Why Did I Sell My Lifetime Travel Experience as a “Lifetime Membership”? (Instead of just selling the PDF)

I am a native-born Chinese person. I started traveling from my first trip to Wudang Mountain in college, and it has been 15 years since then. I'm not exactly sure about the first time I went to Wudang Mountain, so it might be 16 years.

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I have been to over 20 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and directly-controlled municipalities in China. I have always loved traveling and enjoy encountering new things. I have already lost 3 drones, and the one I have now is my fourth.

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And I have been scammed many times. 19 times is just the number of incidents that stand out in my memory. There is an old Chinese saying: “常在河边走，哪能不湿鞋” (Cháng zài hé biān zǒu, nǎ néng bù shī xié).

“It means:

If you keep playing near the river every day, sooner or later you WILL get your shoes wet.

Even if you’re very careful, accidents or mistakes are bound to happen — nobody can be lucky or perfect forever.”

“Just like if you drive a car every single day for 10 years, no matter how good a driver you are, one day you’ll probably get a small scratch or a ticket.

You walk by the river all the time → shoes get wet eventually.

That’s life!”

My awareness of scams is very strong now because I have summarized this experience after going through many of them.

I will update all of this content in later blog posts. I hope that by following my experience, everyone can have a fun and happy time in China, and also ensure their personal and property safety.

​After 15 years of travel, 100,000 kilometers of road trips, crashing 3 drones, being ripped off 19 times, and taking over 200 4K aerial photos, I have summarized a few truly hard-core experiences that can help foreigners “bleed less and cry less.” All of this comes from my personal experience, and it is the core reason why I am now packaging them into the benefits of a lifetime membership.

1. No matter how great the guide is, it can’t update faster than a “live person”

China is changing too fast: several new high-speed rail lines open every year, scenic spot ticket prices change yearly, drone no-fly zones are added or removed anytime, and Alipay and WeChat change their binding rules every few days. The Beijing guide I wrote in 2018 is at least 30% obsolete when pulled out in 2023.

→ That’s why I dare to promise “free lifetime updates,” because only a crazy person like me who is constantly on the road can give you the latest practical information.

2. 99% of foreigners who get scammed are not stupid; it's because of the “information gap”

Tea house scams, illegal taxis, fake monks... Chinese people are already very familiar with these tricks, but foreigners who come for the first time have no idea. I myself have been ripped off 19 times (**taxi detours**, fines from fake police, scalped tickets for scenic spots...), and each time cost me money for a lesson.

→ I will write about these 19 pitfalls + any new ones that emerge in 2025, all in the PDF and blog updates. Those who buy the lifetime membership will directly avoid 19 landmines.3. One good photo is worth more than 1,000 words from a guide

The 4K aerial photos I took with my drone will let you know before you go: Is this angle really worth getting up early for? Is this spot crowded? Where is the parking lot?

→ Over 200 commercial-grade aerial photos are available for unlimited download. Use them directly for shooting Vlogs, posting on social media, or creating itinerary PPTs, saving you the time of climbing through hundreds of Google images yourself.

4. The most expensive thing in Chinese travel is “trial and error cost,” not plane tickets and hotels

A road trip on the Sichuan-Tibet line costs 10,000 RMB for gas and lodging, but if you take a wrong turn for a day, get hospitalized for altitude sickness, or have your drone confiscated, it might cost an extra 50,000-100,000 RMB.

→ I will provide you with a full list for an altitude sickness emergency kit, how to choose places for food and accommodation, and driving tips for 5,000-meter plateaus. $349 one-time, which will save you far more than this amount.

5. A community is more valuable than a one-way guide

I have already set up a lifetime members group on Discord, where the first 500 people get one year of free consultation: some want to travel with children, some want to photograph the aurora, some want to avoid May Day and National Day holidays... A PDF alone cannot solve personalized problems.

→ Buying lifetime access = joining an 有人答疑的私人中国旅行军师团 (a private China travel military advisory group where someone answers your questions), and early birds also get one year of Q&A service.

6. Your vote determines where I go next

I plan to travel to 20 more new cities next year, but I will only film the 5 most popular ones first. Members’ votes will decide.

→ This means the content will always be what you want, not what I think you want.

7. One-time purchase, no second payment for ten years

If you come to China once a year for the next 10 years, even if you only come twice:

- Each time you do your own research + buy books + step into pitfalls, you save at least 3-5 days of time + thousands of RMB in trial-and-error costs.

- Over 10 years, $349 is not even enough for a plane ticket, but it can save you tens of thousands of RMB and hundreds of hours.

→ This is not selling a guide; it is selling “the next 10 years of time and money.”

Pricing Truth (No Hidden Recurring Fees):

• First 500 spots: $349 (early-bird, ends when sold out)

• Then $399

• Price increases every 3 months after that

• Final price will reach $799 and stay there

  

Cold math:

One confiscated drone = $1,500 gone
One classic Shanghai tea scam = $300–800 in 20 minutes
One wrong turn + altitude sickness evacuation on the Sichuan-Tibet highway = easily 50,000–100,000 RMB

$349 once can save you ten times that on your very first trip.

I’m not selling a guidebook.
I’m selling 15 years of my scars so you don’t have to collect your own.

Early-bird $349 spots are genuinely running out fast — once the first 500 are gone, the price jumps to $399 forever for new buyers, and the 1-year unlimited 1-on-1 consulting bonus disappears.

If you’re planning even one serious trip to China (or multiple over the next decade), this is the cheapest insurance you’ll ever buy.

See you inside,
Your battle-hardened China road warrior