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.Â
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. If your country does not have visa-free access to China, we recommend getting a visa, which takes 1-2 weeks to process to enjoy the full 4-week experience.
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 a mostly 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. You can still pay in cash if you want, but most merchants and vendors prefer digital payments.
Language
Mandarin Chinese is widely-spoken in China. Virtually no English or any other foreign language is spoken in China. In most cities, locals also 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,
