你好 And Thank You for Stopping By!

I'm Magda Sawyer — a Polish mum living in Switzerland, Mandarin learner, and the person behind Baba Goes China (Baba in the name being the baby, not the dad).

Together with my husband and our two daughters, we've traveled to China multiple times and fallen deeply in love with this incredible country.

Our China Love Story

Contrary to what you might think, our love for China had humble beginnings – I wasn't even that interested in visiting the country.

Before our daughters were born — in our previous life, almost — we set out for a big "around the world trip."

In early 2020, the day we obtained a Chinese visa, we heard of this weird coronavirus thing, which we completely ignored, thinking that by the time we got to China it would have passed.

It didn't. After spending a month traveling around Russia, we found ourselves stuck in Mongolia, with no way to continue towards China and no easy way to go back.

We accepted the big trip was finished, moved to Switzerland and found jobs. Soon after, our daughter Hanna was born.

Fast-forward to 2023 — after dipping our toes into traveling with our daughter, we were ready for bigger adventures.

So where should we go first? Of course China, the destination that got away.

We planned a 5-week trip with our then 2.5-year-old Hanna and 4.5-month-old Nina, and off we went.

Frankly, I would have never imagined we would love China so much — certainly not that within less than a year we'd be planning our next trip back.

Since then, everything about China has become my passion project that goes beyond travel. We're learning Mandarin as a family, exploring Chinese cooking, diving into festivals and traditions. And the more we do, the more I love it.

From Blog to Something Bigger

When I started BabaGoesChina, it was simply meant to be a helpful resource — the kind of guide I wished I'd had when planning our first trip. Back then, finding reliable, up-to-date information about traveling in China with small children seemed almost impossible. We weren't even sure if we'd be able to find nappies in China (we most certainly did).

What I didn't expect was how much it would resonate.

What started as a small passion project has grown into one of the go-to English-language resources for independent travel in China, read by thousands of travellers every month, and many readers reach out to me to get more of their questions answered.

Along the way, our work has been recognised in the Lonely Planet China 2025 guidebook, and I've had the privilege of collaborating with the China National Tourism Office — moments that still feel surreal for something that started at a kitchen table in Switzerland.

What You'll Find Here

China is an incredible place to travel — its vibrant culture, delicious food, modern infrastructure and, most importantly, incredibly kind people make it a perfect travel destination, especially for families.

I want to help people see that traveling in China (once you've set up WeChat Pay and Alipay) is not as hard as it seems. Whether you're planning your first trip or your fifth, you'll find practical destination guides, honest hotel recommendations, tested itineraries, and the kind of real-talk tips that only come from dragging a stroller through a Chinese train station.

My hope is for Baba Goes China to grow into a comprehensive resource for anyone interested in China — from travel planning to Chinese culture, and eventually resources for families learning Mandarin together.

Let's Stay in Touch

Planning a trip to China? I send out practical tips, destination inspiration and the latest on what's changing for travellers in China – sign up to the e-mail list to stay in touch.

And if you have any questions about traveling to China — particularly with children — feel free to drop me an email via the contact page. I read every single one.

See you in China! 🇨🇳

— Magda