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China for Travelers

China Pre-Trip Checklist

By the China for Travelers editorial team · Published 2026-05-15 · Updated 2026-09-13

This is the interactive layer over our full China pre-trip guide. It mirrors that guide’s items — the guide is the source of truth and carries the detailed reasoning, hotel lists and phrase card.

Progress
0/37 (0%)
Visa / entry: Pick your passport above to see whether you need a visa.
1

Payments — bind both Alipay and WeChat Pay

T-30 days · 0/4
2

Connectivity — the eSIM is the plan, not a VPN

T-7 days · 0/3
  • Nomad eSIM's China plans and prices →
3

Apps — download and pre-login

T-7 days · 0/3
4

Lodging — book a foreigner-accepting hotel

T-30 days · 0/2
5

Real-name attraction tickets

T-7 to T-14 days · 0/3
6

Airport arrival — the 2-hour flow

T-2 days (read) · 0/4
7

The 4 main scams to avoid

T-2 days (read) · 0/4
8

Dietary restrictions — bring a phrase card

T-2 days · 0/1
9

Cash strategy — ¥1000 backup is plenty

T-2 days · 0/3
10

The final 48-hour pre-flight check

T-2 days · 0/10

Progress is saved in this browser only (no account, no upload).

The eSIM we point people at

Nomad eSIM — China plans from US$4, either unlimited data per day or a fixed amount, on China Unicom and China Telecom, with hotspot supported. A plan that runs low can be topped up from inside China. Re-tested in September 2026.

See Nomad eSIM plans and prices Plans, prices and the two-minute install
Want the full reasoning? The detailed why-it-matters, the four scams in depth, the foreigner-accepting hotel chain list and the dietary phrase-card translations are in the full China pre-trip guide →

FAQ

When should I start the China pre-trip setup?
About 30 days out for anything that needs review time — binding a foreign card to Alipay/WeChat Pay takes 24–72 hours, and foreigner-accepting hotels and Forbidden City tickets should be booked 1–2 weeks ahead. The eSIM, VPN and apps are a T-7 task; scams, cash and the dietary card are a final-48-hours read.
Does this checklist tell me if I need a visa?
Yes — pick your passport and the visa/entry line updates to visa-free, 240-hour transit only, or tourist (L) visa required, using the same dataset as our visa checker. It links through to the full per-country detail.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in this browser only — no account, no signup, nothing uploaded. Tick items over the weeks before your trip and they persist on return. "Reset checklist" clears everything.
Is this the full guide?
It is the interactive layer over our full China pre-trip guide, which has the detailed why-it-matters, scam specifics, hotel chain lists and phrase-card translations. This tool mirrors that guide; the guide is the source of truth.

Once the checklist is green

Method. Items mirror our China pre-trip guide one-for-one; the visa/entry line is generated from the same visa-policy dataset as the visa checker, based on the passport you select. Progress is stored only in this browser’s localStorage — nothing is uploaded. Rules and prices change; confirm specifics in the linked guide before you fly. Last reviewed 2026-09-13.