I might be going to China, in particular Beijing.
What do I need to know regarding stuff like “VPN on your phone” and “No WhatsApp allowed” and that sort of, really quite important but also a bit too boring to do properly stuff?
It’s an absolute shithole, bring some n95 masks so you inhale as little of it as possible.
I went nearly 10 years ago so don’t know about the tech soz
If you want to access Gmail, Yahoo mail, Facebook, Instagram, Google anything eg Google Translate, Google Maps or X (off the top of my head), you will need a VPN.
The Great Firewall is such that a specific VPN you use currently may or may not work well or stably out here. I can say that with Iphones, most people use Astrill VPN. You will find it tough to get a VPN downloaded when you are there, so yes, you try and sign up to one or two before you get there. In an ideal world, someone you know there helps you set up the same account on theirs after you arrive.
Obviously some news portals are blocked, so most UK broadsheets are. Sky news isnt.
For maps - Amap works sufficiently and is in English. For navigation/public transport, Moovit is in English and works in China. For translation, Chinese app Baidu Translate is in English and is perfect for voice translation back and forth between English and Chinese or camera translation of signs/menus.
The Chinese Whatsapp ‘Wechat’ may be necessary if you stay a while - its an all in one app for social messaging, filling out online forms when needed, payments for goods, public transportation cards, etc. The vast majority of paying for anything in China is done through Wechat and Alipay QR code scanning
Air pollution in China is way better than it was, but if you go to Beijing it sits within the slipstream of a huge ever-growing desert that can produce nasty sandstorms in autumn.
Pharmacies in China dont match what you might be used to for run of the mill illnesses - Ive known many a foreigner want to bring in Western headache pills or Lemsip style flu sachets when re-entering the country.
Noise cancelling headphones are recommendable - it can be quite abrasive being on public transport or restaurants at times compared to for example Japan or Korea. It can be quite a loud place.
Its actually got public transport within citoes and between cities that I would say is unsurpassed anywhere in the world, at pretty cheap prices. There is a wide selection of eating options in most major cities along the eastern seaboard, and people under 30 in the East will often speak relatively good English to help you if you need it. Chinese people tend to be very humble in helping foreigners when they need it.
You should be aware that what you know as Chinese food in the UK is actually a Westernised bastardised version of one region near Hong Kong’s cuisine. China has many cuisines and you may need help from internet research/a local on what different cuisines you want to try and finding that kind of restaurant. The restaurant in front of you could be sweet Shanghai cuisine, or spicy Western hotpot, etc. Dongbei (north eastern inc Beijing area) is maybe a safe, and enjoyable starting point. Guangdong/Canton cuisine is closest to what you may already have eaten in the UK.
Do not travel around China during Chinese festivals (Lunar New Year, 1st week of Oct, 1st week of April and 1st few days of May) - it tends to be hell.
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This is very, very helpful. Thanks very much.
Is going to be a pretty short visit to Beijing so I think the main thing I’ll need to take care of is a VPN I guess. I’ll have data roaming available, does this work with VPNs as well? (I don’t use em!)
Also, aren’t VPNs illegal there? Not going to run into issues with having phones checked or anything am I?
The vast majority of people use one of some sort, whether local or foreign. In the strictest sense, only government permitted ones are allowed to be used by businesses. For individuals, use of your device to post something sensitive on social media about China or Chinese history would be the main thing to be ginger about.
International roaming data shouldnt be an issue, but you’ll still need the VPN. As a tourist, you shouldnt have any concerns on that issue.
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Depending on your current phone network, the last time i went out i paid £25 for a week’s access to my usual UK data plan. That fully circumvented any access challenges tbh.
Good call on the N95s for when the pollution is high - Beijing Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index
Thanks. O2 have it at £7 a day so if this circumvents stuff it would be ideal!
Yeah that makes sense. Not sure if the VPN would be helpful from a screening and privacy perspective but that’s not my area of expertise.
I do really like Beijing - it is big and nuts and can be quite sterile in comparison to other Chinese cities. But the food is ace and the historic stuff is a bit mind blowing if you get the chance to visit it.
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For a short stay it definitely makes more sense just to use roaming data. This way you can use all the apps and websites that you’re used to. I’ve been living here a year, and the VPNs are very hit and miss. When I’m using roaming data I don’t use a VPN at all, although I’m sure it’s possible (albeit slow) if you’re wanting the extra security.
One of the biggest challenges is probably going to be paying for things, which is done almost exclusively through Alipay and WeChat. Outside of big hotels very few places accept credit card, and cash is very uncommon. I would recommend downloading Alipay and trying to link your Uk card to it. In the past WeChat pay couldn’t be linked to a foreign card, but this may have changed now. It would also be a good idea to have a small balance in your WeChat or Alipay account, as there are times where the payment could just fail if it’s linked to a foreign card. I don’t think you could top up your account yourself, but if you have a friend or colleague in China they could help.
For getting around, google maps isn’t too useful even with roaming data, as nothing will have been updated in 7 or 8 years. Apple Maps is ok for navigating, but also won’t have all the businesses etc. There are a few Chinese map apps, such as Amap and Baidu maps, but from my experience there isn’t a real google maps equivalent, in terms of having all of the information in one place.
On the whole though, China is very safe and people are friendly and helpful. You might get a few stares, but it’s out of curiosity rather than animosity. Public transport is great and easy to use (again through Alipay is easiest), and Didi is a good alternative, which is the Chinese Uber equivalent.
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Thank you! This is so helpful! Really appreciate it a lot!
I lived in China for a year. I would be prepared for most Western/Western-developed apps and websites to not work, even if they are ‘unblocked’, due to reliance on things like AWS.
Definitely download MetroMan China (train maps) and Pleco (like Google Translate but way better) as both work offline.
In terms of Chinese apps…WeChat, Alipay, Didi (i.e. Uber), QQ Music (i.e. Spotify, the ‘free’ version is v generous and does basically everything) and Taobao (i.e. Amazon/eBay…can get things delivered to lockers in a matter of days, v useful).
Get all your VPN ducks in a row before you travel as it can be a nightmare trying to get a VPN downloaded/set up when you’re inside China itself. Don’t just rely on one VPN, get a few.
Get WeChat set up and verified in advance, too. Make sure you have a fairly decent phone as WeChat is a proper resource hog.
China is brilliant! I never made it to Beijing but I’m happy to offer travel suggestions for Guangdong/Guangzhou/HK.
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Does this stuff apply to Hong Kong? I’ll be there for the day in a couple of weeks as I’ve got a long flight layover and I’m planning to explore a bit but I’m realising now how much of my planning was effectively “let’s see what Google Maps says on the day”
No, there’s no firewall in Hong Kong and (at least when I was there) credit cards are still widely used. It’s very easy to change currency, too, which is very difficult in Mainland China. The only reason you’d need to go through the hurdles above is if you fancied going to Shenzhen for the day (which I wouldn’t recommend, since you only have a few days spare).
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That’s good to know, thanks, I’ve only got about 12 hours anyway
So I’m off to China next week!
I only really have two full days for the tourist things so want to do one day of Forbidden City etc and the other day for the Great Wall.
Are they things you need to book in advance? Is getting to the Great Wall doable easily with public transport or am I gonna have to fork out for a cab?
Any tips?
Been a number of years since I went to Beijing but iirc there are a number of ways to get to the Great Wall. The nearest part of the wall is accessible by public transport (metro to Badaling). When we did it went to the Mutianyu section of the wall (more spectacular scenery). This was organised via a tour through our hotel (tours are sort of the default option for tourism is China). Be aware that this took pretty much the whole day. I think we were picked up at like 7am and got back late afternoon. The transport there was like 3 hours or something mad because the city is so big. You should be ok to book these the day before I would guess.
So it’s a trade off between convenience and crowds at Badaling vs inconvenience and a longer trip at Mutianyu.
For the Forbidden City you’ll be fine just to rock up on the day. There will be people offering tours when you’re there and the tour guides are able to skip the long ticket queues but I would strongly recommend doing it yourself.
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Unless you’re really pressed for time, I would recommend avoiding the Badaling section of the wall, as I’ve heard the crowds can be a bit overwhelming.
It was many years ago I visited, but we hiked from Jinshanling to Gubeikou (~6 hours hike) and it was stunning. From memory it took around 2 hours to get to Jinshanling, on a public bus from Beijing. If it’s just to visit one section of the wall, I would recommend Jinshanling or Mutianyu, as both are reasonably accessible from Beijing, offer beautiful views, but without the crowds of Badaling.
I hope you have a great trip anyway!
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Thank you so much!
Great this
Definitely looking at going in the next year or so. What are some good cities for first timers?
East coast is more English speaking/developed/less wild - so Beijing (Geeat walll, forbidden city), Suzhou (big tourism city, artistic city with temples and old buildings near Shanghai), Shanghai (extensive colonial areas), maybe Hanghzhou (near Shanghai, big tourist city, cityside lake).
Outside of the east, you have Xian in north west (Terracotta army,muslim quarter &food), Chongqing in the west (a river confluence megalopolis thats quite Hong Kongish) which is near pleasant tourist cities of Kunming and Chengdu (panda reserves), and Guangzhou in the south (Cantonese food).
Guilin might be a bit adventurous for a first timer, but is a great gatepost for rural experiemces. Its a pleasant imterior city in the south with rice terraces int the ountains an hour or two north and Yangshuo with karst mountains and riverboat rides and bacpackery stuff an hour or two south of it.
Wherever you choose to go the internal transportation will blow your mind. High speed trains make everything simple if you find an agent or friend to buy tickets and airplanes are relatively cheap and plentiful to a ridiculous number of destinations. You shouldnt find it hard to safely make an itinerary to hop between the east coast and somewhere else.
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