Adapting to China,
the parts nobody tells you.

The first-72-hours checklist

Three things unlock everything else. Do them in this order.

1 · Register your address (within 24 hours, yes, really)

Every foreigner's address must be registered with the police. Hotels do it automatically at check-in, just hand over your passport. Staying in an apartment or with a friend? You must register within 24 hours, Shanghai has an online self-declaration system (about 5 minutes), or go to the local police station. Full details in Rules & Paperwork.

2 · Get a SIM card

• Easiest: official carrier counters in the arrivals halls at Pudong and Hongqiao airports, 5–20 minutes, no appointment, English usually available.
• In the city: any big China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom store (small neighbourhood branches often speak only Chinese).
• Before you fly: eSIM platforms let you register your passport online and land with data already working.
• Prepaid, no-contract plans exist (e.g. 30-day unlimited-style around ¥195). Cheap student plans (~¥29/month) usually carry a 12-month contract, skip those for short stays.

3 · Set up mobile payment

China is nearly cashless, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you need it. Full walkthrough in Money & Payments.

Alipay & WeChat Pay with a foreign card

Both accept international cards now. The setup is easy; the traps are in the details.

Setup (both apps, same logic)

• Register with your overseas phone number (works fine).
• Alipay: Me → Bank Cards → Add. WeChat: Me → Services → Wallet → Cards → Add.
• Enter card number, name, passport details, confirm with your bank's SMS code.
• Visa, Mastercard and JCB work on both; WeChat also takes Amex, Discover and Diners.

Fees & limits (roughly, check in-app)

Small payments are typically fee-free (recent rules: under ¥200 per transaction); larger ones carry about 3%. There are monthly and annual caps (tens of thousands of RMB, plenty for normal life). Pay in RMB, not your home currency, to avoid double conversion.

Taxis, metro, bikes and bullet trains

Uber doesn't operate here. Everything below does, through your phone.

Ride-hailing: DiDi

• Skip the app, use the mini-program: search "DiDi" inside Alipay or WeChat, it inherits your verified identity and payment, no separate signup.
• Switch to English in settings. Fares auto-charge your bound card; the estimate shows before you confirm.
• The built-in chat auto-translates between you and the driver, both directions. Use it instead of calling.
• Share your live trip with a friend from inside the app, standard safety habit here.

Metro & bus

In Alipay, tap Transport → choose your city → get your ride QR code (one-time identity check). Scan at the gate, scan again on exit; buses scan once on boarding. Staying long? A physical transport card (bring your passport to any metro service centre) works across the whole region.

Shared bikes

Scan the QR on the bike itself with Alipay/WeChat, HelloRide (the blue bikes) is the most foreigner-friendly. Ride, then park inside a marked parking zone and close the lock until it beeps.

High-speed rail: the 12306 platform

• Use the official 12306 app or English site (12306.cn/en). Register with passport as your ID type.
• Verification is required before you can buy: upload your passport photo page (result by SMS within ~24h) or verify in person at any station ticket window. Do this before the day you travel.
• Pay with Visa/MC/Amex/JCB directly, or via Alipay/WeChat.
• Board with your passport, many gates read the photo page directly. Arrive 30–60 min early; gates close 5 min before departure.

Meituan & Dianping: eating like a local

One company, two apps: Meituan for delivery, Dianping for reviews and deals. Both have English.

Delivery

• Use the Meituan mini-program inside WeChat/Alipay, smoother payment than the standalone app.
• Fill your address in Chinese (copy it from your compound's listing or ask reception), riders navigate by it.
• Riders phone by default to confirm, stressful if you can't answer in Chinese. Paste this into the order notes instead:

放门口，不用打电话
= "leave it at the door, no need to call", the one phrase worth copy-pasting.

In restaurants: QR ordering & deals

Many places skip menus entirely, scan the QR on your table, order and pay from your phone. On Dianping, restaurant set-meal deals often run 30–50% below menu price: buy in-app, show the voucher code to staff.

WeChat, Xiaohongshu, and finding your people

Social life here runs on two apps, and neither works quite like the ones you left behind.

WeChat is the operating system

• People don't exchange numbers, they scan each other's QR codes (Me → My QR Code). New friendships, group chats, event invites: all WeChat.
• Long-press any message → Translate. This single feature carries most foreigners through their first year of group chats.
• Group chats are where everything happens, your compound, your class, your gym, your hiking crew. Say yes when someone adds you to one.
• Moments (the feed) is semi-private: only mutual friends see each other's comments. Don't overthink it.

Xiaohongshu (RedNote) is the local search engine

For "best noodles near me", "weekend trips from Shanghai", "how locals actually do X", people here search Xiaohongshu, not Google. Posts are photo-first, so you can get far even before your Chinese does. Search in Chinese when you can (paste translated keywords), results are far richer than English queries.

The paperwork that follows you around

China runs on real-name registration. Learn these three rules and the system mostly leaves you alone.

Rule 1 · Address registration (the 24-hour law)

• Hotels register you automatically, handing over your passport at check-in is the registration.
• Private housing: register within 24 hours of moving in, online via Shanghai's self-declaration system (~5 minutes: address, arrival/departure dates, passport scan) or in person at the local police station.
• Re-register every time you change address or re-enter China, the old registration doesn't carry over.
• You'll receive a registration form (paper or digital). It's needed later for SIM cards, banking and residence-permit matters, keep it.

Rule 2 · Real-name everything

SIM cards, train tickets, hotel stays, many venue entries, all tied to your passport by law. This is normal here, not suspicion. It also means your passport is your ID: carry it (or at minimum a photo of it, with the original reachable) when travelling.

Rule 3 · Know where official help lives

• Immigration questions (visas, registration, permits): the National Immigration Administration hotline 12367, multilingual, and its mini-program inside WeChat/Alipay for status checks and FAQs.
• City services hotline: 12345 (Shanghai's catch-all for complaints and questions; interpretation available).
• Emergencies: 120 ambulance · 110 police · 119 fire.

The only apps you actually need

Install these eight and you're operational. Most also exist as mini-programs inside WeChat/Alipay.

Bonus for paperwork: the Immigration 12367 mini-program (multilingual immigration services) inside WeChat/Alipay.