The setup that has to happen before you fly — Alipay, VPN, eSIM, visa, and maps. Get these right and China runs smoothly from the moment you land.
Six apps, not twelve. Alipay + WeChat + eSIM + Maps + translation + Trip.com. DiDi, bikes, metro QR live inside Alipay as mini-programs. Setup links to deep guides.
Yes, by the metrics that matter — but the real risks are operational, not criminal. Solo female safety, the tea scam, the airport taxi, and the dead-phone failure mode.
Stop switching apps. iPhone Live Text + Apple Translate. Android Microsoft Translator. Pleco for words. Alipay/WeChat built-in wins inside Chinese apps. 2026.
China's tourist VAT refund went paperless July 1, 2026 — but the store must be enrolled and customs still validates. Real math: ~9% / ~6% net after fees.
Google Maps barely works in China: wrong coords, no transit, broken search. Which apps actually work in 2026—tested from inside China by an industry insider.
Forbidden City sold out, passport check failed? Compare booking channels (12306, Trip.com, Klook) for China's top attractions, and what to avoid in 2026.
Set up WeChat from outside China, link a foreign card to WeChat Pay, scan-to-pay quirks, what breaks at registration. A 2026 guide for first-time users.
30-min checklist: what to install, what to set up, and what to print before you fly to China. Visa-free or full visa—both paths covered, with 2026 timing.
Do you need a China visa? Visa-free transit, 10-day TWOV, the digital arrival card, and which embassy form to use. Updated 2026 with the latest country list.
Which eSIMs work in China (Holafly vs Airalo tested), how to keep WhatsApp/Google alive, and the SIM-vs-eSIM decision. Foreigner setup guide, 2026.
Which VPNs actually work in China right now—tested from inside the firewall, not from guidebooks. Plus the free-tier traps and 2024 favorites that died. 2026.
The Pack organizes every guide into a Notion workspace you duplicate — routed by your situation, with offline PDFs that work behind the firewall.