China Travel · Local Companions

Ximi

See China like a local — with a local

Expert city guides and real local companions across 12 cities. Plan free, book everything on WhatsApp.

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Local Companions

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DESTINATIONS

Meet Your Local Guides

Every companion is ID-verified. The face you see is the person who shows up — let a familiar face guide you through a new city.

BeijingAvailable

Lina李娜

Grew up three streets from the Drum Tower. Studied museum curation, now spends her weekends dragging friends to obscure Ming-dynasty gates. She will make the Forbidden City make sense.

English$85/half-day

BeijingAvailable

Marcus王喆

Has walked eleven different sections of the Great Wall, including the wild unrestored ones. Also knows every craft beer bar inside the second ring road.

English$90/half-day

ShanghaiAvailable

Vivian顾维

Worked in a Bund heritage building for four years, so she knows which lobbies you are allowed to walk into. Excellent at getting tables that are supposedly full.

English$95/half-day

ShanghaiAvailable

Leo周乐

Semi-pro street photographer. Brings his own camera and sends you the edited shots after — the closest thing to a free photoshoot you will get.

English$85/half-day

ChengduAvailable

Mia何苗

Can order a hotpot at exactly the spice level a foreigner can survive, which is a rarer skill than it sounds. Knows the teahouse where the old men still get their ears cleaned.

English$80/half-day

ChengduAvailable

David邓伟

Nine years driving the Sichuan mountain roads. Doubles as your guide, so on longer day trips you are paying one person instead of two.

English$85/half-day

Xi'anAvailable

Omar马海

Third-generation Hui family from the Muslim Quarter. Takes you to the stalls his grandmother approves of, not the ones on the main tourist street.

English$80/half-day

Xi'anAvailable

Grace白薇

Archaeology degree from Northwest University. The Terracotta Army goes from 'a lot of statues' to genuinely astonishing when she explains it.

English$85/half-day

HangzhouAvailable

Tina叶婷

Her family still owns a small Longjing plot up the hill. Tea with her is not a tourist performance, it is just tea in someone's house.

English$82/half-day

HangzhouAvailable

Jason吴劲

Rides the lake loop most mornings. Will get you on a bike and out to the quiet western side where the tour buses do not go.

English$80/half-day

DaliAvailable

Amy杨阿玫

Bai ethnic, born in Xizhou. Takes you to the market days in the villages around the lake — the ones that happen on a rotating schedule only locals track.

English$75/half-day

DaliAvailable

River赵川

Moved here from Shenzhen six years ago and never went back. Knows every unmarked pull-over on the Erhai loop where the light is good.

English$78/half-day

GuilinAvailable

Ling林小溪

Grew up in a fishing village along the Li River. She knows which bends have the best reflections at sunrise and which raft docks actually give you an authentic experience, not a staged one.

English$72/half-day

GuilinAvailable

Wei韦志强

His grandfather was one of the last real cormorant fishermen on the Li River. Wei carries that heritage — he can take you to spots where tourism hasn't reached yet, and his family makes the best Guilin rice noodles you'll ever taste.

English$78/half-day

ZhangjiajieAvailable

Feng峰哥

Has hiked every trail in Wulingyuan, some of them before they were officially trails. Knows which viewpoints the tour buses skip and where to catch the sea of clouds when everyone else is stuck in line below.

English$88/half-day

ZhangjiajieAvailable

Xiang向晴

Professional landscape photographer who moved here for the light. She knows exactly when each pillar gets its 'golden moment' and can help you capture the shot that makes your Instagram explode.

English$82/half-day

LijiangAvailable

Naxi纳西姑娘

Her grandmother is one of the last living Dongba priests (yes, women can be too in her family). She can take you beyond the souvenir shops to where Naxi culture is actually lived — village ceremonies, traditional music, and the pictographic script in action.

English$80/half-day

LijiangAvailable

Chen陈雪山

Grew up in a village at 3,200m elevation near Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. He knows how to read the weather on the peak, which trails are safe each season, and how to help you acclimate without ruining your first day with altitude sickness.

English$85/half-day

SanyaAvailable

Hai海哥

PADI instructor since 2018 with over 2,000 logged dives around Hainan's coast. Whether you want your first discover scuba experience or a certified fun dive to see sea turtles and coral reefs, Hai is the guy who makes sure you're safe while having the time of your life.

English$95/half-day

SanyaAvailable

Lan椰妹

Born and raised in Sanya, she knows every resort's secret beach access points, which seafood market restaurants don't rip off tourists, and where to find the best coconut ice cream (hint: not in the tourist area). Your go-to for a perfect beach day without the crowds.

English$78/half-day

HarbinAvailable

Bing冰儿

Ice sculpture artist who has exhibited at the Harbin Ice Festival for three consecutive years. She can explain how they build a cathedral from frozen water, take you to the best photo spots before the crowds arrive, and recommend which hot drink saves your fingers from frostbite.

English$75/half-day

HarbinAvailable

Song宋北

History buff who can tell you why Harbin looks more like Moscow than most Russian cities. Leads walking tours through the former Jewish district, explains the railway history that built this city, and knows exactly which guobaorou (stewed pork) restaurant serves the authentic Northeast flavor.

English$78/half-day

XiamenAvailable

Min闽妹子

Certified tea master whose family has grown Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) oolong tea for four generations. She can take you beyond the tourist tea houses to a genuine gongfu tea session in a Qing-era teahouse where the tea is literally grown by her uncle.

English$80/half-day

XiamenAvailable

Gu鼓浪屿

Music school graduate who leads the most interesting Gulangyu tours — not the checklist route, but the one that takes you inside piano museums during rehearsal hours, to the hidden rooftop cafés with sea views, and tells you which colonial villa was built for which concubine (seriously).

English$75/half-day

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6 · China Travel Guides

China Travel Guides

One city, one private route

City-by-city routes across China, drawn by people who actually go.

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36 · Verified

Local Companions

A local friend in every city

Verified locals who walk the day with you — translation, photos, queues, all handled.

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CATALOG

Featured Digital Treasures

City-by-city routes across China. Tap any guide to learn more.

Featured

Beijing$9.90

Beijing In-Depth Travel Guide

A 6-day, 5-night royal route with no wasted steps — Forbidden City booking secrets, off-peak Great Wall tips, and hutong eateries locals love.

86 pg · PDF + Map Pack

Shanghai$8.90

Shanghai City Wandering Guide

Plane-tree district walking maps + a Bible of Bund photo spots + a complete list of Shanghainese food from shengjian to crab-xiaolong.

72 pg · PDF + Map Pack

New

Chengdu$7.90

Chengdu Slow-Living Guide

Best times to see the pandas, a map of hole-in-the-wall hotpot joints, and a one-day loop to Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng.

64 pg · PDF + Map Pack

Xi'an$7.90

Xi'an Past-and-Present Guide

Pitfall-free Terracotta Army route, best city-wall cycling stretch, and what to eat on Muslim Quarter vs Yongxing Square.

60 pg · PDF + Map Pack

Hangzhou$8.90

Hangzhou West Lake Guide

A walking + boat loop of West Lake's Ten Scenes, where to pick Longjing tea, and how to choose between Xitang / Wuzhen water towns.

58 pg · PDF + Map Pack

New

Dali$8.90

Dali Wind-Flower-Snow-Moon Guide

Erhai Lake drive / cycling routes, Cangshan hiking entrances, and where to stay between the old town, Caicun and Shuanglang.

56 pg · PDF + Map Pack

Local Companion Service

Meet your local companion

Across 12 cities, real locals are ready to walk the day with you.

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Beijing

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Shanghai

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Chengdu

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Xi'an

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Hangzhou

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Dali

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Guilin

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Zhangjiajie

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Lijiang

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Sanya

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Harbin

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Xiamen

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DESTINATIONS

Twelve cities, thirty-six local guides

🏯

Beijing

3 companions · Verified

🌃

Shanghai

3 companions · Verified

🐼

Chengdu

3 companions · Verified

🏛️

Xi'an

3 companions · Verified

🍵

Hangzhou

3 companions · Verified

⛰️

Dali

3 companions · Verified

🏞️

Guilin

3 companions · Verified

⛰️

Zhangjiajie

3 companions · Verified

🏔️

Lijiang

3 companions · Verified

🏖️

Sanya

3 companions · Verified

❄️

Harbin

3 companions · Verified

🏝️

Xiamen

3 companions · Verified

WHY Ximi

Travel China without the friction

12 cities covered

Beijing to Dali, with guides and companions in each.

Real local companions

ID-verified locals who speak your language.

WhatsApp, no middleman

Plan and book directly — we never hold your money.

Free custom plan

Tell us your style; we build the route around you.

HOW IT WORKS

Three steps to your China trip

Pick a city

Browse guides or explore companions by city.

Plan free

Use the 4-step wizard or just message us.

Book on WhatsApp

Agree the plan and price, then enjoy China.

Your China trip starts with a message

Tell us where you're going — we'll match you with a local companion.

Plan my trip Chat on WhatsApp