Most students come to China thinking only about admission, visa and accommodation. Very few think about something even more important: what happens after I graduate? An exit strategy isn’t about leaving China tomorrow. It’s about being intentional about what happens after school: where you’ll go, what you’ll do, and how everything you’re doing now is preparing...

China has extended key visa facilitation measures through December 31, 2026, making visa applications easier for many short-term travelers. The update centers on an expanded fingerprint exemption for eligible applicants. What’s changing? Based on notices issued by multiple Chinese embassies on December 18, applicants applying for short-term visas with a stay of no more than 180...

Ever booked a hotel in China, rolled in with your suitcase all excited, only to hear that dreaded line: “Sorry, we’re not qualified to accept foreigners”? Yeah… me too. Awful. It’s been repeated so often it might as well be part of the hotel’s welcome script when a foreigner walks in. And the reason they give? “According to the law…” Well,...

Why Learning Chinese Is Easier Than You Think Many foreigners in China often feel that learning Chinese is too difficult. With its tones, characters, and grammar rules, it can look scary at first. But the truth is, Chinese is easier than most people imagine once you understand the basics. 1. The Grammar is Simple Unlike English or French, Chinese has no tenses, no conjugations, and no...

Aside from essential apps like WeChat, Alipay, Didi, Maps, etc., one of the other apps that I use most often here is Dianping, especially for looking up restaurants and bars. It's a great way to find new places, check opening times and addresses, book tables and get some banging discounts.  Almost every restaurant or bar is guaranteed to have at least one kind of deal or discount....