Congratulations! You’re about to make one of the best decisions of your life. Backpacking in China is pure adventure and will be one of your life’s most enriching experiences!
I’ve lived and traveled in China for over a year, and let me tell you that it’s a life-changing experience. Exploring China is not as easy as exploring other countries due to the language barrier, but the challenge will make your journey even more rewarding.
This article is the motivation you were looking for to tackle your China adventure with the right mindset. Here, you’ll discover the 10 top reasons you should consider China for your next backpacking trip and the most essential travel tips you’ll need to know before landing in China.
📌 Pin it for later

This article may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost.
- 1. Natural Beauty Across The Entire Country
- 2. The Most Fun Big-City Life
- 3. Safety for Solo Travelers
- 4. Plenty of Budget-Friendly Options
- 5. Delicious & Budget-Friendly Food Options
- 6. High-Speed Trains & General Transport Efficiency
- 7. Millenary History & Cultural Heritage
- 8. Unique Festivals & Traditions
- 9. Friendly Locals & Overall Lively Vibe
- 10. Expats and Travelers Community
- Key Things To Know When Backpacking in China
1. 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) and 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. By taking a cruise on the Li River, you can truly soak in the beauty of the karst landscape around you and stop by the most charming fishermen’s villages on its shores.
Are you 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.

If you are interested in the ancient tradition of growing rice in small villages, you can visit the Longji Rice Terraces in 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.
I think you got the point: China can offer the best adventures, immersed in untouched nature and some incredible but hidden gems not yet known to mass tourism.
2. The Most Fun Big-City Life
If, on the one hand, as a backpacker, you are attracted to untouched nature and remote areas, far from most tourist crowds. On the other hand, you also want to live the fun backpacker lifestyle in big Chinese cities.

You can consider cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Xi’an, and Hong Kong.
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 bars and restaurants are the perfect occasion to meet locals and other travelers while getting insight into the local lifestyle and culture.
I can assure you that every Chinese person will be nice to you. Some will even try to converse with you, 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. 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 my experience in China has been so magical! You can walk around Chinese cities without worrying about pickpockets or other crimes, making China the ideal destination for solo travelers.
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.
4. Plenty of Budget-Friendly Options
The most significant expense is the flight, but once you’re there, you’ll be amazed at how low the prices are for everything in China!
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!
Of course, exceptions exist even in China. However, you will soon realize how budget-friendly China can be if you know all the tips and tricks.
5. Delicious & Budget-Friendly Food Options
Chinese food needs no introduction. No matter where you come from, you’ve probably already dined at a Chinese restaurant.
However, be aware that your food 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 typical cuisine and different traditional dishes. I’ll let you count how many options that gives you. In every big Chinese city, you’ll find various styles of restaurants offering all kinds of Chinese cuisine.
Chinese food is flavorful, often spicy (for spice lovers, Sichuan Province is definitely for you), and 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 which often has peanuts or even no nuts in China; 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 an alcohol jar, I was hesitant to try it. But without overthinking it, I tried it, and it wasn’t even that bad!
6. High-Speed Trains & General Transport Efficiency
Traveling from one city to another has never been easier! You can move between cities without any issues thanks to high-speed trains and Chinese efficiency.
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.
7. 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 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 Chinese dumplings) or a fascinating tea ceremony explaining in detail the ancient art of serving tea.

During my last visit to Xi’an, I attended a dance show featuring songs and costumes inspired by the Tang Dynasty. These experiences allow visitors to connect with the local culture and learn something new and different from what they usually do at home.
I also recommend getting lost and wandering the markets around the main Chinese cities. For example, in Xi’an, the Muslim Street is an open-air market where artisans showcase their art and products.
8. Unique Festivals & Traditions
Let me start by saying that traveling to China during the holiday period is not a great idea. Trains might experience delays, and the main sights will certainly be overcrowded.
However, festive periods add even more charm to China. If you want to learn as much as possible and discover China in a different light, these times might be exciting as Chinese festivals are deeply rooted in 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), held in early April, honors 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.
9. Friendly Locals & Overall Lively Vibe
China is a beautiful country that is ideal for people-watching. During your journey, you’ll see many people—elderly, young, and children—with habits utterly different from ours.
China is one of my favorite places to observe people’s daily life unfolding. It may seem creepy, but it’s just so interesting to me to observe how they move, eat, and communicate with each other, as they are so different from what we’re typically used to in the West.

You will catch people in their 80s exercising in city parks or older women dancing to oriental music.
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!
10. Expats and Travelers 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 time 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.
Key Things To Know When Backpacking in China
1. People (Usually) Don’t Speak English
Let’s start with a good dose of honesty. Traveling in China is challenging for a simple reason: the language barrier.
Chinese tourism is 95% domestic. This means that service providers are not motivated to learn English or create a more manageable travel infrastructure for foreigners to ease their experience in China. 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. However, traveling to China is still possible if you know how to overcome the language barrier and try to learn one or two simple sentences in Chinese.
2. Booking Your Accommodation
You can rely on Booking.com to book your hotel or hostels. However, communicate with the host to let them know you are a foreigner and to get confirmation that the place you will be sleeping in exists.
Some hostels in remote areas cannot host foreigners, so it’s better to know before arriving there.
3. Essentials To Remember
When traveling to China, there are some essentials, besides your travel documents, that you can’t forget:
- VPN or E-SIM: Based on your phone’s recency, it may or may not support an E-SIM. If so, this is the best way to handle the internet connection in China (Airalo and Holafly are the best options). If you can’t use an E-Sim, download a VPN (Express VPN or Nord VPN) before you arrive in China.
- Low-power power bank: Anything above 100 Kw/h will be retained when passing through the luggage control at railway stations. Ensure your power bank has lower power.
- Alipay is the best way for foreigners to make digital payments. It allows you to add your credit card and scan the QR codes (or have your QR code scanned) to pay.
- WeChat will be essential if you need to communicate with locals. Once you land in China, your hotel staff or airport personnel will help you verify your account.
- Metroman, Baidu Maps, or Google Maps will be essential for navigating cities and understanding subway journeys.
How Many Days in China?
The minimum number of days for a trip to China is two weeks. Two weeks allow you to discover different cities and landscapes and travel from the northern to the southern side.
Ensure the final stop has an international airport, allowing you to take a direct flight if possible.
Depending on the distance you need to cover, these two weeks may be packed, but worth it. Of course, if you have more than two weeks, that’s ideal.
Backpacking Itineraries in China
Depending on your interests (urban life or nature), you can plan different itineraries or combine elements of both on the same trip.
This two-week itinerary is ideal for first-timers and includes the major cities of Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, followed by some history in Xi’an and a natural paradise in Guilin.
If this isn’t your first trip to China, you can also go down the backpacker route from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang.
Check my China Travel Guide for first-timers if you want more information about traveling to China.
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 despite the economic boom it experienced after 2008, it is still a developing country. Many remote regions are still not industrialized, which is probably the most fascinating discovery.
Therefore, you will experience entirely different things (people’s habits, daily routines, behavior, expressions, and communication), which makes it an intriguing country to explore.
Finally, considering the language barrier, it’s much easier to face 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 motivation you needed and provided some helpful tips. Enjoy your backpacking in China! 🇨🇳
📌 Pin it for later

DISCLAIMER: These suggestions are purely based on my experiences during my trips and are meant to provide helpful tips for your adventure. All information and instructions reflect my personal experiences and knowledge at the time of writing and may have changed since then. You must double-check all the details before your trip to ensure accuracy. The opinions and recommendations shared here are rooted in my unique journey through China.
Leave a Reply