Who’s behind this
Simple China Trip is a one-person guide run by Xiaocong, a local in China. It exists because many official booking systems here assume a Chinese phone number, WeChat or a Chinese ID card, and from abroad it is hard to tell which way of booking actually works with a passport.
Each attraction page gives one recommended booking path, the release time if tickets sell out, the steps, and what to do if it doesn’t work.
Stuck? Ask me
If a booking page won’t accept your passport, a code never arrives, or you can’t tell which ticket to pick, message me on WhatsApp. I reply 9:00–24:00 Beijing time. A screenshot of the step you’re stuck on helps.
What this site is not
Simple China Trip is not an official site of any museum, park or attraction, and it does not sell tickets. You always book on the official channel or the seller linked in each guide, and prices and availability are theirs.
How I check the guides
The short version is below; the full method is on How we verify.
- Official scenic-area and museum pages and bilingual notices come first.
- Traveller reports (for example on Reddit) are used as evidence of where people get stuck, not as policy.
- Anything that could not be confirmed on an official page is listed under Check before you go, and unconfirmed steps carry a Check marker.
- Booking-flow screenshots were captured live on the booking sites (Forbidden City on 5 Oct 2026; 16 more attractions on 6 Oct 2026), stopping before personal data or payment.
- Every page shows when it was last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the booking channel before you go.
Money
Some links to booking sites may be affiliate links; if you book through one, the site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which path is recommended. See the affiliate disclosure.
Photos
Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under licences that allow reuse with attribution. See photo credits.