With Like-Minded Digital Nomads, Remote Workers + Travelers
Experience Authentic, Small-Town China
Join a vibrant group of remote workers, digital nomads and travelers like yourself in a curated remote co-working retreat in small-town China, led by a fellow digital nomad host from China.
Next Retreat Date and Location: TBD
Why Join Our Retreat
Learn why we started this retreat in small towns in China and why our retreat could transform your nomadic life, deepen your understanding of Chinese culture and build lasting connections with like-minded remote workers, digital nomads and travelers.
Retreat Packages
We will stay in one of the most beautiful and luxurious, Chinese-style guest house buildings right inside of a serene park. Your morning walk or run will be along a beautiful city lake.
Private Room
If you prefer to stay alone or with your partner in a spacious room with a great view and a balcony to relax, this is the room for you.
$500
Per Room
Shared Room
If you are coming with someone and would like separate beds (you must pay together), choose the shared room to save.
$700
Per Room
$350
Per Person
Room with Meals
If you would rather focus on work and have all of your meals taken care of during the retreat, this is the package for you. Prices are per room.
+$100
to Room Fee Per Person
Private Room
If you prefer to stay alone or with your partner in a spacious room with a great view and a balcony to relax, this is the room for you.
$800
Per Room
Shared Room
If you are coming with someone and would like separate beds (you must pay together), choose the shared room to save.
$1,3k
Per Room
$650
Per Person
Room with Meals
If you would rather focus on work and have all of your meals taken care of during the retreat, this is the package for you.
+$100
to Room Fee Per Person
Private Room
If you prefer to stay alone or with your partner in a spacious room with a great view and a balcony to relax, this is the room for you.
$1,200
Per Room
Shared Room
If you are coming with someone and would like separate beds (you must pay together), choose the shared room to save.
$1.7k
Per Room
$850
Per Person
Room with Meals
If you would rather focus on work and have all of your meals taken care of during the retreat, this is the package for you.
+$100
to Room Fee Per Person
Private Room
If you prefer to stay alone or with your partner in a spacious room with a great view and a balcony to relax, this is the room for you.
$1,500
Per Room
Shared Room
If you are coming with someone and would like separate beds (you must pay together), choose the shared room to save.
$2.2k
Per Room
$1.1k
Per Person
Room with Meals
If you would rather focus on work and have all of your meals taken care of during the retreat, this is the package for you.
+$100
to Room Fee Per Person
What's Included?
So what’s included in your retreat package? The short answer is – a lot, but we break it down here for you.
- Luxury, spacious modern room with big bed, private bath, wide desk, TV and private balcony with views
- All utilities (including 24/7 hot water, unlimited electricity and AC)
- High-speed WiFi + reliable VPN
- Scenic co-working space with fast WiFi
- Nightly activities, cultural activities and classes
- Weekend excursions (2 per weekend)
- Free laundry service
- Like-minded, curated global remote workers and travelers community
- China visa (if you need one) application assistance (application fee excluded)
- Language and translation support
What's Not?
A few things are going to be out of pocket. You don’t have to participate in group dinners or choose catered meal plans.
- Airfare & ground transportation
- Local taxi, ride shares, trains or buses
- eSIMs or local physical SIM
- Visa fees (if applicable)
- Travel and medical insurance
- Optional group dinners ($5-$8 per person per meal)
- Your own meals, snacks and beverage on weekdays or during weekend excursions
- Optional 3 catered meals per day (unless purchased with "Room with Meals" package). Dining out can be as low as $2 - $5 per person per meal. There is no kitchen in the building so we recommend either dining out or purchase the meal plan.
We've Got You Covered
China Visa Support
While you will need to get the visa yourself, we provide Q&A support for your application unless your passport allows for 30-day visa free travel to China.
Fast and Reliable VPN
You need to access the internet via VPN in China. We provide enterprise-grade, fast and reliable VPN for remote work. It is much more reliable than traditional VPN.
Ground Transit Assistance
We will provide you with directions on how to get the best ground transportation once you arrived in China so that you can get to our retreat without hassle.
Language Support
English is not spoken in China - but thanks to translation apps and our team, you won't have a problem! We have attendees who speak Chinese and English to help you out.
Meet Your Host
Stella Guan
China Digital Nomads retreat is founded and hosted by Stella Guan, a tech entrepreneur, designer and full-time digital nomad from China. She moved to the United States to study in university with a full scholarship when she was 18 and founded her education company Path Unbound to pursue her entrepreneurial dream.
She was inspired by digital nomads hosting retreats in their home country and is now excited to welcome fellow digital nomads, remote workers and travelers who are curious about China to experience her home country in an authentic and fun way, together with a like-minded global community.
Our Coworking Space
We have an incredible, free co-working space on top of a small hill that you can hike up to for 15 minutes every morning to start your day. This space has plenty of charging stations, fast WiFi and a breathtaking view of the city from every corner. It is truly a dream to work here.
This may look like stock photos or something straight out if Architectural Digest, but it is really our co-working space! Play the video to see what it’s really like.
Our Retreat Schedule
We have a varied and full schedule for the retreat to help you maximize your time in China and connect with fellow attendees. Of course, you can skip out on any of them if you want.
Week 1
Day: Coworking
1
Night: Chinese dumpling-making class, karaoke, group dinner, Chinese bar experience, Chinese night market experience
2
Weekend: Local hot spring trip (a local specialty), ancient village trip
3
Week 2
Day: Coworking
1
Night: Chinese language class, group dinner, Chinese pottery class, Chinese calligraphy class, Chinese folk performance
2
Weekend: Stone Forest trip (UNESCO site), Architectural village +kayaking + picnic
3
Week 3
Day: Coworking
1
Night: Chinese embroidery class, group dinner, Chinese live music night, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Acupuncture and Moxibustion Experience, Chinese cooking class
2
Weekend: Local hot spring trip (a different hot spring), traditional market on live train tracks in a town with all traditional Chinese houses
3
Week 4
Day: Coworking
1
Night: Chinese martial arts class, group dinner, Community cook-out, Chinese tea ceremony and tasting, Chinese dance night; Farewell dinner
2
Weekend: Stone cave hiking and kayaking trip, picnic and wine tasting in a local Chinese vineyard; Farewell dinner for those spending the weekend.
3
Retreat Activities Highlight
Our retreat is the perfect balance of productive working, local cultural immersion and community building. Here is a sample of what we will do during the retreat.
Visit Chinese Night Markets
We will visit several of the best local night markets in Mile, Yunnan and experience the best of street foods in China
Chinese Cooking Class
We will do several Chinese cooking classes, including a cook-out where everyone shops for fresh ingredients locally and cook
Hot Spring Trips
Mile is famous for hot springs. We will visit 2 of the best hot springs - including one hot spring deep in the mountains
Visit UNESCO Heritage Sites
The world-famous Stone Forest is a stone throw away (pun intended). We will hike the Stone Forest on the weekend
Visit local villages
There is an ancient, well-preserved village deep in the mountains near Mile, where all the houses nestled together, much like the famous Potala Palace in Tibet.
Visit Market on Train Track
Deep in the mountains of a town called Ping Bian, a few hours away from Mile, there is a famous traditional market right on an active train track. We will visit this market on a Monday.
Architectural resort
Mile is known for a famous architectural resort - Dong Fengyun. This resort designed by a famous local artist is the perfect spot for art lovers. As for nature lovers - there's kayaking.
Visit local vineyards
Mile is well-known for its wine culture (yes, China produces wine, too). We will visit a local winery, taste wine and enjoy the beautiful scenery this region has to offer.
Want to Chat Before Joining?
Have questions for the retreat? Wondering if this is right for you and have burning questions for who’s coming?
China at a Glance
China is a unique country like no other. With 5,000 years of history and as one of the 4 ancient civilizations, China has a lot to offer, but it is also very different from the rest of the world.
Visa
We recommend our 2, 3 or 4-week package to most attendees who can take advantage of the 30-day visa free policy if your country of passport is listed as one of the countries eligible for China's new 30-day visa free policy (check our FAQs). If your country of passport qualifies you for the 144-hour transit visa, we recommend the 1-week package.
Transit
China boasts an advance transit system from high-speed bullet trains that can take you to virtually anywhere in the country, including small cities and towns, to local buses and regional trains, not to mention affordable and convenient ride share options that are available everywhere in the country. Take advantage of China's advanced transit system and enjoy traveling in this vast and beautiful country.
Money
China is now an entirely cashless society - you do not need cash even for small purchases at a food stall or in a traditional market. However, please make sure you set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with identity verification (your passport) and link your bank card before coming to China. You will be paying for everything with either of these two mobile phone-based payments.
Language
Mandarin Chinese is widely-spoken in China. Virtually no English or any other foreign language is spoken in China. In Yunnan Province where our retreat is based, the locals enjoy speaking their own dialects although Mandarin Chinese is still widely spoken. We recommend using translation apps while you are in China or ask one of your Chinese-speaking fellow attendees to translate for you.
Law
China has strict laws against drugs - do not bring any substance into the country, including marijuana, which is illegal in China. Drunk driving is severely punished in China - and foreigners are not able to rent cars and drive unless they have obtained a Chinese driver's license, which requires a separate written test. International driving license is not recognized in China. We recommend using affordable ride shares like DiDi in China.
Internet
China imposes restrictions on foreign websites. Therefore, we must use VPN to access the Internet. We provide enterprise-grade VPN for all retreat attendees to ensure your remote work goes smoothly. We also recommend purchasing the unlimited eSIM plan from Holafly to ensure you have a backup in case our VPN experiences unexpected outage, which is rare but does happen from time to time and usually lasts for no more than a few minutes,
Frequently Asked Questions
Citizens of 38 European countries can stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days.
The full list of European countries now includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. Tourists from these countries will be allowed to enter China for short stays without a visa until the end of 2025.
If you are not from these countries, you may also qualify for visa-free transit for 144-hours, which applies to 58 countries. You can attend our retreat with the 1-week package. Confirm with the Chinese consulate of your passport country.
Our retreat attendees will mainly be remote workers, digital nomads and travelers who are curious about the remote work lifestyle.
China is a vast country. Our retreat is based in Yunnan Province, which is one of the best places to live in China with extraordinary natural landscape, high quality of life with affordable living cost and convenient direct flights to Southeast Asia. It is not located in Beijing, where the Great Wall is, which means we will not be visiting the Great Wall as a group.
But if you want to maximize your time in China, apply for the tourist visa before you come and take a few more weeks to visit other parts of China after the retreat.
China is now an entirely cashless society – you do not need cash even for small purchases at a food stall or in a traditional market. However, please make sure you set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with identity verification (your passport) and link your bank card before coming to China. You will be paying for everything with either of these two mobile phone-based payments.
There are mobile phone power bank stations everywhere in urban areas to help people conveniently charge their phones in case they run out of power and do not have their own portable power banks.
You will need VPN to access most websites in China. We provide enterprise-grade VPN to all of our attendees which can be used on your computer or mobile phone. In addition, we recommend purchasing eSims for your phone as an additional backup in case of temporary VPN outage, which is rare but does happen from time to time and often for no more than a few minutes.
You can choose your own SIM cards, but we recommend purchasing eSims from vendors like Holafly, Airalo or Nomad, which we have personally tested.
Our retreat is based in Mile, Yunnan Province, China. You will need to fly into Kunming Changshui International Airport and take the high-speed bullet train from Kunming City to Mile Station, which takes roughly 1.5 hours.
You will be provided with your guest house address once you signed up for the retreat.
50% of the retreat package cost can be refunded to you up to 45 days before the retreat. After that there is no refund.
