful of decisions that change how the first few days actually go.
Guangzhou · 广州
Guangzhou, if this is your first stop in China
The Cantonese city that shares a culture with Hong Kong — so you arrive with a reference point instead of none. Airport metro, when to come, and how a tea house actually works.
Shenzhen · 深圳
Shenzhen, and how to get in from Hong Kong
Which border crossing to use at what hour, the Futian metro entrance trap, tapping a foreign card at the gate — and the lunch the city actually runs on.
Four more cities in progress, roughly one every two to three weeks. We'd rather publish one city properly than six thinly.
Getting things to work 实测
Apps, payments and bookings — tested on a real device, with the version number and date recorded so you can judge how stale it is.
Next up: getting AMap into English without a Chinese phone number, binding a foreign card to Alipay, and booking trains on 12306 with a passport. Something you'd want tested? Tell us.