# Mandarin Route

> Mandarin Route is a Melbourne travel company that arranges private, fully guided trips to China for Australians, and business and sourcing trips for Australian importers. Trips are quoted, booked and paid in Australian dollars with an Australian company. The site publishes 78 free, detailed guides on travelling in China from Australia.

## Key facts

- Company: Mandarin Route Pty Ltd, ABN 25 703 388 952, ACN 703 388 952, registered in Victoria, Australia (founded 2026).
- What we do: private, fully guided trips to China for Australians (Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Beijing, Xi'an and more), plus business, sourcing and factory-visit trips for Australian importers.
- Based in: Melbourne, Australia. Trips are booked and paid in Australian dollars with an Australian company and covered by the Australian Consumer Law.
- Contact: hello@mandarinroute.com (main channel, answered within one business day), phone +61450088806, website https://mandarinroute.com.
- Shanghai private guide by the day: from A$350 per group (guide only, 1 to 2 travellers) or A$600 with a private car; airport transfer by private car A$120.
- Shanghai essentials private tour, 4 days: from A$1,190 per person (group of 4, twin share, excluding international flights).
- Shanghai to Beijing private tour, 7 days: from A$2,690 per person (group of 4, twin share, excluding international flights).
- Yiwu sourcing trip, 3 days: from A$1,590 per person. Bilingual business coordinator: A$550 per day.
- Booking terms: 30% deposit, balance 30 days before travel, free cancellation up to 45 days before travel (7 days for day guides).
- No shopping stops, no fixed departures: every trip is private to one party and built around their dates.

## Tours and services

- [Private China tours from Melbourne](https://mandarinroute.com/private-china-tours-melbourne/): How we plan private China trips for travellers from Melbourne and Victoria: flights, seasons, sample trips and AUD prices.
- [Private tours](https://mandarinroute.com/tours/): Private China tours for two to six people, priced in AUD.
- [Shanghai essentials (4 days)](https://mandarinroute.com/tours/shanghai-essentials/): Shanghai, Suzhou or Hangzhou and a water town with hotel, guide, car and tickets.
- [Shanghai to Beijing (7 days)](https://mandarinroute.com/tours/shanghai-to-beijing/): Both cities, the high-speed train between them, the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Forbidden City.
- [Shanghai private guide by the day](https://mandarinroute.com/shanghai-private-guide/): English-speaking guide, with or without a car, per group per day.
- [Business trips](https://mandarinroute.com/business/): Sourcing trips, factory visits and trade fair support with bilingual coordinators.
- [Yiwu sourcing trip](https://mandarinroute.com/business/yiwu-sourcing-trip/): Three days in the Yiwu International Trade Market with a sourcing coordinator.
- [Pricing](https://mandarinroute.com/pricing/): Every price in Australian dollars on one page.
- [How it works](https://mandarinroute.com/how-it-works/): From enquiry and quote to deposit, bookings and airport pickup.
- [FAQ](https://mandarinroute.com/faq/): Visas, payments, phones, guides, deposits and cancellations.
- [About](https://mandarinroute.com/about/): Who we are and how the company is set up.
- [Contact and enquiries](https://mandarinroute.com/contact/): Enquiry form, email and phone.
- [Booking terms](https://mandarinroute.com/terms/): Deposits, payments, cancellations and refunds.

## Guides: Business and sourcing trips

- [China's sourcing hubs beyond Yiwu: where Australian importers go for garments, electronics, furniture and textiles](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-sourcing-hubs-beyond-yiwu/): Australian importers should go to Guangzhou for garments, Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei for electronics, and Foshan's Lecong district, 40 minutes from Guangzhou, for furniture.
- [Guangzhou in 3 days: Cantonese food, the old city and a day for business](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/guangzhou-3-day-itinerary/): From Shanghai, Guangzhou is two and a half hours by air or six and a half to eight hours by high-speed train, and China Southern flies non-stop from Melbourne.
- [How to verify a Chinese factory before you order: a checklist for Australian buyers](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/how-to-verify-chinese-factory/): Check a Chinese factory's business licence on the government register gsxt.gov.cn, where the business scope should include manufacturing, not only trading or sales.
- [Shanghai for business travellers: three days of meetings and what to do with the evenings](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-business-trip-guide/): Choose a Shanghai hotel by your meetings: Lujiazui for banks and finance, Jing'an for professional services and consumer brands, Hongqiao for trade shows.
- [The Canton Fair for Australian importers: dates, phases, registration and how to work it](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/canton-fair-guide-australian-importers/): The Canton Fair runs twice a year in Guangzhou, in spring from mid-April to early May and in autumn from mid-October to early November.
- [Yiwu market guide for Australian importers: how it works and how to use two days well](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/yiwu-market-guide-australian-importers/): Yiwu is 90 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train from Hongqiao, costing around RMB 100 to 160 in second class, and trains must be booked under your passport.

## Guides: Families, children and older travellers

- [China with a baby or toddler: prams, nappies, car seats, food and where it actually works](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-with-a-baby-or-toddler/): Melbourne to Shanghai is about ten and a half hours with only a two to three hour time difference, so book the daytime departure to land in the evening.
- [China with teenagers: how to plan a trip that a 14-year-old will actually remember](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-with-teenagers/): The things that land best with teenagers in China are the 350 km/h high-speed train, the Great Wall walked at Mutianyu with the toboggan down, and hotpot.
- [Hands-on China: dumpling classes, calligraphy, tea, tai chi, seal carving and the experiences families remember](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/hands-on-china-experiences-for-visitors/): A cooking or dumpling class in Shanghai or Beijing takes two to three hours and suits children from about six.
- [Invited to a Chinese wedding or banquet: what to wear, what to give and how the evening works](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/attending-a-chinese-wedding-or-banquet/): Guests at a Chinese wedding bring cash in a red envelope (hongbao) rather than a wrapped gift, handed to the person at the reception table on arrival.
- [Shanghai Disneyland with kids: tickets, rides by age, and a plan that beats the queues](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-disneyland-with-kids/): Children under 1.0 metre enter Shanghai Disneyland free, children from 1.0 to 1.4 metres pay a child fare, and anyone over 1.4 metres pays adult; heights are checked.
- [Shanghai with kids: what works, what to skip, and how to pace the days](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-with-kids/): Shanghai is a good city for children, and the three rules are one big thing per day, finish by five, and have a car on long days.
- [Supermarkets, wet markets and convenience stores in China: shopping for food like a local](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/supermarkets-and-wet-markets-in-china/): A Chinese wet market opens about 6 am and is busiest at seven, with produce priced per jin (500 g) and paid for by Alipay or WeChat QR code.
- [Taking elderly parents to China: pacing, access, toilets and the sights that work after seventy](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-with-elderly-parents/): Take older parents on the daytime Melbourne departure, about 10 h 30 min and landing in the evening, and plan nothing on arrival day but the hotel and dinner.
- [Three generations in China: planning a trip for grandparents, parents and children that works for all of them](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/multi-generational-family-trip-china/): Set one pace by the slowest traveller, plan one big sight a day starting early, and split the party for half a day in each city.
- [Visiting relatives in China: a guide for Australian families](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/visiting-relatives-in-china-australian-families/): Australian passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business and family visits, so a three-week family trip needs no visa.

## Guides: Food and drink

- [Chinese tea for visitors: what to drink, how a tea house works, and how to buy without being fleeced](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chinese-tea-guide-for-visitors/): Chinese tea is all one plant, sorted by processing into six families: green, white, yellow, oolong, black and dark, which includes pu'er.
- [Eating across China: hotpot, the eight cuisines and what to order in each city you visit](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/eating-across-china-regional-food-guide/): Chinese cooks talk about eight great cuisines, but a visitor needs five regions: Jiangnan, Northern, North-west, Cantonese, and Sichuan and Hunan.
- [Shanghai coffee for Melburnians: the city with more cafés than any other on earth, and where to find a flat white that passes](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-coffee-and-cafe-culture/): Shanghai has more cafés than any city in the world, with industry estimates of 8,000 to 9,000, and the former French Concession is the densest café district.
- [What to eat in Shanghai: a first-timer's guide to the food and how to order it](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/what-to-eat-in-shanghai/): Try xiaolongbao soup dumplings, shengjianbao fried dumplings, scallion oil noodles and red-braised pork, and eat hairy crab from mid-October to December.

## Guides: Itineraries and destinations

- [A China honeymoon or anniversary trip: the romantic version of Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Beijing](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-honeymoon-anniversary-trip/): A romantic China route uses three bases and late mornings: four nights in Shanghai, two in a water town or Hangzhou, and four in Beijing.
- [Autumn in China: ginkgo, maples and the best six weeks of the year to be in Shanghai and Beijing](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/autumn-in-china-ginkgo-maples/): Late October to early December is the best time to visit Shanghai and Beijing, when the summer humidity has gone and the ginkgo and plane trees turn.
- [Beijing beyond the Forbidden City, the Wall and the Temple of Heaven: what to do with days four and five](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/beijing-beyond-the-big-three/): Visitors with a fourth and fifth day in Beijing can add the 798 art district, the Lama Temple, the lakes by bicycle and the Summer Palace at dawn.
- [Beijing in 3 days: the Wall, the Forbidden City and the hutongs without a bus tour](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/beijing-3-day-itinerary/): Three days is the right length for Beijing, covering the Forbidden City and hutongs, the Great Wall, then the Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace.
- [Chengdu or Xi'an: which one to add to a Shanghai and Beijing trip when you only have three days](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chengdu-vs-xian-which-to-add/): Choose Xi'an for history and the Terracotta Warriors, or Chengdu for pandas, Sichuan food and a relaxed pace; both are best given about three days.
- [Guilin, Zhangjiajie or Chengdu: which far destination is worth adding to a China trip?](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/guilin-zhangjiajie-chengdu-worth-adding/): Guilin, Zhangjiajie and Chengdu are each a two-to-three-hour flight from Shanghai and each needs about three days to be worth adding to a China trip.
- [Hangzhou day trip from Shanghai: West Lake, tea villages and Lingyin Temple](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/hangzhou-day-trip-from-shanghai/): High-speed trains from Shanghai Hongqiao reach Hangzhou East in 45 to 60 minutes, but Hangzhou East is 30 to 40 minutes from the lake by taxi or metro.
- [Hangzhou with a night: two days for West Lake, Lingyin Temple, the tea hills, Xixi wetlands and the lake show](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/hangzhou-two-days-overnight/): Trains from Shanghai Hongqiao reach Hangzhou East in 45 to 60 minutes, running every few minutes, and the lake is then 25 minutes away by taxi or metro.
- [Hong Kong and mainland China in one trip: how the border works and three routes that make sense](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/hong-kong-and-mainland-china-combined-trip/): Australian passport holders enter Hong Kong visa-free for up to 90 days and mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days, and the 30 days start when you cross.
- [Huangshan from Shanghai: the Yellow Mountains, a night on the summit and the Hui villages](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/huangshan-from-shanghai/): Huangshan is two and a half to three hours from Shanghai Hongqiao by high-speed train, then an hour by car or bus from Huangshan North station to Tangkou.
- [Is Chongqing worth adding? The vertical city on the Yangtze: hotpot, Hongyadong, the monorail through a building and the river at night](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chongqing-worth-adding/): Chongqing is 1.5 to 2 hours from Chengdu by high-speed train, with trains every few minutes, which makes it a two-day add-on to a Chengdu stay.
- [Nanjing from Shanghai: the Ming capital in a day or, better, a night](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/nanjing-from-shanghai/): Nanjing is about an hour from Shanghai by high-speed train, taking 60 to 75 minutes from Hongqiao to Nanjing South, with trains running every few minutes.
- [Shanghai after dark: the Bund, the river, rooftop bars, jazz, acrobats and where the city eats late](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-at-night/): The Bund and Pudong lights stay on from dusk until about 10 pm, so be on the promenade between 7 and 9.30.
- [Shanghai in 4 days: an itinerary that works for a first visit from Australia](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-4-day-itinerary/): Four days is the sweet spot for a first visit to Shanghai: three days cover the city and a fourth reaches Suzhou, Hangzhou or a canal town.
- [Shanghai layover: what you can see in 6, 10 or 24 hours at Pudong](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-layover-guide/): Australian passport holders can currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days, which covers a Shanghai layover, so you can leave the airport.
- [Shanghai on a second visit: the city beyond the Bund and Yu Garden](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-second-visit/): The West Bund along the Huangpu is Shanghai's museum district, with the Long Museum, Yuz Museum, West Bund Museum and Tank Shanghai galleries.
- [Shanghai or Beijing: which to visit first, and how to do both in one trip](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-or-beijing-first/): Choose Shanghai for a first visit of four to five days and for families with children under 10, and choose Beijing for history, architecture and families with teenagers.
- [Shanghai's Art Deco and treaty-port architecture: a self-guided walk from the Bund to the Concession](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-art-deco-architecture-walk/): The Bund walk runs south to north from Yan'an Road and takes about ninety minutes, with the Peace Hotel at No. 20 its Art Deco masterpiece.
- [Slow travel in China for retired couples: three weeks, three bases and no 6 am starts](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/slow-travel-china-retired-couples/): A slow three-week China trip uses three bases of about a week each: Shanghai, Hangzhou or Suzhou, and Beijing, with day trips radiating out.
- [Spring in China: blossom, tea picking and the eight weeks from mid-March to mid-May in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/spring-in-china-blossom-guide/): The best fortnight for blossom in Jiangnan is late March to early April, when Shanghai is 12 to 20°C with cherry and peach blossom at their peak.
- [Suzhou day trip from Shanghai: gardens, canals and the 25-minute train](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/suzhou-day-trip-from-shanghai/): Suzhou is a 25-minute high-speed train from Shanghai on the fastest services, though most take 30 to 40 minutes, so choose Suzhou station and not Suzhou North.
- [Tianjin day trip from Beijing: 30 minutes by train to a European-built port city most visitors skip](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/tianjin-day-trip-from-beijing/): High-speed trains from Beijing South reach Tianjin Station in 30 to 35 minutes, leaving every ten to fifteen minutes, with second class about A$12 and first about A$20.
- [Water towns near Shanghai: Zhujiajiao, Tongli, Wuzhen or Zhouzhuang?](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/water-towns-near-shanghai/): Zhujiajiao is the practical half-day water town, an hour from Shanghai by car or metro line 17, and is best visited by 9 am before the coaches arrive.
- [Winter in Shanghai and Beijing: cold, clear, empty and cheaper, with the honest trade-offs](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/winter-in-shanghai-and-beijing/): Beijing in winter averages around freezing by day and is dry and often brilliantly clear, while Shanghai is 3 to 10°C by day, grey and damp.
- [Xi'an in 2 days: the Terracotta Warriors, the city wall and the Muslim Quarter](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/xian-terracotta-warriors-2-days/): The Terracotta Army sells timed, real-name tickets online linked to your passport, with a daily cap reached on holidays and most weekends, so book the earliest slot.

## Guides: Planning and practical advice

- [Best time to visit Shanghai and Beijing from Australia, month by month](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-shanghai-beijing/): The best months to visit Shanghai and Beijing are mid-April to May and mid-September to early November.
- [China visa-free entry for Australians: how the 30-day rule works](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-visa-free-australians/): Australian passport holders can enter mainland China without a visa for up to 30 days per entry, for tourism, visiting family and friends, business meetings and transit.
- [China's high-speed trains: how to book and ride them on an Australian passport](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-high-speed-train-guide/): Shanghai to Beijing takes about four and a half hours by high-speed train, and Shanghai to Suzhou takes 25 minutes, city centre to city centre.
- [China's other festivals: Mid-Autumn, Dragon Boat, Qingming, Lantern Festival and Golden Week, and what each one means for your trip](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chinese-festivals-beyond-new-year/): The best festivals to travel into are the Lantern Festival, Qingming with trains booked, the Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn if it does not merge with Golden Week.
- [Chinese for travellers: the thirty phrases that matter, the translation apps that work in China, and how to read a menu](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chinese-phrases-and-translation-apps-for-travellers/): You do not need Chinese to travel with a guide, but thirty phrases let you greet a shopkeeper, read the toilet sign and order a beer without pointing.
- [Chinese history in one page: the dynasties, the dates and the stories you need to make sense of what you are looking at](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chinese-history-primer-for-visitors/): The Ming (1368 to 1644) and Qing (1644 to 1912) dynasties built most of what tourists see in China, partly because they were last and Beijing was their capital.
- [Flying Melbourne to Shanghai: airlines, flight times, jet lag and which airport you land at](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/melbourne-to-shanghai-flights/): China Eastern flies non-stop from Melbourne to Shanghai Pudong, taking about 10 hours 30 minutes northbound and about 10 hours southbound.
- [Getting around Shanghai and the Yangtze Delta: metro, DiDi, private car or train?](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/getting-around-shanghai-and-the-delta/): The Shanghai metro is the fastest way across the city between 7.30 and 9.30 am and 4.30 and 7 pm, though most lines stop between 10.30 pm and midnight.
- [Getting sick in China: hospitals, international clinics, pharmacies and how insurance actually works](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/getting-sick-in-china-healthcare-guide/): For anything that is not an emergency, go to an international clinic, with English-speaking doctors, Australian-standard care and direct billing to most travel insurers.
- [How much does a China trip cost from Australia? A line-by-line budget for a fortnight in Shanghai and Beijing](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/how-much-does-a-china-trip-cost/): Melbourne to Shanghai return flights cost roughly A$900 to A$1,400 per person in economy outside the peaks, and A$1,600 to A$2,200 in school holidays and at Chinese New Year.
- [How to set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with an Australian card before you land](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/alipay-wechat-pay-australians/): Since 2023, Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard, so Australian travellers can pay in China the way locals do.
- [Is China safe for Australian tourists? An honest answer](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/is-china-safe-for-australian-tourists/): Smartraveller rates mainland China at exercise a high degree of caution, level two of four, the same level as Indonesia, Thailand, France and the United Kingdom.
- [Luggage, laundry and logistics on a multi-city China trip: how to travel light between Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/luggage-laundry-logistics-multi-city-china/): High-speed trains in China have no checked baggage, so you carry bags on, and two medium bags per person is comfortable.
- [Phone, eSIM and VPN for China: what Australians need to set up before flying](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-esim-vpn-australians/): WhatsApp, Google Maps and Gmail work in China on an Australian roaming SIM or most travel eSIMs, because data is routed through the carrier's home network outside China.
- [Photography in China: the best light and vantage points on our routes, etiquette, and the honest answer on drones](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/photography-in-china-and-drone-rules/): Leave the drone at home: every city centre is a no-fly zone, drones over 250 g need real-name registration, and the Great Wall's managed sections ban them.
- [Private or small-group China tour? An honest comparison for Australians](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/private-vs-small-group-china-tours/): A private China tour gives one party its own guide, car and itinerary, while a small-group tour shares a guide and fixed dates with about 10 to 20 strangers.
- [Pudong airport to central Shanghai: Maglev, metro, taxi or private car](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/pudong-airport-to-shanghai-city/): A private car from Pudong airport to the Bund takes about 50 to 70 minutes and is best for families with suitcases landing after a long flight.
- [Scams, overcharging and etiquette in China: what catches first-time visitors](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-travel-scams-and-etiquette/): The most common scam is a friendly stranger inviting you to a tea ceremony, art show or karaoke bar, which ends in a bill of hundreds of dollars.
- [Shanghai from above: the Shanghai Tower, the World Financial Center, Jin Mao, the Pearl Tower and the free views compared](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-observation-decks-compared/): The Shanghai Tower, with its deck at 546 metres on the 118th floor, has the best view in Shanghai and is the one tower to choose on a first visit.
- [Shanghai in the rain: the plum rains, the typhoon months and a wet-weather plan that still feels like China](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-rainy-day-guide/): Shanghai's plum rains fall from roughly mid-June to early July, and typhoon season runs August to September with a day or two of heavy rain every couple of weeks.
- [Shopping in China as a tourist: the departure tax refund, what to buy and Australian customs limits](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-tax-refund-shopping-guide/): Foreign passport holders in China for no more than 183 consecutive days can claim a VAT refund on goods bought at stores with the Tax Free logo.
- [Solo travel in China for Australians: safety, loneliness, eating alone and how a part-time guide changes it](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/solo-travel-in-china-australians/): China is very safe for solo travellers, including women and including at night, with violent crime against foreigners rare and cities brightly lit and busy until late.
- [Summer in China: the plum rains, the 38°C days and how to travel Shanghai and Beijing in June, July and August anyway](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/summer-in-china-heat-and-rain/): From mid-June to early July the plum rains bring Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou about three weeks of grey, humid, on-and-off rain at 25 to 30°C.
- [The best free show in China: the parks at seven in the morning](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/chinese-parks-in-the-morning/): Visit Chinese city parks between 6.30 and 9 am, when retirees do tai chi, ballroom dancing, choir singing and water calligraphy; by ten it is just a park.
- [The Shanghai metro, step by step: paying with Alipay, security, the lines that matter and the etiquette](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/shanghai-metro-guide/): You can pay for the Shanghai metro with Alipay's transport code, the Shanghai Metro app, or single tickets from station machines with an English mode.
- [Tipping and gifts in China: what is expected, what is not, and what to bring from Australia](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/tipping-and-gifts-in-china/): You do not tip in mainland China at restaurants, taxis, hotels or bars, and leaving coins on a restaurant table causes a waiter to run after you with them.
- [Toilets and hygiene in China: the honest guide nobody writes](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-toilets-and-hygiene-honest-guide/): Hotels, malls, airports, high-speed trains and major sights in Shanghai and Beijing have sit toilets, while squat toilets are found in older public toilets, small restaurants, temples and rural areas.
- [Travelling in China during Chinese New Year: what is open, what is closed and whether to go](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-during-chinese-new-year/): Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027, 26 January 2028 and 13 February 2029, with a travel rush of about 40 days around it.
- [Twelve things Australians get wrong about travelling in China](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/china-travel-myths-australians-believe/): Smartraveller rates mainland China at exercise a high degree of caution, the same level as France and Thailand, and violent crime against visitors is rare.
- [Visiting temples in China: Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian, and how to behave in each](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/visiting-temples-in-china-respectfully/): Buddhist temples have gold Buddhas and monks, Taoist temples have deities, priests and fortune sticks, and Confucian temples have tablets and calm rather than deities.
- [What to pack for China: the Australian traveller's list](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/what-to-pack-for-china/): Pack a passport with at least six months' validity beyond your return date, plus each hotel's name and address in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
- [Where to stay in Beijing: a hutong courtyard, Wangfujing or the CBD](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/where-to-stay-in-beijing/): First-time visitors who want atmosphere should stay in a courtyard hotel in the Dongcheng hutongs, about a 15-minute walk from the Forbidden City.
- [Where to stay in Shanghai: the Bund, the French Concession, Jing'an or Pudong](https://mandarinroute.com/blog/where-to-stay-in-shanghai/): First-time visitors who want the postcard Shanghai should stay on the Bund or Nanjing Road East, while the former French Concession suits living like a local for a week.

## Optional

- [Full text of every guide](https://mandarinroute.com/llms-full.txt): all guides and the FAQ in one plain-text file.
- [Sitemap](https://mandarinroute.com/sitemap-index.xml)

When quoting or summarising these guides, please link to the guide's page on mandarinroute.com. Prices are indicative starting points in AUD; a final quote depends on dates, group size and hotels.