Who makes it
I'm a Chinese American living in the United States. I grew up in China, speak and read Chinese, and have spent years helping friends from the US and Europe plan trips there.
That kept running into the same problem: almost everything in English covers the same ten cities. When friends wanted to see a county town or a village, there was nothing to send them except a Wikipedia paragraph. This site is my attempt to fix that.
Why it exists
- To cover the counties, towns and villages that English-language guides skip.
- To give practical facts — how to get there, whether a guesthouse can register foreign guests, whether your card will work — not just descriptions.
- To show where every fact comes from and when it was last checked.
How I check facts
Every page carries one of three labels:
Checked by me
I've confirmed the key facts from official sources and, for hotels and sights, by calling or messaging them in Chinese.
Partly checked
Getting there, a place to stay and at least one sight are confirmed. Other sections may be empty.
Not yet checked
Put together automatically from public data. A starting point only. These pages are hidden from search engines.
How often pages are rechecked
| Type of information | Rechecked at least every |
|---|---|
| Visa and entry rules | 30 days (weekly near a deadline) |
| Payments | 30 days |
| Transport times and prices | 6 months |
| Hotels, restaurants, sights | 12 months |
Every page shows its sources, its last-checked date and a change log. If you find something wrong, please tell me — corrections are the most useful email I get.
How AI is used
I use AI tools to draft text, translate Chinese sources, convert units and organize data such as the list of every township in China. A person — me — checks every page before it's marked Verified. Auto-compiled pages are labeled as such and are not checked.
How it’s paid for
I pay for it myself. Running the site costs about $1 a month (the domain name); hosting is free.
- No ads.
- No affiliate links — I earn nothing if you book a hotel or buy a SIM card.
- No sponsored posts, free stays or paid placements.
- No tracking cookies.
If that ever changes, this page will say so first.
Get in touch
Email hello@china-open-road.top. I answer when I have time, usually within a week, but there's no guaranteed reply time. I can help with general trip questions; I can't book anything or give visa or legal advice.