China

Good to know

1. 1The Great Wall is not one continuous wall but a series of walls built by different dynasties over many centuries. The sections near Beijing are the best known, though long stretches elsewhere are much quieter.
2. 2Chinese cooking differs a lot from region to region. Sichuan is known for chilli and numbing peppercorns, Guangdong for dim sum and lightly cooked dishes, and the north for noodles, dumplings and steamed buns.
3. 3Mandarin is the national language and is spoken in some form almost everywhere, but many regions have their own languages or dialects, such as Cantonese in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Written characters are the same across them, which is why people can often read what they cannot understand aloud.
4. 4The Terracotta Army near Xi'an was buried with the first emperor of unified China more than two thousand years ago. Thousands of life-size clay soldiers have been dug up, and each face is slightly different.
5. 5Tea is part of daily life, and the country grows many kinds, from green teas around Hangzhou to the dark pu'er of Yunnan. Sitting in a teahouse is an easy way to slow down between sights.
6. 6China uses one official time zone across the whole country, even though it spans an area that would normally cover several. In the far west, the sun rises and sets much later by the clock than in the east.

Tips for a first visit

• Set up your phone before you arrive. Many Western websites and apps do not work in mainland China without extra arrangements, and maps, messaging and translation are worth sorting out in advance.
• Mobile payment is used almost everywhere, so it helps to find out before you go how foreign visitors can link a card to the main payment apps. Carry some cash and a card as a backup, since not every place takes them.
• Try the local specialty in each city rather than looking for a familiar dish. Ordering by pointing at a picture menu or at what the next table is eating works well.
• Save the names of your hotel and the places you want to visit in Chinese characters. Taxi drivers and staff may not speak English, and showing the characters saves a lot of confusion.
• Expect crowds at famous sights, especially around national holidays when huge numbers of people travel at once. Going early in the day and avoiding holiday weeks makes visits much easier.
• Carry a small pack of tissues, since public toilets do not always supply paper. Also, pouring tea for others before yourself is a polite habit at shared meals.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable times for most of the country, with mild weather and clearer skies in the north. Summers are hot and humid in the south and the east, with heavy rain at times, while winters are very cold in the north and mild in the far south. The Chinese New Year period and the first week of October are the busiest travel times, so book well ahead or choose other dates.

Getting around

China has a very large high-speed rail network linking most major cities, and trains are often the easiest way to travel between cities a few hours apart. They are comfortable and run to the minute. For longer distances, such as between the east coast and the far west or southwest, most people fly, and domestic flights are frequent. Within cities, metro systems are clean and easy to use in the larger ones, and taxis and ride-hailing apps fill in the gaps.