China Basics

Ensure Visa and Immigration Documents are in Order

In general for Western foreigners, a work visa through company is required to stay longer term. For US citizens, 10-year Tourist Visas allows stays for 60 days with multiple entries and exits.

A Permanent Resident Visa is notoriously hard to obtain even for foreigners who have been in the country for many years. Alternatively, foreigners can apply if they make investments of ¥10M RMB ($1.4M USD) into China. Urgent Talent and spouses can also apply for Permanent Resident.

Get a Bank Account and Set up Payments

Banking

Physical currency is mostly a thing of the past in modern China as most transactions occur via in-app or in-person digital payments. The first thing is to open a Chinese Bank account. This is expedited if you have are employed in China, have company sponsoring and place of residence.

The major banks include:

• ICBC

• China Construction Bank

• Bank of China

• Agricultural Bank of China

• and many others

All of which have many branches throughout any major city.

Payments

To get anything done in China, digital payments and mobile commerce is a necessity. This isn’t the 20th century anymore.

Once you have a bank account, then you will need to install:

• WeChat

• Alipay

• TaoBao

Once installed, please tie your bank account to the apps. Passport number and pictures are required.

After setup, paying for things in-person is as easy as either scanning their QR code or them scanning your QR code. You can even hand out red envelopes to friends. You’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

If you’re just starting out or are a tourist without residency, you can take a look at the TourCard within in the Alipay App - it’s a partnership between Shagnhai Bank and Ant Financial. It allows users to top up using a foriegn bankcard with fees up to 5%

How to Get Around

China has one of the most advanced high-speed rail systems in the world. For example, Beijing to Shanghai is a 4 hour train ride vs. a 12 hour car trip. Purchasing tickets occurs on the official government website, WeChat mini-program, or in person at the station.

The high speed rail experience is extremely convenient. Not only is is more cost-effective than other methods, you can even order food delivery on the train to be delivered at the subsequent stop. Foreigners are encouraged to pre-book tickets a couple of days in advance. Passports are required for purchase and entrance.

For local travel within the city, people will use a mix of calling taxis via the Didi app, taking public subways, or using bicycle/scooter ride-sharing such as Mobike.

Take Care of Your Health

China operates on a public healthcare system using national IDs. Private insurance and healthcare is also provided. Many foreign nationals use their company’s healthcare. But don’t fret Americans! Paying out of pocket is very cost-effective and in-line with other universal systems. There are not many local clinics or individual doctor’s office, so majority of healthcare takes place in the hospitals. Foreigners often prefer using international hospitals. Please check your city for locations.