Dejan Dabic

Interested in traveling to China for the first time? Here are the essentials: 1) Visa - China is opening up and now allows visa free travel for many countries, but not for the U.S. You need to find your nearest consulate and apply, but good news is that they often issue 10 year multiple entry visas to Americans. The New York consulate was super efficient and helpful. 2) Internet - install an eSIM BEFORE you arrive and activate it when you land. @realnomadtravel had the best offers during my trip (get $5 off STEP78UE). Western services like Gmail will usually work with an eSIM. You should also have a VPN for when you are on other WiFi. I use @surfshark and have heard @letsvpn is good. Beware, there may still be blocks and outages particularly if there is something big happening. 3) Apps - WeChat and Alipay are critical. Install before you arrive and connect a western credit card. If for some reason that doesn’t work, it will be much more difficult to pay for things, so best to set up before you arrive. Most services you need are embedded as mini apps. Most people you meet will connect via WeChat (tho WhatsApp seems increasingly common). Google Maps doesn’t work. Use Apple Maps or install Amap. ChatGpt/Claude/Gemini make life so much easier for navigating / translation. 4) Flights - if going to southern China, you will find the most options to Hong Kong and there are ferry and train options from the airport to mainland China. Cathay has a direct from NYC and U.S. carriers have flights from other hubs. Within China, China Eastern (Skyteam), AirChina, and China Southern are the largest carriers. 5) Hotels - can book via western OTAs. Overall super cheap and high quality, I spent between $60-120/night. 6) Regional Trains - there is high speed rail connecting major cities with frequent service. Trip(dot)com is the most western friendly interface and can be booked in Alipay. Your ticket will be tied to your passport - you just scan the passport at the gates to board. 7) Local Transit - Subways have extensive coverage and are very cheap. I had to pay for fare at a service booth or automated kiosk and was issued a card/token. Didi ridehail is reliable, with a variety of car/service options at different price points. If traveling as a small group, it’s even viable for intercity trips like Shenzhen to Guangzhou. Didi is generally the easiest option, but I took a few taxis particularly at busy areas like train stations. The fare was on the meter and drivers take Alipay. 8) Food - if you are American, your idea of Chinese food largely descends from Southern China (Canton). But China’s cuisine is actually super diverse across the different regions. Shenzhen is a city of migrants, and all the regional cuisines are represented. If you like spice, explore Szechuan, Hunan, and other northern food. This trip I tried two cuisines that I hadn’t previously (Guizhou - sour/fermented/spicy and Lanzhou - halal/Middle East influence). I didn’t heavily plan and ate well with multiple great meals eating at random mall food courts. In a pinch, convenience stores are awesome for onigiri (rice triangles) or sandwiches. 9) Trade Shows - if you want to get a taste of Chinese manufacturing, plan your trip around a trade show in an industry of interest. There are dozens each year for every industry niche, and a mega show called the Canton Fair in Guangzhou 2x a year. It’s also worth a stop at Huaqiangbei, a multilevel multi block electronics mall in Shenzhen (both consumer and components). If you are traveling on business, the shows can sometimes issue invitation letters which can help secure a business visa. 10) China experts- What did I miss?