["I'm going to China to a meeting for work. I've never been without my coworkers for these kinds of things.", 'That sounds exciting! When are you going?', "In 2 weeks. I'm excited to see China but gotta focus on work."]
It's good to focus, but surely you can take a few hours to take in the culture.  China has a long and interesting history.
I'm going to China to a meeting for work. I've never been without my coworkers for these kinds of things.