Until today (17 February), visiting China as a Brit involved a lot of admin: application forms, visa centre appointments, invitation letters, and fees hovering around £100. Then there was the low-grade anxiety caused by handing over your passport and hoping for the best.
Then in January, China announced visa-free travel for UK passport holders – covering stays of up to 30 days and, in one fell swoop, eliminated one of the biggest barriers to visiting one of the world’s most populous countries.
