At first glance, China might not seem like the most “foreigner friendly” destination. Most people speak only Chinese. Many everyday tasks are simplified for Chinese people, and borderline impossible for foreigners without Chinese bank accounts. Nevertheless, local people are very helpful and friendly, and the food is complex and varied.
Travelling in China is never going to be straightforward, but with these tips you can have a much smoother trip. I lived in Beijing for two years, and traveled to 20 different provinces – here are some of the things I learned along the way.
Learn some Chinese
Numbers: Learning to speak and understand Chinese numbers is one of the best things you can do to make your life easier. The grammar/construction of chinese numbers is super easy, so if you know 1 through 10 you know all the numbers up to 99. No strange exceptions. Search for any YouTube lesson “learning Mandarin Chinese numbers” with a decent number of hits and follow along.
Directions: The four basic compass directions of Bei 北 (North), Nan 南 (South), Dong 东 (East), and Xi 西 (West). If you travel within China by train at all , you will notice many cities have train stations that include a compass direction. If the city has more than one station, compass directions are often used to differentiate them. For example, Beijing has (in addition to plain old Beijing Station) Beijingnan and Beijingxi. Make sure to check which station your train is leaving from, and go to the right one. In a pinch, jumping in a cab and telling the driver you want to go to Jinanxi, or Tianjinnan, for example, will generally lead to them understanding you are going to the train station.
Getting around: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
Trains: There are two main classes of trains; high speed, and green trains. Trains with numbers starting with G, D, and C are high speed trains travelling at speeds up to 350 kilometres per hour. High speed trains offer 3 classes of seat, and unless you are pressed for comfort we find second class perfectly adequate.
Other “green” trains are slower and offer soft sleeper (4 beds), hard sleeper (still soft beds, just open compartments of 6 beds), and seats. Tickets can be booked on trip.com for a small fee (recommended for their easy to use website and English interface) and picked up at the station by showing a passport and confirmation number. Tickets can also be purchased at the station. You can pick up a ticket from any train station in China, so if you have multiple tickets to pick up you can do it all in one visit to the ticket counter – this tip has saved me a ton of time waiting in the ticket pickup line.
Security at stations is similar to airport security, involving putting your bags through an x-ray machine. Quite often the ticket pickup area is outside the station and you will need to collect your tickets before heading inside. My personal preference is to arrive 1 hour before my train leaves if I need to pick up tickets, or more if I am traveling on a holiday, or am unfamiliar with the station.
Planes: Domestic flights in China can often be severely delayed for little reason other than air traffic congestion. In my personal experience flights late in the evening from southern cities to northern ones are the worst. If your journey would take less than 4 hours on the train, consider taking the train instead of flying. Make sure to check the on time percentage of your flight before you book – international flights are generally better at sticking to the timetable.
Didi: Didi is Uber for China. Yes there are other apps, but none is close to as dominant as Didi when you need a car. The great news is that Didi offers an English app, and you can use foreign credit cards to pay. I suggest Didi over taxis when possible, since you input your destination and don’t need to speak to the driver at all, and payment is taken care of in the app so there is no overcharging or scams. The message function translates messages you send to the driver and vice versa so you can use this to communicate if needed.
Once you get in the car, your driver might confirm the last digits of your phone number. You can also use Didi to book a pickup from the airport with your flight number and arrival time. Message with your driver once you arrive at the airport to figure out where to meet them.
When setting up Didi, make sure to download the Chinese locality app (you can switch it to English once installed). If you have an Android phone, you may need to do a web search for “Didi China APK” to install the app. If possible, try to do this before you leave your home country, as installing apps when in China can be difficult.
Mobike: Mobike is one of many bike share apps in China. Most require you to have a Chinese bank account but currently Mobike does not. You can also add value to your account using a foreign credit card. You will need a phone number to validate, so you should may want to set this one up before heading to China.
You’ll see Mobikes scattered on the sidewalks of many Chinese cities. To unlock a bike, open the Mobike app and scan the QR code on the bike. Most short rides will cost between 1 and 2 RMB, and it’s a great way to get to/from the subway station or for short trips around town.
Technology
WeChat: WeChat is based around its chat function, which is like most other messaging apps, but unlike other messaging apps (Messenger, WhatsApp, etc), WeChat works with the restricted Chinese internet. Everyone in China uses it, so I would suggest downloading it before coming to China. It will allow you to add any friends, hosts, and helpful strangers as contacts. It also features a calling function, so you can call home for free when using WiFi (provided your friends also have WeChat) or contact your new Chinese friends.
WeChat Pay/Alipay: Mobile payments are almost ubiquitous in China, but due to increasingly strict ID requirements, it has become nearly impossible for foreigners to set up Alipay or WeChat pay without a Chinese bank account. So while you will see almost all locals paying with their phones, you might be stuck paying with cash. However, this might be about to change.
Alipay has recently announced that you can load up to 2000 RMB onto a “travel card” using a foreign credit card. After a certain time period (30 days) the unused portion is returned to your credit card. Recent experience with adding a foreign credit card and adding ID details on WeChat pay nearly worked, so you should keep trying.
We have heard that both WeChat and Alipay now accept foreign credit cards, so do check before your trip. Any updates on using the new Alipay function or WeChat pay as a foreigner would be much appreciated.
Baidu Maps: This mapping app is entirely in Chinese. This might seem like a big drawback, but it functions behind the great firewall, and Chinese people are used to using it. It is also the best app for finding public transit directions while in China. One of the best ways to use Baidu Maps is to copy paste the Chinese address of where you are going, and to search for directions. With a little common sense and tapping around you will be able see what the options are. You can also use the navigation function to help lead a taxi driver to your destination.
If you are looking for a good English language map that works offline (but not does not provide public transport directions), maps.me works well in China.
VPNs: A VPN (virtual public network) is not absolutely necessary if you plan to visit China, but if you want to access the internet with no restrictions, it’s something you’ll want to consider. It can still be helpful to have one if you want to search for restaurants or attractions using Google. If you have a foreign SIM card with an affordable travel data plan for China, good news, you actually do not need to use a VPN. If you are roaming with a foreign SIM you will be able to access the internet just like home.
Even if you plan on using a VPN, it is always a good idea to download a few apps like Didi and Baidu Maps that can function without. You don’t want to be caught out if there is a problem with the VPN.
Enjoy your visit to China!
