Two tools in one place. The Survival Toolkit handles your trip: visa route, countdown checklist, first 24 hours, payments, trains, tax refund, phrase cards. The Digital Friction Index tells you, city by city, where foreign visitors actually get stuck — and how to get around it.
See the Friction Index → Open the Toolkit →
App-based real-name registration, Chinese-language first. Know the nearest international clinic before you need one.
SIM needs passport real-name registration, and some apps you rely on at home are not directly available. Buy the SIM at the airport; download offline maps first.
Top sights need real-name advance booking. Book 7 days ahead; same-day tickets at the gate are unreliable in peak season.
Smoothest overall: Shanghai and Shenzhen (2.4), then Beijing (2.6). Most friction overall: Xi'an (3.4), driven by ticket bottlenecks. Explore all 64 city × scenario scores →
National Immigration Administration Announcement No. 4 of 2026, effective 2026-08-20.
Most to 2026-12-31; Russia to 2027-12-31. Recheck after the year-end renewal.
The toolkit's visa checker walks your nationality, route and stay length to the right answer.
Which visa route you are actually on.
What to do, and by when, before departure.
The exact order: SIM, payment, transport, hotel.
Set up both Alipay and WeChat Pay, a week early.
The calendar that saves the trip.
Passport booking, and the English alternative.
Money back before you fly — net rate about 9%.
Show, don't pronounce.
Itinerary review $79 · custom itinerary $199–$349 · day-by-day support $30/day · guide $19.