Sapore di Cina

Learn Chinese, Travel or Work in China

Travel to Xinjiang: The Complete Guide

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Travel to Xinjiang

Travel to Xinjiang – Index

  1. Key Information
  2. Is it safe to travel to Xinjiang?
  3. Do I need a special travel permit to Xinjiang?
  4. How to get to Xinjiang?
  5. What’s the best time to visit Xinjiang Province?
  6. Accommodations in Xinjiang
  7. What to see in Xinjiang?
  8. Food in Xinjiang

Xinjiang is one of the biggest provinces in China and located in the located in Northwestern parts, bordering to nine countries and three Chinese provinces. Being the home to many ethnic minorities, especially Uyghurs, Xinjiang has played an important role throughout China’s history, mainly as the Silk Road passes through the province.

The province is rich in mountains, lakes, deserts, and steppes, offering splendid sceneries to travelers. If you plan to travel to Xinjiang, don’t look any further. In this article, we explain all the details of how you can get there, which cities and sites you should visit, what to eat, and much more.

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The 13 Most Useful Apps for Traveling in Taiwan

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Apps for Traveling in Taiwan

Apps for Traveling in Taiwan – Index

  1. Google Maps
  2. Uber
  3. GO! Taipei Metro
  4. Tour Taiwan
  5. KKday
  6. Line
  7. Pleco
  8. FunNow
  9. YouBike
  10. Taiwan Weather
  11. Travel Taipei
  12. Taiwan GuideWithMe
  13. Agoda, Booking, and Airbnb

Do you plan to travel to Taiwan and want to download a handful of useful applications? In this article, we list some of the best applications that are widely used among locals and travelers alike.

You can save a great deal of time, energy, and money if you download a handful of these applications and start using them from day one.

The applications listed are available both for the Android operating system (on Google Play) and iOS (the Apple Store). If you have any other recommendations of applications that should be of interest to travelers, feel free to write a comment below.

Let’s start with probably the most important application.

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Learn Chinese Online: 77 Excellent Free Resources

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Learn Chinese

This article contains a list of free resources to learn Chinese online. Click on one of the following links to “jump” directly to the section of the article that interests you most:

Free Resources to Learn Chinese Online – Index

  1. Dictionaries
  2. Grammar
  3. Audio and Video
  4. Reading
  5. Prounciation (pinyin)
  6. Characters, flashcards and SRS
  7. Motivation and advice (Personal blogs)
  8. Motivation and advice (Company blogs)
  9. HSK (standard Chinese language proficiency test)
  10. Forums and Social Networks
  11. For those looking for a specific resource
  12. Conclusions;

When we firstly published it, in June 2012, this list contained 25 resources. However, we update it every year with the best web sites and free apps that we “discover” (many of which were suggested to us by your readers).

Our goal is not to list all the free resources dedicated to learning Chinese; rather it’s to present to you the best of each of the categories listed above.

Keep reading to find a brief review and corresponding link to the web site of each resource cited.

Enjoy!

[Read more…]

Cost of Living in China – The Complete Guide

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costoflivinginchina

If you live in China, click here to fill out the questionnaire and help us to better our estimation of prices in the city of your residence.

Cost of Living in China – Index

  1. General reflections
  2. Price tables for the largest Chinese cities
  3. Monthly expenses (according to your profile)
  4. Is it expensive to live in China?
  5. Salaries in China and minimum wages for foreigners
  6. Salary differences between Chinese cities
  7. Personal tax regulation for foreigners
  8. China’s new income tax law
  9. Frequently asked questions

[Read more…]

The 130 Top Things to See and Do in Shanghai

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Traveling to ShanghaiShanghai in a small model on display at the Shanghai World Financial Center

Travel to Shanghai – Index

  1. What do you need before traveling to Shanghai
  2. Tour or independent travel?
  3. Transportation in Shanghai
  4. When to travel to Shanghai
  5. Main tourist attractions in Shanghai
  6. Shopping in Shanghai
  7. Where and what to eat in Shanghai
  8. Bars and clubs in Shanghai
  9. Museums and shows in Shanghai
  10. Parks and amusement parks in Shanghai

Before you begin

This article contains a brief review of the main tourist attraction in Shanghai. For every attraction we’ll also specify the address and closest metro stop. Here you’ll find an interactive map of the Shanghai metro, while here you’ll find our guide designed for those who wish to move to Shanghai.

To conclude, here you’ll find our reviews on the best hotels in Shanghai.

Note: in this article, we indiscriminately use the words “Road” and “Lu”. The meaning is the same, since both have the meaning “way” or “street” (the difference is that the first word is in English and the second is in Mandarin).

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One-to-One Chinese Online Lessons: Our Review of the Best Platforms

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chinese 1 on 1 online

The unstoppable progress of today’s technology has been the source of significant advances in language learning, and Chinese is no exception.

Both mobile apps and online resources have led to many possibilities for improving the effectiveness of studying. However, in this article, we are going to focus on individual lessons online, which constitute a veritable revolution, as they permit access to good teachers regardless of where you are.

Click here to skip directly to the review of the platforms offering 1on1 lessons which we recommend [Read more…]

Travel by Train in China – How to Book Your Ticket and Choose Your Train

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train in chinaA Chinese class K train.

Trains are a primary form of transport and certainly the most widespread for extra-urban movement in China, by which you can reach just about every corner of this immense country.

Travel by Train in China – Index

  1. How to buy a train ticket in China
  2. Buying your ticket online (recommended option)
  3. Buy your ticket at a train station
  4. Buy your ticket at a booking office
  5. Buying tickets over the phone
  6. Types of Chinese trains and their different classes
  7. How to pick up your tickets from the train station
  8. How to read a Chinese train ticket
  9. Loss, reimbursement, change and cancellation of train tickets in China
  10. Primary policies of the Chinese rail system
  11. How to take a train in China
  12. Tips to travel by train in China

How to buy a train ticket in China

First of all, it’s important to understand that if you plan to buy your train ticket at the train station, or using the official China Rail website, you can only buy a train ticket starting from 28 or 30 days before your trip, respectively (even if for some trains of C and D categories the period is even shorter).

Reservations usually open 30 days before departure for online bookings and 28 days before departure for sale at stations, for most long-distance trains. Some overnight D-category sleeper trains only open 20 days ahead, some C-category trains only 10 days ahead. You cannot buy tickets before reservations open.

The problem is that, in particular during peak seasons – Spring Festival (in January or February), May Day (May 1st), National Day (October 1st) and Summer Holidays (from July to August) – you should buy your ticket as soon as possible or you’ll risk that tickets will already be sold out. [Read more…]

Travel to Singapore: The Complete Guide

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Travel to Singapore

Travel to Singapore – Index

  1. Getting a visa to travel to Singapore
  2. Travel insurance for Singapore
  3. Hotels and hostels in Singapore
  4. Vaccines and medicine
  5. Flying to Singapore
  6. Internet and phone cards
  7. Money, ATMs and credit cards
  8. The MRT system in Singapore
  9. What to bring?
  10. When to travel to Singapore?
  11. Common sense and cultural issues
  12. Food and drinks
  13. Nightlife in Singapore

Singapore has long served as the main financial hub in Southeast Asia and attracts tons of tourists. In addition to its many commercial activities, you can find UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as its Botanic Garden, a long-prevailing history of colonialism, spectacular buildings, and of course, plenty of tasty food.

Yet, before you embark on your first trip to Singapore you must understand what visa regulations apply, what you should bring, if you need insurance, what food you can eat, and much more.

In this article, I present all the details you need to know before you visit Singapore. Let’s start a check what general visa regulations that apply for the country and what documents you need to prepare when visiting Singapore.

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Study Chinese in Hong Kong – Best Private Schools and Universities

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Study Chinese in Hong Kong

Study Chinese in Hong Kong – Index

  1. Pros of Studying Chinese in Hong Kong
  2. Cons of Studying Chinese in Hong Kong
  3. Private Schools in Hong Kong
  4. The Best Universities for Studying Chinese in Hong Kong

Studying Chinese can be a great choice as you’ll stand apart from foreign job-applicants that merely have a “B.Sc or M.Sc” on their CVs. Truth be told, if you can speak Chinese you’ll find job opportunities, not only in Asia, but in Europe, the US, and plenty of other places.

If you read this article, I assume that you’re interested in pursuing Chinese language studies in Hong Kong.

Today, I will explain both the benefits and disadvantages of studying Chinese in Hong Kong and also what some of the best universities schools are. Let’s start and have a look at some of the pros of studying Chinese here.

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Bike Sharing in China: The Complete Guide

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A well-parked Mobike Light

They invaded China, and now they’re invading the world, nation after nation. In Europe they have already arrived. They are yellow or orange, green or blue, and have pedals and two wheels: bike sharing, is the green answer that has arrived directly from China for getting around the city. Specifically, in Italy the first to arrive are Ofo and Mobike, but they’re not the only ones made in China.

In fact, since they do things big in China, they’ve moved on from taking advantage of carbon mines to a wild bicycle movement with unfair competition at times, to the last seat.

The idea, although it has been realized with exponential numbers that have grossly crowded up the sidewalks of their respective cities, was to bridge the gap in the lack of public transportation in an ecological way: which it does, in fact, in those cases where your destination is too far away to walk, but not so far as to call a taxi and then have to wait for it.

It is for that last mile to cross, from your door to the metro, from the office to the bus station, that Mobike, Ofo, Hellobike, Bluegogo, Yongxiang, Xiaoming, Yubike and many, many others have come.

The situation, it must be said, is a little complex and rapidly evolving: in fact the dominance of Ofo and Mobike, the respective properties of Alibaba and Tencent, has made it so that smaller private companies are slowly disappearing from circulation. So I will limit this to describing in detail the two leading companies.

So here’s the complete guide for how to stay up to date with shared bicycles in Europe, but especially, on your next trip to China. [Read more…]

Top 10 Travel Destinations in China for 2020

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Top 10 Travel Destinations in China

Top Travel Destinations in China – Index

  1. Beijing
  2. Shanghai
  3. Chengdu & Leshan
  4. Xi’An
  5. Tibet
  6. Guilin & Yangshuo
  7. Dali & Lijiang
  8. Zhangjiajie
  9. Jiuzhaigou
  10. Hainan

China is a popular travel destination thanks to its size, old history, distinct cultures, food, and beautiful landscapes. Truth be told, it’s probably one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, traveling to China is one of the most memorable experiences among foreign travelers.

Yet, before you travel to China, you must do research, deciding where to go and making an itinerary. Most people don’t spend more than a month when traveling a China, a reason why you should do thorough planning beforehand.

After many years of starting this website, we decided that we should write an article that lists some of the best travel destinations for China. Let’s get started and review one of the biggest and oldest cities in the world, Beijing.

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How to Open a Company in Singapore – The Complete Guide

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How to open a company in Singapore

In this article, you’ll find all the preliminary information that you need to open a company in Singapore. We wrote it in collaboration with the agency that we recommend for opening your company.

How to Open a Company in Singapore – Index

  1. The pros of opening a company in Singapore
  2. The cons of opening a company in Singapore
  3. How to open an Singapore a company without living or even go there
  4. All the documents you need to register a company in Singapore and the procedure for opening it
  5. The total cost of registering and maintaining a company in Singapore
  6. How to open a multi-currencies business bank account in Singapore
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Get a free quotation from an agency that can help you to set up your Singapore company

If you want to request directly a quotation to the agency that we recommend, click here
[Read more…]

How to Get a Visa for Singapore – The Complete Guide

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Visa for Singapore

How to Get a Visa for Singapore – Index

  1. Do I need a visa to Singapore?
  2. How long does it take to process a Singapore visa?
  3. How much does a Singapore visa cost?
  4. What are the different types of Singapore visas?
  5. Where can I get a Singapore visa?
  6. What are the documents required for a Singapore Visa?

Singapore is one of the most visited states in Asia, being the financial hub of Southeast Asia, it’s not strange. This tiny state has so much to offer, including great food, a genuine and unique culture, and numerous business opportunities.

Before you book your trip to Singapore, you must understand whether you need a visa or not and what regulations apply. You don’t want to end up standing at the airport and get refused entry.

In this article, I will explain about the visa regulations in Singapore, what documents you need when applying, how long it takes, how much it costs, and more. If you have any questions or recommendations, feel free to drop a comment below.

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Travel to Taiwan: The Complete Guide

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Travel to Taiwan

Are you about traveling to Taiwan? Read this complete guide to learn how to plan it!

Travel to Taiwan – Index

  1. Getting a visa to travel to Taiwan
  2. Travel Insurance for Taiwan
  3. Hotels and hostels in Taiwan
  4. Vaccines and medicine
  5. Flying to Taiwan
  6. Internet and phone cards
  7. Money, ATMs and credit cards
  8. Taiwan by train
  9. The MRT system in Taipei
  10. What to bring?
  11. When to travel to Taiwan?
  12. Common sense and cultural issues
  13. Food and drinks
  14. Nightlife in Taiwan

Getting a visa to travel to Taiwan

Visa regulations are fairly relaxed in Taiwan and nationals coming from 54 countries don’t need to apply for a travel visa when visiting Taiwan for less than 90 days. Some of the countries and unions include the US, Canada, the EU, Australia, Israel, Japan, and South Korea.

Besides, travelers from Singapore and Malaysia, for example, can stay in Taiwan for up to 30 days without the need of applying for a visa. For a complete overview of the visa regulations for specific countries, I recommend that you visit the Taiwan government’s website or this Wiki-page. [Read more…]

Study Chinese in Singapore: Best Schools and Universities

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Study Chinese in Singapore

Study Chinese in Singapore – Index

  1. The cons of studying Mandarin in Singapore
  2. The pros of studying Mandarin in Singapore
  3. Private Schools in Singapore
  4. Universities for studying Chinese in Singapore
  5. Get a free quote to study Chinese in Singapore

Singapore is one of the most developed and well-functioning states in the world. It’s not strange that numerous foreigners wish to relocate here to study or pursue career goals.

Many foreigners who move to Singapore never look back and decide to stay here for years, not rarely over a lifetime. What makes this small nation stand out is its multicultural environment, cultural heritage, and ease of doing business. Quality of life is high and the food amazing.

Having said that, Singapore has some notable pros and cons if you plan to study Chinese there. In this article, we review what the main benefits and drawbacks are. I will also list universities and private schools that offer programs and courses in Chinese and how much it costs.

[Read more…]

The Best Apps for Traveling in Singapore: A Complete Guide

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The Best Apps for Traveling in Singapore

The Best Apps for Traveling in Singapore – Index

  1. Google Maps
  2. Explore Singapore MRT Map
  3. Grab
  4. Chope
  5. Hotels: Agoda, Hostelworld, Booking
  6. Singapore Heritage Trails
  7. Hosay!
  8. Tickle
  9. Visit Singapore
  10. iChangi
  11. [email protected]
  12. CityMapper
  13. Deliveroo

Singapore is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, attracting everything from leisure travelers to business professionals.

One of the great advantages when visiting Singapore is that you have access to a public wifi in most parts of its city center. That’s not the case in places like China, where you have to download VPNs, and the list goes on.

That said, you don’t necessarily need to download applications before you depart for Singapore, but can do so after arrival.

Being one of the most high-tech nations in the world, you’ll also find many useful applications that can help you to save time, find your way around, order food, and get to know locals in Singapore.

Traveling here is easy, but you’ll probably find some of the following apps useful. Let’s start and review the most useful application (from my point of view) when traveling here.

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The Complete Guide for Planning your Trip to the Canton Fair

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The Canton Fair

The Canton Fair is held every six months on the island of Pazhou, at the China Import and Export Fair Complex (380, Yuejiang Zhong Road, Guangzhou).

This is the biggest Commercial Exhibition Fair on the planet. Just to cite a few numbers, in the Autumn edition of 2019, around 60,000 manufacturers (or wholesalers) and 180,000 potential buyers participated.

In this article, you’ll find all you’ll need to plan your trip to the fair.

If you’ve already decided that you want to attend the Canton Fair but you don’t want to worry about organizing your trip, we can suggest a trustworthy travel agency that will do it for you. Click here to contact us.

Canton Fair – Index

  1. When does the Canton Fair begin?
  2. How to sign up for the Canton Fair
  3. Visa for the Canton Fair
  4. International flights to China
  5. How to get to Guangzhou from Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai
  6. Tour to attend the Canton Fair
  7. Hotels for the Canton Fair
  8. Health Insurance
  9. Internet and communications
  10. Getting around Guangzhou by taxi or metro
  11. Translators
  12. Frequently asked questions

[Read more…]

Chinese Courses: A Review of the Best Learning Programs and Tools

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chinese courses

Chinese Courses – Index

  1. Podcasts and Videos
  2. Writing and reading Chinese characters
  3. HSK Courses
  4. Grammar Books
  5. Multimedia Chinese Courses

Nowadays there is no shortage of free resources for learning a language: websites, apps, forums, videos, podcasts, you name it.However, many people are still looking for a more professional Mandarin course, the type of course that is generally paid. Personally, in the past few years, I have bought a few of them. Why?

There are two main reasons for that:

  • Often, you must pay if you want the best resources. Think of FluentU, Yoyo Chinese or Skritter. Who would take the time to develop such a wonderful learning tools for free?

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The Best Way to Learn Chinese Through Videos: FluentU

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Fluentu learn chinese with videos

FluentU: Learn Chinese Through Videos – Index

  1. What is immersion and why is it so important?
  2. How can I achieve “immersion” in my own country?
  3. What is FluentU?
  4. Why do I like FluentU?
  5. What I don’t like about FluentU
  6. How much does FluentU cost?
  7. The FluentU app

In this article, I am going to review FluentU, a database of YouTube videos in Mandarin with subtitles (and much more).

Why?

Because I think videos are the best way to achieve “immersion” while studying a foreign language. Admittedly, talking with native people on a regular basis is even better; however, it’s not always possible and, at least when you are starting out, it’s extremely difficult.

What is immersion? And why is it so important?

You can’t learn a new language by just “studying.” In the end, mastering a language comes down to being able to communicate effectively with native speakers. The language you can learn through books is usually quite different from the spoken language, and with Chinese, the gap is even larger than with English or French, for example.

During the time I spent in China, I met many people who, after studying Chinese in their country for several years, came to China and became completely frustrated. Why? Because Chinese people were unable to understand them and, even worse, they couldn’t understand what Chinese people were saying. Even if they had good grammar and vocabulary basics, they had never been in contact with the “real” language. [Read more…]

The Best VPN for China Still Working in January 2020 (with Comparison Table)

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Best VPN for China

What is the best VPN for China? – Read this before getting started

This article is a complete guide that is updated monthly on how to easily access Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, Youtube and other websites that are blocked in China, using a VPN.

The first part of this article explains what a VPN is, the simplest and most effective way to access the Internet without restrictions.

The second part is a comparative review of ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, NordVPN and Ivacy, in our opinion one of the best VPN providers for China. We compare the prices, functionality and performance of the four VPN.

We also give a short review of the most popular VPN in China and show the results of the survey of VPNs that our readers in China use. On top of that, you will find multiple sections to try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

Important: Many of the VPN services mentioned in the article have offered us exclusive deals for our readers. To get the discount, all you have to do is access the VPN service’s website via one of the links that you’ll find in this article.

Click here if you want to jump directly to the
comparison of the best VPN for China!

What VPN do we recommend for China?

  • ExpressVPN: A VPN that’s easy to use, fast and which has proven to be one of the most reliable VPNs for China over the past years.
  • VyprVPN: A VPN with an excellent quality to price ratio, good performance in China and numerous options for a secure connection.
  • NordVPN: A VPN that is very complete and easy to use. It has a good performance in China if you choose the right server.
  • Ivacy: A VPN that’s less popular in China, but has an excellent performance at a very low price.

Important: Due to the increased restrictions to VPN which came into effect on October 2017, you should always keep your VPN updated in order to make sure it works at its best.

What is a VPN and why do I need one in China?

As you probably already know, the internet doesn’t work like we would like it to in China and a large number of websites are blocked by the “Great Firewall.” Among the websites that you can’t access there are Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and Google+.

There are many other blocked websites, and depending on what you do, it may be virtually impossible for you to work in China without a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The most striking case is probably that of Google.com, which often returns an error message when used from within the Middle Kingdom.

In order to solve this problem, you can install a VPN, which masks your I.P. address so that your laptop appears to be connected from the U.S. or Japan even if you are in China [Read more…]