All you need to know before visiting China

Xiamen China architecture

Budget China is a very affordable destination, especially by Western standards. Prices are reasonable even in Beijing and Shanghai - the two most expensive cities in China. • Prices for private rooms start at 15 USD (12.5 EUR) in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen. • Food prices are generally very cheap. Prices for a budget dinner start at around 3 USD (2.5 EUR). Fancier restaurants will, obviously, charge you a lot more. • Transportation costs are pretty low. Public transportation fares in Beijing start at 0.30 USD (0.25 EUR), in Shanghai and Xiamen at around 0.15 USD (0.13 EUR). The most popular way...

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A taste of life in China

Xiamen

One of my majors in college was Sinology - the academic study of China. Since a big part of Sinology is learning the Chinese language, I had to go on a student exchange to China for six months to work on my language skills. I was super excited, but as a young girl who had never traveled beyond the borders of Europe and most certainly never traveled on her own, I also had some concerns. I was worried about the flight - Will I miss it? Is the airline safe? How do connecting flights work? Will I find the right flight at Beijing Airport...

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