Arriving
How to get a taxi or ride-hailing car from an airport in China
Updated
To get from a Chinese airport to your hotel, walk past the drivers who come up to you. Then take a taxi from the official queue, or book a car in an app and meet it at the pick-up area. This page goes through each step and what to say.
What is the arrivals exit like?
Big airports in China have three ways into the city: the official taxi rank, cars booked in a ride-hailing app, and trains or buses. Signs in Chinese and English point to each one.
On the way to the taxi rank, drivers often offer you a car. They are not official taxis. They ask a fixed price that is often much more than a metered taxi, and they may ask more than once.
Official taxis wait in a queue and use a meter. Ride-hailing cars pick up at a separate area, often a car park, and the app shows you the way. DiDi is the main app, and it has an English version. Either way, the driver will probably chat once you are in.
Step by step
In the order they happen. The Chinese lines come from the airport and the two car rides in the game.
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Walk past the drivers at the exit
Say a short, polite no. It works better than ignoring them. Keep walking to the signs for the taxi rank or the ride-hailing pick-up.
- You will hear 你好，要车吗？ (ní hǎo, yào chē ma?) Hi. Need a ride?
- You will hear 打车吗？去哪里？ (dǎ chē ma? qù ná li?) Need a cab? Where to? (打车 (take a taxi))
- 不用了，谢谢 (bú yòng le, xiè xie) No need, thanks
Say it to anyone who offers a ride you do not want. It means “no need”.
They may say 很便宜的！ (hěn pián yi de!) It's very cheap! (They often try once more.)
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If they name a price
Touts start with a high fixed price and lower it as you walk away. You do not need to bargain. Say 太贵了 (too expensive) or 不用了 (no need) again, and keep walking.
- You will hear 到市区，四百。 (dào shì qū, sì bǎi.) To downtown, four hundred. (市区 (downtown). Prices are in yuan.)
- You will hear 真的不要？ (zhēn de bú yào?) You really don't want it?
- 太贵了 (tài guì le) Too expensive
Say it when you hear a price you will not pay.
They may say 那三百五！ (nà sān bái wǔ!) Three-fifty, then! (They lower the price. Say 不用了，谢谢 (no need, thanks) again to end it.)
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Find your taxi or your booked car
For a taxi, join the queue at the rank. Staff often point you to the next car. For a booked car, the app shows its colour, model and plate number. The driver checks it is you by reading out the last four digits of your phone number, then repeats where you are going.
- You will hear 晚上好！是去酒店吗？ (wǎn shang hǎo! shì qù jiǔ diàn ma?) Good evening! Going to the hotel? (The driver checks where you are going.)
- You will hear 尾号二五八六？去兴安路，对吧？ (wěi hào èr wǔ bā liù? qù xīng ān lù, duì ba?) Last digits 2586? Going to Xing’an Road, right? (尾号 (last digits) of your phone number, then the destination.)
- 晚上好！ (wǎn shang hǎo!) Good evening!
Say it as you get in, in the evening.
- 是的 (shì de) Yes
Say it when the driver reads out your number and destination.
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Let the driver load your suitcase
Drivers usually open the boot and lift the suitcase in themselves.
- You will hear 箱子我来放！ (xiāng zi wǒ lái fàng!) I'll put the suitcase in!
- 谢谢 (xiè xie) Thank you
Say it when they put your bag in.
They may say 不客气！ (bú kè qi!) You're welcome!
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Answer the driver’s questions
Many drivers ask foreign passengers the same questions: where you are from, why you came, how long you have been here, if it is your first time in China. Short answers are fine. If you would rather not talk, a smile and a short answer usually end it.
- You will hear 哦，外国人！欢迎来这里。 (ò, wài guó rén! huān yíng lái zhè lǐ.) Oh, a foreigner! Welcome!
- You will hear 来这里干嘛啊？ (lái zhè lǐ gàn má a?) What did you come here for?
- You will hear 第一次来中国吗？ (dì yī cì lái zhōng guó ma?) First time in China?
- 旅游 (lǚ yóu) Travel
Say it when asked why you came. It means you are a tourist.
They may say 旅游好啊！这里好玩的地方多。 (lǚ yóu hǎo a! zhè lǐ hǎo wán de dì fang duō.) Travel is good! There are many fun places here. - 第一次 (dì yī cì) first time
Say it if it is your first time in China.
- 只会一点点 (zhǐ huì yì dián diǎn) Only a tiny bit
Say it when the driver says your Chinese is good. A modest answer is the usual one.
They may say 一点点？说得很好了！ (yì dián diǎn? shuō de hěn hǎo le!) A tiny bit? You speak very well!
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Arrive and pay
You pay for a booked car in the app, after the trip. In a taxi, check the meter, then pay by scanning the QR code in the car or with cash.
- You will hear 到了。 (dào le.) Arrived.
- You will hear 不客气，慢走！ (bú kè qi, màn zǒu!) You're welcome. Take care! (慢走 (walk slowly) is a usual goodbye.)
- 谢谢 (xiè xie) Thank you
Say it as you get out.
The pinyin shows how the words are really said, as in the game.
Practical tips
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Have your hotel address in Chinese
Drivers often do not know the English name of a hotel. Show a screenshot of the address in Chinese. Then you do not have to explain where to go.
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Install a ride-hailing app before you land
DiDi has an English version, and it also opens inside Alipay. Set it up at home so you can book from the baggage hall.
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Check the meter in a taxi
Official taxis use the meter. If the driver offers a fixed price instead, say no and take the next taxi in the queue.
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Keep your phone on
Ride-hailing drivers sometimes call when they cannot find you. You need a local SIM, an eSIM or a roaming plan for the call and the app to work.
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Think about the train or bus
Many big airports have a metro line, an airport train or airport buses into the city. They cost less than a car and avoid traffic.
Where to practise it in the game
Very Chinese Time in My Life begins at an airport arrivals exit at night.
The arrivals exit
Two drivers try to sell you a ride. One asks 400 yuan for the trip downtown and keeps lowering the price. You say 不用了，谢谢 (no need, thanks) or 太贵了 (too expensive) out loud until they give up.
The night ride to the hotel
Your booked car arrives. The driver puts your suitcase in the boot, checks that you are going to the hotel, and asks where you are from on the way.
A daytime ride later in the week
A ride-hailing driver reads out the last digits of your number. Then he asks why you came, how long you have been here, if you came alone, and if you like spicy food. At the end, he says your Chinese is good.
Questions
How do I get a taxi from the airport in China?
Follow the signs to the official taxi rank, join the queue and take the next taxi. It uses a meter. Ignore drivers who come up to you inside the terminal. They are not official taxis.
Should I take a ride from drivers who approach me at the airport?
No. These drivers usually ask a fixed price much higher than a metered taxi or a booked car. A polite 不用了，谢谢 (no need, thanks) is enough.
Can foreigners use DiDi in China?
Yes. DiDi is the main ride-hailing app in China. It has an English version, accepts foreign cards, and also works inside Alipay. Book the car, then follow the app to the airport’s ride-hailing pick-up area.
Why does the driver say 尾号 and some numbers?
尾号 (last digits) means the last digits of your phone number. Ride-hailing drivers read out the last four digits of the number on the booking to check they have the right passenger.
How do I tell a taxi driver in China where to go?
Show the driver your destination in Chinese characters, for example a screenshot of the hotel address. Many drivers do not read English, and place names said with the wrong tones are hard to recognise.
What do Chinese taxi drivers ask foreign passengers?
Where you are from, 来这里干嘛啊 (why did you come here), 来多久了 (how long have you been here), and if it is your first time in China. Short answers like 旅游 (travel) are enough.