Alessandro Ippati is a content creator based in southern Italy. He has been on YouTube since 2011, where he shares English-language vlogs about travel and tech: drones, 3D printers, home gadgets and honest reviews. A curious traveller at heart, he loves discovering places, food and everyday life far from home, and telling the story with a camera.

A couple of years ago, China became his biggest passion. Fascinated by its scale, its futuristic cities and its ancient traditions side by side, he planned an entire 16-day trip on his own, from Shanghai to Beijing, with his family. A father of ten-year-old twins, Lorenzo and Martina, he knows the value of a well-paced, stress-free itinerary. This guide is everything he wished he'd had in his hands the first time.