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- 0118 pages24 min
Land & don't panic.Free
First 24 hours: the arrival card, the SIM question, your hotel's invisible WiFi, the taxi touts, and the only goal you need on Day 1.
DRAFT - 0222 pages31 min
Pay like a local.Free
Your Visa is decoration and your cash is a souvenir. Here's how to pay for noodles in China after ten minutes of setup.
DRAFT - 0326 pages28 min
Eat everything.In the guide
The QR code is the menu, the waiter is busy, and the dish you want has no English name. Six phrases and one finger fix all of it.
DRAFT - 0416 pages19 min
Get around the city.In the guide
Didi, metro, bullet trains, and the question everyone asks: can I just rent a car? (Probably not. Here's why, and what to do instead.)
DRAFT - 0520 pages26 min
Visa & paperwork.In the guide
Half the people reading this don't need a visa anymore. The other half need the right one. Plus the residence permit, the 24-hour registration, and what an overstay really costs.
DRAFT - 0618 pages22 min
Get an apartment.In the guide
The listing is a starting price, the photos are optimistic, and the person showing you round may not own the flat. How to rent in China without losing your deposit.
DRAFT - 0716 pages19 min
Healthcare without panic.In the guide
Public hospital or international clinic, what the pharmacy will and won't sell you, which medicines to leave at home, and the 120 call script.
DRAFT - 0814 pages17 min
Banking & money.In the guide
Opening a Chinese bank account as a foreigner, why your new card won't let you pay rent, getting your salary home, and the 183-day tax rule.
DRAFT - 0922 pages28 min
The Great Firewall.In the guide
Gmail spins, WhatsApp is silent, and your signal is full. What's blocked, the travel eSIM trick most visitors don't know about, VPNs and the law, and the Chinese apps that just work.
DRAFT - 1018 pages22 min
Holidays & travel.In the guide
The week a billion people travel at once, the Saturdays you have to work, how to get a train ticket when everyone wants one, and five places worth the trip.
DRAFT - 1116 pages19 min
Culture & etiquette.In the guide
Things that look rude and aren't. Things that look fine and aren't. The dinner table, the toast, the gift you should never give, the fight over the bill, and what to do when a fight is real.
DRAFT - 1214 pages17 min
Going home.In the guide
Your phone number is the key to everything, your deposit is still in the landlord's account, and your pension can come with you. The last month, in the right order.
DRAFT
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