Congratulations! You’re about to make one of the best decisions of your life. Backpacking in China is pure adventure 💫, and it will be one of your life’s most challenging yet enriching experiences! I’ve lived and traveled in China for over a year, and what they say about it is true. It’s not the most “Western-friendly” destination. However, this article will motivate you to tackle this life-changing experience with my 10 Reasons Why Backpacking in China is truly on another level.
Of course, I will not let you leave without a super in-depth China Travel Guide for First-timers and some tips on tackling the language barrier. You’ll find all the tips, tricks, and information you need to know before your backpacking trip in the Far East!
- Why is China not the most “Western-friendly” destination?
- 10 Reasons Why You Should Go Backpacking in China
- 1. Hidden Natural Beauty Across The Entire Country
- 2. Big City Life on a Budget
- 3. Fascinating Millenary History & Cultural Heritage
- 4. Unique Festivals & Traditions
- 5. Safety for Solo Travelers!
- 6. Plenty of Budget-Friendly Options (If You Know The Tricks)
- 7. High-Speed Trains & General Transport Efficiency
- 8. Locals & Overall Vibe
- 9. Delicious Food ( And So Budget-Friendly!)
- 10. Expat and Traveller Community
- Final Thoughts
Why is China not the most “Western-friendly” destination?
Let’s start with a good dose of honesty: traveling in China is challenging for a simple reason: the language barrier. Chinese people are adorable and always try to help you. However, the fact that very few people speak English does not encourage tourists to visit this beautiful country. Consequently, the fact that their tourism is 95% domestic does not motivate them to eliminate this language barrier. It’s a bit of a chicken-egg situation! This is why DIY traveling and backpacking in China are unpopular, and many people attend group tours. But hey, if you are here, you love adventures; China is it! You need to put in some effort, and China will reward you with the most amazing natural wonders, bustling cities, and delicious local dishes. Just enjoy the process!
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10 Reasons Why You Should Go Backpacking in China
1. Hidden Natural Beauty Across The Entire Country
Friends always ask me, “What do you like about China, and why would you return so often?” I always reply that landscape-wise, China has it all! It is such a vast country that it’s impossible to see it all at once, even twice (lol). You will find everything a backpacker interested in nature can dream of.
Guilin and Yangshuo in the Southern Guangxi province are the paradise of Karst mountains. If you are longing for the desert experience filled with camel and quad rides on the sand hills? The Dunhuang Desert in the North-Western Gansu province is the best place to visit. If you want to test your physical and mental strength, you can hike to one of the sacred mountains. You will be surrounded by a serene and mystic atmosphere far from the crowded cities.
Are you interested in the ancient tradition of growing rice in small villages? You can visit the Longji Rice Terraces, Guangxi province. The Tibetan plateau in the Tibet autonomous region and Qinhai province offers infinite grasslands and high-altitude lakes! Here, you could improvise (or not) a trip to the North Everest base camp to enjoy the peak of the Everest mountain. You got the drill. Backpacking in China can genuinely offer you the best adventures and natural landscapes.
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2. Big City Life on a Budget
If, on the one hand, as a backpacker, you are attracted to untouched nature and remote areas, far from most tourist destinations. On the other hand, you also want to live the backpacker lifestyle in big Chinese cities.
Cities like Shanghai, Canton, Beijing, Chongqing, Xi’an, and Hong Kong are options you can consider. These megalopolises are not only filled with significant cultural and historical sites such as The Forbidden City, The Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, and The Terracotta Warriors, but you will soon realize that the nightlife these cities offer does not pale in comparison to the best Western capitals.
Every major city hosts a main street with crowded bars and restaurants. Here, you can try the most renowned local dishes. These places are often filled with locals, creating the perfect occasion to exchange words with them and learn what’s not written in books. I can assure you that every Chinese will be nice to you! Some will even try to converse, even if they don’t speak English! I suggest always leaving your hotel in China because amazing things will happen if you’re open to them.
3. Fascinating Millenary History & Cultural Heritage
Everything you experience today in China, from Buddhist and Taoist temples to the most traditional dishes, results from thousands of years of history. When backpacking in China, you should consider experiencing something that takes you back in time: a cooking class on how to make jiǎo zi 饺子 (the famous and delicious Chinese dumplings) or a fascinating tea ceremony explaining in detail the ancient art of serving tea.
My last time in Xi’an, I attended a dance show with songs and costumes reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty. It was a bit touristy, but still worth seeing. If you’re looking for something less touristy, I recommend getting lost and wandering in the markets of the Old Cities. These markets attract artists, poets, writers, and Chinese artisans who love to showcase their art to foreigners. These are things that you won’t be able to appreciate elsewhere.
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4. Unique Festivals & Traditions
Let me start by saying that backpacking in China during the holiday is not a great idea. Trains might experience delays, and the landmarks will certainly be overcrowded. However, it’s also true that festive periods add even more charm to China. And if you want to learn as much as possible and discover China in a different light, these times might be exciting. Chinese festivals are deeply rooted in its ancient traditions.
The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important festival, usually between late January and early February. It marks the start of the lunar new year. It is celebrated with family reunions, fireworks, red lanterns, dragon dances, and the giving of red envelopes filled with money for good luck.
Another significant festival is the Mid-Autumn Festival, held in September or October. During this festival, families gather to admire the full moon and eat mooncakes (I still dream about them; they are delicious), symbolizing unity and prosperity. The Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated in June, honors the ancient poet Qu Yuan with dragon boat races, the making of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves), and hanging wormwood leaves to ward off evil spirits.
The Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) in early April is a time for honoring ancestors by cleaning their graves and offering food, tea, and incense. Lastly, the Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations, typically in February, with colorful lantern displays, lion dances, and solving riddles written on lanterns.
5. Safety for Solo Travelers!
While safety while traveling is entirely subjective, there is no place where I have felt safer. Safety is one of the reasons why my experience in China has been so magical! You can go around Chinese cities without worrying about pickpockets or other crimes. This is why China is the ideal destination for someone who wants to travel safely alone. While following common sense is essential, I never needed to look over my shoulder when staying late at night and coming home alone. And if you don’t want to walk the streets late at night, taxis are not expensive and very safe. Although exceptions exist, and you should always be mindful of your belongings, I have never heard of thieves on the metro or in the streets.
6. Plenty of Budget-Friendly Options (If You Know The Tricks)
The most significant expense you’ll face is the flight to China, but once there, you’ll be amazed at how low the prices are for everything! When I moved to China, people told me that gas for cooking at home was more expensive than eating out at a restaurant, so almost no one cooked. Of course, I thought it was an exaggeration, but I quickly realized it was true!
During a trip to China, after discovering that the hostel we booked on Booking.com didn’t exist (yes, that can happen if you’re not careful), we decided to improvise and find one that same evening. We found a lovely one that cost double what we had initially booked—87 yuan (about 11 euros or 13 USD). It felt like a dream to find a place to stay entirely on the fly at such a low price. It all seemed so easy. Of course, even in China, exceptions do exist. However, you will soon realize how budget-friendly China can be.
7. High-Speed Trains & General Transport Efficiency
Traveling from one city to another has never been easier! Thanks to high-speed trains and Chinese efficiency, you can move between cities without any issues. Most importantly, you’ll enjoy a comfortable journey that will allow you to catch up on some sleep. Trains in China are quickly booked through the Trip.com app. Remember to have your passport with you, as security will check it before accessing the platform. A slightly more complex challenge might be reaching some natural sites slightly off the beaten path, like mountains or temples. In those cases, you can easily take buses or book taxis through the place where you are staying. Often, hostels in China organize tours for their guests.
8. Locals & Overall Vibe
China is a beautiful country, ideal for people-watching. During your journey, you’ll see many people—elderly, young, and children—with habits completely different from ours. Observing how people move, behave, and act in China is an experience. It’s one of my favorites! You will catch people in their 80s exercising in city parks or older women dancing to oriental music. You can join them without being judged if you take the wrong step. Everyone, from children to older people, will smile or greet you. If you’re lucky enough to meet a Chinese person who speaks good English, ask all possible questions about China. You will be surprised at how Chinese people perceive their own country!
A little personal story: we met a gentleman on my last trip to Shanghai on the metro. Sitting beside us in the subway, he spoke Italian because his family had moved to Italy and still lived there. What we learned about China in those 10 or 20 minutes of conversation couldn’t be found in any guidebook or book. So, the advice I can give you once in China is to be open. Greet and smile at the Chinese people you meet. This attitude will open the doors to beautiful adventures.
9. Delicious Food ( And So Budget-Friendly!)
Chinese food needs no introduction. No matter where you come from, you’ve probably already dined at a Chinese restaurant. However, I’m sure no one told you (unless you have friends who have already been to China) that the food you eat in the West doesn’t taste the same as authentic Chinese food. You’ll only understand this if you decide to travel to China.
China has 23 provinces, each characterized by its culinary style and different traditional dishes. I’ll let you count how many options that gives you. Chinese food is flavorful, often a bit spicy (for spice lovers, Sichuan Province is definitely for you), and very oily. You can always pair everything with a bowl of plain white rice. Among my favorite dishes are Kung Pao Chicken, which we call almond chicken but often has peanuts in China, or even no nuts at all; sweet and sour pork; and scrambled eggs with tomato.
Not to mention all the varieties of steamed vegetables, dumplings, and meat and vegetable Baozi. These are, of course, the most popular dishes in Chinese cuisine, and even the Chinese love them. However, I also recommend venturing off the beaten path (culinarily speaking) and trying the strangest things offered to you.
During my last trip, I tasted liquor made from rice, drum roll, and snake liquor. Snake is a traditional dish in southern regions, particularly in Guilin. When I first saw a snake submerged in a jar of alcohol, trying it was the last thing I wanted to do. But without overthinking it, I tried it, and it wasn’t even that bad!
10. Expat and Traveller Community
I am convinced that anyone who travels to this country or decides to spend a month or a few years there is exceptional. Those who choose to travel or live in China love challenges and are ready to look beyond first impressions. China and Asia in general—you either love it or hate it, but the more time you spend there, the more those initial doubts turn into positive opinions. And I have never met an expat or traveler who spoke negatively about their backpacking in China. For everyone, it is undoubtedly a life-changing experience.
The most precious thing you can get from this journey is the exchange with other people you will meet. Like you, they will be solitary explorers who understand what drove you to travel to China: the desire for adventure and discovery. No one will ever ask you, “Why China?” (and notice how many people will ask you this question once you’re back home). Like you, travelers and Expats in China will keep that answer close to their hearts.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell, I’ve had a fantastic time in China! If you are open to what you will find there, you will, too! When I tell friends about China, I always mention that it is still a developing country despite the economic boom it experienced after 2008. Many remote regions are still not industrialized, which is probably the most fascinating discovery. Therefore, what you will experience there (people’s habits, daily routines, behavior, expressions, and communication) is entirely different. This difference makes it a very intriguing country to explore. Finally, considering the language barrier, it’s much easier to have nasty surprises and unexpected events (it also happened to me, and I speak Chinese…). My advice is to accept it and go with the flow; travel is beautiful because of unplanned events! Hopefully, this blog post was the last dose of motivation you needed, and now you’re on the internet looking for the least expensive flights. Enjoy your backpacking in China!
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