Travel Guides & Articles | Roam China Travel

Northeast China Itinerary 2026: Harbin, Changbai Mountain & Shenyang in 10 Days

Northeast China (Dongbei) 10-day itinerary — Shenyang's Manchu Imperial Palace (1 day), the ice festival in Harbin (2-3 days), the Siberian Tiger Park, the rime ice phenomenon in Jilin City, Changbai Mountain and the Heaven Lake crater (2 days), and the Korean food culture of Yanbian. Best done in winter when everything is at its most extreme.

Updated May 2026

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photography

China City Photography Guide 2026: Best Locations in Beijing, Shanghai & Beyond

The best urban photography locations in China — Beijing's hutong doorways and Forbidden City golden hour, Shanghai's Bund at blue hour with Pudong reflected in the river, Chongqing's extraordinary layered cityscape, Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour from the peak, and the photogenic minority villages of Guizhou. Camera settings advice for each.

Updated May 2026

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photography

Photography in China 2026: Rules, Tips & Getting the Best Shots

Photography in China — what's officially prohibited to photograph (military installations, some government buildings, certain ceremonies), the drone regulations (DJI is Chinese but drone permits are still required in scenic areas), the best golden hour timings in major cities, dealing with crowds at iconic spots, and the Chinese social media culture of 'IG spots' that reveals undiscovered photogenic locations.

Updated May 2026

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photography

China Landscape Photography Guide 2026: Best Locations, Light & Seasons

The best landscape photography locations in China — Zhangjiajie's floating sandstone pillars in morning mist, the Yuanyang rice terraces at dawn (the best dawn photography in Asia), Zhangye's rainbow Danxia mountains at sunset, the Crescent Moon Lake at Dunhuang, and the Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) sea of clouds. Optimal months and times for each.

Updated May 2026

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transport

Paying for Public Transport in China 2026: Alipay, WeChat, Transit Cards & Cash

How to pay for buses, metros, and taxis across China as a foreign visitor — adding the Alipay and WeChat transit pass features, city transit cards (the T-Union national card works in 300+ cities), QR code scanning on buses, and what to do if your phone payment doesn't work in a particular city.

Updated May 2026

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seasonal

Qingming Festival in China 2026: Tomb Sweeping, Spring Travel & Cultural Meaning

The Qingming Festival (清明节) — China's Tomb Sweeping Day, falling in early April, when families visit ancestral graves. What it means culturally (the most solemn Chinese holiday), how it affects travel (a 3-day public holiday creates moderate travel surge), which natural sites are at their most beautiful in early April (rapeseed flowers in Anhui, cherry blossoms fading), and what travelers should know.

Updated May 2026

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