I Traveled Across China To See The Truth (Full Documentary)

China is the most misunderstood country I've visited. After visiting 80 countries, I spent a week traveling across the country. Join me in this full China documentary to find out what modern China is really like as an American who lives in Germany.

The journey starts in the megacity of Shanghai — secret local food, massive buildings, surprising people, and even the world's fastest public transport. From there, I take the high-speed train to Hangzhou — the train turned out to be even faster than a plane! And Hangzhou was just as lively as Shanghai, if not more so. My wife and I burn our mouths with some spicy food at a random local restaurant, see what a Chinese Hilton hotel is like, and take the metro over to the city's main site — Xi Lake (West Lake).

The next day we head to the airport for a 3-hour flight deep into China's tropical south—to a region right on the border of Laos and Myanmar called Xishuangbanna. Stepping off the plane, everything changes. The cold, efficient megacities of the north are replaced by sticky jungle heat, palm trees, and the laid-back vibe of the Mekong River. It feels like an entirely different country. We explore the massive local wet markets (complete with wild mushrooms and some serious Sichuan peppers), compare it to a modern grocery store, and even try a traditional ear-cleaning massage.

The next day, I get my first-ever Chinese haircut before heading across the river to eat a massive riverside BBQ and dive headfirst into the sensory overload of the Starlight or Gaoshuang Night Market — one of the biggest and most vibrant night markets in all of Asia.

By the end of this journey, my assumptions were completely shattered. The headlines had it wrong; the real China isn't clinical or soulless—it's vibrant, complex, and incredibly human. From little things like figuring out if Starbucks or Luckin' is better, to aiming to understand the entire culture and history of China — I'd never been more surprised.

And the biggest shock of all? Wait until I reveal the final price breakdown for the entire week at the end of the video. World-class infrastructure, amazing food, and comfortable hotels cost us a fraction of what you'd expect. Enjoy!

✅Subscribe to join me on the journey: http://www.youtube.com/@DavidGTravels/add?sub_confirmation=1

🎥 Watch the full journey here: https://youtu.be/EbrJxh_OQrM

Travel Products I Like:
👍 Protect your trips with SafetyWing travel medical insurance — I recommend always traveling insured (in China and beyond!) → https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=26309358u0026campaign=vang-vieng-integrationu0026utm_campaign=vang-vieng-integrationu0026utm_source=26309358u0026utm_medium=Ambassador
💻 In China you want a VPN, I use Surfshark VPN, and you get a discount using my link → https://get.surfshark.net/SH4Cz

Watch Next:
🍚Check out my journey onwards into Laos (Southeast Asia) here →
💸 Learn how to visit China for $39 a day too, check out my travel hacking videos here → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlHFWceWhDiSyjUh9srpeM8Dz9kV59w14
🇨🇳More videos from China → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlHFWceWhDiTJbkK7U370q6Y8VhXniqS5
🌏More videos from other parts of Asia → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlHFWceWhDiRJ9O3rcanCE3pmKhZgS8TX
🌎The best budget destinations 2026 → https://youtu.be/xtKHrwNJyGQ
🌏The cheapest cities for 2026 → https://youtu.be/o7wJ4dzwr2M
🌎 More travel videos from around the world → https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlHFWceWhDiT1IRpAGBoPx1fJjVRGlOmf

00:00 China: World's Most Misunderstood Country?
01:55 Arrival to Shanghai Pudong and airport hotel (My first mistake in China)
03:46 Shanghai Maglev u0026 Metro (The world's fastest public transit)
10:49 I was wrong about China
11:28 Shanghai Hilton Hotel: not what I expected
12:59 Exploring Shanghai: Everything I knew was outdated
24:47 Issue with high-speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou
25:30 Shanghai Hongqiao Station only has Starbucks
26:41 Chinese fast trains are no joke
30:51 Getting to Hangzhou and hotel surprise
32:50 Spicy spicy dinner I would eat again
36:10 Testing the Hangzhou Metro
37:32 West Lake (Xi Lake) at night and... light show?
41:36 Dealing with polluted air in China
42:49 Taking a domestic flight in China: better than expected?
48:29 Arriving to Xishuangbanna blew my mind
49:13 Hotel in Xishuangbanna (totally different)
50:53 Park, Local market, grocery store, dance competition, what is this city?!
58:51 Local lunch and Luckin' Coffee
1:00:35 Mekong River, Local take on China and ear cleaning
1:07:50 Chinese haircut, crossing the Mekong, temple, and mediocre barbecue
1:16:25 German and local take on China + world's biggest night market??
1:20:21 I was really really wrong about China
1:21:15 Why China is insanely cheap ($39 a day!)
1:22:27 Just the beginning

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