Have you ever regretted anything in your life? Isn’t it one of the worst feelings? You want to go back in time and fix it, but you can’t. You keep thinking what you should have done, but it’s too late. I had such experience in China and will share my story, so that you don’t make the same mistake.
But first, let me tell you what I did right and give you several very useful tips for traveling in China.
The Power of VPN
In case you didn’t know, Chinese government is blocking several western social media websites and all Google apps. So, if you travel to mainland China, your gmail won’t work, Google maps won’t open and forget about updating your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
This is where VPN can save your day. You may want to download a few different vpn apps ahead of time in case you don’t get such a chance while in China. I actually was able to download Hexatech after arriving to Shanghai. Hexatech app gives you 7 days free and then you pay $8.99 per month. Worth every penny! Just don’t forget to turn off automatic monthly payment renewal, unless you’re staying for more than a month.
SIM Card
Downloading VPN was actually my second most important decision. The first greatest decision I ever made was to get a Chinese SIM card. It wasn’t easy as our phones don’t work with all Chinese providers. However after failing the first time with China Mobile I was recommended to try China Unicom, and it worked!
Believe me, you want to be online while traveling in China. People don’t speak or understand English in their majority, a lot of signs are in Chinese except for subway and therefore, GPS becomes an absolute necessity here. I don’t know what I would have done if my Google maps didn’t work. Another option is to find the right location while being at the hotel and take a screenshot of the map to use it offline. You can also try maps.me for offline maps of major cities. However, using my good old Google maps gave me the comfort and confidence of being able to find practically anything I wanted even far from the city.
Having a Chinese number also allows you to reach anybody in China, be reached by them, call your friends if you suddenly need them to interpret for you. That happened more than once to me. For example, at one point I called my Chinese student who’s now a friend, and she was able to explain to the guard that he needed to let me into the apartment building where I was staying.
Public WiFi
Like I told you before, you can easily use public WiFi if you have a Chinese number. See, in China you need to first put in your phone number and receive a code which will give you access to the Internet.
However, there’s a way around it. Before acquiring my Chinese number at the beginning of the trip I went to a Starbucks in Shanghai to use the Internet. The guy at the counter was eager to help. When asked for the WiFi password, he just put in his own phone number, received a code and gave it to me. So, I was able to get online.
Now we’re getting to my story. After finishing our teaching in Liuyang my two new girl-friends from Vermont and I were going to meet in Shanghai. As you know, it’s a huge city. They call it ‘The New York of China’ (Hong Kong being ‘The New York of all Asia’). So, we had a plan to meet in Starbucks and I made a stupid mistake. I went to the wrong place – a different Starbucks on East Nanjing road instead of West Nanjing – and kept waiting for their message. The girls didn’t have a Chinese sim and I didn’t tell them how to get on public WiFi.
So, after a few hours we gave up, they went to the airport and I went on with my plans. It’s hard to even start describing how much I regretted going to that wrong pace. Later they told me they had tried to use wi-fi in Starbucks but didn’t have a Chinese sim and didn’t think of asking anybody. There was another regret for me – why hadn’t I told them about my experience with the manager? It hurts to even think about it, but what’s done is done.
ATMs, Cards and Cash
One striking feature of nowadays China is that people don’t use cash or credit cards. Even to buy street food they simply scan a QR code with their phone. Absolutely all payments are made through WeChat – a powerful multifunctional application. Cash is still used but rarely and mostly by foreigners. Don’t expect to use your visa or master card. 90% of stores, cafes and restaurants won’t take it. (Starbucks will, though. :))
Therefore, the best decision is to always have cash in your wallet. Make sure you know where to find the nearest ATM and use one whenever you run into it in case there are not many in the area you’re staying. In most cities you can find ATMs underground near metro stations and near banks. Most of them will have 24-hour self-service access. Just find a button on the wall near the door and it will slide open. In Shanghai there’re secure booths that you can close after walking into and nobody will bother you even in the middle of the night. Most Chinese cities have more than one camera on every corner, so there’s less and less crime each year.
When withdrawing your money from the ATM, make sure you choose ‘Check’ account. They translated it as ‘check’ not ‘checking’ for some reason.
I’ll say it again, having cash is crucial in China for a foreign traveler! Once I went to a huge supermarket assuming they would definitely take my Visa card. After walking around for almost an hour I brought a big bag of goods to the cashier and had to leave it and go find an ATM two blocks away. So, make sure you always have enough money with you.
By the way, if you decide to exchange currency, don’t go to a bank unless you have a lot of free time, a Chinese telephone number registered on your name and a local address you can use. They will have to create a temporary account for you just to exchange money. If you have all that and don’t mind filling out lots of forms, go ahead. I used Bank of China and it worked even though it took me an hour to go through the procedure. At the same time, I know people who exchanged currency in the malls. However you’ll need to ask locals where to find exchange places. They’re not as common in China.
To Be Continued
So, these are just a few tips for you to be prepared for traveling to China. In my next post I will share more advice with you about different means of transportation, how to use metro, speed trains, a little bit about public restrooms 🙂 and a lot about local food.
Have you been to China? What was your biggest highlight of the trip? Please share in the comments. Are you planning to go there? Which places would you like to visit?
Talk to you soon!
I agree about the SIM card. When I was in Shanghai, I used Google Maps and Translate for everything. With China Unicom I paid about $30/month for unlimited data! I ended up using 50GB of data so it was well worth it.
Yes! I was so happy I had gotten the SIM card. There were so many times it go me out of a pretty challenging situation.
I left China five years ago – after working there for five years — You are right..It definitely has changed — Thank you for your information == Very helpful:)
Awesome! I’m glad it’s helpful. You should go there again at least to visit and see all the changes. I was fascinated by this country in spite of a few negative experiences.