China Travel Essentials (from a Local Travel Lover)
Welcome to China! I truly believe it’s a beautiful country to explore, though you might find that some things work quite differently from other countries
But don’t worry — with a little preparation, your trip can go perfectly smoothly
Here are some essentials I personally recommend
AI-based Translation Apps
Most people in China don't speak much English, including staff in restaurants or on public transport. Don't let that put you off—the locals are generally friendly and happy to help, and a good translation app will make communication much easier. I highly recommend AI-based apps like ChatGPT.
Adding a Chinese keyboard to your phone settings also makes it much easier when locals want to type something for you.
Digital Payments – Alipay or WeChat Pay
I’ve written a post on how foreign visitors can set up and save some money on fees
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
For me, these are as essential as a passport.
To be frank, tourist spots in China can be much louder than those in Japan.
A good pair of noise-cancelling headphones will make a world of difference.
VPN or a Hong Kong SIM
There are plenty of detailed guides about this online
If you’re planning a long stay in China, I highly recommend Shadowrocket. With the right configuration, it can automatically detect whether you’re connecting to a Chinese or overseas network — you don’t need to manually switch VPN on and off.
Some overseas or roaming-enabled SIM cards may provide direct access to overseas websites while in mainland China, no VPN required.
Transport
In some cities, public transport now accepts Visa or Mastercard directly, though a few systems only work with debit cards.
Ride-hailing apps in China are quite affordable. I usually take DiDi (China’s version of Uber), and most trips of around 7 km cost under US$5.
💡 If you can read a bit of Chinese, try using the local version of 滴滴出行, it’s cheaper than the English one and offers more car options.
Maps
Don’t rely on Google Maps, it’s often inaccurate or simply doesn’t work properly in mainland China.
At the very least, have a Chinese app as a backup, such as Amap (高德地图).
Personally, I prefer Baidu Maps, though it’s currently available only in Chinese.
If You’re Addicted to Bread and Cheese
I’d suggest booking a hotel that offers a good Western-style breakfast, especially in second- or third-tier cities.
Wishing you a smooth and memorable journey through China!
Cheers