China Guide Blog
523 articles · Page 10 of 33
English-Taught Degrees in China: A Practical Guide for International Students
How to earn a bachelor's or master's in English at a Chinese university, which programs are worth it, what tuition and scholarships look like, and what campus life really feels like.
Foreign Concessions and Treaty Ports: How the West Reshaped Coastal China (1840s–1940s)
The leased districts, international settlements, and treaty ports that turned Shanghai, Tianjin, and Qingdao into hybrid cities — and the physical traces a foreign visitor can still walk through today.
The Jesuits in China: Matteo Ricci and the First Great East-West Exchange
Four centuries before modern globalization, a small group of Jesuit priests became the first Westerners to truly understand China from the inside. The story of Matteo Ricci, the scientific bridge he built, and the sites you can still visit today.
Shenzhen Travel Guide: Inside China's Futuristic Tech Capital
Shenzhen is the Chinese city that feels least like history and most like tomorrow. A practical travel guide to China's tech capital: skyline viewpoints, OCT Loft, Dafen, beaches, food, Hong Kong day trips and honest tips.
Studying Medicine in China: An Honest Guide for International Students
China hosts tens of thousands of international medical students, most studying MBBS in English. An honest look at costs, quality, recognition, clinical training and the realities of becoming a doctor via a Chinese medical school.
Weiqi: The Ancient Game of Go That Still Shapes Chinese Thinking
Weiqi, known as Go in the West, is a 4,000-year-old board game that still saturates Chinese culture, language and business thinking. A guide to the game's history, its modern AI moment, and where foreigners can experience it in China.
China's 2026 Autumn Foliage Season: A Month-by-Month Maple and Ginkgo Travel Guide
From Kanas in September to Yuelu Mountain in December, China's autumn color wave moves 2,000 kilometers south over three months. The 2026 month-by-month foliage guide with routes, timing science, and crowd-avoidance strategy.
Dujiangyan: The 2,270-Year-Old Damless Irrigation System That Still Feeds Chengdu
Built around 256 BC without a dam, Dujiangyan has irrigated the Chengdu Plain for over 2,270 years. How it works, why it survived earthquakes and floods, and how to visit from Chengdu in 2026.
China's 6G Push in 2026: Why the World's Largest 5G Network Is Already Building Its Successor
China launched the world's largest 5G network—now with over 1.1 billion subscribers—and it's already racing toward 6G. The 2026 status: spectrum experiments, satellite-terrestrial integration, the tech timeline to 2030, and what 6G actually means for ordinary users.
China's Retirement Age Reform Explained: What the 2025–2030 Hike Means
China raised its statutory retirement age for the first time since the 1950s, phasing in from January 2025 over 15 years (men 60→63, women 50/55→55/58). Why it happened, and what it means for foreigners working and paying social insurance in China.
Self-Driving and Road Trips in China: What Foreigners Can (and Can't) Do
Can foreigners drive in China? Mainland China doesn't recognize the International Driving Permit. Here's the real rule, how residents get a Chinese license, and the three ways visitors do road trips — hire a driver, rent an RV with a chauffeur, or drive in Hong Kong and Macau.
Special Education in China 2026: How 30 Million Students With Disabilities Are Getting a Second Chance
China has built the world's largest special education system—nearly 30 million students with disabilities, 2,300+ special education schools, and a historic 2026 policy shift toward inclusive classrooms. The data, the challenges, and what it means for families and teachers.
Chinese Internet Slang and Memes Every Foreigner Should Know
A field guide to Chinese internet slang and memes in 2026 — 内卷, 躺平, 打工人, 破防, yyds, XSWL, 凡尔赛 and more. Learn the words you'll actually meet in WeChat and short-video apps, with the logic to decode the next one.
Guangzhou 2026: The Complete Travel Guide to China's Southern Gateway and the Pearl River Delta
Guangzhou—Canton, the city that invented dim sum and the Canton Fair—is China's most underrated megacity for foreign travelers. Complete 2026 guide: what to eat, where to go, how to use the new metro lines, and why this 2,200-year-old trading port beats the tourist trail.
Hanfu 2026: The Ancient Chinese Fashion Revival That Became a Billion-Dollar Youth Movement
Hanfu—traditional Han Chinese clothing—has exploded from a niche hobby into a billion-dollar industry with 100 million+ participants. Inside the movement's history, its Gen-Z energy, the 2026 market data, and how ancient robes became modern China's boldest cultural statement.
The Chinese Diaspora: How China Went Global Over 200 Years
About 50–60 million people of Chinese descent live outside mainland China. This is the story of three migration waves — 19th-century laborers, postwar refugees, and today's skilled migrants — and what the overseas Chinese built, from Southeast Asian economies to Chinatowns.