Hi, I'm Richard.
I'm a Chinese native living in the UK. I built BeforeChina because the travel advice you see online is broken.
The “Wait, my VPN doesn't work?” Moment
A few years ago, my British colleague Tom went to Shanghai for a mix of business and tourism. He did what most people do: he Googled “China travel tips,” booked his flights, and downloaded a random free VPN from the App Store.
When he landed at Pudong Airport, reality hit him like a brick wall. His VPN was blocked by the Great Firewall. He couldn't open Google Maps to find his hotel. He couldn't use WhatsApp to tell his family he arrived safely. And when he tried to buy a bottle of water, the cashier waved away his physical cash—they only accepted WeChat Pay or Alipay, which he hadn't set up.
He spent his first 48 hours in China completely disconnected, frustrated, and relying on the kindness of strangers in hotel lobbies.
The Problem with China Travel Guides
When Tom came back to London and told me this, I went online to see what advice he had been reading. I was shocked. Most “China Travel Guides” are written by:
- Traditional Travel Agencies: Who just want to sell you a $3,000 guided tour and gloss over the actual day-to-day survival logistics.
- Outdated Blogs: Writers who visited China in 2018. China moves fast. What worked in 2018 (or even 2023) is completely irrelevant in 2026.
Why BeforeChina Exists
As someone who grew up in China but lives in the West, I understand exactly what foreigners need to know—and more importantly, the cultural context of why things work the way they do in China.
I created BeforeChina.com to be the ultimate pre-travel toolkit. No fluff, no history lessons you can read on Wikipedia. Just the exact, actionable steps you need to take before you board your flight:
- How to legally bypass the Great Firewall (and which VPNs actually work today).
- How to navigate the confusing 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit rules without getting denied at check-in.
- How to link your foreign Visa/Mastercard to Chinese apps so you can actually buy a coffee.
My goal is simple: I want your first 48 hours in China to be magical, not a logistical nightmare.