Start Here

Use this as your first 72-hour setup plan. If you do nothing else, follow these steps in order.

Step 1: Install the apps before your flight

Install these while you still have stable internet and access to your normal SMS, email, and app store account.

• Alipay (支付宝, Zhifubao) for payments and useful mini programs.
• WeChat (微信, Weixin) for communication, WeChat (微信, Weixin) Pay (微信支付, Weixin Zhifu), and local service mini programs.
• DiDi (滴滴, Didi) for ride-hailing.
• A map app such as Apple Maps, AMap / Gaode Maps (高德地图, Gaode Ditu)/Gaode, or Baidu Maps (百度地图, Baidu Ditu).
• A translation app with offline support if possible.

Step 2: Prepare mobile data before landing

Your phone data is the foundation. Without it, payments, ride-hailing, translation, and maps all become harder.

• Short trip: roaming or eSIM is usually simplest.
• Longer stay: consider adding a local SIM later.
• Backup: save screenshots of your hotel address, booking, and survival phrases.

Step 3: Prepare payment redundancy

Try to prepare at least two payment paths. One app or one card is not enough.

1. Set up Alipay (支付宝, Zhifubao) if possible.
2. Set up WeChat (微信, Weixin) Pay (微信支付, Weixin Zhifu) if possible.
3. Carry a physical bank card.
4. Carry a small amount of RMB cash.

Step 4: Save your hotel address in Chinese

English hotel names can be confusing in China. Save the Chinese hotel name, street address, district, and phone number.

Step 5: Choose a simple first ride

For your first airport arrival, use the official taxi queue, metro/airport rail, hotel pickup, or DiDi (滴滴, Didi) only if you understand the pickup point.

Avoid random ride offers inside the terminal.

Step 6: Avoid unclear prices and tourist traps

China is usually convenient for visitors, but first-time travelers can still run into overpriced vendors, unofficial drivers, bad tours, social-media ads, and restaurants without clear prices.

• Use posted prices when you can. This is especially important for restaurants near tourist areas.
• Do not follow unofficial drivers or street guides. Use official taxi queues, ride-hailing apps, hotel help, or staffed counters.
• Ask the price before you taste, sit down, get in, or accept help.
• Start here: Avoid Overcharging & Pressure.

Step 7: Prepare the boring daily basics

Small practical details can create surprisingly big stress in the first 72 hours: no tissue in a restroom, confusion about tap water, a pharmacy visit, a lost phone, or a ticket machine that needs passport details.

• Carry tissue and hand sanitizer. Do not assume every public restroom provides them.
• Drink bottled or boiled water. Do not drink tap water directly unless you know it has been filtered or boiled.
• Save passport photos and hotel address screenshots. They help if your phone, passport, or booking becomes a problem.
• Bring key medicine from home when possible. At a pharmacy, show symptoms, allergies, and what you already took.
• Read the guide: Daily Basics.

Step 8: Save emergency help before you need it

Emergency preparation should happen before the emergency. Save the numbers, contacts, address screenshots, and simple Chinese phrases while you are calm.

• Save 110, 120, 119, and 122. Police, ambulance, fire, and traffic accident help in mainland China.
• Save your hotel front desk number and address in Chinese.
• Save your own embassy or consulate emergency contact. This depends on your nationality.
• Save your insurance emergency contact and policy number.
• Read the guide: Emergency Help.

FAQ

Can I do all of this after I arrive?

You can, but it is riskier. Many problems become harder when you are tired, offline, or unable to receive verification codes.

What is the single most important thing to prepare?

Mobile data. If your phone is online, you can translate, call a ride, contact your hotel, open maps, and troubleshoot payment.

Should I print anything?

You do not need to print everything, but keeping offline screenshots is smart. Save your passport copy, booking confirmation, hotel address, and survival cards.

Before you reach the immigration desk

Three jobs are easier at home than in an airport queue:

• Complete the arrival card and prepare for immigration – keep the hotel address, flight details, and entry documents offline.
• Check what can and cannot enter China – food, plant and animal products, cash, valuable goods, and controlled items need more than a guess.
• Prepare prescription medication – use the active ingredient, original packaging, prescription, and doctor letter.