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China Visit Guide

Trust

Methodology

How we research, verify and update content. The short version: we date everything, we link to sources, and we'd rather omit a fact than invent one.

Sources we use

  • Official tourism authorities (China National Tourism Administration, Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou municipal tourism offices, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Macao Government Tourism Office).
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa pages and embassy notices for visa rules.
  • Operator websites for opening hours, ticket prices, transport schedules.
  • Established travel references — Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, the major newspapers' travel desks — for cross-checking.
  • Local-language sources (Chinese-language municipal sites, Dianping listings) where they are the authoritative source for hours and prices.

How verification works

Every page that quotes a price, an opening hour, an address or a visa rule carries a “verified [month year]” stamp. The verification is a real check against an authoritative source on or around that month. We do not stamp pages we did not actually re-check.

For visa rules — the area where being out of date can cause real harm — pages also carry a banner instructing readers to confirm with their nearest Chinese embassy or consulate before travel.

Cadence of updates

Visa pages: re-verified at least every 60 days, and immediately on any major policy announcement. City and attraction pages: re-verified at least once a year. Practical and living guides: re-verified annually or when a structural change occurs (new payment-app rule, new tax bracket, new permit regime).

How to flag an error

Email the editorial address on the contact page with the URL, the line in question, and a source for the corrected fact. We prioritise corrections to prices, hours, addresses, visa rules and safety information.

What we won't do

  • Editorialise on Chinese domestic politics, Taiwan, Tibet or Xinjiang policy, or Hong Kong governance. We describe what travellers will encounter as visitors.
  • Recommend specific tour operators, hotels or VPN services by name. The list of useful operators changes; the list of recommendable hotels is a matter of taste.
  • Invent a fact to fill a gap. If we cannot verify a price or an hour, we omit it.