My Journey Back to China: Travel Tips, Local Food, and Cultural Gems

Hi everyone, I recently returned from a wonderful trip to China where I revisited my childhood hometown, spent time with family and friends, and explored some of the most amazing places I’ve ever lived in — including my beloved Chengdu. Today, I’d love to share my experiences with you and offer some travel tips for anyone considering a future visit to China.

My Trip to China

Just like last year, my hubby, Phil, and I traveled to China in Spring — arguably the best time to visit. Spring brings comfortable weather and stunning blossoms everywhere. I visited my parents, caught up with friends and relatives, and had joyful celebrations with them. I was especially happy to reunite with my dogs, Yellow Yellow (黄黄) and Fatty (小胖), both of whom my sister Melody and I adopted as strays many years ago. They’re still such an important part of our family.

We also explored scenic spots both in my hometown and beyond. Highlights included Jianchang Ancient City, the Tang Dynasty Garden, and the Cherry Blossom Valley back home, as well as Dufu’s Cottage, Wuhou Temple, and Jinli Ancient Street in Chengdu (成都). These visits weren’t just personal — they helped me connect more deeply with the culture and history that I share in my Chinese Story Book Series.

Dufu’s Cottage and Wuhou Temple

For example, I spent an entire day at Dufu’s Cottage (杜甫草堂) exploring the legacy of China’s greatest poet Dufu (杜甫) from Tang dynasty. His poetry and life story in Chengdu will be featured in my upcoming book, Chinese Stories for Language Learners: Elementary Volume 2.

I also revisited Wuhou Temple (武侯祠), learning more about the greatest Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮) and Liu Bei (刘备), the founding emperor of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. I’m excited to announce that I’ll be expanding the Romance of the Three Kingdoms content in the intermediate volumes of the Chinese Stories Series.

Me and hubby visiting Dufu's Cottage and Wuhou Temple

Modern Life in China

One of the most delightful aspects of being in China is the incredible food and super convenient transportation! We traveled easily by high-speed rail, which connects major cities like Chengdu and Xi’an in just 3.5 hours (over 700 km!) for about 400 yuan (~54 USD). Urban travel is a breeze with metros, buses, and affordable taxis.

As a food lover, I ate out every day — baozi (包子), dumplings (饺子), red-braised fish (红烧鱼), tea eggs (茶叶蛋), mung bean cake (绿豆糕), and of course, hotpot (火锅) are among my favourites. One night, four of us (with friends) enjoyed a full hotpot meal in a nice restaurant for only 288 yuan (~39 USD)!

And you know what? Whether it's transportation, dining, online shopping, or booking domestic hotels, you can complete almost every task and payment using the WeChat app (微信) — the dominant platform in China for socializing and accessing all kinds of services. Of course, other popular apps like TikTok (抖音), Alipay (支付宝), Taobao (淘宝), Didi (滴滴出行), and JD.com (京东) are also part of daily life for most people in China.

During my trip, I simplified everything by using WeChat alone. For example, within the WeChat app, I could access mini programs like JD.com for online shopping and Didi for ordering taxis — everything was right at my fingertips!

Modern China is full of life and convenience. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xi’an offer a beautiful mix of modern infrastructure and ancient charm, with public transport that often includes English signage. People are generally open-minded, welcoming, and friendly toward foreigners.

If you’d like to explore modern China, check out my book: Chinese Conversations Book Series. It follows the storylines of Jamie and Sufei as they experience different aspects of life and work in Shanghai, China, aiming to improve your Chinese speaking and listening skills by immersing you in engaging, authentic, and practical conversations based in modern-day China.

A Glimpse of Modern China

Travel Tips for Visiting China

When the time and opportunity are right, I highly recommend taking a trip to China. Not only will it help improve your language skills, but it will also give you a deeper understanding and insight into many aspects of Chinese life and culture. If you're planning to travel to China — especially in the near future — here are some tips I’ve put together for you:

1. Download WeChat. It’s free and essential — useful for messaging, payments, and accessing countless services. Many shops don’t accept cash, so it’s a must-have.

2. Use Alipay as an alternative. If you prefer, you can also use Alipay. Just be sure to link your bank account or card — both apps (WeChat and Alipay) now support foreign cards.

3. Get mobile data via eSIM. You can consider using an eSIM, which you can purchase through various services in your home country before arriving in China. During my stay, The eSIM I used was eSender 易博通, operated by an agency based in Hong Kong (I bought it before landing in China). It allowed me to get a temporary Chinese number and top up easily based on the length of my stay, it was a good choice, although the registration process was a bit of hustle. Alternatively, you can visit the headquarters of China Mobile (中国移动) in the city you’re visiting to apply for a physical SIM card. In my experience, this option works better for long-term stays, whereas for short visits, an eSIM is the more convenient choice and can be used immediately upon arrival.

4. Try the local food. Chinese cuisine abroad often differs from the real deal in my experience. So I suggest you to be bold and explore regional dishes! China has eight major cuisines (八大菜系) — Sichuan, Hunan, Cantonese, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shandong. My personal favorite? Sichuan hotpot haha — spicy but irresistible!

5. Plan your destinations. China is a vast country, so it’s important to research the places you want to visit in advance. Whether you’re heading to southern or northern China, or exploring different major cities, the landscapes, weather, and lifestyles can vary greatly. Make sure you know what you want to see and experience, and plan your route accordingly to get the most out of your trip.

6. Practice speaking Chinese. Practice is the only way to improve, and there's no need to be shy or afraid of making mistakes. For example, whether you're in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Asian countries like Singapore where Mandarin is commonly spoken, you’ll notice that many native speakers don’t speak perfect Mandarin either. Their speech is often influenced by their local dialects. In fact, some of my British students pronounce Mandarin more clearly than my own dad and uncles! I remember once in Hong Kong, I had to type an address in Chinese on my phone for an elderly taxi driver because I couldn’t understand his heavily Cantonese-influenced Mandarin. So don’t feel pressured — in real life, no one speaks perfectly, and communication is what truly matters! So be bold and try to speak as much you can!

   
   

Thank you for letting me share my journey with you. I hope my tips and experiences inspire your own adventures. To catch a glimpse of my trip, don’t miss my Chengdu Vlog, filmed during my stay — I hope you enjoy it!