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1 week in China

  • Writer: Laura Hohman
    Laura Hohman
  • 2 hours ago
  • 3 min read

I recently traveled to China for a week for work and had the most amazing time.

General Tips and Tricks to know before you visit mainland China:

Alipay

  • This is a must. Pretty much no businesses take cash, and most wont take credit cards. Before you go to China, download the app "Alipay" and load in your international card. You will be all set to use this up to a certain threshold without validation.

  • I was really anxious about this working, so a safe back up is to also download "WeChat" and have your card loaded on that platform as a back up.

DiDi

  • This is China's Uber service. DiDi was great to use to get around. The app has a fairly simple english option interface, but its enough to get where you are going. This is another app you will want to load your payment card into ahead of time (and I recommend setting it up to autodeduct payment after rides so you arent stuck confused once you get where you are trying to go).

Amap

  • This one I wasnt aware of until I arrived. Google doesnt work well in China, and if you are reliant on Google Maps, like me, you will feel super vulnerable. I suggest downloading their equivelant, Amap.

Shenzhen

Just across the border from Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a global Tech city, with a major stock exchange and HQs for several corporations, as well as a leading innovator in the space of AI robotics.


To Dos:

  • Robot coffee at RoboGaga:

    Exactly like it sounds. Make your way over to the shopping mall at Galaxy CoCo Park and watch as a robot makes a fine cup of joe.

RoboGaga - Galaxy CoCo Park
RoboGaga - Galaxy CoCo Park

  • Walk through the showroom at Robot 6S Store

    • This is next door to the RoboGaga, but Robot 6S Store showcases a bunch of different types of tech, all technically for sale. They even boot up some of the fancy robots when its gets crowded to show off the balance and smoothness of movement.

    • This had a minimal cost for entrance, and maybe took 20-30 minutes to go through.

  • The Bay Glory Ferris Wheel

    • 128 m tall, and a panoramic 360 view, The Bay Glory was a super cool experience.

    • At time of travel, this cost ~$20 USD for a 30 min ride

The Bay Glory ferris wheel
The Bay Glory ferris wheel

Where to stay in Shenzhen:

  • I stayed at the JW Marriot Bao'an. This was my favorite hotel of the trip. Amazing rooms and honestly the most incredible breakfast buffet I've had in my entire life.


From Shenzhen, we flew to Shanghai. This was about a 3 hour flight, quick and easy. Honestly, the Shenzhen airport was pretty cool.


Shanghai

I only had a few days in Shanghai, but it managed to enchant me on night one.

To Dos:

  • Nanjing Road

    • This is a large walking mall, from People's Park, all the way to the bay and the Bund area.

    • Definitely go at night, this is when it feels alive, full of color, and full of people!

    • There's any kind of shopping or food you may want, either on the road or just a road over. Be sure to bring your Alipay, I had to wander and find a more western restaurant to pay with my credit card.

      • If you need to find one, the Blue Frog (a chain) has been consistently VISA friendly.

  • The Bund and the Waterfront

    • As you walk to the end of Nanjing towards the Waterfront, you run into The Bund. This is an English inspired area and the buildings reminded me so much of parliament and Big Ben in London.

    • This is also where you can find the iconic skyline of Shanghai for your pictures!

The Bund
The Bund

  • The People's Park

    • Also downtown by Nanjing Road, the People's Park is a peaceful green area with lots of walking trails, water features, and places to sit and watch.

    • If you need a break from the overwhelming nature of city life, take a stroll here.

  • Shanghai Disney

    • I am going to make a seperate post to talk about Shanghai Disney! This was so cool and very different from some of the other parks I've been to. If you are a Disney fan, please check it out!

Where to stay in Shanghai:

  • I'm a Marriot member, so my stay of choice was the JW Marriot Shanghai at Tomorrow Square. This was close to all the content above (minus Disney). It was decently priced for the area.

  • This hotel is not for those afraid of heights. The lobby is on the 38th floor, and the rooms tend to be even higher up.


I hope to be able to travel to China again in the future! This was only a tiny bit of such a huge country, and I'd love to go an explore more.

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