China Rough Plan Sanity Check

wetsandwich on 23/01/2026 - 15:22
Last edited 23/01/2026 - 15:22

Hi all,

I went to China last year, moderately hated it mostly due to the difficult language barrier and apps/bans/translations/payments etc, but didn't go to any 'modern' cities really so it was like all of the bad and none of the good. I want to give it one more try in the more 'hip' places that actually might have some sort of fun or enjoyment in them.

Here is my plan, and it would be late March or early April to get a warm but not stinking hot time of year.

From Melbourne

Chengdu > Chongqing > Shanghai .

This seems to be roughly a straight line between the 3 cities, so 1 bullet train to Chongqing and 1 more to Shanghai. Possibly other day trips that branch off from these.

Covering about 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Any issues with the time of year or these 3 locations as a general guideline for the trip?

I care less about old temples and statues as I saw all that last time, more into scenery, mountains, a bit of nightlife, and places where I can socialise (more so in the daytime) and meet people with my white guy rockstar powers. Oh, and I do love spicy food, especially those numbing peppers.

Travel Asia China

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  • freefall101 on 23/01/2026 - 15:37
    +3

    Why go to China again? Still going to have the same language barrier and app issues and you're still going to struggle to socialise when you don't speak the language.

    There's so much of Asia that caters to exactly what you want, I did an Intrepid tour of Vietnam years back, incredible scenery (particularly in the far north), cheap clothes, ate everything, was drunk half the nights I was there from hanging out in bars and restaurants (don't ever drink with restaurant staff) and it's easier to socialise because they want your tourist dollars.

    • wetsandwich on 23/01/2026 - 15:40
      +1

      Look my default option is Thailand but I've almost done that to death after about 10 years of going every year. I was actually going to add 1 week there after China but not have it as the main trip.

      I have been to Vietnam 2 or 3 times and couldn't handle the endless scamming and hustling there, other people try to tell me this can't possibly have happened to me and it's not like that and it's only in the mega tourist streets, but it did happen everywhere.

      As for China socialising, there were enough Chinese that wanted to at least try their English or use apps a bit, and none of that was a scam.

      Thailand is good, Laos is ok (just less infrastructure), maybe I should try Phillipines for something a bit further afield. Probably not Japan as it seems to be the new Bali flooded with Aussies.

      • freefall101 on 23/01/2026 - 17:30

        Fair enough, if you've got the time and cash it's worth seeing if any country has more to offer. I don't seem to get scammed anywhere (maybe I look less rockstar white guy), but I found China was China, it's pretty insular. Japan I met maybe one other Aussie while there. Hard to flood a country of over 100 million people. South Korea is nice too though. Hell, even Bali is decent if you head north. The people who go to Bali aren't looking for culture, but you can hunt it out yourself. My old boss lives in northern Bali, loves it, not many tourists.

        Thought about Malaysia + Singapore? You can have a cheap, beautiful trip in Malaysia then blow all your money in Singapore (or just stick to Kuala Lumpar).

      • scrimshaw on 23/01/2026 - 17:48

        Malaysia is good. Stayed there for a good couple of years. If you like strong / spicy flavours malaysian food is amazing, but since it's a multicultural nation like Australia, there's all kinds of east asian cuisines that you can try there, and almost everyone speaks english (or Manglish)

        and it's a short hop away from Singapore. SGD is stronger than AUD though, so I wouldn't say it's great for shopping, but the food there is inexpensive, the facilities are always clean and the entire country is walkable and serviced by Mass Rapid Transit.

        The only thing that you may dislike is hot weather, so outdoor activities and sightseeing can be quite tiring. These 2 nations practically run on air conditioning.

  • JimB on 23/01/2026 - 16:13
    +1

    If you didn't like China last year, I wouldn't go again. Give it a few more years.

    If you haven't been before, you'll like Japan. It's not flooded with Aussies, it's flooded from everyone globally (except the Chinese at the moment).

    For nature it's great, just avoid the main cities.

    Around March/April, I'd visit southern/western Japan.

    If your default option is Thailand, consider Cambodia.

  • scotty on 23/01/2026 - 16:13
    +1

    didn't go to any 'modern' cities really so it was like all of the bad and none of the good.

    Somehow it gives me the "my first video game was Dark Souls" vibe.

    2 family members went to China for the first time last November and they quite enjoyed it. They spent 3 weeks in Shanghai and some surrounding cities (Suzhou, Hangzhou & Nanjing) which are all modern and convenient. If you like mountains, you can visit Huangshan en route from Chongqing to Shanghai.

  • DOGGYWOWWOW on 23/01/2026 - 15:34

    Chongqing to Shanghai bullet train will take many hours. Flying is probably the better option.

    • wetsandwich on 23/01/2026 - 15:40

      Good pickup, anywhere in between that would be worth stopping to split it up?

  • Wiadro on 23/01/2026 - 16:34

    goto japan or korea

  • datafellows on 23/01/2026 - 20:28

    Where did you go last time? South, East, North and West are very different.

    I frequent Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. All quite different (people, food, scenery etc.

    Last time I went to Yangzhou for the first time and loved it. Same trip visited Guiyang and I hated it there. Yangzhou felt like romantic China from 100-200 years ago, Guiyang was like Guangzhou 25 years ago (if you know you know lol).

    • wetsandwich on 24/01/2026 - 11:39

      Beijing, Xi'an, Pingyao ancient city, and Qingdao. Xi'an was okish, Pingyao i liked but nothing to do after 2 days of strolling, Qingdao probably has a bit of potential in summer. It seemed very quiet when we were there. Empty european streets.

      • datafellows on 24/01/2026 - 12:59

        South of China would be quite different. Perhaps fly to Hongkong, ferry/bus to Macao, cross border to Zhuhai, take train to Guangzhou, then train/fly to Shanghai. From Shanghai many nice places are close like Hangzhou, Suzhou and Yangzhou.

        IMO Chongqing is hyped a lot but I didn't like it.

  • star-ggg on 23/01/2026 - 23:22

    Try Lijang/Dali in Yunnan or Yangshuo in Gunagxi. That's where all the 'hip' white people that want the 'authentic' mountain scenery then complain about how there's too many other white people go.

    • datafellows on 24/01/2026 - 13:01

      Yangshuo was nice although some areas felt a bit too tourist trappy. Beihai south from there is quite nice and beautiful.

  • dreamerman on 26/01/2026 - 09:47

    I can do the chinese language and look like them in a crowd but never been there :-) Someday.

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