Connectivity
Which apps to install
The set is small, but install it at home: on the ground the first install takes longer.
Essential
WeChat — a messenger, payments and half your business correspondence. People here use it instead of email and the telephone.
Alipay — payments, metro travel, hailing a taxi and some government services in one app. For a visitor it is the most versatile tool there is.
A translation app with a camera — it reads menus, signs and contracts straight off the screen.
As needed
Maps with Chinese detail — the navigation apps you are used to show less here, and show it worse.
A food-delivery app, if you are not staying in a hotel.
Worth knowing
Install everything before you fly and create the accounts straight away. Registering from abroad goes more smoothly than from a Chinese IP address without a local number.
Checked: 26 August 2026
Editor: The PANDA editorial team
What you can hand to PANDA
Sources
- PRC government portal for foreignersofficial source
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