You finish dinner in China. It’s getting late. You expect the streets to start quieting down. Instead… people are walking. Children are still outside. Restaurants are busy. Someone is buying fruit. People are exercising in the park. And somewhere nearby, somebody is looking for supper. 😂 “Wait… doesn’t everyone go home after dinner?” 🥟 The Quick Bite In many Chinese cities, evening is an important part of everyday public life. People may...
You find a public toilet in China. Good. You find an empty stall. Even better. Then you look beside the toilet. No toilet paper. 😳 Now what? 🥟 The Quick Bite Don’t assume every public toilet in China will provide toilet paper inside the stall. Many modern toilets do. Some have a shared toilet-paper dispenser outside the stalls. And some may have none available at all. So one of the simplest China...
You sit down at a restaurant in China. You wait for the menu. Instead, someone points at a little square on the table. A QR code. And you think: “Wait… is THAT the menu? 😂” 🥟 The Quick Bite Quite often, yes. Many restaurants in China use table QR codes that open a digital menu, often through a mini program (小程序, xiǎochéngxù) inside an app such as WeChat. You scan. Choose your...
From Yandi Mausoleum 炎帝陵 in Baoji 宝鸡 to 炎黄子孙 — and Why Winning the Battle Didn’t Mean Erasing the Loser Travel China. Let the places teach you Chinese history. See the place. Ask the bigger question. Understand China better. Section 1 — We Came to Visit One Ancestor. Then the Family Story Got Complicated. Dad & Elaine came to: Yandi Mausoleum (炎帝陵, Yándì Líng) near: Baoji (宝鸡, Bǎojī) in: Shaanxi Province (陕西省,...
A Step-by-Step Arrival Guide for First-Time Travelers You planned the trip. You installed the apps. You set up Alipay. You saved your hotel address. Then the aircraft door opens. And suddenly you’re standing in a huge Chinese airport thinking: What do I do now? Don’t worry. Arriving in mainland China is usually much more straightforward than first-time travelers imagine. The airport may be enormous, the signs may look unfamiliar, and your phone...
Dad & Elaine’s First-Time China Packing Guide — Bring Less, Travel Better Last verified: 28 August 2026 Dad’s China packing philosophy has changed after years of traveling there. We don’t pack for every possible emergency anymore. China has malls, pharmacies, convenience stores and plenty of places to buy what you forgot. Bring the things that are difficult or annoying to replace. Buy the rest if you actually need it. And yes, Elaine...
Dad’s Guide to Traveling China Well Without Wasting Money Last verified: 28 August 2026 Last verified: 01 August 2026 Firsthand examples come from Dad & Elaine’s travels. Current G/D train fares were checked on 28 August 2026. How expensive is China for a first-time traveler? ⚡ Quick Answer Something like conceptually: China can be relatively inexpensive or quite costly depending mainly on your cities, hotel standard, intercity movement and use of private...
Just a Few Hours From Beijing, Anyang Takes You More Than 3,000 Years Back Beijing gives a first-time traveler an enormous amount of Chinese history. The: Forbidden City. Great Wall. Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace. Ming. Qing. Imperial China everywhere. So why would Dad tell you to get on another train? 😂 Because a few hours south of Beijing sits: Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán Shěng). And Anyang can...
Section 1 — Before Zhou Won, King Wen Was a Prisoner of Shang Dad & Elaine had just encountered the world of the: Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāng Cháo) at: Yinxu (殷墟, Yīnxū) near Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán Shěng). There, Shang felt powerful. Royal tombs. Bronzes. Palace and temple remains. Oracle bones carrying the questions and names of Shang kings. 🔥 Then we went to another historical site near...
Before There Were Chinese Characters, Humans Were Already Trying to Make Marks Carry Meaning At Yinxu (殷墟, Yīnxū), Dad & Elaine stood looking at: 甲骨文 — jiǎgǔwén oracle-bone inscriptions More than: 3,000 YEARS OLD. Some looked completely mysterious. Then Dad noticed something. A few ancient forms seemed almost… VISUAL. Sun. Moon. Mountain. Tree. Person. 😳 And that created another rabbit. Before humans could write words, did they first learn to make marks...
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