Countrywise
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China

中国 · Zhongguo

The Great Wall, terracotta warriors and pandas, all on Beijing Time.

01Free

The 30-second card

CurrencyChinese Yuan · ¥ · CNYSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
TimeUTC+8The capital’s time. The country has 2 time zones.Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
PlugsA · C · I, 220 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
Visa neededSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United Kingdom passport
No visa needed · up to 30 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
TippingTipping is not expected and can confuse staff.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
Foreigners can buy a local SIM only at a carrier's main office or airport branch, with a passport.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Apps locals use
Alipay: mobile payments, accepted almost everywhere.WeChat: messaging plus WeChat Pay mobile payments.Amap: maps and directions on foot, by car and by public transport, in English too.Baidu Maps: the navigation app most locals use, in Chinese only.Didi: ride hailing with an English interface.Trip.com: booking hotels that accept foreign guests.Dazhong Dianping: restaurant reviews and ratings, in Chinese only.
Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Money in China
Chinese Yuan · ¥ · CNY
Set up both WeChat Pay and Alipay, as some shops accept only one of them.
If a cash machine asks for a 6-digit PIN and yours is shorter, add two zeros in front.
When paying with a ¥50 or ¥100 note, write down its last digits so it cannot be swapped for a fake.
Carry small notes and coins, since many sellers who take cash have no change.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ Collect Chinese Yuan in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day 元旦
Sat, 6 Feb 2027 · Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) 春节
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day 劳动节
Wed, 9 Jun 2027 · Dragon Boat Festival 端午节
Wed, 15 Sept 2027 · Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节
Fri, 1 Oct 2027 · National Day 国庆节
Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover China say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise increased caution
Calm
Caution ●
Serious
Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 18 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Scams to know

Tea house or massage invitation

Decline strangers who invite you to a bar, tea house or massage parlour; bills are huge.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
QR code phishing

Check QR codes carefully before scanning; fake ones can steal payments or data.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Counterfeit banknotes

Check large notes before accepting them, even from ATMs; banks will not swap fakes.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots plus hepatitis A and B; malaria in some regions; altitude risk in Tibet, Qinghai and the west.
Vaccinations

Keep routine vaccines current; hepatitis A and B are advised for unvaccinated travellers, and typhoid, Japanese encephalitis or rabies shots may suit some trips.

Malaria
In some regions
Altitude

Much of Tibet, Qinghai, parts of Xinjiang and western Sichuan lies above 10,000 feet, so prepare for altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Must-see · 1Beijing

The capital, home to the Forbidden City and Summer Palace.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Strange & surprising · #1

China spans five time zones, yet the whole country officially runs on Beijing Time, UTC+8.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
National anthem: March of the Volunteers. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
60 World Heritage sites in China, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP≈ $19.5 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person≈ $13,862Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exportsbroadcasting equipment, computers, integrated circuits, garments, machine parts (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Population
Population1.4 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age40.8 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy78.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religionsfolk religion 21.9%, Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, Hindu < 0.1%, Jewish < 0.1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 52.1% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Geography
Area9,596,960 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climateextremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in northSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrainmostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in eastSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).

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