China travel checklist: 16 things to do before you go
Everything on this list is something you cannot fix from the airport, or cannot fix cheaply once you land. Work through it in any order, tick items off as you go — your progress is saved on your own device, so you can come back to it over the next few weeks.
0 / 16 done
Documents and entry4
Airlines and immigration both look at this, and a renewal can take weeks. It is the one item on this list you cannot fix at short notice.
Many nationalities can now visit China visa-free for short trips, and there is a separate rule for transit passengers. The rules change often, so confirm on the Chinese embassy or consulate site for your passport before you book anything non-refundable.
Most hotels can, but a few budget places are not set up for foreign passports. Booking platforms usually show which is which — worth checking before you pay.
Hotel check-in, ticket desks and any police report may all ask for the details. A photo means you do not have to carry the real thing everywhere you go.
Money and payment3
Scanning a QR code is how China pays for almost everything, and both apps now accept international cards. Do it at home while you still have your bank's SMS and a reliable connection — it is much harder to sort out from inside China.
Foreign-card payments are sometimes flagged the first time they are used abroad, and unblocking it from another country is slow.
You will rarely need it, but if a phone dies or an app refuses to load, a few hundred yuan is what gets you back to the hotel.
Phone and data4
An eSIM or a roaming plan is far easier to set up at home than at the airport. You need data to pay, to translate, and to call a car.
Some of the services people use daily are not available in mainland China. Decide what you will use instead before you fly, and save offline copies of anything you need on the way in — tickets, bookings, addresses.
Useful when signal drops, essential when you are navigating on foot. Do it on hotel wifi the night before, not in the street.
Chinese for directions →China runs on 220V with type A, C and I sockets. Your phone is your wallet, your map and your translator at the same time — running out of battery is a real problem, not an inconvenience.
The Chinese you will actually need5
These come up dozens of times a day, and the first thing you say usually sets the tone for the rest of the exchange.
30 everyday phrases →Spice level and allergies are the two things you cannot gesture your way out of, and menus outside big hotels are rarely in English.
Restaurant phrases →Drivers rarely speak English, and the single most useful sentence you own is pointing at an address and saying “please take me here”.
Travel phrases →Screenshot it or keep it on your home screen. You will show this screen to a taxi driver more than once, and you will not want to be spelling it out.
Hotel phrases →“I don't speak Chinese”, “please help me”, “I'm lost”, “call a doctor”. Reading them once at home is the difference between panic and a sentence you can actually say.
Emergency phrases →
Your ticks are stored on this device only — no account, nothing uploaded.
While you're in China
Once the admin is done, the day-to-day part is a few phrases in the right situation. These 94 phrases are grouped by where you'll be standing when you need them.
Questions people ask before a trip
What should I prepare before travelling to China?
Four groups cover almost everything: documents (passport validity, entry rules for your nationality, accommodation that can register foreign guests, a photo of your passport), money (set up Alipay or WeChat Pay, tell your bank, carry a little cash), phone (data plan, which apps may not be reachable, offline maps, power bank and plug adapter), and Chinese (everyday, restaurant, transport and emergency phrases). That is the 16-point checklist on this page.
Can I use my credit card in China?
Sometimes — hotels, airports and large stores usually take cards. For everything else, from taxis to small restaurants to convenience stores, people pay by scanning a QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both apps now accept international cards, and setting them up before you fly is much easier than sorting it out after you land.
Do I need a visa to visit China?
It depends on your passport. Many nationalities can enter China visa-free for short trips, and there is a separate rule for transit passengers. These rules change often, so confirm on the Chinese embassy or consulate site for your nationality before you book anything non-refundable.
Do I need to speak Chinese to travel in China?
In big-city hotels and airports you can often get by in English. Taxis, small restaurants, shops and train stations are a different story — there is frequently no English at all. A few dozen phrases cover almost every situation, which is what this site is for: every phrase comes with Chinese characters, pinyin and audio that works offline.
How many Chinese phrases do I need for a trip?
Around 30 everyday phrases (hello, thank you, yes, no, excuse me, I don't understand) plus 10 to 15 in each situation you expect — restaurant, taxi and train, hotel, shopping and emergencies. This site has 94 free phrases across those six situations, all with audio and pinyin.
Start with the phrases you'll use on day one
Learn the everyday phrases