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I Left My Wife Alone in Small-Town China… THIS WAS A MISTAKE 🇨🇳
Splitting Up in Small-Town China: Solo Adventure and Discovery
I Left My Wife Alone in Small-Town China… THIS WAS A MISTAKE 🇨🇳
For this part of our China adventure, my wife and I decided to split up and travel to two completely different parts of China — places neither of us had ever been before.
I headed one way, while Reanne travelled alone to a small-town...
For this part of our China adventure, my wife and I decided to split up and travel to two completely different parts of China — places neither of us had ever been before. I headed one way, while Reanne travelled alone to a small-town part of China that was completely unfamiliar to us. But was splitting up actually a good idea? August 2026 | Vlog 644 Hunan/Jiangxi, China Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far
In a bold experiment, a travel couple splits up to explore contrasting corners of China. While one heads to a familiar path, the other ventures alone into an unknown small town. The result? A mix of adventure, unexpected challenges, and the question of whether separation strengthens or strains the journey. This vlog captures the raw, unscripted reality of solo travel within a partnership, set against the backdrop of China's diverse landscapes.
For this part of our China adventure, my wife and I decided to split up and travel to two completely different parts of China — places neither of us had ever been before. I headed one way, while Reanne travelled alone to a small-town part of China that was completely unfamiliar to us. But was splitting up actually a good idea? August 2026 | Vlog 644 Hunan/Jiangxi, China Road to Every Province in China: 26/34 so far
Ben and Reanne, a British couple who have travelled in China for 2 and 1/2 years, split up for a challenge: each travels alone to an unfamiliar city, starts with 100 points, gains points for tasks such as trying local food, speaking to a local, visiting a local attraction and getting invited somewhere by a local, and loses points for taking taxis or first class. The winner picks the hotel and plans the evening, and both must reach Wuhan. On day two Ben is in Hengyang, a city few tourists visit. He stayed in a 77 hotel that was okay but not great. At 8:00 a.m. the streets are busy with people exercising, jogging and dancing. He calls it a tier three city that is nicer than expected, with some rundown areas and some really nice places, and aunties dancing in the evening. He bought a Meituan group saver voucher for breakfast for two reasons: it is cheaper and it removes the language barrier, because he just shows the QR code and the restaurant scans it. Following a tip from people who replied to his Douyin post, he finds a small local restaurant serving the city's staple breakfast, fish and rice, like a fish congee with egg, fish pieces, vegetables and rice noodles in a fishy sauce; he warns about the bones and about burning yourself. He then walks along the promenade by the Xiang River, historically one of the most important trade routes in southern China, passes hairdressers, people exercising and a fancy public toilet, and reaches an academy he describes as 1,200 years old, set up to teach Confucian philosophy, destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt, overlooking the Xiang River. It is free to enter; he could not work out on WeChat whether a ticket was needed and was asked for his passport. Locals from around the province recognise him from Douyin and many want photos. He has 3 or 4 hours before his train from the east station, which is the other side of the city. Reanne is in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, a city she had never heard of, which she says has 7 million people but no metro, so getting around means buses or taxis, which are cheap in China. Her hotel breakfast, served between 7 and 10 on the third floor, includes cakes, salad, cereal and cola, plus a local rice gelatin snack with meat inside that she eats with soy sauce. She booked her train the night before because there were few second class seats left, only first class; the journey is 4 hours and 36 minutes, leaving at 11:37. Running late at 10:27, she checks out quickly (she had paid a deposit), notes a seat in the lift, and orders a taxi on her phone to the West Railway Station for 34 Yuan, about 25 minutes; she checks the car colour and plate as it arrives. Ben also takes a taxi rather than the bus, waits at a basic station, plans to grab food at the convenience store and a coffee at McDonald's, and almost misses the gate for his train when the board turns red. Reanne goes through security, gets flagged for water, finds her gate for train G2721 and boards a CRH train with 16 carriages; her ticket in cart 7 seat 3B, a middle seat, cost about 44 pounds, while first class was about 66 pounds. On board she orders a coffee delivered to her seat by herself. Ben arrives in Wuhan first, a city they visited about a year ago and love, and says he received about 50 invites from locals in Hengyang through Douyin. He books a hotel in the train station car park, about 5 minutes away, and checks in; foreigners must show passports at every hotel and the details are sent to the police, so Reanne must hand over her passport too. Reanne finds the middle seat the worst, with no armrest and climbing over people to reach the toilet. Wuhan taxi drivers speak some English, unlike in her last city. It is about 36 degrees with a heat warning. The hotel cost only 25 pounds. They tally points: Ben wins by about 30 to 40 points; Reanne could not get the bikes to work with her WeChat. Reanne says she felt safe as a woman alone, rode e-bikes back at 8 or 9 at night, and only felt stared at by some men, possibly taxi drivers, at the bus stop after arriving by train. Both cities were tier three, relatively unknown to western tourists, more authentic and without metros. Ben says everyone was very nice and he would go back. The next morning they leave Wuhan by train for a new province and city about an hour and 20 minutes away.
A British couple who have travelled in China for two and a half years split up for a points challenge, each exploring a little-known tier-three city alone before meeting in Wuhan. In Hengyang, Hunan, Ben watches locals exercising and dancing at 8 a.m., uses a Meituan group-buy voucher to order the city's signature fish and rice breakfast, walks the Xiang River promenade and visits a 1,200-year-old Confucian academy where locals queue for photos. In Ganzhou, Jiangxi, Reanne eats the hotel buffet breakfast, takes a 34 yuan taxi to the West Railway Station and rides a 4 hours 36 minutes bullet train in a middle seat. In a hot Wuhan, Ben checks into a cheap hotel by the station, they tally points, Ben wins, and they talk about solo travel, safety for a woman alone and the lack of metros in both cities.
Ben in Hengyang and Reanne in Ganzhou travel solo for a points challenge: local fish breakfast, a Xiang River academy, bullet trains and a reunion in Wuhan.
Solo Travel in Hengyang and Ganzhou, Then Bullet Train to Wuhan
3:52 Neither Ganzhou nor Hengyang had a metro, which makes getting around a little difficult; you can take buses, and taxis in China are really cheap, so plan for road transport in these tier three cities.
5:08 Buy a Meituan group saver voucher before you eat: it is cheaper than ordering normally, and it removes the language barrier because you just show the QR code and the restaurant scans it.
7:21 Posting on Douyin can get you local food tips: people told Ben the staple breakfast in Hengyang is fish and rice, a fish congee with egg, vegetables and rice noodles. Be careful of the bones.
8:39 Translate the hotel signs before heading down: Reanne's included breakfast was actually on the third floor and only served between 7 and 10, so it was lucky she checked.
9:37 Book trains early: when Reanne looked the night before, there were not many second class seats left, only first class, and the journey turned out to be 4 hours and 36 minutes.
13:19 The academy by the Xiang River is free to enter, but it was hard to tell on WeChat whether a ticket was needed; bring your passport, because staff asked to see it at the entrance.
19:59 Order a taxi to the railway station on your phone: the fare to the West Railway Station showed 34 Yuan, the car was 1 minute away, and checking the car colour and number confirmed the right one.
30:34 First class is not much more than second class: Reanne's second class ticket cost about 44 pounds while first class was about 66 pounds, worth considering for a long ride.
35:35 Avoid the middle seat on a long bullet train if you can: there is no armrest when neighbours spread out, and to reach the toilet you have to climb over someone.
36:38 On the bullet train you can order a coffee and have it delivered to your seat; Reanne managed it on her own, though she says she usually goes to a person rather than the machines.
34:56 Every hotel you check into needs foreigners' passports, which are sent to the police, so both travellers must hand over passports at the desk even if one person has already checked in.
43:36 As a woman alone, Reanne felt safe riding e-bikes back at 8 or 9 at night; only at a bus stop by the station did she feel stared at, most likely by curious taxi drivers.
3:52 Neither Ganzhou nor Hengyang had a metro, which makes getting around a little difficult; you can take buses, and taxis in China are really cheap, so plan for road transport in these tier three cities.
5:08 Buy a Meituan group saver voucher before you eat: it is cheaper than ordering normally, and it removes the language barrier because you just show the QR code and the restaurant scans it.
7:21 Posting on Douyin can get you local food tips: people told Ben the staple breakfast in Hengyang is fish and rice, a fish congee with egg, vegetables and rice noodles. Be careful of the bones.
8:39 Translate the hotel signs before heading down: Reanne's included breakfast was actually on the third floor and only served between 7 and 10, so it was lucky she checked.
9:37 Book trains early: when Reanne looked the night before, there were not many second class seats left, only first class, and the journey turned out to be 4 hours and 36 minutes.
13:19 The academy by the Xiang River is free to enter, but it was hard to tell on WeChat whether a ticket was needed; bring your passport, because staff asked to see it at the entrance.
19:59 Order a taxi to the railway station on your phone: the fare to the West Railway Station showed 34 Yuan, the car was 1 minute away, and checking the car colour and number confirmed the right one.
30:34 First class is not much more than second class: Reanne's second class ticket cost about 44 pounds while first class was about 66 pounds, worth considering for a long ride.
35:35 Avoid the middle seat on a long bullet train if you can: there is no armrest when neighbours spread out, and to reach the toilet you have to climb over someone.
36:38 On the bullet train you can order a coffee and have it delivered to your seat; Reanne managed it on her own, though she says she usually goes to a person rather than the machines.
34:56 Every hotel you check into needs foreigners' passports, which are sent to the police, so both travellers must hand over passports at the desk even if one person has already checked in.
43:36 As a woman alone, Reanne felt safe riding e-bikes back at 8 or 9 at night; only at a bus stop by the station did she feel stared at, most likely by curious taxi drivers.
0:46 Ben's morning in Hengyang and the challenge
2:31 Reanne in Ganzhou, Jiangxi
5:00 Ordering breakfast with a group-buy voucher
6:45 Hengyang's signature fish and rice breakfast
8:39 Reanne's hotel buffet breakfast
11:38 Walking the Xiang River promenade
13:05 Visiting the 1,200-year-old Confucian academy
17:27 Rushing to check out and taxi
22:52 Ben waits at the train station
27:16 Security check and finding the gate
29:40 Boarding the bullet train to Wuhan
32:02 Ben arrives in Wuhan
35:35 Reanne arrives and the reunion
40:38 Counting the challenge points
42:01 Solo travel reflections and safety
0:46 Ben's morning in Hengyang and the challenge
2:31 Reanne in Ganzhou, Jiangxi
5:00 Ordering breakfast with a group-buy voucher
6:45 Hengyang's signature fish and rice breakfast
8:39 Reanne's hotel buffet breakfast
11:38 Walking the Xiang River promenade
13:05 Visiting the 1,200-year-old Confucian academy
17:27 Rushing to check out and taxi
22:52 Ben waits at the train station
27:16 Security check and finding the gate
29:40 Boarding the bullet train to Wuhan
32:02 Ben arrives in Wuhan
35:35 Reanne arrives and the reunion
40:38 Counting the challenge points
42:01 Solo travel reflections and safety
on tour with dridgers#otwdchina travelchina vlogtraveling chinachina travel vlogsmall town chinarural chinalife in chinachina tourismexploring chinachina countrysidechina travel 2026foreigners in chinabritish couple in chinachina adventurechinaWhat should I eat for breakfast in Hengyang?
Locals told Ben the staple breakfast is fish and rice, like a fish congee with egg, fish pieces, vegetables and rice noodles in a fishy sauce, eaten at small local restaurants. Watch out for the bones.
How do you order food in China without speaking Chinese?
Ben bought a Meituan group saver voucher in advance; it was cheaper and he only had to show the QR code for the restaurant to scan, so there was no language barrier.
Do Hengyang and Ganzhou have a metro?
No. Neither city had a metro when they visited, so they used buses and taxis, which they say are really cheap in China.
Is the academy by the Xiang River in Hengyang free?
Yes, Ben says it is free to enter. He could not tell from WeChat whether a ticket was needed, and staff asked for his passport at the entrance.
How much was a taxi to the railway station?
Reanne's app taxi to the West Railway Station showed 34 Yuan, and the ride was expected to take about 25 minutes.
How long is the train to Wuhan and how much does it cost?
Reanne's bullet train took 4 hours and 36 minutes, leaving at 11:37. Her second class ticket cost about 44 pounds, while first class was about 66 pounds. Ben's journey was about 2 and 1/2 hours.
Do foreigners need a passport to check into a hotel in China?
Yes. At every hotel foreigners must show their passport and the details are sent to the police, so Reanne had to hand hers over at the desk even though Ben had already checked in.
Is it safe for a woman to travel alone in China?
Reanne felt safe and rode e-bikes back at 8 or 9 at night. The only uneasy moment was some men, possibly taxi drivers, staring at her at a bus stop after she got off the train.
How hot is Wuhan in summer?
When they arrived in August it was about 36 degrees and Reanne had seen a heat warning online.
How much was their hotel in Wuhan?
Ben booked a hotel in the train station car park, about 5 minutes' walk away, for only 25 pounds.
