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“ China is close,” an old slogan used to say. Today, perhaps, it would be more accurate to add: closer than ever. In recent years, changes to China’ s tourism policies have made access to the country considerably easier, opening up a destination that remains fascinating and, for many Western travellers, still something of a mystery. Citizens of 50 countries holding ordinary passports can now enter mainland China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family and friends, exchanges or transit.
It may seem like a simple administrative measure, but it has helped increase international interest in China. In 2025, the country recorded around 35 million tourist arrivals, up 49.5 % on the previous year, while as many as 30.08 million entries by foreign citizens were made without a visa. These figures reflect China’ s growing appeal as a tourist destination and help explain why the country is becoming increasingly interesting to motorcyclists, accustomed to discovering the world from the saddle and meeting its people, cultures and landscapes along the way.
Over the past 500 days, we have travelled through China three times by motorcycle. Our most recent journey ended only a few days ago, following ancient routes of the Silk Road, the vast network of trade routes that connected East and West for centuries, carrying not only goods but also ideas, cultures and knowledge. We set off from Ürümqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and reached Chongqing after riding 4,500 kilometres on a Moto Morini X-Cape 1200. Our destination was the“ City of Motors”, where, invited by the organisers, we took part with our own stand in the 24th edition of CIMAMotor, Asia’ s largest motorcycle exhibition.
Previously, we had covered around 6,000 kilometres through central China, starting in Shanghai and riding to the spectacular peaks of Zhangjiajie, the landscapes that inspired Avatar, before travelling along the Li River among its extraordinary karst formations and crossing ancient and modern cities all the way to the sea. Last June, meanwhile, we travelled to Tibet, accompanying a group of Italian motorcyclists from Kunming to Lhasa and on to Everest Base Camp.
Travelling through China by motorcycle is possible, and these experiences are the basis for the information, solutions and practical advice we want to share with other motorcycle travellers looking to take on this extraordinary destination. To do so, however, it is important to understand the rules and plan the journey carefully.
TRAVELLING THROUGH CHINA BY MOTORCYCLE
Travelling through the Land of the Dragon by motorcycle is not simple, but neither is it impossible. Far from it. To overcome the bureaucratic and organisational challenges and turn the journey into a genuinely
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