Just over half a year, Jiuzhai Valley in China’s southwest Sichuan Province finally gets ready to receive the first batch of visitors on March 8, 2018 following the devastating earthquake of August 8, 2017. What a piece of happy news! In the first year after it is opened, for safety reasons, only tourist groups can enter the area and no entry for individual travelers is permitted. Also, visitors are obliged to take the sightseeing bus to visit inside.

Recently, a costly line-skipping service offered by Shanghai Disneyland Park has triggered a controversy and annoyed some customers. Many visitors believed that their interests were violated by those VIP visitors who paid as much as CNY 2,700 for services including jumping the long queue.

On January 17 and 18, 2018, Hainan Airlines and China Eastern Airlines successively launched flights with Wifi services available. Passengers taking planes marked with WiFi symbols are allowed to use portable electronic devices (PED), such as mobile phones, pads, laptops, electronic readings, and game machines. Currently, the services can be used for free.

A ticket price rise in Shanghai Disneyland Park will be seen since June 6, 2018. On regular days, an adult ticket will cost CNY 399, while on peak days including July, August, Weekends, and most public holidays, an adult ticket will cost CNY 575. During the Chinese New Year Holiday and National Day Holiday, an adult ticket will sell at CNY 665. Children between 1.0 and 1.4 meters (3.3 and 4.6 feet), seniors over 65 and guests with disabilities can still enjoy a 25% discount.

As of November 11, 2017, the China Snow Town, also known as Shuangfeng Forestry Center of Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province began to receive visitors of this year, with abundant snowfall as thick as 50 centimeters. From November 25, 2017 on, tourist buses from Harbin to the Snow Town will be operated, with stops at Yabuli International Ski Resort and Erlanghe Forestry Center.

Following the implementation of online seat selection for high speed trains running on Hainan Island at the end of 2016, China Railway Corporation has expanded the application scope to all bullet trains with initial letters of C, D, and G since October 12, 2017. This will benefit those travelling in a group a lot.

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, inside of which the Terracotta Army is located, is going to adopt a real-name ticketing policy since October 1st, 2017, in the hopes of controlling tourist flow more efficiently. Tourists will be required to show ID, like passports and travel documents, when booking and buying tickets for the Terracotta Army. As the 2017 China National Holiday is drawing near, tourist should avoid visiting there during the peak travel period from Oct. 2 to 5 unless they have booked a ticket in advance.

At 21:19 on August 8, 2017, China’s Sichuan Province was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter being Jiuzhaigou County of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Jiuzhai Valley Forest Park is within the affected area and thus being closed temporarily for safety concern. Trains passing by the county have also stopped operation while airports are still in normal operation.

During the 41th World Heritage Convention held in July 2017, China’s Gulangyu Island in Xiamen Fujian Province and Hoh Xil Natural Reserve in Yushu Qinghai Province were inscribed respectively as world cultural and natural heritages by the UNESCO. To date, China owns 52 world heritage sites.

As of July 1, 2017, China Railway Corporation will use a new train timetable. There will be more trains in operation, including those bullet trains running during peak travel days. Since then, Lanzhou will become an important transportation hub linking northwestern and eastern China. The adjustments may alleviate the summer travel rush in 2017, but passengers still are advised to book train tickets as soon as possible.