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View all →Should you travel China during Golden Week?
Mainland China's 2026 public holidays with exact dates, make-up workdays and the two windows worth avoiding. Golden Week runs October 1 to 7; Spring Festival stretches to nine days.
Yong She Shanghai: The 60 sqm Open-Plan Room
Yong She's 60-square-metre open-plan room in Shanghai keeps sleeping, sitting and bathing areas in one continuous space — the layout is the reason to book it.
How to book Forbidden City tickets with a passport
Every Forbidden City visitor needs an advance reservation — there is no same-day sale. Tickets cost 60 yuan April to October and 40 yuan November to March, released at 20:00 Beijing time exactly seven days before your visit.
Booking China attraction tickets with a passport, not a Chinese ID
Chinese attractions run on real-name booking, but a passport works at almost all of them — through the official English site, an Alipay travel portal or an authorised platform. Here is the order to try, and the two Beijing venues where you cannot buy at the gate.
Where to stay in Beijing: match the base to your trip
Four Beijing bases compared by metro line, price and trade-off, plus airport train fares and what the hotel does with your passport at check-in.
Where to stay in Shanghai: Jing'an vs the Bund vs Lujiazui
Jing'an for most first trips, People's Square for walking to the Bund, the French Concession for cafés, Lujiazui for the view. What each Shanghai hotel area actually costs you in metro time and noise.
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