China requires a visa for most foreign visitors. Sometimes the visa applicant has to submit a detailed itinerary, with evidence of hotel bookings. This is just inconvenient for independent travellers.
The authorities can keep the most popular sites - like Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan - filled with domestic tourists, so I don’t think there is any movement towards encouraging more foreigners to visit.
Once in mainland China, the trend is that train and long-distance buses must be paid with AliPay or WeChat Pay, not with cash. And your identity document number is printed on the ticket.
But on a more positive note: -
Language can be a problem, but technology can come to the rescue with widespread use of translation Mobile Phone Apps.
For local information, “the last few miles” - visit local bookstores. Paper maps, or map books with local tourist attractions (in Chinese) are usually available. Obviously, you can use these to indicate to taxi drivers where you want to go.
Field Guides - I believe an update to the 20 year-old OUP MacKinnon and Phillipps book is out. In Yunnan near the Burmese border, I have preferred Craig Robson’s “Birds of SouthEast Asia”.
It’s a huge country, and there is much to experience, not just birds.
The authorities can keep the most popular sites - like Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan - filled with domestic tourists, so I don’t think there is any movement towards encouraging more foreigners to visit.
Once in mainland China, the trend is that train and long-distance buses must be paid with AliPay or WeChat Pay, not with cash. And your identity document number is printed on the ticket.
But on a more positive note: -
Language can be a problem, but technology can come to the rescue with widespread use of translation Mobile Phone Apps.
For local information, “the last few miles” - visit local bookstores. Paper maps, or map books with local tourist attractions (in Chinese) are usually available. Obviously, you can use these to indicate to taxi drivers where you want to go.
Field Guides - I believe an update to the 20 year-old OUP MacKinnon and Phillipps book is out. In Yunnan near the Burmese border, I have preferred Craig Robson’s “Birds of SouthEast Asia”.
It’s a huge country, and there is much to experience, not just birds.