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photos with a credit line are real photos, freely licensed from wikimedia commons (full list below). photos without one are ai-generated illustrations, mostly mood shots for topics like payments, packing and first-trip stories. we swap those for real ones as we find good ones.
photo credits
- a teahouse afternoon: Daderot · CC0
- banquet etiquette: GeorgeLouis · CC BY-SA 3.0
- beijing: ZhengZhou · CC BY-SA 4.0
- beijing neighborhoods: Renek78 · CC0
- beijing vs shanghai: Larry Qian · CC0
- bullet trains: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
- chengdu: lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0
- chengdu neighborhoods: Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0
- chengdu vs chongqing: GeoffLeng · CC BY-SA 4.0
- chongqing: David290 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- chongqing neighborhoods: Maple Doctor · CC BY-SA 4.0
- dumpling family tree: Morgan Calliope · CC BY 2.0
- festivals through the year: ChenSimon · CC BY-SA 4.0
- guilin & yangshuo: Iain Cameron · CC BY 2.0
- how to read a temple: EditQ · CC0
- shanghai: Lloyd Tudor · CC BY-SA 4.0
- shanghai neighborhoods: David Zhang from Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
- the central axis: David Stanley · CC BY 3.0
- the great wall: Jakub Hałun · CC BY-SA 3.0
- the noodle atlas: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
- the three teachings: BRUNNER Emmanuel (Manu25) · Public domain
- visa-free checker: Kristoferb · CC BY-SA 3.0
- weather by month: N509FZ · CC BY-SA 4.0
- what china believes: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
- what to eat: City Foodsters · CC BY 2.0
- xi’an: Jmhullot · CC BY 3.0
- xi'an through the dynasties: Simonada32 · CC BY 3.0
travel rules in china change often. we update guides regularly, but always confirm visa, entry and health requirements with official government sources before you travel.