The part a tourism board will never print.

Wangfujing snack-street scorpions are a photo op, not dinner — overpriced and aimed at tourists. Locals eat in the hutong alleys a couple of blocks east.

Some budget guesthouses quietly turn away foreigners because they aren't set up to register you with the police. Filter for properties that explicitly accept foreign passports, or you'll be moved at 11pm.

If you turn up at noon you'll see grey lumps asleep in trees. The base opens early for a reason — be there at opening (around 7:30) when the pandas are fed and actually moving, then beat the tour-bus crush that lands mid-morning. Skip the paid 'panda holding' photo offers; the real programs are at Dujiangyan, not the city base, and ethics around them are debated.

Sichuan food is famous for being málà (numbing-spicy), but 'not spicy' is a normal request and most places oblige. If hotpot is too much, the milder clear-broth (yuanyang split pot) and dishes like mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and sweet-water dumplings let you taste the region without losing the lining of your mouth.

As elsewhere in China, some budget guesthouses aren't registered to take foreign guests and will turn you away at check-in. Book a property that explicitly accepts foreign passports to avoid a late-night scramble.

The iconic cruise — the one on the old ¥20 note — is the 4-5 hour boat from Guilin down to Yangshuo through the karst peaks. Plenty of operators sell a 30-minute bamboo-raft loop and call it 'the Li River.' Both exist, but they're not the same thing. Confirm the full Guilin–Yangshuo route and the boarding point before you pay, especially if a price looks too cheap.

West Street is fun for an hour but it's a neon bar-and-souvenir strip now, not the sleepy river town the photos promise. The real reason to be in Yangshuo is the countryside: rent a bike or e-bike and ride out along the Yulong River among the karst, where it still feels like the postcard.

The karst scenery is at its moody best with some mist, but heavy rain (often May-June) can flatten the cruise experience and the Yulong rafts may pause in high water. A little haze is fine; check the forecast and keep the cruise day flexible if you can.

The pushed Huangpu River 'night cruises' run ¥120+ for a loop you can get for ¥2 on the public ferry between the Bund and Pudong. Unless you specifically want dinner on board, take the ferry at dusk — same skyline, a fraction of the price, and it's how locals cross.

Friendly young 'students' near Nanjing Road or the Bund who invite you to a tea ceremony or a private gallery are running a classic overcharge: you end up with a bill for hundreds of yuan. Politely decline invitations from strangers to go somewhere indoors to buy something.

Several of Shanghai's best museums are free but require a real-name reservation, and walk-ups are turned away when slots are full. Book the Shanghai Museum (especially the East branch) a few days out with your passport rather than showing up and hoping.

The 'free' or cheap Terracotta Army tours pitched outside Xi'an Railway Station usually dump you at a jade or 'reproduction warriors' factory for a hard sell before the real site. Take public tourist bus 306 (Line You 5) from the east square of the station instead, or a metered Didi — and book the museum ticket yourself on the official site.

The main Beiyuanmen drag is a photo lane priced for tourists. The roujiamo (pork/beef in flatbread) and yangrou paomo worth eating are in the quieter alleys a block off the strip, where locals queue. Skip the giant skewers posed for cameras.

Some budget places near the wall and station quietly decline foreigners because they aren't set up to register you with the police. Book a property that explicitly states it accepts foreign passports so you aren't moved late at night.