Survival Guide

SIM cards, mobile payments, VPNs, transportation, and hotels — the practical stuff.

SIM Cards & Internet

Without a Chinese number, most apps don't work.

Physical Chinese SIM (Recommended)

Get at airport or China Mobile/Unicom/Telecom store. Bring passport. ¥50-100/month for 20-50GB. China Unicom is most foreigner-friendly.

eSIM (Data Only)

Nomad, Airalo, Holafly offer data-only eSIMs. No Chinese phone number — can't use DiDi, Meituan, many apps. Good backup, not primary.

International Roaming

Expensive ($10-15/day). Your foreign number works for SMS verification — useful before getting a local SIM.

Alipay & WeChat Pay Setup

Cash is rarely accepted. You NEED mobile payment.

Alipay — Foreigner-Friendly

  1. 1.Download Alipay (international version works)
  2. 2.Register with your foreign phone number
  3. 3.Me → Bank Cards → Add Card → Enter Visa/Mastercard
  4. 4.Verify identity (passport photo + selfie)
  5. 5.Scan QR codes to pay everywhere. Limit: ¥20,000/year without additional verification.

Pro tips: Set Alipay to English in Settings. Keep purchases under ¥200 to avoid foreign card transaction fee. Say 'sao ni' (I'll scan you) or 'ni sao wo' (you scan me).

VPNs — What Works (August 2026)

The Great Firewall is real. Most VPNs are blocked.

Working

Astrill VPN ($30/month, most reliable), LetsVPN ($5/month, good budget option), Mullvad (€5/month, works intermittently)

NOT Working

NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, ProtonVPN, PIA, CyberGhost — all blocked or unreliable

⚠️ INSTALL your VPN BEFORE arriving in China. VPN websites are blocked inside the firewall.

Getting Around

World-class, fast, cheap — but apps are Chinese-only.

Trains (12306)

Use Trip.com for English booking. G-trains = high speed (300km/h). Show passport at Manual Counter — foreign passports don't work at self-service gates.

DiDi (Ride-hailing)

DiDi has English interface. Register with foreign number + foreign card. Works like Uber.

Metro & Buses

Most metros accept foreign cards at ticket machines. Better: get a transport card (¥20 deposit). Use Alipay transport QR code.

Hotels — Not All Accept Foreigners

Many hotels lack the license to host foreign guests (涉外酒店). Booking.com doesn't verify this.

Always confirm: the hotel accepts foreign guests. Trip.com is better than Booking.com for China. Airbnb is legally grey for foreigners.