On the ground?
This stage covers the first 72 hours after landing and everything that can go wrong during the trip itself. The 7 articles below started shipping in 2026-05 specifically because foreigners arriving in China encounter a recurring set of issues — Alipay account freezes (typically triggered by velocity flags on first-day spend), hotel registration confusion at smaller properties, DiDi app setup that needs international-app variant + Chinese phone number workaround, occasional scam encounters at major tourist plazas (Jiefangbei in Chongqing, Wangfujing in Beijing) — that are well-understood by locals and expat communities but rarely documented in English.
The troubleshooter article is the umbrella — 12 specific problems with verified 2026 solutions, including the 95188 Alipay support line for foreign-card freeze incidents, the PSB hotel-registration license verification flow, train ticket name-mismatch handling, and the Chinese-phrase cheat sheet for emergency situations.
The DiDi article covers the international app variant (different from the Chinese app), 5-tier service comparison, foreign card payment via Alipay International, and the airport-pickup zone navigation (every major Chinese airport has a separate white-and-blue-signed DiDi pickup area). The lost-passport article is the 4-step PSB → embassy → ETD → exit flow for the worst-case scenario. The scams article (which is also linked from Stage 1) covers the 2026-04-15 22:30 tea-house tout observation at Jiefangbei and the 'art student gallery' pattern.
All articles + tools in this stage (7)
Frequently asked questions
My Alipay account got frozen — what should I do?
Call 95188 (Alipay support), select English, and explain the freeze. The editor has done this 3 times for foreign-card-bound accounts (2025-11, 2026-01, 2026-04). Resolution times observed: 22 hours, 56 hours, and 22 hours after the agent escalated. Have your passport number + the card last 4 digits ready. Common trigger: high-velocity first-day spend (multiple ¥500+ transactions in 30 minutes); the system flags it as fraud risk.
How do I use DiDi as a foreigner in China?
Download DiDi Rider (the international variant, NOT the Chinese DiDi app — they're different products). Sign up with your foreign phone number, bind a foreign card via Alipay International, and order rides like Uber. Airport pickups have a dedicated DiDi zone at every major Chinese airport (white-and-blue signage, usually outside arrivals at the third or fourth ground-floor exit). See the DiDi article for the 5-tier service comparison and scam-avoidance specifics.
What do I do if I lose my passport in China?
Four steps in order: (1) report to the local PSB police station within 24 hours for an incident report, (2) visit your country's embassy or consulate in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang for US; Beijing + Shanghai for UK; etc.) for an emergency travel document (ETD), (3) apply for a Chinese exit visa replacement sticker via the local PSB-Exit-Entry office (this lets you legally leave on the ETD), (4) exit. The whole process typically takes 5-10 business days. Carry insurance with emergency coverage (World Nomads / SafetyWing / Allianz tested).
Are tea-house scams still common in 2026?
Yes, at major tourist plazas — observed by the editor at Jiefangbei (Chongqing) on 2026-04-15 22:30. The pattern: well-dressed young women approach foreign-looking tourists, strike up English conversation, invite them to 'see traditional Sichuan tea ceremony'. The visit ends with a ¥1,000-3,000 bill for tea that should cost ¥30. Polite refusal ('不了,谢谢' bu le xie xie — 'no thanks') works; the touts move on within seconds. Real Sichuan tea-ceremony venues at Ciqikou or Chengdu have published ¥80-150 ticket prices and don't cold-approach tourists.
All 8 decision stages
From “Should I go?” through “Heading home?” — the full 8-stage decision journey for foreign visitors planning a China trip.
Back to homepage stage mapOr jump straight to booking
For decision-stage research we own the editorial layer; for booking, we recommend Trip.com — China's largest English-language travel platform.
Stage hubs at China for Travelers aggregate the editorial articles, tools, and planned future content for each phase of a 2-month China trip-planning arc. Items marked “Planned” have no link yet and will unlock once the underlying article ships. Last reviewed: 2026-05-20.