As a USA traveler, I just completed 2 weeks in China between a few other countries. Here are my major observations.
- Internet access is a concern. Other developed countries have free to use, no registration Wifi in all public transit areas so any foreigner can get out of trouble by internet search or contacting friends/family, but 1) this is lacking in many airports/subway stations in China and 2) even when available (like nicer malls), the country has a restrictive internet policy requiring a +86 number through passport registration.
eSIM through Airalo or Nomad is possible, but is only a 4G/3G connection routed through Hong Kong. The benefit is bypassing the firewall, giving you pseudo-VPN, but can be slow at times and drain battery. When one uses this service and arrives in the country, unless you have very good advance planning, there is a surge in data usage upon arrival to many new places and this may not be adequate. For example, you need to use translation apps and access Gaode/Baidu/Apple Maps in nearly real time, but the detailed location data and maps is not available until you step foot into the country. It’s nearly impossible to download the local map data (maybe 200MB) over this spotty 3G or 4G connection, and you can’t use any nearby free Wifi without a +86 number. Google Maps will show you your current location offset by up to 1km (due to Chinese law) and there isn’t even a warning within the app that you are using incorrect data, so you will get lost.
- Alipay/Wechat is covered elsewhere. If all apps should have an English function, that would be great, but specifically for payment apps, if they had a test address to pay/receive, that would alleviate first time anxiety that your payment method will not be declined and ensure you have currency as a backup. But as English is not an official language (unlike HK), you will have trouble ordering food in person too. The QR system helps, but even Dianping ordering (after scanning a QR code on a table) will geolocate and detect your eSIM is coming from Hong Kong and block you from using their webpage. So you have to wave someone down and point to what you want, after taking a photo and using iOS translation-in-picture feature.
Hence, after visiting China 10+ times, I now recommend purchasing tourist SIMs at the airport with your unlocked phone, specifically requesting calls functionality so you get a +86 number) and presenting your passport there for it. That way you can unlock nearly all of Chinese services including account registration, to get free Wifi, get accounts on Gaode/Baidu maps to save places, get accounts on direct airlines like China Eastern, and order food through online menus at restaurants. I’d also prioritize Alipay over Wechat because it includes the mini-apps for rideshare, and local transit QR codes to pay (like Shenzhen/Shanghai). And, I think these local SIMs will have faster connection unlike the eSIM through HK (but behind firewall).
If one chooses not to go the +86 route and use eSIM, it’s critical to load eSIM and become familiar with local maps, download offline maps for all regions before arriving, download offline Chinese language pack for iOS translate, Google Translate, DeepL before arriving, and get the hotel business card upon checkin with English/Chinese translations with address for itself and nearby places so you can flag a taxi to return to hotel in an emergency, to ensure smooth travel in China. And have a good battery pack so that all these resources including translation, remains available when your phone is close to low battery after a long day.
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Booking flights and high-speed rail and checking in online in advance is challenging, so the 100% reliable thing is to check in at the counter (and sometimes buy too). The English language versions of the direct sites are buggy and lacking in function and info around rules, so foreigners might prefer to use Trip.com or Klook iOS apps to do the searches and get travel advice. Not a deal breaker, but is some added friction.
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The visa process is tougher. While other countries have started rolling out digital nomad visas (Countries Offering Digital Nomad Visas), for longer than the 144hr or 24hr transit visas, China requires its registration letter and you must know someone. Generally, travelers with strong passports will get at least a 3 month stay as a visitor in many other places, no questions asked. As there’s no way for true tourists without Chinese connections to travel freely and post more online English resources for others, int’l tourism will be stunted. And I think it’s explicit policy by design from China, they are so large, self sufficient that tourism is a minor source of income and not a priority.
However as China grows, tourism can become a strategic way to improve its standing on the world stage if politicians embrace it. If I can recommend any, a major improvement for travelers, who don’t see a post like this, would be free Wifi in public areas, upon registering with a FOREIGN number. This shouldn’t affect the information control for internal citizens, but greatly improve the experience for a small but loud minority of visitors who will take home stories of China’s beauty and strength and willingly recommend others to visit as well.
