Practical Advice

Chinese Track Homepage

Quora China
Quora.com, a question and answer website, provides a lot of information from those living in China. An example would be What Tips and Tricks Have You Learned That HaveMade It Easier to Live in China Registration is required to read beyond the first answer, but highly worth it.

Online Purchases
TaoBao is commonly used to order just about anything and has excellent delivery options. Anything you can't find in the stores you can probably find on TaoBao. Unfortunately, it is only in Chinese and requires a little bit of a learning curve. Registration is not difficult, but as of early 2015, online payment setup requires extra steps for foreigners (i.e. you don't have a national ID number to link bank accounts). You can search for steps on how other's have linked bank accounts and you will required to submit passport and visa scans.

To Bring from Home
Not widely available in China:

Shoes greater than American size 10 or European size 43. Bring an extra pair if they are your favorite shoes or you are prone to larger feet.

Deodorant - not readily available outside large cities, antiperspirant even less. Roll-on deodorant is most common but can be uncomfortable and lead to staining. Baking soda is apparently an acceptable option, although abrasive after prolonged use.

High SPF sunscreen - the higher the SPF, the harder to find for those who burn easily.

Some over the counter (OTC) medicine: nasal sprays, digestive medicine, sleeping pills. Make sure substance is not banned in China and is readily transportable. The western pharmacies can be a little difficult to leave with what you want until your language improves, so bring enough to last a few months.

Micro water purifier if you want to readily drink tap water.

Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries for DSLR cameras.

A sense of using public restrooms without toilet paper.

Cell Phones
Most cell phone companies have little to none relationship with phone manufactorers, meaning contracts (e.g. 2-year contract), although available, are not commonly used. Most cell phones are pay as you go and SIM cards can be purchased and swapped. '''Networks:

The largest mobile network operators are China Mobile (750 million subscribers, GSM), China Unicom (200 million, GSM), and China Telecom (130 million, CDMA). Any smartphone (quadband especially) with GSM (900 and 1800 MHz bands) and/or CDMA chips can operate with a Chinese SIM card purchased with ID. Like most countries, per minute usage with SIM cards will cost more when roaming.

SIM card supplier service # (with option for English):

China Mobile: 10086 (24 hours service) China Unicom: 10010 (24 hours service) China Telecom: 10000 ( 24 hours service)

Purchasing a cell phone:
 * Public phones usually require use of an IC card than can be purchased almost anywhere (newstands, post office).

Xiaomi, contracts, cost, and suppliers.

Mobile Data
Traveling with a laptop, especially in unfamiliar areas, requires internet access on the go. Data hotspots are available. Cellular abroad

VPN
Accessing US-based web services is sometimes limited or inaccessible. A virtual private network (VPN) bypasses location-based IP blocking, allowing access to US, European, Australian, etc. servers, usually under encryption on both stationary and mobile devices. VPN services come as free and cost based, with security, accessibility, and bandwidth increasing with cost. Want to freely access Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Facebook or more? VPN.

Greatfirewallofchina.org can check to see if a website is accessible throughout mainland China. However, blocking is dynamic and can vary by webpage, not just by site. Also, keywords will trigger the block of a page. Because the Chinese web is constantly filtered, VPNs can often increase the speed of your connection (which is often not the case elsewhere).

As with most things, free VPNs can be unreliable. The USC provided VPN (Network Connect) will work on occasion, but it should be noted that this will only work on your computer, and not on phone or tablet. It may be worth it to you to pay for a VPN, as paid services police their connections to ensure reliability, offer support to customers having connection problems and offer connections on multiple devices. The following have been used with success in China:
 * WiTopia - Offers 2 simultaneous connections, unlimited server switches and connectivity on smartphones, tablets and computers; chat support from China can be accessed at jumpthewall.net
 * Astrill - Offers multiple simultaneous connections, unlimited server switches and connectivity on smarphones, tables and computers

Also, for iPad/iPhone users, 'Hotspot Shield' can be downloaded from the AppStore for a reasonable subscription fee.

'''It's recommended to subscribe prior to arriving in China and that you contact the company to find out what special adjustments need to be made to connect from China. '''Some VPN services are difficult to sign up for after your arrival.

In case you were curious about the legality of VPNs in China, Rick Hu somes it up pretty well:

"VPN is not illegal because the government never officially admits the firewall, let alone a law to forbid people bypassing it.

This is also not legal because in China the legal principle of Nulla poena sine lege (no penalty without a law) does not always work. By simply using a tool to bypass the firewall itself does not pose a threat to the regime. But if you post something that criticizes the regime for example, you might need to prepare for some guests knocking your door at midnight asking to check water flowmeter."

While mostly correct it is technically and literally illegal in certain circumstances. Obviously corporations need VPN and the law is hazy when it comes to VPN nodes outside China or not in partnership. Many savy internet users in China use VPN, but also know better or could care less about commenting on political issues. You should too, right?

Toilets in China
Yes, like the vast majority of the world, toilets in China are squatting style. A trash basket is provided to dispose of used toilet paper. Although gross by western standards, do not let this be the dividing factor between enjoying or not China. In comparison, it is a natural way to relieve yourself and you will figure it out in no time. Even McDonalds is not immune to squat toilets.

If you need some time to get used to it or just can't ever stand it, install one at your apartment if not already done so, and plan ahead. You could also sneak into a large, modern hotel, pretend to be a guest, and use the western style toilets near the lobby. You may see scratch marks on the seat, indicative of someone who tried to squat on the toilet and whose shoes left marks.

Many restaurants do not provide toilet paper within the restroom. They will often provide a pack of tissues, usually one kuai, for toilet paper. If you don't use it, you will not be charged. You'll usually have a leftover pack from a previous restuarant to carry around.

QQ, WeChat, and Skype


Tencent's QQ is by far the most popular instant and video messaging service in China and therefore the world. If you've hear three successive, high-pitched beeps around, someone's QQing another. With 800 million subscribers with up to 176 million on line at any time, QQ is quite popular. Behind Google and Amazon, Tencent is the third largest internet company in the world with a market cap of $38 billion.

WeChat (微信 - micro message)  - also built by Tencent, is a more mobile platform for chatting. Similar to WhatsApp, texting internationally is free. Cross-login is available with your QQ account.

QQ International is available at: QQ in English  The official smartphone version of QQ is available on all mobile platforms, although the display language for now is still in Chinese.

QQ can be used as a language tool. Some proficient, bi-lingual users will help you by correcting language errors. Initially joining a language exchange group chat is a way to practice your 中文 skills. Chinese chat sometimes works in mysterious ways: native speakers may randomly challenge you, some foreigners refuse to speak Chinese, and some miss the purpose of pan-lingual chat. If you can find a few serious exchange partners (preferably native Chinese wanting to improve their English), add them as friends and break away from group chat; you will benefit not only in language and culture, but perhaps the opportunity for a potential travel friend/guide or a place to stay outside the major cities. As a starter: using QQ to learn Chinese

Skype is available in China under a partnership with TOM. Prices  Note that Skype, or any messaging or call for that matter, can be monitored by China.