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Things You Should Know Before Visiting China for the First Time

A cute panda sleeping in the tree
Image by Cim from Pixabay

Overview​

China is the 3rd or 4th largest country in the world (both China and United States claiming to be the 3rd), with the 2nd largest population (just passed by India in 2023) and the 2nd largest economy.

From the tropical beaches of Sanya, to the frozen river in Harbin, China boasts a great diversity of landscapes to explore.

Top Cities​

Attractions​

  • Lijiang River, Guilin
    Cruise on Lijiang River, Guilin
    Image by CrazyOrr
  • Huangshan Mountain, Anhui
    Huangshan Mountain, Anhui
    Image from Pixabay
  • Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou
    Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou
    Image by CrazyOrr

Food​

You can usually find these in the street or night markets, they are cheap yet delicious:

  • jianbing guozi (煎饼果子 - pancake rolled with crisp fritter)
  • baozi (包子 - steamed stuffed buns)
    Small steamed stuffed buns
    Image by n23club from Pixabay
  • jiaozi (饺子 - dumpling)
    Dumplings
    Image by jonathanvalencia5 from Pixabay
  • chow mein (炒面 - fried noodles)
  • xiaochao (小炒 - stir-fried dishes)

Meanwhile, you can also walk into a proper restaurant for a meal like these:

Preparations​

Visa​

Plugs, sockets and voltages​

RegionPlug typeSingle-phase voltage (volts)Frequency (hertz)
MainlandA / C / I220 V50 Hz
Hong Kong, MacauG220 V50 Hz
TaiwanA / B110 V60 Hz

Get Around in China​

Internet​

China has blocked Google, Facebook, Wikipedia and a lot other popular services by the Great Firewall (GFW).

If you roam on data, you are NOT affected by the GFW, but it can be quite expensive. When you use WIFI or local SIM card data, you need a VPN to bypass the GFW.

China's top 3 telecom companies are: China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom. You can apply for a SIM card in their store with your passport.

Recommendation

China Unicom may be more compatible with foreign phones.

Payment​

As cash is used less and less, China is becoming a cashless society. Everyone pays with WeChat/Alipay everyday so that the vendors just don't prepare enough change any more.

And international credit/debit cards are not widely acceptable, except for places like high-end hotels and shopping malls.

So the best bet is to set up Weixin Pay or Alipay, now that they no longer require a Chinese bank account or local mobile number to use. Once done, you will unlock the ability to operate like locals while on tour, like paying for food, taking public transportation, hailing a ride, booking a hotel, buying tickets, or even order a delivery, you name it.

Accommodation​

Chinese government used to have designated (expensive) hotels for foreigners. Nowadays, you can book any hotel you want, yet some small hotels may still be reluctant to check foreigners in, because they are required to report the case to authority within 24 hours, which is a nuisance to them.

Transportation​

Flight/Train​

Use your passport to buy tickets in advance, and scan your passport at the entrance gate to get in, if having trouble, ask staff for help.

Driving​

Drive on the right-hand side of the road.

Driver's License

To drive a car in China, you will need to apply for a Chinese driver's license. International Driving Permit (IDP) is NOT recognized in China.

Maps​

First of all, Google is blocked in mainland China, so you can't access Google Maps unless you roam on data.

Secondly, due to a different coordinate system (GCJ-02) than the most of the world uses (WGS-84), there is a GPS shift problem when using Google Maps in mainland China (not in Hong Kong and Macau), which will cause your geolocation to be off by a few hundred meters.

Alternatively, you can use Microsoft's Bing Maps or Apple Maps as they provide English services. If you can read and write in Chinese, you can give local maps like Baidu Maps and AMAP a try.

Language​

Most people couldn't speak proper English, it will help a lot to use translation apps (better work offline) such as Google Translate.