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I Left My Phone in China… Would This Happen in America?
Hefei Phone Incident: Left Behind, Discovered Honest China
We’re in Hefei, one of China’s most underrated and technologically advanced cities! 🇨🇳 A city that doesn’t see many international tourists, but has plenty of surprises waiting to be discovered.
During our visit, we made a terrible mistake and left my phone behind in a restaurant. 😬 What happened...
We’re in Hefei, one of China’s most underrated and technologically advanced cities! A city that doesn’t see many international tourists, but has plenty of surprises waiting to be discovered. During our visit, we made a terrible mistake and left my phone behind in a restaurant. What happened next wasn’t quite what we expected, and it gave us a fascinating insight into everyday life in China. Would the same thing happen in America or the UK? Join us as we explore Hefei and find out! August 2026 | Vlog 646 Hefei, China. Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far.
In Hefei, an underrated tech hub, a couple’s slip of leaving a phone behind turns into a heartwarming lesson in Chinese honesty. This unexpected event reveals the trust and safety embedded in daily life, challenging Western assumptions about crime. Their journey proves that China’s hidden gems offer profound cultural insights.
We’re in Hefei, one of China’s most underrated and technologically advanced cities! A city that doesn’t see many international tourists, but has plenty of surprises waiting to be discovered. During our visit, we made a terrible mistake and left my phone behind in a restaurant. What happened next wasn’t quite what we expected, and it gave us a fascinating insight into everyday life in China. Would the same thing happen in America or the UK? Join us as we explore Hefei and find out! August 2026 | Vlog 646 Hefei, China. Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far.
The couple reach their 23rd province and get off the bullet train in Hefei, a city they describe as very scientific, innovative and modern. The train from Wuhan took only about two hours, though they sat in different cars in middle seats; they like that high-speed trains let them get work done. At the station they first head to the wrong gates, which were for transfers, and remind themselves that you always go down, not up. To reach the hotel the metro would take two lines and 42 minutes, while a taxi takes just 13 minutes, so they book an economy taxi. They note Hefei is one of China's most technologically advanced cities, with a population of almost 10 million, yet many westerners have never heard of it. The hotel is on the 12th floor of building B in a large tower that also holds offices and apartments; signs are mostly in Chinese because it is not a well-known tourist destination, so they translate them. A delivery robot rides the lift, the room has a door code and facial recognition, and the room has a fridge, kettle, smart toilet and a projector. They chose it for its location near Swan Lake in the CBD. A heavy downpour hits because it is rainy season. While waiting, Ben reads about EAST, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, China's fusion reactor or artificial sun, and the steady high magnetic field laboratory, which generates a 45.22 tesla steady magnetic field, a world record, used to study materials, superconductors, batteries, semiconductors and quantum physics. Near their hotel is the Grand Theatre, a big round dome that lights up at night, and wide roads that give them New York vibes. At Swan Lake, which followers recommended for its night lights, they see lily pads and a landmark TV headquarters building covered in ancient Chinese seal script, around 245 to 300 m tall and built in 2013. They see a car crash and talk about Ben's past car crashes. A green, tropical-style coffee shop seven minutes' walk from the hotel charges 26 for two hot Americanos; they also get pineapple buns, though the coffee arrived a little cold. Duck is said to be popular in Hefei. They discuss the pressure of answering work messages and brand deals and say they will only work with companies they find relatable. Planning the next stop, a train to Xi'an takes five and a half hours; first class is £106, business 213, second class about 60 pounds each, and a flight is about £100 and takes an hour and 15 minutes. A TikTok told them to visit the Terracotta Warriors late rather than early. They also book a hotel in Changsha they loved two years ago. They take the metro, built in December 2016, to the pedestrian street; the metro needs no tickets, just a QR code, and they see fruit, vegetables, sausages and dried goods for sale in a metro station. Ben posts Douyin videos in each new city and gets flooded with local recommendations, including a comment that people call Hefei boring because it is not touristy. At the pedestrian street there are police and flashing lights, scooters are barred, a ferris wheel stands nearby, and it is busy at 7:00 on a Wednesday night. They like the mix of old-style and new buildings. They visit kittens, buy lychee white beer for a couple of pounds in a 500 ml cup, and go to a cookie shop where cookies cost about 1.69 each and you can try before you buy. Rental scooters and e-bikes are everywhere. On a food street they watch aunties doing synchronized dancing, see jianbing and Xi'an noodle vendors, and eat in a noodle restaurant with no QR codes, ordering by pointing. Noodles are 20 each, and a self-service section has drinks and cutlery. They eat warm flaky spring onion bread and beef skewers with cumin on long metal sticks. They talk about their new apartment in Guangzhou and say China is the only place they would travel alone. Leaving, Ben's phone is at 8%, and Reanne realizes she has left her phone behind; it is brought straight back to them. A fast, swerving taxi ride takes them back to Swan Lake, where around half 9 at night the buildings are not lit up, possibly only at weekends, while lightning flashes in the distance. Next morning they visit Hefei 1972, the site of a steam engine factory opened in 1972, later a prison until 2018, now a creative cultural park said to be China's only prison converted into a cultural park, with original buildings, an iconic round building and photo spots against the skyline. It is very hot, and they leave around midday on a train of about 6 hours to their 24th province.
A British couple arrive in Hefei, a modern science city few international tourists visit, after a two-hour bullet train from Wuhan. They take an economy taxi instead of a 42-minute metro trip, check into a high-tech hotel near Swan Lake, and shelter from a rainy-season downpour while explaining Hefei's EAST fusion reactor, the artificial sun. They see the Grand Theatre and a TV headquarters covered in seal script, relax in a garden café and plan trains to Xi'an. In the evening they ride the QR-code metro to a busy pedestrian street, try lychee white beer and a cookie shop, watch aunties dancing and eat noodles and cumin beef skewers in a restaurant with no QR menu. Reanne leaves her phone behind and it comes straight back. Swan Lake's skyline is not lit up that night. Next morning they visit Hefei 1972, a 1972 steam engine factory turned prison and now a cultural park.
Hefei in a day: Swan Lake, the Grand Theatre, a pedestrian street with beer and cookies, noodles and skewers, a phone returned, and the Hefei 1972 park.
Hefei Travel Vlog: Swan Lake, Pedestrian Street and Hefei 1972
1:16 When you get off the high-speed train in Hefei, check the gates before scanning out: the first gates they reached were for transfers, and they reminded themselves that the exit is usually down, not up.
4:02 From the station to their hotel near Swan Lake, the metro meant two lines, some walking and 42 minutes, while a taxi took just 13 minutes, so a cheap economy taxi was the better choice.
6:25 Hefei is not a well-known tourist destination, so many hotel and building signs are only in Chinese; use a translation app on the signs to find the right building, floor and lift for your hotel.
10:11 Summer is rainy season in China and the heavens can open suddenly; they had to wait under shelter in Hefei, so carry an umbrella and keep some indoor plans ready.
22:41 The train from Hefei to Xi'an takes five and a half hours; second class was about 60 pounds each, while a flight was not cheaper at about £100 and an hour and 15 minutes.
25:52 The Hefei metro needs no tickets: just open the metro QR code on your phone and scan at the gate. Get it ready before you reach the barrier so you are not stuck searching for it.
29:23 Hefei's pedestrian street is wide, guarded by police and closed to scooters, and it was already busy at 7:00 on a Wednesday night; it gets busier and cooler as the evening goes on.
31:54 Drink stalls on the pedestrian street sell lychee white beer and pineapple fruit beer for a couple of pounds; the staff pour it for you into a 500 ml cup to carry while you walk.
33:07 At the cookie shop on the pedestrian street you can try before you buy; cookies cost about 1.69 each, so picking one of every flavour is an easy, cheap snack.
41:22 Some small noodle restaurants in Hefei have no QR code ordering, so just point at the dishes and skewers you want; they paid 20 for a big bowl of noodles.
44:15 In casual noodle restaurants there is often a self-service section where you collect your own drinks, cutlery and chopsticks, and the staff bring the food to your table.
53:14 Hefei 1972 was a steam engine factory opened in 1972, then a prison until 2018, and is now a creative cultural park with original buildings and a round building that is popular for photos.
1:16 When you get off the high-speed train in Hefei, check the gates before scanning out: the first gates they reached were for transfers, and they reminded themselves that the exit is usually down, not up.
4:02 From the station to their hotel near Swan Lake, the metro meant two lines, some walking and 42 minutes, while a taxi took just 13 minutes, so a cheap economy taxi was the better choice.
6:25 Hefei is not a well-known tourist destination, so many hotel and building signs are only in Chinese; use a translation app on the signs to find the right building, floor and lift for your hotel.
10:11 Summer is rainy season in China and the heavens can open suddenly; they had to wait under shelter in Hefei, so carry an umbrella and keep some indoor plans ready.
22:41 The train from Hefei to Xi'an takes five and a half hours; second class was about 60 pounds each, while a flight was not cheaper at about £100 and an hour and 15 minutes.
25:52 The Hefei metro needs no tickets: just open the metro QR code on your phone and scan at the gate. Get it ready before you reach the barrier so you are not stuck searching for it.
29:23 Hefei's pedestrian street is wide, guarded by police and closed to scooters, and it was already busy at 7:00 on a Wednesday night; it gets busier and cooler as the evening goes on.
31:54 Drink stalls on the pedestrian street sell lychee white beer and pineapple fruit beer for a couple of pounds; the staff pour it for you into a 500 ml cup to carry while you walk.
33:07 At the cookie shop on the pedestrian street you can try before you buy; cookies cost about 1.69 each, so picking one of every flavour is an easy, cheap snack.
41:22 Some small noodle restaurants in Hefei have no QR code ordering, so just point at the dishes and skewers you want; they paid 20 for a big bowl of noodles.
44:15 In casual noodle restaurants there is often a self-service section where you collect your own drinks, cutlery and chopsticks, and the staff bring the food to your table.
53:14 Hefei 1972 was a steam engine factory opened in 1972, then a prison until 2018, and is now a creative cultural park with original buildings and a round building that is popular for photos.
0:35 Arriving in Hefei by bullet train
4:02 Metro or taxi to the hotel
6:01 Hotel check-in and room tour
10:04 Rain and Hefei's artificial sun
12:48 Swan Lake and the seal script tower
15:41 Coffee in a garden café
21:21 Planning trains to Xi'an
24:23 Metro ride to the pedestrian street
29:23 Evening on the pedestrian street
31:36 Lychee beer and a cookie shop
36:04 Aunties dancing on the food street
41:22 Noodles and beef skewers dinner
50:06 A left phone comes back
50:51 Scary taxi and Swan Lake at night
53:14 Hefei 1972 prison-turned-culture park
0:35 Arriving in Hefei by bullet train
4:02 Metro or taxi to the hotel
6:01 Hotel check-in and room tour
10:04 Rain and Hefei's artificial sun
12:48 Swan Lake and the seal script tower
15:41 Coffee in a garden café
21:21 Planning trains to Xi'an
24:23 Metro ride to the pedestrian street
29:23 Evening on the pedestrian street
31:36 Lychee beer and a cookie shop
36:04 Aunties dancing on the food street
41:22 Noodles and beef skewers dinner
50:06 A left phone comes back
50:51 Scary taxi and Swan Lake at night
53:14 Hefei 1972 prison-turned-culture park
on tour with dridgers#otwdchinachina traveltravel in chinachina newsforeigners in chinachina crimecrime in chinahefeinight walking coupleben and reanneHow do you get from Hefei high-speed rail station to the city centre?
There is a metro, but for their hotel near Swan Lake it meant two lines, walking and 42 minutes; a taxi took only 13 minutes, so they took an economy taxi.
Do you need a ticket for the Hefei metro?
No. You just open the metro QR code on your phone and scan it at the gate. The metro was built in December 2016.
Where is a good area to stay in Hefei?
They stayed in the CBD near Swan Lake, about five minutes' walk from the lake and right by the Grand Theatre, so the main night views were close.
Are the Swan Lake buildings in Hefei lit up every night?
Not when they went: at around half 9 on a Wednesday night the buildings were not lit up, and they guessed the light show may be a weekend thing.
What is Hefei 1972?
It is the site of a steam engine factory that opened in 1972, was later converted into a prison until 2018, and is now a creative cultural park popular for photos.
What science projects is Hefei known for?
Hefei is home to EAST, China's experimental fusion reactor known as the artificial sun, and a laboratory that generates a 45.22 tesla steady magnetic field, a world record.
What can you eat in Hefei at night?
Duck is said to be popular. They found jianbing and Xi'an noodle stalls on a food street and ate noodles for 20 a bowl, spring onion flatbread and cumin beef skewers.
How long is the train from Hefei to Xi'an and how much does it cost?
It takes five and a half hours. Second class was about 60 pounds each, first class £106 and business 213; a flight was about £100.
What happens if you leave your phone in a restaurant in China?
Reanne left her phone behind after dinner in Hefei and it was brought straight back to them, which they said is why they love the country.
How much does coffee cost in Hefei?
At a green garden-style coffee shop seven minutes' walk from their hotel, two hot Americanos cost 26 in total.
