Founder
Frank
A relentless mapper of China who has personally explored 144 cities across the country and built a ground-level understanding of hidden local routes.
144 China cities20 countriesLocal field mapping
About ExploreChina
Built by explorers,
not travel corporations.
We bridge the gap between curious travelers and the China that big platforms rarely explain well: the digital systems, local rituals, hidden routes, and real people that make the country unforgettable.
Field Notes
Shanghai - Jiangsu - Zhejiang
Live local map
354+ mapped routes
Real trips, not desk research.Human online
Help when plans meet reality.254
China cities
47
Countries
12h
Human support
Why we exist
China is easy to love.
It is not always easy to enter.
The idea started when we hosted foreign friends, classmates, and business partners visiting China. They were excited, curious, and open-minded. Then they hit the small frictions: payment apps, map systems, reservation rules, ticket windows, language gaps, and recommendations that felt either too touristy or too vague.
What surprised us was not the frustration. It was what happened after the friction was removed. Every guest discovered a China that felt more vibrant, welcoming, and alive than the version they had imagined before landing.
ExploreChina exists to make that version easier to reach: efficient, local, specific, and human.
Our DNA
Proven by the miles.
We do not just recommend places. We go there, get lost, talk to people, test the tools, and come back with practical judgment.
Co-founder
Kevin
An adventurer whose travel record runs from 5,000m+ mountain summits to 20-day Amazon expeditions, with 110 Chinese cities and 27 countries behind him.
110 China cities27 countriesAmazon expedition
Why we are different
Big travel sells a checklist.
We build a bridge.
We are built for travelers who want the real texture of a place, not a standardized package. That means fewer generic lists, more context, and support that still works when the itinerary meets real life.
Digital friction, decoded
We help you make sense of payments, maps, tickets, reservations, and the app ecosystem that makes modern China work.
Human support, not scripts
When something breaks mid-trip, you talk to real people who understand both China and the way foreign visitors think.
Depth over checklists
We focus on Shanghai and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region so our recommendations can be specific, local, and genuinely useful.
Our manifesto
Stop touring.
Start exploring.
We believe travel should challenge your comfort zone and expand your perspective. Whether you are here for tech, food, art, ancient water towns, or the pulse of modern Shanghai, we help you experience China as a traveler, not a spectator.
Anti-generic
Built from lived experience
Local enough to know the details
Global enough to explain them clearly
Bring us the trip you want.
We will help make China usable.
First time visitor or deep-dive explorer, iconic landmarks or hidden cultural niches, we are here to make the trip feel clear, local, and alive.