How do these landmarks look? Shanghai to Lhasa.
 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...bb078d1fe1cd59

I've got from Oct 24 to Nov ~15 to do this. Doable and in this order? I don't even know how much money I should budget for this - I'm find living in the cheapest conditions. I also really need internet access throughout the entire trip to check work emails.

Start in Shanghai
Wuzhen Water Town
Huangshan
Longsheng Rice Terraces
Wulingyuan
TerraCotta Warriors in Xian
Jiuzhaigou
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Potala Palace
Fly out from Lhasa

So you've solved your Chinese visa problems?

What is your budget for accommodation and food?

I think my Visa problems are solved. I'm letting a travel agency handle it. It's already been sent out. I've been to China before and have been approved for the Chinese Visa 3 times already.

Budget would be... I dunno. $1000-$2000? I can live super cheap if I need to. I have no interest in the finer things in life.

Oh yeah, that budget's not including airfare.

That ought to be enough, but there has been discussion recently in another place about difficulties foreigners have been having getting to stay in the cheapest places. Friends of mine also encountered the same difficulties early this year. The really budget places were turning away foreigners because of problems with registering them. If you speak good Mandarin you might be able to argue your way in, otherwise you'll probably be sent to pricier places.

I haven't checked on the restrictions for visits to Tibet recently, have you?

Hmm... I had the impression, or misunderstood, that you have never travel abroad before. If you have been to China before then all your questions doesn't really make sense.

My other times traveling to China have been part of school visits or parents handling the paperwork. This is the first time where I am handling all the logistics. What questions don't make sense exactly?

I think I'm going to nix Tibet. Too much of a hassle. I'll save that for another trip, or maybe just view it from Nepal.

@thursdaysd what do you mean about it's hard to register foreigners? It's hard to register them because they don't speak the language very well, so they turn them towards pricier hotels with English speaking staff? I can speak decent Chinese and could definitely book a room if I wanted to to.

So you speak decent Chinese, been to China at least 3 times and you still need our help??? This is what I mean when I said your questions does not make sense as you have more experience than most of the people who are trying to help you!

I've been to China only once. The other two times I got approved for a Visa I didn't go for family reasons.

The one time I went to China it was more or less a guided tour, so no, I have no experience actually getting around the country on my own. I'm looking for people who have experience getting around the country on their own.

I can't read Chinese either. I can only speak it, sort of.

you need to be registered with the police by every hotel, and they are having problems (the hotels) with the added paperwork with the police for foreign visitors

@rhkkmk

Are you serious? So every hotel, every motel, every hostel, every single night I'm in China I have to register with the local police? Like, go to the actual police station or just fill out more paperwork every night?

Sounds more and more like I should just pick a totally different country to travel to.

Registration is not unique to China. Typically, the hotel takes your passport for short while and handles it for you. In China, the really cheap places aren't set up to do it for foreigners.

@thursdaysd

Hostels should be able to do it right? Considering hostels usually cater to international travelers...

Maybe. Actually, I was talking about budget Chinese hotels, not hostels, I thought you wanted to get off the beaten track and you won't find hostels out in the country. Also, there are 1.3+ billion people in China, many of them now traveling, international tourists aren't a big market, especially at the budget level.

There have been reports of places actually listed in Lonely Planet turning foreigners away. Like the more stringent visa requirements, this is a new development and it's possible it may be temporary - in place for the leadership change, maybe. But it's equally possible that it will stay.