When will you go to the mainland?

[chingleutsch]

I wouldn't mind going to explore some more new scenery/ visit friends but no urgency. In any case, I understand that regular L class visas are not yet being issued.

[flameproof]

Yes, visa dependent

I believe APEC cards are good to go.

And only LokMaChau is open. Means no 5-day-SZ-visa in case one wants to go with a visitor.

[drumbrake]

I've travelled extensively in China in the 25 years prior to 2019.

Plus points - some really amazing experiences, from very old towns and villages which have remained unchanged for centuries, landscape which is very special - e.g. in Yunnan and Sichuan, some great food, and some very welcoming people. Looking back some of my best travel experiences have been in China.

Negative points: mass tourism; manufacturered 'ancient' towns; crap food (associated with the mass tourism); Chinese government policies - e.g. in Tibet

I'm in the good position of having been to most of the places I'd like to go. Returning to places I've been before, e.g. Hangzhou / Suzhou, smaller water towns near there, Yangshou and other towns in Guangxi, the toulous of Fujian - have all been disappointing.

The places I would go to again / first time, are the far west of Yunnan/Sichuan and into Tibet. I don't do regrets much in life, but I think there was probably a time in the last two decades when Tibet overland (by public bus) was possible. I wish I'd done that - even with the knowledge of some pretty bad long distance bus journeys.

So, in the short to medium term I don't think I'll be going to China. Long term, never say never.

[Morrison]

I've travelled extensively in China in the 25 years prior to 2019.

Plus points - some really amazing experiences, from very old towns and villages which have remained unchanged for centuries, landscape which is very special - e.g. in Yunnan and Sichuan, some great food, and some very welcoming people. Looking back some of my best travel experiences have been in China.

Negative points: mass tourism; manufacturered 'ancient' towns; crap food (associated with the mass tourism); Chinese government policies - e.g. in Tibet

I'm in the good position of having been to most of the places I'd like to go. Returning to places I've been before, e.g. Hangzhou / Suzhou, smaller water towns near there, Yangshou and other towns in Guangxi, the toulous of Fujian - have all been disappointing.

The places I would go to again / first time, are the far west of Yunnan/Sichuan and into Tibet. I don't do regrets much in life, but I think there was probably a time in the last two decades when Tibet overland (by public bus) was possible. I wish I'd done that - even with the knowledge of some pretty bad long distance bus journeys.

So, in the short to medium term I don't think I'll be going to China. Long term, never say never.

It’s either Toulouse or tulou (土楼 ）

[hongkongmusic]

Out of principle, never again.

[HK_Katherine]

I think you missed the poll option "not a chance - too risky for foreigners of certain passports these days"

[RobRoy]

Really hope I get one business trip to Shanghai this year. I haven't been since Jan 2020 and then they started to talk about this virus in another region of China while I was there, nah probably nothing..

Wonder what kind of VISA they issue, I used to get quite long VISAs for a while, then Sweden was on some shitlist and I got only like 6 month multiple entry ones, I guess I'm back to single entry now

[sarsi]

then Sweden was on some shitlist

Could be the other way around..like back on the default shitlist.. Sweden always seems to be (unfairly) on some shitlist somehow and I think this is legacy day 1.. so all the fluctuations are actually off that default to normal list like rest of the world.. they got off for a long period and v stable thanks to Abba capturing hearts worldwide but stability now no longer safe to assume w newer generation officials. Depends on how much they like or hate mamma mia..

[RobRoy]

Could be the other way around..like back on the default shitlist.. Sweden always seems to be (unfairly) on some shitlist somehow and I think this is legacy day 1.. so all the fluctuations are actually off that default to normal list like rest of the world.. they got off for a long period and v stable thanks to Abba capturing hearts worldwide but stability now no longer safe to assume w newer generation officials. Depends on how much they like or hate mamma mia..

Yeah you have a point, Sweden used to be this neutral country, which started in WW2. Sweden was like one of the first country to have an embassy in North Korea (they still stole the trucks we sold them) and a lot of examples like this. Its rather normalizing now and Sweden is taking a stance on things, like the Nato membership etc..

[sarsi]

Wait are you matching this to the political chart? I'm not, I'm going solely by the ABBA one (Swed music charts) but it sounds like they might show same thing after all. Your normalizing seems to also be pretty much around same period as Mamma Mia..