Local Services

In summer, do sights early and late — Chongqing's 40°C afternoons are genuinely dangerous, not just uncomfortable.

Break big bills at a 7-Eleven or convenience store — small vendors rarely have change for a ¥100 note.

Link a foreign card to Alipay before you fly — Shanghai is almost cashless and you'll use it for everything from the metro to noodles.

Order a 'yuanyang' split pot — half spicy, half mild broth — so everyone at the table leaves happy.

Save 12301 — they mediate disputes with hotels, shops and tour operators in English, and the Terracotta touts are persistent.

Buy raft tickets at the official Xingping dock — hotel packages charge double for the same boat.

Eat crossing-the-bridge noodles at Jianxinxin (建新园) before you leave — the original 1906 recipe, served as a ritual at the table.

Eat seafood where the locals eat — high turnover means fresh catch, and it's half the price of the tourist pier.

Save the park's free shuttle-bus map to your phone — signage is in Chinese and cell signal drops in the valleys.

Save 12301 (tourist hotline) — they can mediate disputes with hotels, shops and tour operators in English.

Buy hand-warmers (暖宝宝) from any convenience store — they're cheap, last 8 hours, and save your fingers at the Ice Festival.

Check the fog forecast before Laoshan — a clear morning can vanish by lunchtime.

Save 12301 (tourist hotline) — they mediate disputes with hotels, shops and tour operators in English.