Trust
Editorial Policy
How China Travel Radar checks sources, handles policy changes, discloses uncertainty, and updates travel guidance for foreign visitors to China.
China Travel Radar covers practical China travel topics where accuracy matters: visas, visa-free transit, arrival cards, internet access, payments, transport, tickets, and first-time city planning. The editorial standard is simple: be useful, be specific, and be clear about what is confirmed versus what may vary.
Source hierarchy
For policy, entry, payment, and transport claims, the source hierarchy is:
| Priority | Source type | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Official government, immigration, consulate, airport, railway, attraction, or payment-provider sources | Rule text, eligibility, dates, required documents, official fees |
| 2 | Current provider documentation or app behavior | Setup steps, supported cards, device limitations, known flow changes |
| 3 | Recent traveler reports and community discussions | Edge cases, failure modes, confusing wording, real-world friction |
| 4 | Commercial travel sites and blogs | Secondary context only, never the sole source for a policy claim |
When official sources conflict with traveler reports, the official source controls the rule; traveler reports are used to explain how the rule behaves in practice.
Update cadence
Visa, transit, arrival card, payment, and internet pages should be reviewed whenever a major rule or product flow changes, and at least monthly while they are active traffic targets.
City and itinerary pages should be refreshed when prices, reservations, transport routes, seasonal warnings, or tourist-trap patterns materially change.
How uncertainty is handled
If a rule is port-specific, device-specific, card-issuer-specific, or dependent on staff interpretation, the page should say that plainly. Safer fallback advice is preferred over overconfident shortcuts.
Unverified details should not be dressed up as certainty. If a screenshot, test, or official source is still needed, the page should either avoid the claim or mark the limitation in the content planning notes before publication.
AI and translated content
AI can help draft, structure, translate, and check coverage, but it cannot invent first-hand tests, official screenshots, or personal travel experience. Drafts must be edited for specificity, source quality, and market fit before publication.
Translated pages are not allowed to be mechanical copies. Each market needs local adaptation: passport rules, common apps, payment habits, plugs and voltage, reader assumptions, idioms, and image alt text must be checked.
Affiliate and monetization disclosure
If China Travel Radar uses affiliate links, paid placements, or sponsored products in the future, disclosure must appear close to the recommendation. Affiliate potential must not determine whether a product is called best, safest, or easiest.
Corrections and update records
Material corrections should be reflected in the article body and, when relevant, in the public update log. Silent edits are acceptable for typos, formatting, and minor wording fixes; policy or safety changes should leave a visible trace.