# How to do things in China

URL: https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/
Updated: 2026-11-05

Step-by-step guides with the Mandarin for each step: breakfast, paying by phone, taxis, hotels, the metro, trains, a pharmacy and a family visit.

Everyday situations in China in the order they happen, with the Mandarin you say and hear at each step and practical tips. Each one is a scene in the game.

## Pages

- [How to get a taxi or ride-hailing car from an airport in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/taxi-from-airport-in-china/): Turning down drivers at the exit, the taxi rank or a booked car, the driver checking your number, and small talk on the way.
- [How to check into a hotel in China with a foreign passport](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/hotel-check-in-china-passport/): Saying you have a booking, being asked for a Chinese ID card, handing over your passport, the camera, the deposit and the room card.
- [How to order breakfast at a street stall in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/order-breakfast-in-china/): Point and say “this one”, answer how many, choose for here or to go, and pay by scanning the code on the counter.
- [How to order noodles in China, spice level included](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/order-noodles-in-china/): A small noodle shop: choosing how spicy, big or medium, ordering a drink, and answering when the cook asks if it’s good.
- [How to eat at a night market in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/night-market-in-china/): Walking the stalls, asking if something is spicy, ordering by the skewer or the bowl, waiting for your number, and sharing a table.
- [How to pay by phone in China as a foreign visitor](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/pay-by-phone-in-china/): Linking a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay, the two ways of scanning, and what cashiers ask at the till.
- [How to shop at a convenience store in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/convenience-store-in-china/): The four quick questions at the till (heat it up, a bag, membership, a receipt), what to answer, and paying.
- [How to ask for directions and take the metro in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/take-the-metro-in-china/): Stopping a stranger politely, asking where the metro station is, understanding the answer, the security check and the gates.
- [How to take a high-speed train in China as a foreigner](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/high-speed-train-in-china/): Buying a ticket with your passport, the ID check at the entrance, security, the departure board, finding your car on the platform.
- [How to buy medicine at a pharmacy in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/pharmacy-in-china/): Finding a pharmacy, saying where it hurts, answering the pharmacist’s questions and understanding how often to take the medicine.
- [How to visit a Chinese family at home (and make dumplings)](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/guides/visit-a-chinese-family-home/): Buying fruit as a gift, greeting the family, tea, folding dumplings, being fed more than you can eat, and a toast.