Browsing Category: Real China Travel Questions - Answered

Visiting the Great Wall is high on the list for many first-time Beijing travelers. But once you’ve decided to visit Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城, Mùtiányù Chángchéng), another practical question appears: What’s the best way to actually get there? For a family, the answer isn’t necessarily the same as it is for a solo traveler. Four bus tickets start to narrow the price difference between public transportation, DiDi and hiring a private driver. One...

China’s metro systems are often one of the easiest ways for international visitors to get around. But the payment side can become confusing surprisingly quickly. One traveler had already opened Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) and tried to activate the Transport function, only to reach a screen asking for a Chinese bank account. They didn’t have one. So does that mean foreign tourists can’t use Alipay for the metro—or even that they need a Chinese bank...

Setting up payments is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty for first-time visitors to China. Even after successfully linking an international card to Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo), travelers often wonder: How do I actually know I’ve done everything correctly? Then Hong Kong adds another layer of confusion. Is AlipayHK a separate app? Does a tourist need it? And if you’re traveling with a Wise card, can you simply use that card to withdraw...

Setting up Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) before traveling to China can make everyday payments much easier. But what happens when you’ve followed the instructions, uploaded your passport—and Alipay still can’t verify your identity? Worse, what should you do when repeated verification attempts result in restrictions being placed on your account? A Western traveler preparing for China encountered exactly this problem. After uploading their passport twice without success, they wanted to know what to...

Getting around Chinese cities is relatively straightforward once you know which tools to use. But for first-time international visitors, the number of apps involved can make something as simple as calling a car feel unnecessarily complicated. One Western traveler had already successfully set up Alipay and WeChat, but hadn’t yet used DiDi. Their question was simple: could they access DiDi through the English version of Alipay rather than learning another app? We put...

For many first-time visitors to China, setting up Alipay (支付宝, Zhīfùbǎo) raises an immediate concern: why is a payment app asking for my passport? Then comes another question. If you register Alipay using your passport and an international bank card, does it work like a normal Chinese Alipay account? Can you pay merchants? Can other people send money to you? A Western traveler preparing for China asked exactly these questions. We put them...