This summer, I traveled to mainland China for the first time and did so as a solo traveler. Growing up, I always loved learning about Chinese dynasties and various periods of their extensive history, so while visiting China had always been a dream of mine, it wasn’t until very recently that visiting seemed more plausible as they have recently loosened tourism restrictions and opened new pathways to visiting that don’t require mailing in my passport for a visa. As someone who has had continuous trips lined up for the past 4-5 years now, letting go of my passport (even for a short period of time) simply wasn’t an option in fear of it not being returned in time for any upcoming international travel. So when the PRC government announced a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy last December, I jumped on the opportunity.
The policy sounds simple enough, but there are a few rules that need to be followed to be allowed entry into the country. Aside from obviously not being able to stay for longer than 10 days, the most important aspect of the policy to note is that it is a “transit” policy, which essentially means that you cannot return to the same country that you came from after finishing your trip. I was in Seoul prior to visiting China, so I would not have been allowed to fly back to South Korea after my 10 days were up; I flew from Shanghai to Okinawa (Japan) instead. Here is the link to a website that has broken the visa-free transit policy down well. Like the type-B person and procrastinator that I am, I actually had not planned any of my trip except for the flights in and out of China out of fear of being denied entry for one reason or another. I had already seen a story of a British girl being denied boarding by an airline, though that was because she didn’t realize she had to fly to a second country before being able to return home after her trip. Although I had combed through the rules countless times, I was still convinced that, for whatever reason, I would be sent back to Seoul so I didn’t even have a single hotel booked.
After arriving at the Incheon airport and handing the ticket agent my flight information so she could confirm that I was only staying for the allotted number of days, she asked for the address of where I was staying which I, of course, didn’t have. I laughed and told her that I hadn’t booked my accommodation yet and she literally looked at me like I was crazy (and I guess I am). As someone who flies by the seat of my pants often and has actually encountered this exact scenario several times before, I didn’t particularly care and stepped out of line to book my hotel right then and there since I felt assured that I could at least board the flight. I booked a hotel for my first two nights in Beijing and hoped that would be sufficient, and thankfully it was because I only provided the agent with that address and she still let me through.
After landing in Beijing, I encountered my second obstacle of the day. The immigration area was weirdly empty, but I made my way to a row of several biometric scanners that I needed to go through before speaking to an immigration officer. However, this is where things started to go wrong. For some unknown reason, none of the machines would accept my fingerprints, and I tried four of them. Because the area was empty, there were no other international travelers or airport employees for me to reach out to for help. At this point I was jokingly (but also seriously internally) questioning whether I had unknowingly gotten myself placed on a list somehow and their government didn’t want me in the country. After standing there helplessly for close to 10 minutes, an employee came to assist me but she did not speak English and I unfortunately do not speak Mandarin. She understood that my fingerprints were not being scanned though, and led me to the officers. While the lack of fingerprints seemed to not be an issue, none of the three officers I was handed to spoke enough English to assist me with the visa-free process, so I spent 30 minutes to an hour being passed between people while I can only assume they were debating what to do with me. Since English is the lingua franca, I don’t think I’ve ever been to another airport in which I couldn’t find any English-speaking employees; however, none of the people I was seeking help from had customer service roles so I would never expect them to be able to speak my language – I’m in their country after all.
After what felt like an eternity, a young immigration officer clocked in who spoke English very well and the other employees immediately asked him for assistance. He told me again not to worry about the fingerprints before helping me with the visa-free transit process himself. Although you don’t need any official paperwork prior to landing, I did have to fill out a few forms and provide him with all of my information while standing at the immigration counter. He was extremely friendly and gave me plenty of recommendations for Beijing. We even spoke briefly about the differences between our countries and he was very intrigued about why I wanted to visit China since there is tension between our governments, but he was excited that I was there nonetheless. After a roughly 20-minute conversation, he let me through but it had been so long at that point that my suitcase had been moved to a back room. Another employee led me to it, and then before I knew it, I had successfully made it through.
As previously stated, I really had not thought this trip through in the slightest, so I didn’t even know which apps I needed to download to navigate the city well (note to everyone reading – there are several, and I will make a dedicated post to what you need to know and download before visiting). I made sure I had everything necessary downloaded before exiting the airport, then headed to my first hotel to check in. I stayed at this Marriott property (not sponsored) because I am a Bonvoy member and try to stay in their properties when I am able to, but there are plenty of cheaper hotel options there that are still very nice.
After spending two days in Beijing and being able to fulfill my lifelong dream of seeing the Great Wall of China, I took a bullet train to Shanghai where I spent most of the remainder of my trip. Aside from a quick visit to the neighboring city Suzhou, I spent the rest of the time enjoying everything Shanghai had to offer. Even after spending just a few days there, I honestly believe it is one of my favorite cities I have ever visited and I cannot WAIT to return. I stayed at the Shanghai People’s Square Nanjing East Road Pedestrian Street Treasury Hotel (also not sponsored) and loved the location and its free laundry services deffffinitely came in handy. I particularly loved Shanghai’s Xintiandi neighborhood and the cool themed cafes that are scattered throughout the city.
One of the questions I get asked most frequently when I tell people that I solo travel as a young female is whether or not I feel safe. The answer to that question obviously varies depending on what specific country is being discussed (although generally my answer is always a resounding yes), but I felt extremely safe during my entire stay in China. I never once felt threatened in any way and found that despite a having larger language barrier than in some other countries, local people were very friendly and helpful. Basic English wasn’t necessarily hard to come by, though you might feel that way if your travel experience has been limited to regions of the world where English is spoken fairly prominently as a second language.
Something to note is that China is often considered to be a surveillance state and various apps and websites might be blocked (this was not an issue for me as my phone plan has a built-in VPN). While I’m not here to debate the ethics or politics of this, I will say that from my own personal experience the heightened surveillance did not bother me. While it is something I was definitely aware of during my stay, I am a rule-abiding global citizen and, if anything, it made me feel more safe as I was truly not worried about petty crimes or violence. As a female traveling alone it is best to always be alert and wary of your surroundings, but feeling unsafe or uncomfortable in any way was not something I experienced in the slightest during this trip.
I would 100% recommend solo traveling to China to anyone who is interested in East Asian culture and I personally cannot wait to go back. There was so much to experience as someone who loves history, but there was also no shortage of great cafes, restaurants, and shops if history is not really your thing. Safety is always one of the first things I consider when deciding whether to visit a new place by myself, and I’m so happy that I have another great country to add to my rotation.
