Clear the chaos, level by level.

Find the simplest legal way in — most travelers need far less paperwork than they fear.

• Confirm your visa path30-day visa-free, 240-hour transit, or a tourist (L) visa — check in 10 seconds.Run the visa check →
• Passport valid 6+ months, with a blank page
• Onward or return ticket booked
• Fill the arrival card (online before you fly, or on arrival)

Grab these before you fly — the App Store is hard to reach behind the Firewall.

AlipayPay + mini-appsWeChatChat + payDiDiDiTaxis & ridesAmAmapMaps in EnglishTrip.comTrains & hotels→MeituanFood deliveryXiaohongshuTips & reviewsTranslateMenus & signsTaobaoShopping

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• Payments — Alipay + WeChat
• Maps — the English Amap app, or Apple Maps on iPhone (skip Google & Baidu)
• Get around — DiDi for rides, Trip.com for rail & hotelsDiDi guide →
• Translate, plus Meituan & Xiaohongshu to eat and explore

Now link a foreign card inside the Alipay or WeChat you just installed — both finally accept them.

• Link a foreign card (Visa / Mastercard / JCB) to Alipay or WeChatRegistration, real-name verification and card-binding — the fiddly part, step by step.Full setup guide →
• Know the limits — ~¥35,000 / payment, ~¥50,000 / year
• Keep your home SIM — you'll need it for bank SMS codes
• Carry a little cash for tiny vendors and rural stopsATM & cash guide →

Be online the moment you land. A travel eSIM keeps your home number for bank codes.

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• Buy & install a travel eSIM before you flyeSIM guide →
• Decide your approach to restricted services
• Download offline maps & translations
• Save your hotel address in Chinese

The small things that trip people up on day one — handled in advance.

• Type-A / I plugs — pack a universal adapter
• Hotels need passport check-in (real-name rule)Why & how →
• Tipping isn't expected — don't overthink it
• Screenshot your hotel address + a few key phrases