Things You Should Know Before Visiting China for the First Time
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
- Shanghai
Image by RENJINPENG from Pixabay - Beijing
Image by jonleong64 from Pixabay - Hong Kong
Image by nextvoyage from Pixabay
Attractions
- Lijiang River, Guilin
Image by CrazyOrr - Huangshan Mountain, Anhui
Image from Pixabay - 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)
Image by n23club from Pixabay - jiaozi (饺子 - dumpling)
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:
- huoguo (火锅 - hot pot)
Image by leacky_321 from Pixabay - Peking duck (北京烤鸭 - Beijing roast duck)
Image by FuReal from Pixabay
Preparations
Visa
- 72/144-hour visa-free transit
- Unilateral visa exemption for up to 15 days
Date Effective Period Policy Update 2023-11-24 2023-12-01 ~ 2024-11-30 First batch: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia 2024-03-13 2024-03-14 ~ 2024-11-30 Added: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg 2024-05-07 2024-12-01 ~ 2025-12-31 Policy extended to Dec. 31, 2025 for the above 12 countries 2024-06-25 2024-07-01 ~ 2025-12-31 Added: New Zealand, Australia, and Poland - Mutual visa exemption agreements for up to 30 days (full list)
Date Effective Date Country 2023-01-16 2023-03-18 Albania 2023-05-17 2023-11-10 Kazakhstan 2024-01-25 2024-02-09 Singapore 2024-01-28 2024-03-01 Thailand 2024-04-29 2024-05-28 Georgia
Plugs, sockets and voltages
| Region | Plug type | Single-phase voltage (volts) | Frequency (hertz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland | A / C / I | 220 V | 50 Hz |
| Hong Kong, Macau | G | 220 V | 50 Hz |
| Taiwan | A / B | 110 V | 60 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.
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.
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.