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Traveling in China

A Survival Guide


Discover China like a pro with our easy-to-follow guide, crafted to let you navigate the country's diverse tapestry with ease. Experience the rich mosaic of cuisines, cultures, and breathtaking scenery that China has to offer. Join us on a journey that promises not just a trip, but a voyage of discovery and wonder through the heart of one of the world's oldest and most captivating civilizations.

Before you go...

Hotel Reservations

Make sure you use the international version of the booking sites because there are hotels that do not accept foreigners (booking.com, trip.com)

Hold on to your passport!

Keep your passport with you at all times! Some establishments use the passport as the ticket or passes to enter places and for random checks.

Data Plan

 It is best to use your own roaming data plan but some payment outlets require you to use the a Chinese connection to be able to complete transactions.

To use both on the same phone, you can convert your country sim to an e-sim to be able to insert a physical Chinese sim card into your phone.

Go to nihaomobile.cn to get a physical Chinese sim card delivered to your hotel room within 48 hours.

Additionally, you can use VPN TKTK

Get your Chinese SIM Card!

Essential Apps

Booking and Information

Trip.com

Double click an icon to replace it with one of your choice.

Transactions and Tickets

AliPay

Turn every feature into a benefit for your reader.

WeChat

You can edit colors and backgrounds to highlight features.


Transportation

Shanghai Metro

Within AliPay(or WeChat), you can get your metro access card (A QR code that you scan going in and out) All Metro Stations are written in Pin-Yin which are english pronunciations and will match with your apple maps search results. (automatically charges to you registered bank account) 

  • You dont have to put your bag in the X-ray machine but you will have to show the inside to the security guard
  • The metro is very convenient and it connects to all the main malls in the city.

Didi (similar to Uber)

  • You can use alipay or wechat to order your uber (english search is available)
  • Or download DiDi app (english version) directly and pay via alipay or wechat
  • Sometimes you need to switch to chinese data to be able to pay

Trains

  • Use trip.com to book your destination
  • You do not require a ticket, your passport is your ticket
  • Gates are tricky to identify, always ask the staff