10 Things you need to know before coming to China for business trip

Every time when we visit a totally different country, challenge and freshness exist at the same time. As we always say, be well prepared before the opportunity comes. And a general basic knowledge of the country which you are going to visit will definitely help you a lot when you are there.

If you are planning to visit China for business, here are some tips and suggestion for you which may be helpful to make your trip successful.

1. WhatsApp / Facebook

As WhatsApp is blocked in China, it can be only accessible via VPN. So it is better to download 2~3 VPN on your phone before coming to China to make sure the connection. However, if you can turn on the international roaming and keep using your original country sim card then you can access WhatsApp without any problem. If you use local China internet then you have to access via VPN. Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Dropbox / Pinterest / Google + are also blocked in China.

2. Gmail / Hotmail / Yahoo Mail Gmail is also blocked

It is better to download your files or documents in your mailbox that you need before coming. Hotmail is working here in China. Yahoo mail is working most of the time.

      3. Language

Language Here most of the people can’t speak English, so are the taxi drivers, while there are some staff in the hotel that can speak English. Most of the suppliers in the market can’t speak English, they mainly speak Chinese. In Guangzhou & Foshan, people also speak Cantonese.

4. Tips / Gratuity.

In China, giving tips to the servants is not a common practice. So if you are eating in a restaurant or staying in a hotel, it is not necessary to give tips. However, if you are staying in a 5-Star hotel, when the waiter helps you with the luggage, then it is suggestible to give tips.

5. Money / Currency / USD / VISA Card

Nowdays, paying through the phone becomes a trend in China and fewer and fewer people carry cash. Chinese people use e-money like the popular application” Alipay” and “WeChat” to pay for bus, taxi, shop or restaurant etc, even begging!

Only with an application on your mobile phone you can do anything for the payment. Wechat is also an application to chat with Chinese suppliers, therefore we suggest you to download one if possible and it even has the translation functions!

Here the local currency is called RMB or YUAN. Dollars and other foreign currencies are not used in the market. If you want to withdrawal some RMB then the best and easiest way is by ATM.

Here most of ATMS accept VISA or MaterCard. It is not suggestible to change dollars via local bank as the bank are always busy and 2-3 hours needed even for changing 100 USD

6. Weekend / Working day

Here most of companies are off on the weekend (Saturday & Sunday).However, all of the markets, shops, mall are still open during weekend. So that’s why sometime the foreigners joke that Chinese people never rest, they are always working!

Normally in China, companies open from 9:00~18:00. The market normally opens from 10:00~18:00. Some will be close later like 19:00 or 19:30. Here restaurants open till the night. Most open until 22:00. Some will last until 1:00AM.

7. Food / Restaurant

China is famous for its delicious food, and every city has its specialty. For example, Cantonese food is mild ;Hunan cuisine is salty; Sichuan cuisine is very spicy; and Northwestern cuisine has many different kinds of noodles and some of them are Muslim restaurants.

8. Train ticket / Flight ticket

If you want to book local high speed train ticket or flight ticket, you can book through C Trip. It’s  very easy and it has different language versions. The website for C Trip is: www.ctrip@com

     9.Policemen / Medical Emergency

Here the policemen hotline is: 110. But most of the policemen don’t speak English. Medical emergency hotline is: 120.

It will be my pleasure to assist you when you encounter any problems or if you need any service in China.

Experienced in the construction machinery interpretation for over 6 years, I believe that i will definitely make your business trip wonderful in China!

Contact me and let’s talk more!

Articles written by the author: Hailley Fu