Backpacking China Survivor Tips

Before I move on to the awesome storytelling of travelling through China, I feel that there is a need to talk about the rudimentary nessecity to actually navigate through China not just on a map but also through the systems of systems which is built entirely for Locals and not for International tourist. Its the nicer way to put it, for it can be said that China is living in the future already and that us tourist are the pre-bronze era.

Shanghai - China

Granted that some might dispute this statement above that China is totally international travel friendly and I dont doubt it for a moment espescially when you hit the popular places, but as a backpacker a little tricks opens up a whole new level of exploration.

Now I have a slight advantage of being able to speak the languege (Mandarin) on a rudimentary 12 year old kid level but I have no clue on how to read any of the words. In a sense, I am uneducated and illliterate in China’s perspective. Haha. However it does help being able to speak the languege making connections and immersing with the locals much easier as there is not much pause waiting for each google translate app to transfer the conversation.

Anyway I’ll break down the Survivor Tips into five sections namely, Languege, Internet, Money, Navigation, Accomodation and Transportation.

Languege
As mention, I could speak the languege, but at rudimentary level of a 12 year old kid I still had to have a backup sometimes. Google is blocked in China but supprise, Google Translate App is not. Even the Google Len’s Translation works in China and all one need to do is download the offline dictionary of simplified Chinese to English and it will work even without a connection to the web. It is however suvivor level skill only, and will not allow deep conversation to blossom.

Internet
As many knows, there is a Great Firewall of China when it comes to the web. Many things are blocked such as social media, google and who knows what. Most people mention things about VPN but the only sure way I know that works is by using a roaming sim card. Data Roaming to be exzact.

If this was maybe two years ago, the cost of Data Roaming a whole month in China would probabaly be more than the trip’s expenditure itself. I used a Singapore sim card which have a package of Asia Pacific roaming plan, paying SGD 20 per month for a 3GB of roaming data. 

Its not much and it works to get me out of a pinch. That said, I was definately tracking my data carefully. On the flip side, things that dont need circumvating the firewall can be brouwsed using wifi which is abundant in China.

Money
This one should be a hot topic with many people writing on the e-wallet payment in China. China has really almost successfully become a cashless country. Everyone has a phone even the poorest guy on the street that is asking you for some change will have a phone. 

With a phone comes e-wallet function like Alipay or Wechatpay which everyone uses to buy and receive money. Small time fruit vendors walking up to street tables selling pineapple will only accept e-wallet payment for a RMB5 purchase which is like SGD1 as they have literaly no cash in hand.

I have two forms of payment system setup when travelling in China. Alipay is one of them and the other is the Malaysia e-wallet TouchNGo. Both works the same way and both have the same limitation that I could only pay for things and not receive any money. I also could not pay directly to a person and that the QR code must be the business type and not personnal money transfer.

I wont go into the nitty grity of foreigner using Alipay or using TnG overseas for there are many write ups already on the web. I do have some comparison on both of them which will show how I use my money with the apps.

ALIPAY 

• Must install for all the miniapp fuctions. Allows for usage of public transport by obtaining a virtual bus card
• Allow for use of selective bycycle rental which is scattered all over the cities in China
• Allow for use of E-Hailing services such as Didi (Uber/Grab equivilent)
• Able to check the massive bullet train scheduel and also reserved the ticket (only if you obtained a Chinese Sim Card)
• Best for small transactions under RMB 100
• NOT good for large transaction ABOVE RMB 100, a 3% service fee is charge for these big transactions

Figuring out how to unlock an E-Bike using Alipay. 
Too many steps all in Mandarin which was hard for us that cant read. 
I partnered up with another traveller which also cant read and basicly using Google Lense Translate to go around the setting up procedure. 

TOUCH’N’GO

• Good for large transactions above RMB 100. NO service fee is charged.
• Only good for payment of goods.

COLD HARD CASH

• Good for deposits in hotels. Any transfer of money through the E-payment above means the hotel will have a hard time refunding you once you check out as they have no cash.
• When the above two fails and you have already consumed whatever it is you consumed, somehow they will accept the cash reluctantly.

Navigation
Ok so this is where doors open up a crack. Navigation for me is done using the chinese app called AMAP. Fully downloadable in google playstore, and totally in mandarin without a hint of english. Its function is a good or better than google maps and in a sense while in China, its 100% better than google maps coz it works.

I can’t read but zooming in and out of the map one can still find places when compared to google map or just ask locals to search the location in mandarin which I sometimes do. Once a location is found, mark a star or pin. With this Star the navigation become feasible. 

I navigate the app through icons mostly for its really like sign languge in written form. The bus icon means tranvel by bus and the walk icon means walking pretty simple.

This gives a great navigation via public transport of local city buses and train. I could now figure out how to navigate the local bus system going from one place to another just looking for the bus number. 

AMAP Navigation using local Bus
All I used was the bus number B9 and constant monitoring of my GPS position while the bus drives 

Bus information totally in Mandarin. 
In desperation, screenshot and Google Lens Translate may deceipher a little insight. 

With the Alipay app above, I do not need to know how much to pay but just scan the app to board the bus and check the fare later once deducted. While inside the bus, GPS show my location in regards to the bus journey navigation so I would know when to get off the bus.

AMAP also works with bullet train scheduels and tinkering with start and end point gives many combination for travel in China. Half the time I was tinkering to find the next long leg journey. Price, journey time and even train ID is listed which makes things a lot easier. Imagine queing up at the train station only to find out that the journey to the next city will be a crazy 24hours or that the next train departs 6 hours later.

Unfortunately, trying to learn the app before arriving in China wont do any good. The bus and train function is closed if accessing from outside China. One would need to learn on the road but once you figured out the few key icons, the maps navigation is totally worth it

When accessing AMAP outside China only the drive function is available.
Bus Route and Train Routes wont be shown until one is in China

Accomodation
I use Trip.com mostly in China. Other websites just dont have the large exposure of hotels that is in China. The goodside is that you can find really good hostels, hotels that are not listed anywhere else but the downside is that most of the time the establishment would only be able to speak and read mandarin.

Its local and legal and cheap. Finding the hostel location and trying to check in can be challanging when choosing the cheapest stay option espescially in the countryside but its definately a backpacker budget friendly. 

Once booking has been confirmed on Trip.com, one can access the full address of the Hotel
Its the Thrid Line with the location PIN mark
Good to screenshot to ask locals 

Screenshot + Google Len's Translate gives the Unit Number and Tower Block
This gives the final last mile search easier to Hunt the Hotel

The little trick I used is that Trip.com has a navigation button which directly link to AMAP. This gives me access to local busses when the hostels are far away from the train station.

That Map Icon is clickable and when AMAP is installed can be directly linked

Transportation
Backpacking in China means Trains. The country is just too big. The train system is definately the best and most comfortable and no doubt the most value for money be it Bullet Train or normal Train.

Using Alipay App, one could book the train tickets provided they have a chinese phone number. I made that mistake not getting a chinese sim card back at the airport which cause me to lose access to a few function such as online train bookings.

While I could not book trains online, Alipay & AMAP app allows for search of train schedule and pricing. The rest was just rocking up to the train station an hour earlier to manually purchase the tickets from counter.

Traveled on: Nov 2023