Interested in this too. It wouldn't have been allowed before because you had to stay in the same area, but all your areas are valid and there's nothing as far as I can tell preventing indirect flights (and it wouldn't make loads of sense to prevent it as you'd be able to fly Hangzhou to Qingdao domestically then connect yourself anyway now).

Yes, my thoughts exactly

as long as the domestic locations are allowed for you to visit andthe exit flight to Tipei is within 240h from the arrival in Shenzhen then you should be good. Enjoy taking printscreens for the airport staff in Shenzhen. Go directy to the seats on the left andby the round desk ask for staff that can do your 10 day visa expemption paperwork. No point queing up for passport check, they just going to send you to the green seats area (visa area, but don't need to speak to the visa staff since its not a visa situation haha this is such a mess)

Haha thanks! Yeah I’ve done this visa type many times and the staff often send me the wrong way anyway 🤣 Thanks for helping me confirm these tickets should be good!

oh wait, you only transit through Shenzhen into Shanghai,that's where the 240 starts

Layover yeah, but I will enter China

oh, I see, yeah then it starts there

I can't confirm your exact case, but I recently used the 240-hour visa-free transit myself:

Entered via Shanghai

Filled out the 240-hour TWOV form before immigration (different from the regular arrival card)

Showed:

Hotel booking

Outbound ticket to a third country (mine was 8.5 days later)

Officer asked about the purpose of visit — I said “tourism and exhibition,” and that was totally fine

Moving between approved cities under the 240-hour rule is allowed.

Why can't you guys just get visas then you never need to deal with this shit? got my 10 year in Osaka in 4 days...I've heard similar success stories at the visa centers in HK and Hanoi...

Because I’m British so I have to do it in the UK and I don’t wanna go back there

You can't use the visa centers?

For UK passport, you can only do it in your country of citizenship or residence

Oh that sucks

Yup. I’ll do it one day when I’m back, but I can still only get two or five years.

Yeah for quick trips to China not worth it I guess

Yep. But I wanna do it at some point soon and ride a motorbike across China 🤣

China rewards long term stay for sure

I feel that. I bought a bike in Thailand — easiest country for foreigners to own one.
Already rode it down to Malaysia, and now prepping for a bigger ride later this year: Laos → China → Kazakhstan.

Gotta do it while the road’s still calling.

Thanks for this info! That certainly not allowed by policy but can’t argue against it if they’re doing that! I might try

Good deal. Shanghai is infinitely more interesting than Shenzhen, especially when the weather is nice

Hey guys, I plan to travel to China for a few months, I need access to my servers and gmail accounts. I got NordVPN and created a custom VPN WireGuard, but heard all gets blocked quite fast. Any advice how to deal with the firewall there?

Just make sure you have a couple of wireguard profiles to switch through (once it stops working take another). If it is hotel wifi maybe prepare some openvpn as a backup plan. I heard horror stories aswell but it worked nicely (just slow). In Uzbekistan this is very different.

Thanks! By different profiles, you mean servers? Or I can use the same IP but just different certificates?

I'd probably rather pick different servers. Not sure how exactly they block. As wireguard is stateless I am not sure if they can even determine which profile is used.

Okay, thanks!

Is there a video or blog post summarizing digital nomad life in China? Would love to get some real world impressions

I haven't tested it in a few months for Nord was completely blocked for a while. ExpressVPN is so-so for me, LetsVPN is is the most consistent, but randomly blocks some sites and and you have to switch servers, Astilll works on and off. I'd make sure you have a few back up plans.

Lets was terrible for me on various hotel and Airbnb wifi FWIW. Only foolproof solution I found--after trying multiple VPNs and getting disappointed--were the HK esims (no VPN needed)...

Someone told me that eSIM has access to Internet without any problem, I need to buy it in China with my passport, anyone can confirm this?

Many eSIMs have this access (no firewall). Like CMLink, Revolut and probably others

Yeah, but to make sure, anyone tested it?

Sorry I meant many

Esim no issue for me. You can get a hk3 esim on mobimatter or similar marketplace...

Hey guys, traveling to china in may and wanted to know, what are currently the best VPNs and SIM Cards? I have to too quite a lot of google meetings and wanted to check if someone can provide my same insights.

Many thanks in advance!❤️

Check above

Hi 👋 all, any recommendations on things to do in Shanghai? Will be there for a week for funsies. Already got my VPN and wechat setup..

Hey everyone! I’ll be in Guangzhou from May 12 to 19 — I’m coming to explore the market, build solid contacts, and source quality products for real estate projects in Congo (Lubumbashi).
If you’re around or have tips, supplier leads, or just want to connect, I’d love to chat. I’m here to learn, discover, and grow. Let’s connect!

Has anyone used the 240hs transit visa-free?
Is it allowed to move between regions?

Hey! Planning to go to China in a few months. Any tips? Like vpn, how to spend money, etc?

Vpn - letsvpn, allows you to use WhatsApp, Google and pretty much most sites out there

Payments - Alipay, you can tie your card in there, then pay for pretty much anything. Most places don’t accept cash so you must get Alipay.

Communication - WeChat only

Transportation - most famous is didi, also good for you to register with a Chinese number so they can call you if anything.

Tip 1- make sure to book for non smoking rooms at your hotel, as smoking is a big thing in most cities except Shanghai, Beijing.

Tip 2 - for any famous eateries, you should be able to queue on their mini app

Tip 3 - when going to eateries, use this restaurant review app called DianPing. You can see which dish is highly rated. The waiters would usually ask you to check in and write a review. Then you can get free dessert 🍨

Tip 4 - most WiFi passwords are 888888 , 88888888 , 68686868. 8 means prosperity in Chinese.

Omg’ thanks for it 🙏

Anytime! I’m big on food hence there’s 2 tips for it hah

Yes!

Would suggest you to look for a trading agent based in or near GZ. They would be able to assist you in sourcing locally and would have preferential rates with manufacturers. I myself had a better experience dealing with agents than factories directly, although there was a markup, the quality checks were better, and you have someone on the ground on your side to solve your problems.

How you can find is to go on alibaba, look for the suppliers in your category and specifically for those shops that carries many different products from different categories (I.e. someone that sells cement and then also carries water bottles) then just text and say you’re looking for a,b,c and are in the area. Then offer to go for a meal / office visit.

Thanks a lot for your message – super helpful and clear.
I’m currently in Guangzhou, so I’ll definitely follow your advice and start contacting a few agents on Alibaba. I’ll look for those who sell across multiple product categories and try to meet them in person if possible.

If you have any contacts or suggestions, I’m happy to take them!
Appreciate you sharing your experience – it’s valuable!

Pleasure, hope you get what you’re looking for!

Anyone have any experience getting a tourist visa to China thru an agent in Hong Kong? Heard that is the best way to apply for a Chinese tourist visa

I got mine in 5 business days at the China Visa Center in Osaka (US passport)

Amazing! Thanks for

Nice!

Yep

I will add a bit to this, You can use wechat payments too, add your card in there, I also still recommend you take out $50 worth of RMB, its not common but your alipay or wechat not working for payment does happen sometimes.

For transportation in addition to taxis you can use the metro, this can work with alipay once you have registered a card. You will be given a QR code and that will let you pass the gates. This may not work in every city though and you may have to buy a ticket at the machine using alipay/wechat.

I would say 50 percent of the restaurants took WeChat only, not Alipay, even though they had the QR codes for both...this is over two months in 10+ Chinese cities.

I heard that people with gambling debts are more likely to have their Alipay accounts shut down, including restaurant owners 😂 . No idea the truth to that rumor but my advice is to attach a card to both WC and Ali.

In a few places in Guangzhou, Guiyang and Hainan, Alipay and WC with foreign CCs was rejected. I was allowed to order but had to track down the manager and pay him with a direct WeChat transfer at the end of the meal. No idea if they were avoiding CC fees or something else. Many times at restaurants you pay after you order/finish your meal, so it's a surprise when your foreign CC doesn't work...

Interesting, I’ve never had that issue in Gui Yang and GZ. Only issue I had was my credit card blocking the transaction thinking it was unauthorised.

Depends on where you go I think. Most of the mall restaurants are fine. Random smaller places had a few issues

Any recs on smaller, unusual places to eat at in SZ and GZ? Jusst crossed the border from HK yesterday. Still adjusting to intermittent internet connection and lack of Google maps 😁

GZ has great food but I'm not sure how to send Amaps links 😂

Which area are you based in?

I would love to hear from you! I'll have a stopover in Guangzhou and nothing will stop me from eating dimsum in it.

I'm in Futian rn and will be living close to Zhejiang district, somewhere by the river.

Use this ximhutfn

Can I pay with visa card in this app?

You can get train tickets here, then just scan your passport at the train station to get in.

Note you need to have a train ticket before you can enter the station

AliPay rejected all of my cards - needs passport verification, etc. Tried to do it but the process is completely broken

Ah bummer, then you might have better luck just using trip.com

I sorted this with a phone call. V quick, with good english

There’s a commission / service charge on top of that , but you should be able to use any visa master cards

Great, thanks a lot!

Anyone in guangzhou next week? Im Chinese but i haven't been back in China for years