10 Must-dos Before Your Trip to China
Advice from a local who have helped many foriegn tourists enjoy China!
The bund, Shanghai (before Shanghai Tower finished construction)
Check if you need a visa.
If you hold a strong passport (US/EU etc), this might be new to you. However, you might be surprised to know that you need to submit paperwork etc to come to China! Check our blog "Do you need a visa for China?” to make sure! If you do, you will need to check in with your local Chinese embassy for detailed application guidlines. You are also welcome to let us help you by joining our “Freedom Trip Planning” service!
Download Wechat.
This magical app has replaced instagram, email, text messages, credit card, opentable, etc for the Chinese. You will need this to stay in touch with your hotel, book restaurants and experiences, and meet new friends maybe! Download and make a profile for yourself. Wechat Pay probably is not going to work for you, but if you see that option in your app, try to link a card. If you have issues with registering (sometimes it asks for verification from someone with an existing account, reach out to us!)
Download Alipay or bring enough cash.
The unfortunate news is that your credit cards are likely not going to work. Big hotel chains will accept them, but most other places will not. You need to download China’s payment app Alipay and link your foreign credit card. Then, you will be able to pay 70% of the bills. The other 30% of places won’t accept your foreign credit card even when it is linked to Alipay. So, bring enough cash and exchange it to Chinese Yuan at the airport. Chinese people will look at you weird when you use cash, but 99% of the places still accep cash.
Call your phone carrier for an international data plan.
If you are in the U.S. and uses AT&T or T-mobile, there are plans that allow you to continue using your data in China. The benefit of this is that you are not blocked by China’s firewall when you browse with data. It is not the fastest, but the coverage is good and will really help you! If your carrier doesn’t offer a data plan that works in China, you should buy a Chinese sim card with data plans when you arrive. Make sure that your phone has a sim card slot. E-sim does not work in China!!
Buy an adaptor for your chargers, if yours don’t work with type A,C,I outlets.
In China, power plugs and outlets of type A, type C and type I are used. The standard voltage is 220 V at a frequency of 50 Hz. If your country uses different outlets (ex. Turkey), make sure to have adaptors ready!
Download VPN.
Imagine your life without Instagram, Facebook, Google Map, Gmail, Youtube… Yeah it’s probably not fun. The Chinese government censors all these sites. I recommend downloading “EXPRESS VPN” on your phone. It has been working very well for me. You must do so before arriving in China!
Prepare small packets of tissues and wet napkins.
One cultural shock you will experience is that there might not be toilet paper or napkins in bathrooms and restaurants. You need to bring your own. When you arrive in big Chinese cities like Shanghai, the bathooms are usually very clean and equipped with toilet papers and even other fancy things like hand cream. However, when you go to other smaller cities or visit more traditional places in big cities, you need to bring tissues with you at all times when you go to the bathroom. Restaurants also sometimes don’t offer free nakpins! Of course, you can get the small packets of tissues in China for cheap, but I recommend carry 2-3 packets in your carry-on just in case!
Leave your recreational drugs home.
China has very strict laws against drugs, including weed, any psychedelics, and coke in any form. Even CBD and poppy seeds are considered in the grey area a little bit, so just don’t do it. Check all your pockets before arriving at the airport!
Bring enough E-cigarettes, if you can’t go without them.
Fruit-flavored e-cigs are ilegal in China. If you smoke them regularly, make sure you bring enough. You will NOT find them sold anywhere.
Don’t worry.
You may have heard of many stories or information about China that are not the most assuring. However, I want you to not worry. China is very safe, peaceful, clean, and friendly towards foreigners, as long as you are respectful. You can also get almost anything you need here in major cities: common western medicine, female menstrual products, your favorite type of cheese… So leave space in your suitcase to bring things home! If you follow our tips here on this site, you will have a great time!
