SteelBird's first trip to China

gk1713 said:

Your hometown has great clan culture. So you can try to locate the clan association corresponding to your family name. They usually maintain detailed genealogical records, and you might be able to find information about your grandfather or great-grandfather there.


If you want to experience maglev trains, you can first take HSR from Guangdong to Changsha to try the local medium-low speed maglev. The high-speed maglev in Shanghai can be ridden when you depart the country via Pudong International Airport.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

My grandfather is Hakha (客家人). According to my father, he and my great grandmother moved to Cambodia in early 20th century due to war in China. My great grandmother went back to China, but my grandfather chose to stay. I know nothing about the hometown and expect there to be some 客家土楼 to see. My family name is 蕭. I don't know what remains or everything has been modernized. I think I would seek to local authority for the hometown's history when I get there.

SteelBird said:

To my plan, I would need to take the train from Guangzhou to Huizhou on the early morning of April 13 and back to Guangzhou in the evening of the same day. April should not be high season in China, right?

Click to expand...

NO, Bro April is the goldilocks season to travel to Southern China, not too cold and not too hot BUT there is a catch there are few migrating long legged chick to spot.

My itinerary in China

March 20 to 25 XIAN

April 4 to 9 Guizhou (to see the largest waterfall in Asia and taste the Moutai)

April 16 to 20 Zhangjiajie

May 16 to 19 Lamhai pilgrimage.

SteelBird said:

I'm thinking to get a SIM card with VPN, you know Facebook, Google can't be used in China without climbing the wall.

Click to expand...

If you don't mind the additional cost, I believe roaming data on foreign SIMs just work without VPN at least for GMail and some other Google services. But do double check because GFW rules can vary from time to time and from one province to the next.

Here's a list of things you must do before leaving Cambodia:
1. Set up BOTH wechat and alipay with your local credit card. Learn how to use their features by watching some videos. You can do everything on wechat, most on alipay.
2. Get a Chinese SIM either in your country or on arrival at the airport.
3. Install Astrill vpn on your laptop, pad, and phone. Pay for a three-month subscription. Make sure it works before you leave. It's not great, but it is simple and has proven to be reliable for the past decade. Right now the only servers that works on the phone or pad are UDP servers that you have to test once you get to China. They change almost daily, depending on how bored MSS is.
4. Install the following apps: Didi(滴滴), 12306(中国铁路), Rednote(小红书), Ctrips(携程)：Didi for getting rides everywhere, including airports and railway stations, you can link up with your verified wechat/alipay account. I think now most apps allows link up with wechat/alipay, if not all. 12306 for train tickets. Rednote for searching for any strategy for anything you want to do. Ctrips for booking hotels and domestic plane tickets.
5. Wechat's mini apps are extremely useful. Learn it before leaving for China. Most public institutions like the Forbidden City or Palace Museum has their only mini app in wechat that allows you to quickly make a reservation.
6. 美团买菜/饿了吗 are the two delivery apps that will make your life so much better, like getting food, fruits, medicines, toilet plungers, and anything you want delivered to you within an hour.

SteelBird said:

My grandfather is Hakha (客家人). According to my father, he and my great grandmother moved to Cambodia in early 20th century due to war in China. My great grandmother went back to China, but my grandfather chose to stay. I know nothing about the hometown and expect there to be some 客家土楼 to see. My family name is 蕭. I don't know what remains or everything has been modernized. I think I would seek to local authority for the hometown's history when I get there.

Click to expand...

searched the key words and get
为了纪念先祖、教育子孙、继承萧氏美德，1672年，坪地萧氏先在惠阳约场松源坑为坪地萧氏一世祖耀先公筑墓

Purchase eSIM package on alipay at home country. Activate it before departure so that you dont have to use the airport wifi upon landing.

Set up Wechat or alipay back in your home...it will need approval upon linking to credit cards.

Install 美团 and 大众点评, they will recommend point of interested in different cities.

Beijing: I suggest staying at the The west-facing upper floor rooms have a great sunset view of the Forbidden Palace and Jingshan Garden (景山公园). You're about 500 meters from the Palace Museum entrance from the hotel. And if you get to the top floor executive lounge during happy hour, you have a 180 degree drone view of a century of Chinese history.

The hotel has a great pool in the basement. One of the best roast duck restaurants 四季民福 is 10 minutes away on foot.

This hotel is my top rec for first time Beijing visitors

HeiTangSeng said:

3. Install Astrill vpn on your laptop, pad, and phone. Pay for a three-month subscription. Make sure it works before you leave. It's not great, but it is simple and has proven to be reliable for the past decade. Right now the only servers that works on the phone or pad are UDP servers that you have to test once you get to China. They change almost daily, depending on how bored MSS is.

Click to expand...

I want to add my experience in that Astirll really didn't work well the last time I went (I went October-November 2024). LetsVPN worked relatively well but it seems like the preferred VPN changes on occasion.

I would also recommend buying an eSim off of Alipay or Trip.com, if your phone supports it (like some other posts are mentioning). These eSims shouldn't have GFW restrictions so no VPN is required.

In my case I use GCASH, where Alibaba had form a JV with a local conglomerate Globe telecom.

fishrubber99 said:

I want to add my experience in that Astirll really didn't work well the last time I went (I went October-November 2024). LetsVPN worked relatively well but it seems like the preferred VPN changes on occasion.

I would also recommend buying an eSim off of Alipay or Trip.com, if your phone supports it (like some other posts are mentioning). These eSims shouldn't have GFW restrictions so no VPN is required.

Click to expand...

Astrill sometimes, e.g. right now with the 2 sessions going, is quite limited and a frustrating experience finding a server that works. Install another back up if you don't mind spending a little money for guaranteed access.

But good ole Astrill has stood the test of time for me