It’s really surprising just how many China blogs and news sources there now are, perhaps a reflection of China’s influence in the global scheme of things. There’s endless travelogues, personal blogs from expats, expat forums, global news agency blogs, independent news agencies along with the state owned news sources. For travelers, it really can be useful to have access to reviews, stories and guides which can help understand the whole journey ahead.
So, here’s some of my picks ( English language that are freely accessible in CN):
Government provided news and information portals:
Xinhua – National and International news
China Daily – English language national daily.
Economic Daily – as the name implies
Global Times – national conservative newspaper. The English edition is apparently much more moderate than it’s native language counterpart.
Gov.cn, in their own words “the official web portal of the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China, has been built under the guidance of top Chinese leaders, and with the authorization of the National Informationization Leadership Group.”
Guangming Daily – The governments key central news portal focusing on ideology and theory.
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – features department news, reports and articles.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – statements and news from the Foreign Ministry
Qiushi Journal Online – Publicizing the governing philosophy of the CPC. Its content covers political, economic, cultural and social issues.
PLA Daily – official daily of the People’s Liberation Army.
People’s Daily – voice of the Central People’s Government and CPC Central Committee.
China.org.cn – an online news channel provided by the government.
CCTV News – China Central Television, the main TV station has numerous channels, including the providing the English news channel, and this is their online site.
CNTVNA.COM is a North America-based China news and culture portal. Most importantly, it features 24/7 live panda streaming see: http://www.cntvna.com/ipanda/
Independent news portals and overseas news portals focused on China
South China Morning Post – Hong Kong based English language newspaper, covering mainland news, HK news and international.
The Standard – Focused on local Hong Kong news
BBC China – coverage of China news by the British broadcaster BBC.
Financial Times – China – China news section of FT
Huffington Post – China – China news from Huffington Post
WSJ China Real Time – China news reporting from the Wall Street Journal
Blogs focused on news and issues
Tea Leaf Nation – perhaps one of the higher quality journals on China, in their own words, they provide fresh coverage of brewing trends and grassroots sentiment in China.
China Law Blog – legal commentary, expat life, travel and more.
World of Chinese – The World of Chinese is a bi-monthly English magazine and web portal dedicated to Chinese language and culture.
ChinaSmack – a lighter look at events in Chinese society
Shanghaiist – much the same as above.
WantChinaTimes – independent news coverage and views
Beijing Cream – another site taking a lighter look at news events in China.
China Internet Watch – follows the internet industry and trends.
HaoHaoReport – features user submitted stories from various sources.
See more blogs on the news aggregation page here
Travel Blogs and Travel Forums
Tripadvisor – China forum – possibly the most popular place for questions and answers on travelling in CN.
Thorn Tree forum – China – the forum at Lonely Planet is another place to quiz experienced travelers.
Answers @ TravelChinaGuide – another useful place to ask questions
China Travel blog – features posts from various authors on their experiences and destinations in CN.
Wild China – blog for the adventure travel company
China Sense – in the authors own words – With photos and interviews he records the daily life of individual Chinese; most of the time in Beijing, and more recently in Nanjing.
China Travel Writer – Mitchell Blatt is a writer based in China and Hong Kong covering all kinds of topics related to Chinese culture.
City specific blogs and travel resources
City Weekend – covers Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Suzhou, for city guide, news and events.
eChinaCities – provides city guides and news for most major cities
Shanghai
Shanghai Street Stories – an easy to read site that provides a deeper different view of Shanghai
Shanghai Expat – forums, articles and news for expats in Shanghai.
Shanghai Daily – government run local English newspaper
Time Out – covers news, events, city guide and more
Beijing
eBeijing – government provided guide to the city
Beijing Boyce – a guide to Beijing’s bars and eateries
theBeijinger – news, events, forums and more.
Time Out – covers news, events, city guide and more
Tianjin
Tinajin gov – Gov site with local news, city facts and and travel guide
Tinajin Expat – forum, reviews and more
Tianjin Plus – a guide to the city
Dalian
Dalian Living – a blog dedicated to life in Dalian
Guilin
Guilin Expat – a city and travel guide
Chengdoo
Go Chengdoo – features city guide, news, reviews and classifieds
Chongqing
Chongqing News – news and city guide provided by government
Kunming
Go Kunming – city guide, forums, classifieds and more
Tibet
The Land of Snows – genuine and detailed travel advice for Tibet
Hunan
Hunan Gov – Government site providing news and travel guide
Hohot
Hohot Info – blog posts, city guide, forum and more.
Dalian
What’s On Dalian – local news, reviews and city guide
Xian
Notes from Xian – more than just Xian, it also covers culture and society.
Xiamen
Xiamen Guide – exactly as it’s name implies
Whats on Xiamen – city and entertainment guide, classifieds and more
Guangdong (including Guangzhou and Shenzhen)
The Nanfang – news, reviews and entertainment listings for Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen
Deltabridges – covering the Pearl River Delta
ShenzhenParty – nightlife, events and classifieds
Shenzhen Stuff – local expat forum
ZSRen – forum, city guide and classifieds for Zhongshan
Hong Kong
The HK Shopper – a guide to shopping destinations in HK
Open Rice – Restaurant and dining directory with consumer reviews
TimeOut HK – city guide, dining, bars and more
Good Eating – dining guide
Discover Hong Kong – comprehensive city guide from the HK Gov
CNN Traveler HK – reviews, guides and news
Qingdao
Qingdaonese – blog featuring reviews and insights into the life of the city plus forums and more.
Thats Qingdao – city guide, events and news
Hangzhou
Hangzhou gov – local gov site
Go to HZ – official tourism website
More Hangzhou – city guide for expats
Hangzhou Expat – busy forum
Visit Hangzhou – city guide including attractions and things to do
Suzhou
Suzhou official tourism site, also see http://en.visitsz.com
Whats on in Suzhou – taxi cards, tourist spots and lots of useful info
Nanjing
Nanjing Travel – official tourism website
Nanjing Expat – city guide, forum, news and classifieds
Hello Nanjing – expat forums