What are /r/travelchina's favorite Products & Services?

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I heard the same thing but decided to try NordVPN, because some people said it worked. Well at first it didn't but I wrote to their customer support and they explained how to set it up properly and what servers to use. And now at least it works in China. They even gave a coupon code to extend my account (I'm on a free trial) as a way of apologizing. It's "OFFER75", hoping you can use it and it's not a one-time discount.

A couple of things, as my friend just came for a visit in Beijing with us:

1. SIM card is easy to get. My buddy got a 7 day card with China Unicom, unlimited calling and texting (even though you probably won't use that much anyway), and 5gb of 4g data. It cost him 75 rmb (about $11 USD). That's higher than I pay for my monthly account here, but not bad at all. Wifi is everywhere, also.

2. There's a metered taxi stand at the airport. Just show them the address in Chinese. Make sure you have the phone number in case he needs to call the hotel to confirm directions.

3. Get more than one VPN before coming. I use ExpressVPN, and they pretty much just went down due to the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. I also use Astrill, which is still working fine as of this post. You can get a 30 day free trial, also.

4. Remember that a lot of stuff is blocked: Google, YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Wikipedia, Twitter, and tons of other sites. The Great Firewall is a bitch.

5. Some apps you may want that are helpful: Pleco (good for offline translations and definitions), Google translate (you'll need your VPN, but you can use it to scan signs and words in Chinese for English translations), Explore Beijing (a good, interactive map of the train system that lets you map one stop to another). Didi is the best way to get around by car, obviously.

Hope some of this stuff helps! Have a fun, safe trip!

I was in China last year and used ExpressVPN. It was great for the most part. It did need to be updated often and there were periods where I couldn’t get it to work at all. The government kept figuring out ways to interfere with the VPNs. It was like a cat and mouse game. No matter what you choose there will be random times where it just won’t work.

I had Surfshark VPN when I was on my trip to China. It's a pretty new one, maybe that's why it worked well in China, nobody knows it. I heard that Vypr and Astrill works, but can't be sure because I have never used them. Also, I recommend having a few VPNs if one brakes the other might work.

You should try using https://surfshark.com/, my friend told me about it (he is a little bit of a VPN geek), this VPN is new in town, so it shouldn't be blocked. And as you know China loves to block VPNs. Also they have unlimited number of devices so all your family could use it easily. P.s. have a nice trip !

NordVPN usually works, though it can be difficult to find the right servers. Luckily I found this site where they say which servers should work in restrictive countries like china and so far it worked pretty well for me.

Both Vypr and Express work in China, as far as I hear. You can also look into Surfshark VPN and Astrill. I recommend having a few VPNs because one can get banned suddenly, then you will have other working option.

I was in China earlier this summer and PIA worked great, but you can't use it through the App itself - you need to go in through the phone's advanced settings. Using PIA in China requires some prep before you leave.

You need to login to your PIA account portal to generate a new specific, PPTP/L2TP/SOCKS Password that is different from your regular account password and then use that in the advanced settings on your device.

Here are the steps you would have to take for Android (it's similar on pc):

1.Open Settings and tap on Wireless Controls
2.Tap on VPN Settings
3.Tap on Add VPN
4.In the VPN Name field, enter Private Internet Access
5.For Type, Choose L2TP/IPSec PSK
6.In Server address Enter: 198.8.80.199
7.Leave L2TP Secret, and IPSec Identifier blank
8. In the IPSec Pre-shared key type: mysafety
9.Tap Save
Settings and tap on Wireless Controls
on Private Internet Access
12.Enter your Generated Username and Password
13.Check Save account information if you want to save the password
Connect

You can use this link for an explanation of what to do: password

Good luck!

Free ones are not that safe and won't work for sure. Try Surfshark VPN, it's a newbie in the market so it's working (I guess China doesn't know about its existence) and it's pretty cheap. You can also try better-known VPNs like Vypr or Astrill.

Your itinerary sounds very interesting but also quite ambitious for nine days. You will see a lot but you'll be in a constant rush and won't have much time to 'experience' the places you visit. Personally, I would try to limit the domestic flights etc to a minimum. The trips to/from the airport or train station, the inevitable delays, the changes between hotels and just basic orientation (especially if you don't speak the language) will cost you a lot of time and energy. I would pick two out of the three places on your list (Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin) and add a bit of time there, respectively. Also, in Beijing, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are right next to each other so you can do those in one day, giving you some extra time to do a long walking tour through the Hutong areas (eg around Gulou and Qianmen). As for the VPN, I'd recommend the Astrill app. Just download, it is self-explanatory. Don't worry about your phone being confiscated.

Edit: For the visa you can just say that you'll stay in Beijing for the whole stay, book a cheap hostel in Beijing for nine days via or so, submit the booking confirmation as part of your visa application, and then cancel the reservation once you've received your visa (make sure they don't charge a cancellation fee, some hotels do). Saves you lots of trouble.

>Only major desires are to see more beaches than I have seen already

Not sure how many beaches you want to see. I agree with everyone here that Hainan is your best bet. Don't go to the big ticket beaches on Sanya, instead cycle to Eastern or West Hainan for low key beaches.

If you want to relax in a single place, go to Silver Beach in Beihai, Guangxi.

I just did the hike from Dazai to Ping'an. It's incredible and one of the highlights of the trip to China. Youll go deep into the terraces and pass through a few ancient villages. If you can swing it, I highly recommend it.

Here's a picture from the hike: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO6mOTG8qmDDOEfqhYZCMJdyhgZCkMfAqPITnfO8i9pgVKPyjYP2jjZesQs9VREoA/photo/AF1QipOGJfnYvLlXDaBPyw9F9DN-Iq_hRwsm5rgt5ZWg?key=endVMW1vXzBac1pOTXBDZDBXa0VUeF80M3JWOTFn

Its faster to get from Guilin to Ping'An than Dazai. If you're tight on time, I'd recommend getting to Ping'An in the evening and doing the hike first thing in the morning when it's cool out.

If you hike at a clippy pace and don't get lost (download the track into a GPS or phone app) you can do it in 3.5 hours, but give yourself some padding.

You'd get to Dazai by noon and can take a taxi back to Guilin for about 400rmb (2 hour ride), or take the bus (closer to 4 hours).

Hong Kong doesn't block any of those websites so you'll be fine using HK servers. I spent all of October mostly in China and used the same VPN as you, I switched between HK and Japan (Tokyo) servers.

You literally just press the button in the app to turn the VPN on or off. It's super easy!

I had Lantern installed as a backup which also worked.

Enjoy your trip!

Better to get a VPN. There are alternatives such as iQIYI (which is sort of a mashup of YouTube and Netflix) and Renren but you will need to know Chinese to navigate them. I actually did some English translation for iQIYI but not sure if they've released that yet.

Your best bet is to get a VPN. A one-month subscription should be fine and affordable. I currently use NordVPN and Astrill. It's around $10 for one month, but that's the only certain way to access Netflix, HBO, Hulu, streaming sites, etc. I would have gone insane years ago without it.

Express VPN shows which country you would like to route your connection to. So if you're staying in Hefei, you can select any country from the list to re-route your connection. I would recommend connecting to any of the following while in Mainland China: USA - Los Angeles 3, Hong Kong, or Japan - Tokyo for ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN has worked for me, as well as minor success using the built-in VPN services in Opera. However, one thing to note is that in most large tourist-friendly hotels (Mariott, Four Seasons, etc) I could access usually-blocked US services (Google / FB / Flickr) without a VPN. Also, instead of getting a China Mobile or China Unicom SIM while traveling, I just used my AT&T plan with a "Passport" (their $10/day use-your-own-data-plan plan) and while browsing or tethering using this plan, I likewise was able to use Google/FB/Flickr/etc whilst going through coffee shop wifi and such they were all blocked.

I currently live in China and use ExpressVPN. All VPNs have issues at certain times, like when there is a big communist party meeting, but generally ExpressVPN has worked well for me for the past 3 years.

I can say that on my last business trip to Beijing NordVPN worked quite smoothly. They have a bunch of servers, maybe that's why it's not that hard to find a properly working one. I remember having some issues in the past, but one time their customer support suggested using newer servers when travelling in such restricted countries, so as long as I'm doing that - everything seems okay I guess.

1. I suggest using an international card that is accepted there, should be low fees when using it. Maybe Revolut? It's popular in Europe, not sure about China. Yes, carry your password, make copies of it. ATMs are good for withdrawing money
2. Never had any problems when using NordVPN in China. But I would suggest getting 2 different VPNs just in case.
3. I don't think so
4. Never heard of this happening
5. I'm pretty sure DiDi is in English too. The metro is easy to understand
6. What I learned about food is to go where the locals go, avoid places that are filled with tourists

I used Astrill for a year for work a while back, and Express for personal use and found Express to be way more reliable, was back in China for a few months this year and it was the same.

Astrill in Stealth seemed to be more reliable but otherwise I don't have much luck with it... strange how they work differently haha

A free one I've had no little to no issues with is SuperVPN, but in general it's worth paying for a 1 month subscription of one such as ExpressVPN (very reliable imo) for the peace of mind of a more private/ secure service.

Don't waste your money on Astrill, I couldn't get it to connect for most of August and when it did it was painfully slow.

As far as I know, NordVPN works in China. I was using it like 3 months ago in China and it worked, I went to customer support, they explained to me how to set it up for it to work, so I guess you would need to do the same with every VPN provider. It's not free, but the price is not very high and you can find many coupons online. Express should also be working, at least I read that it does, but the price is much higher.

Yes it works in China! Just download it before you go.

ExpressVPN is my go-to.

And agree, WeChat is basically everywhere. Though I think Alipay is slightly more popular if you want to get that. (I didn't have it and there were definitely some places where WeChat wasn't accepted but Alipay was.)

Hi! I spent 2 months there in the fall, and while I speak Chinese, here are some general tips that may be helpful: - get a VPN, I used ExpressVPN - where are you from? If the U.S., Tmobile is the best carrier for longterm international travel. In China, if you're on Tmobile international, there's not even a firewall - unless you love crowds, I would leave a bit later and skip Golden Week. Not only is it more crowded, it's also more expensive everywhere. All the train stations and such also amp up security like crazy. - I would say China is a generally safe country. As someone mentioned, hide your valuables. Pickpocketing is generally the most common crime for tourists. - get CTrip. It's the easiest and most comprehensive app in English for booking hotels, trains, buses, airplanes, etc. in China.

Re visa situation: where are you from?

Re your itinerary: I think those are fantastic spots! I would say it may be easier to first get your feet wet with the second set of cities on your list. They're slightly easier for first-timers. If you're interested in specific tips and suggestions for any of the cities, let me know. I went to several of these in the fall and wrote up pretty detailed blog posts. For now, here's one on trains in China that should help you get started:

Google Maps (as well as other Google services, except for Google Translate) does not work in China.

The best English maps IMO are Apple Maps and . For chinese maps try to use Baidu Maps and Amap.

Google Translate works without pre-loading any data, though you can’t use “Translate text from an uploaded picture” feature for some reason (real-time camera translation works anyway).

As for the other apps, you should definitely download DiDi (taxi), metro map, and any reliable VPN service (ExpressVPN, Astrill etc).

Ambien: I have no idea, I'll leave this for someone else, or you might try asking on /r/China, if it is sold OTC somewhere else it probably is in Shenyang too.

Luggage: 5 suitcases is way too many. You're only going for a year. Cut it down to two.

Astrill: Get it before you arrive in China.

Unicom SIM: Get it (or China Mobile for better 4G) once you arrive.

Coats: Winter is freezing in Shenyang, so there are coats galore on sale. Whether you will like them is another thing entirely. If you are from a cold place and already have a couple of good winter jackets, bring them. If not, head to Columbia or somewhere similar and invest in a quality jacket, and get a more formal one you can wear to work or for formal occasions from a department store or something. Don't get light colors, or anything too expensive, winter is a dirty season in the Northeast.

Clothes Drying: Your laundry will freeze while hanging during winter, but it will dry. Apartments are very well heated, sometimes too well, and the air tends to be pretty dry. Buying your own dryer would be ridiculous.

Banking: Wait until you are in China to open a bank account, your school might require you to open one at a certain bank. Look forward to wasting half a day doing it.

Any more questions? I've spent a bit of time in Shenyang and know the region well.

The diaolou villages around Kaiping are worth a visit for a day or two. Especially if you base yourself in Chikan Zhen. There's a cool little hostel there. The main 5 villages with the towers are full of tourists at the weekend so a weekday visit would be nice and quiet. Unfortunately I can't advise on transport as I've always driven there from GZ. Takes about 2 hours.

You'll find bus information here: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kaiping

I based this around 2 routes I found on wikitravel, but reversed them. Cut some of the stuff between Xian and Beijing to give us more flexibility and time with our friends working in Changzhou/Beijing.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Two_weeks_to_a_month_in_China

Ah, it would seem that for some reason WeChat thinks something is wrong with the number. This will be an issue that is easily fixed once you come to China. You could also go and get a burner Phone and just use that number to set your account up with and then change the number. Wait until you get a number in China to setup their accounts or find someone who can verify the account. Its not because they have an iPhone I believe that it is probably with their numbers.

https://www.howtochatonline.net/chat-apps/wechat-asking-a-friend-to-verify-account/

Things you should definitely prepare: Disposable light 2-3x use raincoats. Hiking sticks Trail shoes. Don't buy them oversized mountain shoes! i made this mistake and my hike was exhausting. A trail runner for jogging is enough! When hiking, carry as light as u can. 45L should be your limit. During my Yubeng trip i carried to much and i suffered for it. Had to revise my pack 2x and left some at the hostel in feilaisi (which i regretted) U don't need anything other than 2x inner wear, dental kit and towel and pajamas. Maybe a tripod if you are a photographer. DL DIDI Chunxing and activate it before going to China! you will avoid having to deal with chinese taxi drivers. i nearly got scammed twice by fucking chinese taxi assholes on my 15 day trip. works in china! it's only USD 8.10 and is better than fucking NordVPN! For long distance trekking, remember to pack light. Don't forget impt medication like anti inflammatory agents, cataflam, throat drops, ibuprofen (aspirin interferes with diamox), sunscreen, vaseline and raincoats. You shouldn't carry any heavier than 7-8kgs. I had to carry 10 kgs on my trek from Yubeng across Ninong on a hot day, and it wasn't fun.

special thanks for all of the information i got from Hardwarezone Singapore China, and mafengwo and other SEA local tourist forums which helped me to gain better understanding on Yunnan.

No thanks to reddit and lonelyplanet, they were all stingy with information, especially those arrogant lonelyplanet cunts who thinks they're better than everybody when it comes to itinerary making

>Things you should definitely prepare: >Disposable light 2-3x use raincoats. >Hiking sticks >Trail shoes. Don't buy them oversized mountain shoes! i made this mistake and my hike was exhausting. A trail runner for jogging is enough! >When hiking, carry as light as u can. 45L should be your limit. During my Yubeng trip i carried to much and i suffered for it. Had to revise my pack 2x and left some at the hostel in feilaisi (which i regretted) U don't need anything other than 2x inner wear, dental kit and towel and pajamas. Maybe a tripod if you are a photographer. >DL DIDI Chunxing and activate it before going to China! you will avoid having to deal with chinese taxi drivers. i nearly got scammed twice by fucking chinese taxi assholes on my 15 day trip. > works in china! it's only USD 8.10 and is better than fucking NordVPN! >For long distance trekking, remember to pack light. Don't forget impt medication like anti inflammatory agents, cataflam, throat drops, ibuprofen (aspirin interferes with diamox), sunscreen, vaseline and raincoats. You shouldn't carry any heavier than 7-8kgs. I had to carry 10 kgs on my trek from Yubeng across Ninong on a hot day, and it wasn't fun. > >special thanks for all of the information i got from Hardwarezone Singapore China, and mafengwo and other SEA local tourist forums which helped me to gain better understanding on Yunnan. > >No thanks to reddit and lonelyplanet, they were all stingy with information, especially those arrogant lonelyplanet cunts who thinks they're better than everybody when it comes to itinerary making

I was in yubeng last year right around this time and I pretty much agree on everything you said.

OP needs to keep in mind that it's going to be raining a lot and that will make things less than ideal but it's China so there will still be people

Get roaming through your provider, or get a Chinese sim card with a data package at the Beijing airport. Easy.

If you want to use Google, get ExpressVPN either way (roaming or new sim) before you get to China and just pay for 1 month.

I'll be hogging my partner's VPN, just hoping ExpressVPN doesn't fail us then.

Does Didi accept foreign cards? I'll probably grab a cab from the airport and familiarise myself with the app along the way :)

Many VPNs work in China, but I didn't use 1. 1. 1. 1 before and don't know if it works here.

You can download some other VPNs as backups, such as PlexVPN, Panda VPN Pro, ProtonVPN etc.

These VPNs provides free trial after signing up, so you can test them in advance.

You've mentioned that you will travel for a month, and the price of PlexVPN is $3.3 per month.

Most apps from the iOS store will work fine, even without a VPN. However, your use of the ones that don't should be enabled by using ExpressVPN. Some sites (banks, payment sites, streaming services, etc.) have their own restrictions if they detect that you're masking your IP address or using a service that changes your location (online). Using a VPN will also slow your internet speed down, but if you have good Wi-Fi or Data it shouldn't matter too much. I don't think you'll have any big access problems with your current plan. Best of luck!

ExpressVPN works well most of the time. I've been using it for half a year now. It drops sometimes at night. So I also use WindScribe, a free VPN that I've been using also for several months. It is free so far and I registered wtih my email and got 10G for free every month, far than enough for me.

> It definitely works here, because I'm on Reddit right now, which is also banned in China

Oddly, Reddit is usually not blocked in Mainland China.

Usually. There has been the odd times over the last 3 years it seems blocked for a day or two.

But generally speaking, Reddit will come up. But what you are surely doing with the VPN is being able to visit the links Reddit is all about.

And that's the funny thing - they don't ban Reddit but yet nearly every page posted on Reddit is blocked! It's a bit of a cruel joke in a way. Here's a site about about stuff you cannot see!

For the OP: Currently using ExpressVPN and it went down for about 2 days a few weeks ago. Seems to be back up and running.

1- not all airports sell SIM cards and not always China Unicom

a) contact your service provider back home

b) unless it changed, yes it is roaming so check what sort of data plan you have, a national plan or one for the city where you bought the SIM

c) I don't know what you mean

2- To rely on Google get a VPN, check ExpressVPN. Install it before you leave home

3- ATMs are everywhere. Let your bank know that you'll be in China so that they do not block your card.

- Budget for Hong Kong like you'd budget for a trip to the New York City or San Francisco. The prices levels are comparable

- Guilin and Yangshuo is much cheaper, I'd say budget for them at about 50% of a trip to the US on a per day basis

- Get VPN on your phone and laptop before you leave Australia

- Airports all have English signs in mainland China, very easy to navigate

- Yes get a SIM card at the airport, wifi is plentiful but you'll be out and about most of the time in Guilin and Yangshuo

- Download and set up Didi and Mobike. Didi is like uber. Mobike is for cheap bike dockless bike rental. Some other apps you might wanna set up for China

- Bring your bank card. Credit cards are not widely accepted so you'll need to take out lots of cash from ATMs (you won't be able to use Alipay or WeChat pay like locals do for everything because they need chinese bank accounts to work)

- I think you're planning too much time in Guilin/Yangshuo. I think 3-4 days combined there is more than enough. I'd suggest spending a few days in Guangzhou on your way to Guilin, as it's a massive city but with lots of history

Thanks for the tips. I've already used NordVPN in the past and it worked fine while I was in China. I also have backup VPNs but I didn't need to use them. I also use some privacy extensions. Very good tip about cloud based storage though, never thought about that.

On VPNs be a sure to connect to a country OUTSIDE of China. The VPN pretends you're in the other country where Google does work. I'm in China at the moment and use NordVPN. It's not cheap tho

The metro system in China is awesome and easy. Google maps will tell you how to go, even busses if necessary. You can use for more accurate navigation.

Also personally I would skip the terracotta army and probably Xi'an. A bit underwhelming. Maybe find something in the country side or nature, something that shows you China outside of the big cities. I don't know if Chengdu would fit this description.

Enjoy China! It is awesome and save and the people are great! Bring toiletpaper

edit and if you're traveling by train and don't want to miss the scenery, I recommend the AudioBook China Road by Rob Gifford. Lots of info about modern and ancient China and the places you'll be visiting.

Astrill is most frequently used by locals in China.

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Fast, China optimized servers. Their icon is the famous red star, and advertise privacy and security, yet the Chinese government claims backdoors in some VPNs. Use at your own risk, but it worked well for me in China.

WindScribe is free at least can be free for over 2 weeks. I'm still using it on my phone for over 2months now, still free. Register with your email, you get 10G free per month. About Nord, I don't think it works well. I tried the trial plan, not able to connect at all every time.

1. Astrill has had good uptime and bandwidth recently, Express is a close 2nd

2. I think China Unicom typically sells in major airports. Or work out a international roaming plan with your current carrier

3. Banks will give you the best rate, but airport money changers are OK too if you are traveling soon.

Yeah if you have time, I would definitely recommend some sort of mandarin basics course. I wish I had done it and I’m only here for 3 weeks.

I bought a GlocalMe hotspot and paid for some Chinese mobile data on that and paid for a VPN service (NordVPN though it sounds like ExpressVPN might be better). The hotspot was a great option for me bc I am with a group who can share it but there might be cheaper options since you are solo.

Not sure about app.

For VPN, try WindScribe, it's free and steady. 10G per month free to use once you register with your email address. I'm in China and using it everyday to refresh my feeds on Ins and FB.

WeChat payment is accepted almost everywhere. But you will have to make sure you have money in it. Chinese people have their bank cards bonded to wechat and that's why they can pay via wechat.

Hope it's helpful.

When I was traveling to China I bought NordVPN, connected with obfuscated servers to the US and all worked fine. I don't know about Express but heard that many VPNs are banned there, I'm glad that Nord worked for me.

Express VPN works well and I did a little research in Shanghai everyone but one person was using express the other person was using Astrill. You could try Astrill or other VPN's but I wouldnt take any risks.

Google is affected (including gmail, google maps, using google chrome), you will not be able to access certain news, access to the popular streaming services is limited or non-existent(my last trip there was 6 weeks, I could get Netflix for 1 week only on vpn).

I wrote a little article that might be helpful:

Have a great trip!!!!

A free VPN will not bypass the Great Firewall, if you really want to be able to use the said programs, try getting a paid one. You can check this to see which VPNs work in China - , I suggest getting at least two, for example, Astrill and NordVPn

Thanks for the reply! Google maps I use pretty extensively while traveling abroad but I am going to use a GPS app while in China. I was going to purchase ExpressVPN. Any experience with this particular VPN? I have read a lot of good things.

Still would be an issue of using Google Maps. Without VPN you won't be able to access maps within mainland. Hong Kong would work.

Get one pocket WiFi in Hong Kong. Get another in mainland and get a VPN provided for you phone like ExpressVPN to be able to access Google maps.

Or use a map provided that works without vpn like Baidu (in Chinese).

You could also consider preloaded maps for China, like .

Definitely go, just returned from Chengdu. Wonderful place.

Yahoo is still available, so no worries there. I got a subscription to VyprVPN, but they all seem similar. I might recommend getting a month of a premium VPN to make sure it works while abroad then use it to research and try out free ones. Make sure to install everything in the states.

I had about 2G for 60¥ a month, usually paid 100 ($15). Was a special, but they have options. Look into using your current phone with a Chinese SIM card.

Also, don't cook; you can, but it'll cost you more with time factored in. Everyone eats out. It will be overwhelming at first but get used to the cafeteria and it'll save you quite a bit. You'll meet more students too.

Yea that's the one, on iPhone it's red circle in a white background, it's a v with three lines out the left side (backwards E).

I've had three vpns. Purevpn, Astrill, and Expressvpn

Express is by far the best. It's $99/year but a free thirty day money back guarantee. Also a free month for you and the person who suggested it to you. If /u/RandomGuy-147 can send you a referral link that'd be beneficial for the two of you.

Source: lived in China for about two years. In a taxi to the airport in Shanghai on my way home for good! currently using expressvpn on my phone

Edit: sorry for all the edits. You seemed in a rush so thought I'd get out the main info and then flesh it out in edits.

I just returned to the US from a trip to Beijing and Sichuan. I used the VyprVPN app and it worked pretty well. You get 500MB as a free trial and it's only 13 USD a month for 2 connections IIRC. I used the Pleco app for an offline dictionary but my only complaint is that Pleco does not translate sentences very well. The individual word translation is really convenient and gives you a lot of information. I am not sure if it translates Cantonese. Have fun!

Hello there! You don't have to worry about using a vpn here, I live in Beijing and my friend who was working for a government newspaper used a vpn to research his articles. Yeah, it's weird. If you plan on taking notes at all for classes I would definitely recommend getting a laptop (even a cheapo one) over a tablet, but if it's for anything else a tablet is great. Both ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have apps that will work on laptop, tablet, and phone. I've used both and they both are good except Vypr is a tad more expensive. And yes all of Google is blocked, Gmail, Google search, even Google translate. As far as dress goes, the girls do not wear low cut shirts at all but I have wondered if some of them were wearing pants because I honestly couldn't tell. Like I said, I live over in Beijing so it'll be different than where you're going but if you have more questions don't hesitate to ask. Hope it all works out well for you!

Check your laptop power adapter, most will handle both 110v and 220-240v. China has two types of power sockets - Type A (US) and Type I (AUS/NZ). Bit of an odd mix.

Get your girlfriend to purchase a sim card for you as it's easy to get ripped off by some street vendor. Be aware that they are province specific so when you travel to a different province the rates may be higher.

Most google services are blocked or painfully slow. Get a reliable VPN that is known to work in China. You don't want to get there thinking your work proxy will work only to find it wont. Astrill is very popular among the expat community.

At the airport in Beijing there should be signs in English telling you where to go. You'll need to clear immigration/customs and collect your baggage. What airlines are you flying? You should be able to figure out which terminal you'll be arriving and departing from. Why are you trainsiting through Beijing? Are there no direct flights to Shanghai? As for your layover time, best just to park up somewhere and jump on the free wifi. You will need roaming for the free wifi as you have to register and receive login details via SMS.

Well the longest I go to China for is a month and the shortest is 4 days.

Astrill every time. $30 gets you 3 months at the minimum package.

They've changed it now so you can use 1 mobile and one computer on the standard account without logging each other out.

They're quite reliable and good speeds. I'll be getting the 3 month package again for my 1 month trip at the end of the year.

Get a VPN. I find Astrill works pretty well on both my phone and PC. This will save you a lot of hassles getting to things online and will also allow you to access ESPN while you're away - solving that problem.

In Beijing and Shanghai there are plenty of western sports bars that will have ESPN running. In Shanghai specifically they have The Camel and The Big Bamboo which are popular among expats wanting to catch some footy.

Going to Suzhou AND Tongli is a bit of a waste of time - they're much of a muchness.

If you're in a tour group you'll be carted into fake markets and the eyes of the vendors will light up like Christmas. I remember being in the pearl market in Beijing when an american tour group were there, paying around $200 USD for fake Tag Heuer watches thinking they got a bargain.

Being an NFL fan you'll find almost every football top you want, along with NBA and NHL gear. I manage to get the tops at around 80-100 RMB on the day which is probably still a rip off. Most of them will speak some/enough English to haggle and they'll wave a calculator in front of you. As /u/AGoodIntentionedFool said, if you uber-lowball them then you'll get booted out. Chip away at the price and never go up. If you walk out of the store they will usually chase you and drag you back in and magically cave. Everything is fake and never lasts, though my Omega Seamaster is still ticking 6 months later. "3 year warranty" too.

Don't bother buying fake electronics.

Skype works just fine. Reddit works just fine, though imgur is blocked. Download Skype before you go as the Chinese version is not secure. Facebook and Twitter are obviously blocked, you can either set up your own proxy or use one of the many commercial VPN services. Don't use Astrill though, it's shit.

Is there a website version of this? I'm not in China yet.

Edit: The Chinese website looks identical to the English one, direct connections only: http://trains.ctrip.com/TrainBooking/Search.aspx?from=beijing&to=xining&day=35&fromCn=%B1%B1%BE%A9&toCn=%CE%F7%C4%FE

Edit edit: You're right, the Chinese app is available worldwide and automatically searches for connections! And it even lets you control connecting cities, whether you'd prefer to sort by fare, speed or arrival time, etc.

I was just there last week for vacation, so I wasn't timing the trains too much (not in a rush to get anywhere).

I used the Metro Man app, which seemed pretty accurate. Pop in your starting and ending location and it will give you ETA, fare cost, route options.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xinlukou.metroman

Instal Alipay and set up pocket - it will allow you to pay with your foreign card through your phone. In China your real card will be kinda useless in most places, everything is paid with phone, by scanning QR codes. Little grandma’s, who sell their own tomatoes in the most rural village will have a smartphone and QR code for you to scan. Cash is mostly accepted, but looks weird.

Get Trip app for booking hotels and train tickets. Their customer service speaks English and is ready to call the hotel in the middle of the night. No, you can’t just walk into a hostel, as not every place accepts foreigners.

You will need a healthcode for going anywhere, for which you need functional Chinese phone number and proper Alipay . So you will have to get a SIM, but that’s not really possible for tourists, so I have no idea how you will solve this. Maybe tourist sim card will be enough? Fund out ASAP, because it’s going to be BAD without healthcodes. Like you will sleep under the bridge bad.

Get WeChat. Have it ready. Get Astrill VPN. Yes you need it. I know it cost a lot. You need it in these days.

Also currently tourist visas are not being issued. So how are you coming? Family visa?

• Go to Sanlitun

• Listen to One Night in Beijing

With a vpn (Astrill is one of the more reliable ones - but there are many), there is no reason you shouldn’t continue to use Google as you are now. I use Gmail, Google drive and Google photos daily. Why change systems if you’re happy working with the Google suite. Just download a vpn and continue as you are

Great advice!

> There is an ancient tea house along the river fairly close to the salt museum

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g658403-d1824435-r171309242-Wangye_Temple-Zigong_Sichuan.html

I did it via luxury cruise and it was a boring 4 nights.

If you want to go cheap I would recommend a combination of bus/train and hydrofoil.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294211-d354070-r149164842-Three_Gorges-China.html

Attractions along the 3 gorge are most mediocre. A lot of it are newly built after the original sites were flooded.

If you find a really scenic spot along the river, get off at the next stop to explore.

I think is "bikeable" because is around 30km between them. Also I want to correct my first answer. The distance to Gongcheng station is ~60km according to one of the replies here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g303712-i9808-k8452686-Guilin_Hong_kong_train_Gongcheng-Yangshuo_County_Guangxi_Zhuang.html ..."Gongcheng train station opened December 2014. it is 60Km from Gongcheng station to yangshuo .and it takes approx 70minutes by car ."...

1- Still busy but winding down for the holidays

2- weather.com

3- For tourism you'll be fine but if you plan to do some wholesale business then you'll need help.

4- mpas.me, Apple maps or Google maps (with VPN).

5- only at your hotel.

6- For touristy stuff, it is more than you need. There is nothing to see in Shenzhen.

7- You need a visa.

I was planning on making a post about this, but you should definitely visit the Five Fingers Hostel if you go to Tiger Leaping Gorge! Cannot recommend this place enough. The people who live there are so incredibly sweet and make a mean meal! They don't speak English, but I did take a look at a book that previous guests signed and they seem to have guests from all over. There's a summary of the hostel there. http://wikitravel.org/en/Tiger_Leaping_Gorge

Also, its about 15 min walk away from the Halfway Hostel. From Halfway Hostel they told us to "follow the pipes" that we saw along the trail. Those directions were actually perfect as they got us to the right place!

Best travel experience I had last year in Yunnan was trecking in Yubeng, near Deqin on the border to Sichuan and Tibet. The place can be reached solo on foot and without ponies, and you can do several day tours there. It should be possible to travel on to Yading. I got there via Shangri-La and just went back this way. http://wikitravel.org/en/Yubeng

Since you are in Zhengzhou, I would suggest taking a trip to Kaifeng. It's nearby, has lots of history, a night market with great street food, and if you want to stay overnight accommodation is cheap.

As others have said, the best thing to do before taking a trip is to look up the place you want to go on Wikitravel, eg. Kaifeng.

Then figure out how you are going to get there (bus or train) and get tickets in advance, or just turn up at the train station and get one on the day. It's a short trip so you can probably just wing it, worst case scenario you get a standing ticket.

Then check out Ctrip or Elong for hotels if you want to stay the night. And choose one from the results.

If that trip goes well, start looking into places that are further away.

Cheap interesting domestic travel is really what keeps me in China. People are talkative and friendly everywhere, and there is always a way to get somewhere, or get home.

Good luck and safe travels!

Sounds like your good to go then.

Since you are in the vicinity, it is probably good to checkout Tagong Temple.

I heard of a trek here called Yala Snow Mountain trek. The Yala pass is 4200m. It is roughly 3 days.

The route looks roughly something like this.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/directions?engine=fossgis_osrm_foot&route=30.1290%2C101.9336%3B30.1154%2C101.7554#map=12/30.1910/101.7753

Trekking maps in this area is just really hard to come by. If you do attempt the trek, make sure to do your research a forehand. Getting lost on Tibetan plateau in November is no joke. Also, Kangding itself has hostels where you can bump into interesting and eccentric people.

Yes, my wife (Chinese) also had flights cancelled when trying to get back to China. I highly recommend using matrix to search for direct flights: https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

Sadly, I don’t know what to say other than try to get back and it’s much easier to sort things out once here. Sorry, probably a question best answered by the exit entry department of your province.

Absolutely. Was a life-saver for me, since I didn't have any problem when I made the initial $10 transfer on the mobile app, but then was totally roadblocked once I tried the higher amount.

You can download it here.

Going later this month, thinking about ordering these from amazon:

AIS Unlimited Travel Sim for Asia Prepaid 18 Countries for 16 Days(8days ×2) (China, Tibet Include) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DZT4X7P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_MQtICb4PNEN22

Might be worth it to buy a short term sim on amazon so you at least have service when you land. Then you can find a cheaper local option later.

Most reports from travelers is that ExpressVPN is among the best. No VPN will work 100% of the time. Make sure to read their China instruction page and note their email. They have a good customer support if you have issues once there.

Thank you for clarifying the situation with using hotmail. I've been super confused as to what I can and can't access and do, but at least I'll be able to access my email now! Would I be able to send attachments? I've looked more into VPN's and even though I'm a complete drip with tech, I think I'm going to go for it - Astrill looks good so thanks for the suggestion! We're going to try and convince our Chinese Prof. to take us to get a couple of sims to share between the group :)

Your family can download wechat. You can use Hotmail without vpn in China (I do) but you can't download attachments. If you stay in a hotel you'll have wifi, but if you try to get the wifi in public places it won't work for most cases because you may need a Chinese cellphone number. I would download a VPN tho, most provide with a free month try. Check express VPN or Astrill. I'm writing this using Astrill. You probably won't be able to buy a sim card because you need to provide a Chinese ID card, but if you go with a Chinese person he/she may be able to convince the sim card provider to let you buy one (I did that when I was staying only two months). Enjoy your trip!

Get a VPN before you travel to China! I used Baidu Map instead of Google Maps when I was in China, although it's only in Chinese but I found it pretty straight forward to use (with my location turned on).

Thank you. I did not know about Didi. I will learn about it. Last time, I asked my Chinese friends to call taxis or used Uber. It seems like I should bring several N95 masks to China. Does ExpressVPN or SurfVPN work well in China these days?

It’s all a whack-a-mole game between the vpns and the Chinese government. ExpressVPN worked earlier this year. Not sure about now (they’re cracking down harder in the lead up to Oct 1 and the HK protests).

Chengdu in Sichuan province is where you can see pandas. Possibly you might be able to hold them, although that has gotten more expensive and restricted in recent years. I suggest focusing on just 1 or 2 cities, if you have never been to a China before.

Beijing has 5 UNESCO sites and is great in October. Chengdu is quite different and would be worth a trip.

Keep in mind, jet lag will really have an affect upon you.

is excellent. Based in Romania.

Also, explore alternative (usually non-American) services that are not blocked. Yandex is excellent for email, search, and online storage.

i didn't have pleasant experiences with NordVPN, Vypr, PureVPN. Other people might.

they 'almost' have everything. they don't have internet access to Reddit, Google, etc. Maple syrup might work. Fridge magnet ? Although most of them are actually manufactured in China.

I just spent 3 weeks in China. (July-August 2019). I was able to access Google, YouTube and banned sites without problems. (Option: "Obfuscated Servers").

I used my Android smartphone and my Windows 10 ultrabook with NordVPN applications.
The connection depended on the device used. (Japan, United Arab Emirates, and even Switzerland because the connection was faster. Hard on Singapore and never on Hong Kong).

I was using Wi-Fi and a Chinese 4G LTE SIM card from "China Telecom".
I was mainly to Yichang, Hubei province.

Obviously the connection was sometimes lost. But overall I am very happy to have chosen NordVPN. This goes through the Great Firewall of China (GFW) !

The Golden week is basically a 7days national holiday week, 2019 will be 1 - 7 Oct. I would try to avoid it, You are pretty much fighting everyone for spots at attractions, my experience was I waiting 4hrs to get tickets, and got to wait hrs again just to get in.

From Shanghai to Beijing you will need to take domestic flights (2hrs flights not including going to the airport, checking in, passing customs, this is also the high season for ticket prices) or train tickets (6hrs), anything less than 6-7 hrs Trains are good way to go. during Golden week good luck in getting a ticket.

Since everyone is on holiday, the great wall will be packed with peoples.

You can subscribe to a month of VPN, and share. Less than 12 bucks. ExpressVPN is reliable.

NordVPN didn’t work for me last time I was in China. May want to consider a back up

Also a Chinese map app. Apple maps works ok. But google maps has a GPS offset (even with VPN).

Try set up your bank account and get Alipay / Wechat pay working as soon as possible. Visa and MasterCard don’t work in China (only a few places). Bank of China in Aus can give you an international UnionPay card which will work at a few more places. But it’s still limited in functionality compared to a mainland issued UnionPay card.

Tantan is Chinese Tinder

The thing is that not every VPN works in China due to the dreaded Great "Firewall"...

I know for a fact that VyprVPN's Chameleon protocol works like a charm, and I have heard ExpressVPN works, as well.

Here is a site that has other options, and compare brands according to price, reputation, speed, and other attributes.

>I'm conversationally fluent in Chinese so hopefully that'll help with getting around :)
>
>Thanks for highlighting Explore Beijing! I'll be in China for 10 days so knowing they've affordable mobile plans is great since I got scammed in Shanghai. Is there a China Unicom stand at the airport? Also had no clue that Astrill works since ExpressVPN has been a huge pain the past few days.

Yea, I figured out the issue. I'm using expressVPN and by default it blocks internet connection if you can't connect to the VPN. Once I disabled that setting I could connect fine (but only to sites allowed in China). I also was able to connect to the Hong Kong server on ExpressVPN eventually on my laptop but not my phone.

If it's 5-6 days and you don't mind the extra $50-$60 then go for it.
Be certain that your 4G connection will be available and that Google won't be blocked.

I would also recommend getting a free VPN trial from Astrill/Nord/Express just in case for when you're on Wifi. It's free to get a trial.

Also, the biggest issue with Google maps is not that it 'doesnt work' is that Google relies on community contributions to update their maps. No one updates Google here. It has very very very few things, and in some places, it doesn't even have the bus/subway information, etc.

Just come back from Xishuangbanna, same problem. Even when I could get it to connect it would drop very shortly thereafter on a Wifi connection on my laptop(Astrill). I was last in the mainland in March, never had a problem at all.

Reports are that there's a big crackdown on VPN's at the moment post the Tienanmen anniversary along with the Hong Kong protests.

BTW is your phone on a China SIM card or a roaming card from outside the country? This time I took a roaming card with me from AIS in Thailand and didn't even need the VPN, the connection routed me through a DNS in Thailand and nothing was blocked.

I definitely suggest having 2 VPNs for the times that 1 isn't working. I used Express VPN but various times, I would open the app and it was updating and I could not use it. But this update was for many, many hours... like 20 hours. There was no way to even do anything in the app. This was on an Android but my partner with an iPhone didn't have this issue at the time. During these times I used Private Internet Access VPN which worked well for me. NordVPN is having a sale that ends today but I haven't tried it myself.

For the transit without visa you’ll be fine - I’ve done it on separate airlines / separate tickets before. Others might say it’s not necessary but BRING PRINT OUTS of your inbound & outbound flight and hotel reservations. Your phone could die or the immigration agent might not like your digital copies.

You might also want to print out the 144 hour TWOV rules from the embassy just in case your check in agent in London demands to see your Chinese visa - I’ve read stories of people barely making their flight because they’ve had to convince the agent that they don’t need a visa.

Personally I prefer the Puxi area over Pudong. Puxi is the side of the river where the Bund is, as well as Nanjing walking street, the old foreign concessions, etc. Pudong is super modern and has a lot of great hotels but it was pretty much swampland 30 years ago so not much history. (Worth a visit for sure - especially to one of the observatories in the skyscrapers, and the view of the Bund from across the river - it’s lit up until around 10 pm.)

Get yourself a roaming plan with your mobile provider, or a Chinese sim on eBay. Most of these are data only, routed through a HK telco, so you’ll be able to bypass the Great Firewall. Also get a good VPN so you can use Wi-Fi in your hotel (ExpressVPN and NordVPN both work well in China.)

Enjoy!

A lot of VPNs are being attacked due to the Two Sessions going on. That and they've just upped their VPN blocking game. I recommend getting two VPNs. My favorite is VyprVPN. Feel free to DM for vpn-specific stuff.

You need a VPN if you want to use Google, Facebook, etc. while in China. You can use them on your cell phone, if it's a US carrier and you use your data (which will be super pricey). A VPN "masks" where you are connecting, so you get around the great firewall. I haven't been back to China in over a year, so I'm not sure which ones are the good VPNs to use. I think I used ExpressVPN. Just look closer to your trip to pick one out.

I live in Suzhou. I am not sure if you have been to China before. Install wechat and Didi. Download Google translate Chinese to English offline pack. Get a paid VPN service, something like ExpressVPN or NordVPN or Astrill. Sim card is easy to get. If cost is not a concern you can buy one at the airport, of not you can walk into any CMCC or China Unicom store and you should be able to get one. Open a bank account and get wechat pay or Alipay.

DM me if you have any more queries

what works for some, may not work for others

 

I use Astrill and Express VPN

 

when one doesn't work, I will use the other. It helps me avoid internet blackouts

 

I keep Vypr, Windscribe, and Proton on standby in case those two are having problem

 

stay away from PureVPN. They are good during trials but never work after I paid

This November, I took ExpressVPN and Surfshark with me to the Shanghai area. ExpressVPN worked the vast majority of the time. There were a few times when it wouldn't connect, but if I tried a little later, it would work. Speeds were great. I never did get Surfshark to work.

The only places that have few restrictions on the Internet are some important research universities and 5 star hotels. A VPN is a must-have, there is no doubt about it. Vypr, Astrill, ExpressVPN are generally the preferred providers out there.

You should check out NrdVPN & PureVPN. I've tried both, and they're really good. NrdVPN has the best reviews on the web, but PureVPN has an amazing promotion going on now - $29 for a 1-year subscription.