Practical guides

The things nobody explains before you arrive: how to pay for a coffee, how to unlock a bike, which hospital to walk into, and the deadline that starts the moment you put your bags down.

Paperwork

The first week, in order

Seven days, six errands, and the two deadlines that are counted in hours rather than days.

6 min read

Money

Alipay, set up properly

The one app that has to work before anything else. Registration, passport verification, foreign cards, and what to do when a payment is refused.

8 min read

WeChat Pay, and why you need both

WeChat is the messenger everyone uses and the wallet half of the country prefers. Setting up payment inside it, and the account limits foreigners run into.

5 min read

Opening a Chinese bank account

What the branch will ask for, which banks are used to foreigners, and why the account is worth the afternoon it costs.

6 min read

Getting around

Shared bikes: the whole thing in ten minutes

Three networks, no separate app needed, and the one rule — where you park — that decides whether a ride costs one yuan or twenty.

7 min read

Metro, buses and the QR that replaces a ticket

How to get through the gate without a card, what the security check actually looks for, and the hours nobody tells you about.

6 min read

Taxis and Didi without speaking Chinese

Ordering a car, saying where you are going, and the two habits that keep a ride boring.

4 min read