Chinese Language & Life in China Guides

Practical guides for learning Chinese and navigating life in China — payments, food, festivals and etiquette, written for English speakers.

Living in China

Overcharged in China? How to Complain and Get Your Money Back (2026) The complaint lines that actually have teeth, the rules that protect you at a counter, and the evidence to collect before you walk away. Lost or Dead Phone in China: How to Keep Moving (2026) When your phone is the wallet, the map and the taxi, losing it or running it flat is a logistics problem rather than a disaster. The first hour, the SIM replacement rule, and the paper backup that saves the day. Lost Your Passport in China? What to Do, in Order (2026) Report it, replace it, and leave legally - the sequence, the documents the immigration service actually asks for, and the 30-working-day reality if your embassy cannot help. How to Order Food in China: Delivery Apps & QR Menus (2026) Scan a code at the table or order to your hotel room - here is how both work, what your rights are when a restaurant insists you must scan, and how to tell a real kitchen from a rented one. China Arrival Guide: Immigration, Fingerprints & Customs (2026) The half hour every visitor goes through: the arrival card, the fingerprint window, what the border officer asks for, and the red-versus-green channel decision at customs. China VAT Refund for Tourists: How to Claim It (2026 Rules) China VAT refund (departure tax refund): the two refund rates, the shop threshold, the airport steps and the paperwork - and what changed in 2026, with the official source behind each number. Your First 24 Hours in China: An Arrival Checklist (2026) Land, get connected, get paid, get to the hotel, eat something - in the order that actually works. Every step links to the full guide for that problem. China Subway Guide: How to Ride the Metro as a Foreigner (2026) The China subway is the easiest way to move in any big city: ticket machines take cash, QR codes work on most lines, and every station has English signs. Here is how to buy a ticket, what to do when the machine rejects your card, and how to transfer. How to Refund or Change a China Train Ticket (2026 Fee Rules) The fee depends only on how close you are to departure, and the tiers are published: free beyond 8 days, then 5%, 10% or 20%. The full scale, how changes differ from refunds, and how to do it with a foreign passport. How to Use DiDi in China as a Foreigner (2026 Setup & Payment) How to use DiDi in China as a foreigner: register with an overseas phone number, switch the interface to English, add an international card, and ride at a fixed price shown before you confirm - plus the taxi rules for when the app fails. Medicine in China: How to Buy It as a Foreigner (2026) Medicine in China is behind the counter, not on a shelf: you ask, the pharmacist hands it over. Here is where to find a pharmacy, what to say, which common medicine is sold over the counter, and when to go to a hospital instead. ATM in China: How to Withdraw Cash as a Foreigner (2026) ATMs in China usually take foreign cards, but not always - and the machine will not tell you why. Here is how to find one that works, the typical per-withdrawal cap, what the fees look like, and how much cash you actually need. Can Foreigners Stay in Any Hotel in China? (2026 Rules & Refusals) Officially hotels cannot turn you away for being foreign - a 2024 notice from seven ministries says so in writing. What the rule actually says, what to have ready at check-in, and the bilingual hotline that settles a refusal on the spot. Alipay for Foreigners: Setup & the 200 RMB Rule Set up Alipay in China with a foreign Visa or Mastercard: what binds, the fee over 200 RMB, and the four reasons a card fails. WeChat Pay for Foreigners: How to Set It Up in China (2026) WeChat Pay works for foreigners with an overseas card - if you get the setup order right. Here is the registration, the passport verification, why a foreign card fails to bind, and the 200 RMB fee threshold that decides how you pay. How to Get a SIM Card in China as a Foreigner (2026 Guide) Where to buy a Chinese SIM card, what it costs, what the passport rules actually are, and why your phone matters more than your wallet when you arrive. How to Take China's High-Speed Train as a Foreigner (2026 Guide) Booking, boarding and riding China's high-speed rail — which app to use, why your passport is your ticket, and the timing mistakes foreigners make most often. WeChat Pay Fees for Foreign Cards (200 RMB Rule + Unsupported Card Fix, 2026) WeChat Pay fees for foreign cards: free at or below 200 RMB, then 3% of the whole amount above it. Here is the 200 RMB rule with worked numbers, why a card shows as unsupported, refunds, and the spending limits. China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How to Use It (2026) If you are flying through China to a third country, you may be able to enter without a visa for up to 240 hours (10 days). Here is who qualifies, which ports work, and the two mistakes that get people turned away. Taking a Taxi in China Without Getting Overcharged (2026) Metered street taxis and ride-hailing apps are both cheap in China - the money is lost in two places: touts at the airport, and a driver who never starts the meter. Here is how to avoid both. The China Travel Apps You Actually Need (and What Each Replaces) Five apps cover taxis, navigation, translation, payment and food in China. Set them up before you fly, because registration is the part that needs a working phone number and a stable connection. What to Do If You Get Sick in China: Pharmacy, Clinic or Hospital In China the pharmacy handles small problems, the international clinic handles foreign patients, and the hospital handles the rest. Here is which door to walk through, and what to bring. Alipay or WeChat Pay Verification Failed? What to Do Before You Land (2026) Three different failures look identical on your screen. How to tell them apart, the official limit that explains most declined payments, what risk control actually is, the official support channels, and the fallbacks that keep you paying. TenPayGo: Tencent's New Payment App for Visitors to China (2026) Tencent's new app for overseas visitors: pay with Apple Pay, an overseas e-wallet or an international card — plus what it deliberately cannot do, what the official agreement says about fees, and how it fits next to Alipay and WeChat Pay. China Payment Limits for Foreign Cards: 5 Caps Five caps block a payment in China: USD 5,000 per transaction, RMB 3,000 at an ATM, your own bank's limit and two more - each with its source. Is China Safe for Tourists? Crime, Scams and What Actually Matters (2026) Is China safe for tourists? In the cities most visitors see, violent crime against foreigners is rare and the everyday risks are scams, traffic and getting your phone and money sorted. Here is what the official advisories actually flag, the scams worth knowing, and the eight-minute setup that prevents most problems. China Emergency Number: 110, 120, 119 and 122 (2026 Guide) China's emergency numbers are short and specific: 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire, 122 traffic accidents. Here is which one to call, what the operator will ask, what to do if you do not speak Chinese, and the five-minute setup that makes the call work. Tipping in China: Who You Tip, Who You Do Not (2026) Tipping in China is the opposite of the US: not expected in restaurants, taxis, hotels or bars, and it can even cause awkwardness. Here is where it is normal, where a service charge appears instead, and what to do if you want to thank someone properly. Can You Drink Tap Water in China? What to Drink Instead (2026) No - tap water in China is not for drinking. The UK's official travel advice puts it plainly, and hotels give you a kettle for a reason. Here is what to drink instead, what is safe for brushing your teeth, and where the ice question actually matters. China Travel: The Official Numbers (2026 Limits, Fees and Deadlines) Every number that decides a trip to China, in one place: the mobile-payment limits for foreign cards, the 200 RMB fee rule, ATM and cash-declaration thresholds, the 240-hour transit window, tax-refund rates and train-refund tiers. Each figure is shown with the government notice or company document it came from, and the date it was last checked. Hotel Check-in in China with a Foreign Passport (2026: What the Desk Actually Does) What really happens when you hand a foreign passport to a Chinese hotel front desk: the registration they are legally required to file, the 24-hour police reporting rule, what to have ready before you queue, the three things that most often stall a check-in, and what to do when the system will not accept your document. eSIM for China: Which Ones Actually Work, and Why Some Do Not (2026) Why one eSIM works perfectly in China and another does not: the difference between roaming data and local data, what each one lets you reach, the thing travel eSIMs do not give you (a Chinese phone number), five checks before you buy, and the five-step fix for when it will not connect after you land.

Language Basics

20 Chinese Phrases for Your First Day in China (2026) The phrases that get you through the airport, the taxi, the hotel desk and the restaurant on day one - with the words you will hear back, which matter just as much. How to Ask Where the Bathroom Is in Chinese (洗手间在哪里) 洗手间在哪里 (xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ) is the one sentence every visitor needs first. Hear it, read the tones word by word, and know which of the three Chinese words for toilet to use where.

Chinese Culture

Chinese New Year: Etiquette and Customs a Visitor Should Know Chinese New Year customs and etiquette for visitors: the greetings to use, how red envelopes work, which gifts to avoid, and what to do if you are invited to a Chinese home during Spring Festival. Chinese Lucky and Unlucky Numbers Explained Why 8 is everywhere, why buildings skip the 4th floor, and how number symbolism shows up in prices, gifts, phone numbers and weddings in China. Chinese Tea Culture: What a Guest Should Know Tea in China is a social ritual, not just a drink. Here is what to do when someone pours for you, how to respond, and the etiquette that trips up visitors. Chinese Table Manners: What to Do, What Is Rude, and Why (2026) Chinese table manners in one page: the chopstick rules, who starts eating, who pays, how toasting works, and the handful of things that actually cause offence - plus what is fine that visitors worry about for no reason. Bargaining in China: Where It Works and Where It Is Rude In China bargaining is normal in one type of shop and offensive in another. Learn the line, and you stop overpaying at markets without causing offence in a pharmacy or a taxi.

Learning Chinese

Duolingo vs 17Talk vs HelloChinese: Which Actually Teaches Mandarin? Three popular ways to start Mandarin, compared honestly: what each one is genuinely good at, where each one stops, and which to pick depending on your goal and timeline.