Guides
How to do things in China
Updated
Each guide walks you through one everyday situation in China, step by step. It shows what the place is like, what to say at each step, and what people usually say back. It ends with practical tips. Each situation is also a scene in Very Chinese Time in My Life, where you practise it out loud.
Arriving and staying
The first hours: getting out of the airport and checking into a hotel with a foreign passport.
- How to get a taxi or ride-hailing car from an 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. Read
- How to check into a hotel in China with a foreign 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. Read
Eating
Ordering where there is no English menu: a breakfast stall, a noodle shop, a night market.
- How to order breakfast at a street stall 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. Read
- How to order noodles in China, spice level included A small noodle shop: choosing how spicy, big or medium, ordering a drink, and answering when the cook asks if it’s good. Read
- How to eat at a 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. Read
Shopping and paying
Paying by phone, and the quick questions at a convenience store checkout.
- How to pay by phone in China as a foreign visitor Linking a foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay, the two ways of scanning, and what cashiers ask at the till. Read
- How to shop at a convenience store in China The four quick questions at the till (heat it up, a bag, membership, a receipt), what to answer, and paying. Read
Getting around
Asking the way, taking the metro and taking a high-speed train.
- How to ask for directions and take the metro in China Stopping a stranger politely, asking where the metro station is, understanding the answer, the security check and the gates. Read
- How to take a high-speed train in China as a foreigner Buying a ticket with your passport, the ID check at the entrance, security, the departure board, finding your car on the platform. Read
When you feel unwell
Saying what is wrong at a pharmacy and understanding how to take the medicine.
Visiting people
Being invited into a Chinese family’s home for a meal.