u/Creative-Fan6465

Hello, I'm planning to visit China for a total of 3 weeks during winter (December/January) and I'd like some advice.

I would be landing in Shanghai, then go from there to Beihai by train while doing some stops along the way, and then fly back from Beihai to Shanghai to spend more time there. I saw that Fuzhou and Xiamen are quite popular, but do you have any other recommendations? I looked on Xiaohongshu and they also mentioned Quanzhou, idk if it's worth it to do all three tho as they seemed quite similar in some ways.

I also think stopping at Shenzhen and Guangzhou but idk how long is a good time for these cities. Also I'll be there around Christmas and New year so which city would be best to spend these holidays at?

Hello :) As a french national I have a visa exemption of 30 days, but it should end on December 31, so my question is if I were to travel from approximately December 23 to January 9, do I need to apply for a tourist visa bc I still don't know if the exemption will be renewed for 2027, or am I still good as long as I enter before December 31 ? Thank you :)