SteelBird's first trip to China

H

HeiTangSeng

New Member
Registered Member
High speed rail: whenever you can, buy tickets on the newest trains, which are labeled as 复兴号智能动车, these will reach speeds of 350km/h between Beijing and Shanghai. And their cubicle-style business class seats are super nice.

Shanghai maglev: I think it hits 431km/h only during certain hours not all day.

Great Wall: check XHS for recommended sections. Avoid weekends or public holiday.

Once your wechat and alipay are set up, you can ride all the shared bikes (yellow, blue, green) in any city in China. And you can use both apps to take metros and buses in any city without buying a metro card.
 
vincent

vincent

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Moderator - World Affairs
SteelBird said:
Do I need to book train ticket online or just buy ticket at ticket booth?

I was advised that WeChat is not as good as Alipay. My phone has both apps. I was trying to hook my passport with Alipay's balance account or I can't make payment or people can't transfer money to me. Still waiting for approval.

I'm thinking to get a SIM card with VPN, you know Facebook, Google can't be used in China without climbing the wall.
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WeChat Pay has much higher market share than Alipay. Just install both just in case

For VPN, people in China told me to use V2rayng or Astrill
 
ficker22

ficker22

Senior Member
Registered Member
SteelBird said:
Hi Guys,

I'm going to take my very first trip to China in the coming April. This is my very first trip to China.

Purposes of the trip:
1. Visiting my ancestor's hometown. I have very little info about my ancestor's hometown as they have all passed away. I got the name of the hometown via tombstone of my grandfather. The hometown read "广东省惠阳县约场村", no 乡 was mentioned. I searched the address using DeepSeek and got the current address as "广东省惠州市惠阳区新圩鎮". Search maps for Xingxu Zhen on Google Maps and found that it's quite a large and rather modern town. Not sure what I can see after getting there.
2. Visiting Beijing. I think that to visit one country, you must visit its capital. My wish is to, at least, visit Beijing, China once in my life. My visit to Beijing is very simple; visiting The Forbidden City and The Greatwall.
3. Experiencing HSR. This is straightforward, China has the largest HSR in the world. So, try it and see how it feels. If I could try Maglev in Shanghai, that would be best.

Problem facing:
1. First ever trip to China. I'm going to travel alone, so not sure what I would be facing or even get lost in such a huge country. Especially when I'd go to my ancestor's hometown which usually international visitors won't go.
2. Train and air tickets in China. All these are new to me. I've been to quite many countries but usually I have agency to do everything for me. This time I'd need to take care of everything myself. I hope I can do it, and it should not be too difficult.
3. Cash or Alipay. I've been advised that cash is possible but might be difficult to get small change. Alipay or WeChat is recommended. I've never used these apps to make payment before. The problem is how to get and charge your account.
4. Tickets entering tourist spots. Tickets for entering The Forbidden City and The Greatwall need to be booked in advance through apps. Again, never use it before. I get used to with "go directly to the gate, buy a ticket and go in".

If you guys have any advice, suggestion or recommendation, please let me know.
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Have fun! Try to avoid being in Beijing or any big city for attractions over the weekend and try to do them during weekdays, less traffic, less people then.


For HSR, you can actually choose which trainset to drive on, I don't know exact details, maybe some of our frequent china travelers can help. This way, you can guarantee that you drive a Fuxing and also guarantee a new trainset.


I heard that Trip.com is good for foreigners to book tickets for attractions & also train tickets for HSR, if WeChat/Alipay is to complicated to set up.


For VPN, install them before you go to china.
 
SteelBird

SteelBird

Colonel
hullopilllw said:
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.
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I've been trying to activate my Alipay account with my passport but still fail. The reason is my portrait in my passport is black-and-white. The system requests me to upload a colorful passport. I feel sick and may seek out someone to help.
 
BillRamengod

BillRamengod

Junior Member
Registered Member
vincent said:
WeChat Pay has much higher market share than Alipay. Just install both just in case

For VPN, people in China told me to use V2rayng or Astrill
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I've been using LetsVPN in China for about four years, and it's pretty consistent. The only downside I can think of is that it only supprts two device in one account. So, pretty recommend it. (And if you want, you can use my ID152039135 to get an extra 3-day membership for free.:p)
 
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solarz

solarz

Brigadier
SteelBird said:
I've been trying to activate my Alipay account with my passport but still fail. The reason is my portrait in my passport is black-and-white. The system requests me to upload a colorful passport. I feel sick and may seek out someone to help.
Click to expand...

You can always use cash. Go to ticket booths to buy train tickets. If you're planning to visit the Forbidden Palace or the Tiananmen Square, you MUST book in advance.

To go to the Great Wall, take the HSR. Don't trust companies that promote tour buses, they have a bad habit of cancelling on you if there aren't enough people. The HSR goes to right to the foot of the Great Wall, where you can either climb up or take a trolley. If you don't have any physical problems, I highly recommend climbing up.

The above are my personal experiences from visiting Beijing in November 2024.
 
GOODTREE

GOODTREE

Junior Member
Registered Member
SteelBird said:
1. Visiting my ancestor's hometown. I have very little info about my ancestor's hometown as they have all passed away. I got the name of the hometown via tombstone of my grandfather. The hometown read "广东省惠阳县约场村", no 乡 was mentioned. I searched the address using DeepSeek and got the current address as "广东省惠州市惠阳区新圩鎮". Search maps for Xingxu Zhen on Google Maps and found that it's quite a large and rather modern town. Not sure what I can see after getting there.
Click to expand...
I got it from Baidu Encyclopedia.

“During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it belonged to Shangxiahuai She (Du).
明、清朝时属上下淮社（都）。
In the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1870), it was part of the Shengtang Fortress District.
清同治九年（1870年），属圣堂约堡。
From the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931) to the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947), it fell under the Second District of Danshui.
民国二十年（1931年）至民国三十六年（1947年），属淡水第二区。
In 1950, it was divided into Yuechang Township and Xinxu Township under Longgang District (Second District).
1950年，属龙岗区（二区）的约场乡和新圩乡。（Yuechang Xiang) (Xinxu Xiang)
In November 1951, it was placed under the Third District (with the district government located in Longgang).
1951年11月，属第三区（区府设在龙岗）。
In December 1957, it was renamed Xinxu Township.
1957年12月，称新圩乡。(Xinxu Xiang)
In 1958, the Xinxu People's Commune was established.
1958年，成立新圩人民公社。
In April 1962, it was incorporated into the Xinxu Gongdu and Yuechang Gongdu under Danshui District.
1962年4月，属淡水区新圩公杜和约场公社。
In 1963, it became known as Xinxu Commune.
1963年，称新圩公社。
In January 1984, it was redesignated as Xinxu District.
1984年1月，改名新圩区。(Xinxu Qu)
In January 1987, it was established as Xinxu Town.
1987年1月，设置新圩镇。(Xinxu Zhen)"


Would it be possible to send me more details about your grandfather's tombstone? I can find more information for you.
 
S

SanWenYu

Captain
Registered Member
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?
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I hope you can find some good time in Huizhou. Enjoy the scenery of 西湖 (yes there are multiple West Lakes in China) if you can. I worked my first job after my college in Huizhou in the early nineties for less than a year. If you during your tour come cross these places called 上排 (Shang Pai) and 古塘坳 (Gu Tang Ao) in Huizhou, please try to take some photos for me.
 
SteelBird

SteelBird

Colonel
GOODTREE said:
I got it from Baidu Encyclopedia.

“During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it belonged to Shangxiahuai She (Du).
明、清朝时属上下淮社（都）。
In the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1870), it was part of the Shengtang Fortress District.
清同治九年（1870年），属圣堂约堡。
From the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931) to the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947), it fell under the Second District of Danshui.
民国二十年（1931年）至民国三十六年（1947年），属淡水第二区。
In 1950, it was divided into Yuechang Township and Xinxu Township under Longgang District (Second District).
1950年，属龙岗区（二区）的约场乡和新圩乡。（Yuechang Xiang) (Xinxu Xiang)
In November 1951, it was placed under the Third District (with the district government located in Longgang).
1951年11月，属第三区（区府设在龙岗）。
In December 1957, it was renamed Xinxu Township.
1957年12月，称新圩乡。(Xinxu Xiang)
In 1958, the Xinxu People's Commune was established.
1958年，成立新圩人民公社。
In April 1962, it was incorporated into the Xinxu Gongdu and Yuechang Gongdu under Danshui District.
1962年4月，属淡水区新圩公杜和约场公社。
In 1963, it became known as Xinxu Commune.
1963年，称新圩公社。
In January 1984, it was redesignated as Xinxu District.
1984年1月，改名新圩区。(Xinxu Qu)
In January 1987, it was established as Xinxu Town.
1987年1月，设置新圩镇。(Xinxu Zhen)"


Would it be possible to send me more details about your grandfather's tombstone? I can find more information for you.
Click to expand...
Thank you, brother! you've done me a big favor.

There are two tombstones, one belongs to my grandfather, less info but more correct.
nZPglAr.jpeg


This one belongs to my parents. I'm afraid the one who carved the tombstone made some mistake. I can't even read some of the words.
4g3z93S.jpeg
 
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