Things to do in China

China covers about 9.6 million square kilometres, and the whole country keeps Beijing time. Most trips see a few slices, not the lot. Beijing to Shanghai alone is roughly 1,300 kilometres by rail.

How the country falls into trips

• Beijing and the north. The Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall at Mutianyu, about 70 kilometres out. Winters are dry and cold.
• Xi'an. The Terracotta Army and a walled city, about four hours from Beijing by fast train.
• Chengdu and Chongqing. Giant pandas at Chengdu's breeding base. Chongqing is a city of steep hills where a light-rail line passes through an apartment block.
• Fenghuang and Zhangjiajie. A river town of stilt houses, then the sandstone pillars that Avatar made famous.
• Shanghai. The Bund, and a skyline topped by a 632-metre tower.

Beijing to Shanghai takes about four and a half hours on the fastest trains. Flying saves little once you count the airports.

Where the bookings start

Almost everything here starts in Beijing. Private airport transfers and a layover run to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace lead the list.

• The rail circuit. A fortnight through the towns above, with hotels, guides and second-class train seats bundled in.
• Airport help. Meet-and-assist at the airports of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Guilin, Yunnan, Tibet and the far north are not part of what is here.

Practical

• Weather. Beijing swings from -8C on January nights to 31C afternoons in July, and most of its 500 to 600 millimetres of rain falls in summer. April, May, September and October suit the north and centre best.
• Payments. Alipay and WeChat Pay run daily spending, and foreign cards can be linked to both. Set them up before the flight, and carry some cash.
• Internet. Google, WhatsApp and Instagram do not load on local networks. A roaming eSIM, which routes traffic through your home network, avoids the block.
• Trains. Book with a passport number, and expect the same passport to be scanned at the gate.
• Holidays. Trains and sights jam during the first week of October and around the Spring Festival.
• Tipping. Not customary in restaurants or taxis. Private guides and drivers are the exception.