Last updated: 30 October 2026. This page explains how The China Door may earn money from links on this site — and what that does and does not change about what we publish. It is written to be read in one minute.
Which links may earn us a commission
Some pages will carry links to booking and service partners — for example eSIM providers, train and flight booking platforms, attraction or tour tickets, and accommodation sites. If you buy through one of those links, the partner may pay us a commission. You pay the same price you would pay going direct. Our commission is not added to your bill.
When a link is an affiliate link we mark it as such in the surrounding text, and every page that carries one shows a short disclosure notice. At the time of writing, most booking links on the site are plain links to official sources (governments, 12306, museums, park authorities) and earn us nothing.
What we will never do
- We never rank or recommend a partner higher because it pays more. Our recommendations follow the same verification process described on How We Verify China Travel Information.
- We do not sell placement. No one can pay to be described as the best option, to have a rule stated favourably, or to remove a criticism.
- We do not hide a commission. If a page earns money from a link, it says so on the page.
- We do not put affiliate links in place of official information. Where a visa rule, a price or a deadline must come from an authority, we cite the authority, not a partner.
How this affects what you read
Nothing about the editorial process changes: the same editor checks the same sources whether or not a page contains a commercial link. Where our view of a partner is mixed, we say so. If we have never used a service ourselves, we say that too — we do not invent first-hand experience.
Tracking and privacy
Affiliate links usually set a cookie or pass a click identifier so the partner knows the visit came from this site. That is the partner’s technology, not ours, and it is covered by their privacy policy. We do not receive your name, email or payment details from a booking. What this site itself collects is described in our privacy policy.
Who we are
The China Door (thechinadoor.com) is an independent English-language guide to travelling in mainland China, published by Kola, an individual publisher based in Shanghai. There is no parent company, no investor and no sponsor, so commercial links are one of the ways the site pays for itself.
Questions or corrections
If a disclosure on a page looks missing or unclear, tell us and we will fix it: editor@thechinadoor.com.