Going to China

[Bangkok Black]

Febuary my wife and I will be going to China for 5 days.

It is a paid-for trip with flights, hotels and tours and part of a group trip.

I have applied and had my visa application approved.I just have to collect it on the 10th of Feb in Bangkok.

 

Has anyone here been to China recently? i have a few questions.

Did you change money in Thailand at Super rich or in China?

I have a Wise card, did you use your Wise card in China? Does it work?

Mobile phone, Does AISor DTAC work there? Or did you rely on Wi-FI ?

I am a UK passport holder and have a thai work permit, did you have any problems with immigration going/coming back to Thailand and in China?

 

Any tips and advice are welcome.

 

 

[Doctor Tom]

My advice, cancel the trip and go somewhere else. China is a sxxt hole, peopled by those with no social graces. If you go, good luck. 

[Yellowtail]

I used my no fees credit card for most everything the times I was there, and just changed a bit of cash (USD) at the airport. 

 

I have post-pay AIS and they sell travel packages with call and data that were pretty reasonable. Without the package. it's pretty pricy, 

 

I had no issues either direction with immigration. 

 

 

[connda]

20 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

My advice, cancel the trip and go somewhere else. China is a sxxt hole, peopled by those with no social graces. If you go, good luck. 

Translated:
"Doctor Tom personally hates all Chinese and China.  But he's in good company.  Hating China and Chinese is in vogue in Western nations and is expected of their citizens, especially Western expats living a few hundred KM from China!"

OP!  Go, enjoy the culture, learn, observe, have fun.  That will do one of two things: It will 1) reinforce everything the China-haters say, or 2) it will completely dispel everything the China haters say. 

Let us know when you get back.  But personally I think you'll be in the latter camp when you return.

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, connda said:

Translated:
"Doctor Tom personally hates all Chinese and China.  But he's in good company.  Hating China and Chinese is in vogue in Western nations and is expected of their citizens!"

OP!  Go, enjoy, learn, observe, have fun.  That will do one of two things: It will 1) reinforce everything the China-haters say, or 2) it will completely dispel everything the China haters say. 

Let us know when you get back.  But personally I think you'll be in the latter camp when you return.

I'm not a big fan of China, but it was okay the times I was there for work.

 

Did not seem very friendly, and the food kind of blows. 

[Bangkok Black]

6 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I used my no fees credit card for most everything the times I was there, and just changed a bit of cash (USD) at the airport. 

 

I have post-pay AIS and they sell travel packages with call and data that were pretty reasonable. Without the package. it's pretty pricy, 

 

I had no issues either direction with immigration. 

 

 

Thanks I will check out AIS

[PomPolo]

39 minutes ago, Bangkok Black said:

Febuary my wife and I will be going to China for 5 days.

It is a paid-for trip with flights, hotels and tours and part of a group trip.

I have applied and had my visa application approved.I just have to collect it on the 10th of Feb in Bangkok.

 

Has anyone here been to China recently? i have a few questions.

Did you change money in Thailand at Super rich or in China?

I have a Wise card, did you use your Wise card in China? Does it work?

Mobile phone, Does AISor DTAC work there? Or did you rely on Wi-FI ?

I am a UK passport holder and have a thai work permit, did you have any problems with immigration going/coming back to Thailand and in China?

 

Any tips and advice are welcome.

 

 

What is the particular reason you are going to China? I really haven't heard of many foreigners going there for a holiday, Hong Kong is probably a better bet if it is just that part of Asia you want to experience.

[BritManToo]

I had a great solo trip to China a few years back.

2,500bht for a return flight Chiang Mai to Changsha, then a train journey to Zangjiajie.

Immigration waved me through, zero interest, police ignored me, and were difficult to spot. Had to show my passport to get on the train. Walking in the mountains for 10 days was great, long deserted paved trails, only saw 3 white people after boarding the all Chinese people flight at CM.

 

Food was difficult, couldn't tell a family home from a restaurant out in the rural areas, everyone very polite and friendly, but no English anywhere, signs or language so quite hard to get around. Train full of peasant farmer types, all with big bags of food, which they insisted I shared on the train journey.

 

Download an offline map like maps.me so you can use your phone to get around, expect nothing online to work.

 

Money, Think I just used my Thai debit card in ATMs.

Great, but strange place for a holiday.

[save the frogs]

seem to be a lot of china haters on AN.

there's a lot of interesting stuff to see there. and just absorbing the culture is fascinating. 

go for it. but no practical advice from me, sorry. 

 

[PomPolo]

You can absorb the Chinese culture in any shopping mall in BKK, or join a day-trip and just follow the red flag, again probably not very practical advice from me either.

[Bangkok Black]

8 minutes ago, PomPolo said:

What is the particular reason you are going to China? I really haven't heard of many foreigners going there for a holiday, Hong Kong is probably a better bet if it is just that part of Asia you want to experience.

As I said its a paid trip. All I need is some spending money.

[PomPolo]

Just now, Bangkok Black said:

As I said its a paid trip. All I need is some spending money.

Recommend setting up a gofundme account it seems to be quite popular these days - who paid for your trip and had the gall not to give you any spending money?
Conversation not to had on AN 🤣

[liddelljohn]

My Thai wife and daughter went for a  week long trip to Chengdu in 2018  they absolutely  loved it , the attractions , the spicy food   ,, they seemed to be able to get by with English

[still kicking]

1 hour ago, PomPolo said:

Recommend setting up a gofundme account it seems to be quite popular these days - who paid for your trip and had the gall not to give you any spending money?
Conversation not to had on AN 🤣

Another nasty comment from you I just paid to gofundme which saved a baby's life for an operation in the US.

[PomPolo]

7 hours ago, still kicking said:

Another nasty comment from you I just paid to gofundme which saved a baby's life for an operation in the US.

Hmm you sound a bit sensitive if you read the context of the post it wasn't a dig at gofundme or any of the many valid causes on there it was a humorous reply to a topic Bangkok Black was discussing (Well done on the donation!)

[Yellowtail]

9 hours ago, still kicking said:

Another nasty comment from you I just paid to gofundme which saved a baby's life for an operation in the US.

Sure Jan

[KhunLA]

11 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I had a great solo trip to China a few years back.

2,500bht for a return flight Chiang Mai to Changsha, then a train journey to Zangjiajie.

Immigration waved me through, zero interest, police ignored me, and were difficult to spot. Had to show my passport to get on the train. Walking in the mountains for 10 days was great, long deserted paved trails, only saw 3 white people after boarding the all Chinese people flight at CM.

 

Food was difficult, couldn't tell a family home from a restaurant out in the rural areas, everyone very polite and friendly, but no English anywhere, signs or language so quite hard to get around. Train full of peasant farmer types, all with big bags of food, which they insisted I shared on the train journey.

 

Download an offline map like maps.me so you can use your phone to get around, expect nothing online to work.

 

Money, Think I just used my Thai debit card in ATMs.

Great, but strange place for a holiday.

Very nice, THANKS

 

More post like this and AN would actually be enjoyable to read, instead of ... why do I bother sifting though hours of posts, just for 5 interesting ones.

 

@Bangkok Black  No advice, but seems you'll need to keep G-translate handy.  And please do a follow up trip report, let us know your thoughts & experience.

 

So much hate from people that probably have no experience of what they post. 

Must think 'AN' forum is post 'Anything Negative' forum.

 

 

[Yellowtail]

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

So much hate from people that probably have no experience of what they post. 

Must think 'AN' forum is post 'Anything Negative' forum.

 

 

 

Hmmmm

[ChockyTheCat]

I recently returned from my first visit to China, I visited Shanghai and I have to say it’s the most amazing, beautiful, futuristic, safe, clean place I’ve ever seen in the world, forget all the scary stories you’ve read coming from people who’ve never been, it’s fabulous.

 

Spending money can be a problem, I set up We Chat and Alipay on my phone before I arrived but neither worked when I arrived there, if you have a Thai credit card or debit card go to your local Bank here and check they will work in China and get them authorised, thank goodness I did that and my card worked everywhere. I also took US dollars and changed some money at the airport on arrival, I got the proper rate and that worked well, what I should have done is change more dollars as once in the city it’s very difficult to change money, the banks won’t change your dollars unless you have a Chinese bank account and I was only able to find one money exchange and I never managed to find it again, don’t believe what people say about most places won’t take cash, I found everywhere would take cash, I wasn’t refused once, so you defiantly need to take a mixture of cash and authorised debit/ credit cards to cover expenses just incase your payment apps don’t work.

 

 

[impulse]

Though I'm posting this from China, I have no specific advice for the OP because there's so much variation between the different cities in China. 

 

For a short trip, I'd either change money before hopping on the plane (Super Rich, etc) or just swap it at the arrival airport.  Just like anywhere, they may reject soiled, dated or torn bills, so I'd do it before hand.  If you need cash while you're here, I use my US debit cards at most of the ATMs with no problem.  Any issues I've had have come from my banks in the US which like me to pre-authorize debit card use overseas, even Thailand.  A call to the number on the debit card cleared that up.  Past the airport, swapping cash at the banks is hit and miss.

 

I've been treated very well at China immigration, though I'm abusing my 10 year tourist visa to help care for my terminally ill Chinese girlfriend of over 20 years.  I leave once a month to adhere to the 30 days per entry and they let me in and out, and all questions end when I show them my purpose.  (US passport with work and business history in China from over 10 years ago).   Be aware that they have a list of questions they ask everyone, every time.  It's not onerous once you realize that it's just their procedure.

 

I swap out my AIS SIM when I'm on the plane for a China Unicom SIM so I've never tried AIS from here.  My Google Fi SIM works here (though Google shuts off data after about a month overseas).  Google Fi text and voice calls continue to work here, but are spotty, depending on cell coverage.  That's for incoming and outgoing calls and text.  But if I don't get connected right away, I just move a few hundred yards and the next cell tower seems to work.

 

Dress warm if you're going up north like me.  It's cold up here. 

 

But I'd recommend a visit to most of China.  Fascinating place.  And any horror stories haven't been my experience.  Here's one of my "colorful" neighbors:

 

 

 

[ChaiyaTH]

They have these State apps nowadays for the digital RMB money where you can deposit using visa/mastercard as well. The thing is that they not work remotely so you just can get that done once you landed. It's called the E-CNY app but there is various I guess, I used to just transfer someone in THB to get CNY on WeChat.

[roquefort]

16 hours ago, Bangkok Black said:

Has anyone here been to China recently? 

if you're going to Beijing or Shanghai you'll love it. I just got back from a trip to both. Safe, clean, modern, fully-functioning cities. Get around by Didi (equivalent of Grab). More food choices than in Bangkok. Watch out for the 'silent killers' (electric motor bikes everywhere). Take high-speed trains between cities.

 

 

[tubber]

Make sure you have a VPN installed on all your devices before you go. I just got back a couple of weeks ago. Nord doesn't work at all. SurfShark seemed to be one of the better ones.

[bobeychao]

17 hours ago, Bangkok Black said:

Febuary my wife and I will be going to China for 5 days.

It is a paid-for trip with flights, hotels and tours and part of a group trip.

I have applied and had my visa application approved.I just have to collect it on the 10th of Feb in Bangkok.

 

Has anyone here been to China recently? i have a few questions.

Did you change money in Thailand at Super rich or in China?

I have a Wise card, did you use your Wise card in China? Does it work?

Mobile phone, Does AISor DTAC work there? Or did you rely on Wi-FI ?

I am a UK passport holder and have a thai work permit, did you have any problems with immigration going/coming back to Thailand and in China?

 

Any tips and advice are welcome.

 

 

 

[bobeychao]

Normally will change RMB here in Thailand thru Super Rich. As for roaming, it is best to buy it with DTAC/True etc. Btw, and try to download a VPN as you cant use Whatapps Line Google using the China networks. Many places are using online payments and cash is not used. So it is best to use some apps like Alipay etc. If you are on work permit, make sure you get your re-entry permit to travel. 

[No Forwarding Address]

I spent two months in Chengdu a number of years back - was hard to comprehend how clean it was, all the school children picked up trash as they walked home from school and dropping it into street waste baskets, Panda Sanctuary, Gateway to Tibet (But I couldn't get a visa/permit to travel there) you need a sponsor inside Tibet.  Great food, largest all-girls University in China, overhead walkways across all the main blvd’ -  all you had to do was sit on a parkbench, and people would come up to you and practice their Tinglish. -  I had a wonderful time - did I mention “The Food???"

[n8sail]

I go 1-3 times per year for work, usually Shenzhen/Donguang and also Shanghai.  Have also been to Qingdao and Qingyuan, a place where I literally didn't see another westerner the whole 3 days I spent there.  That was about 5 years ago, though.

Recently, I have had trouble making purchases and getting cash with my USA credit card despite warning my bank and them swearing it will work.  I have also many times not been able to use cash, so that IS in fact a thing, especially in the last 1 year.  Maybe in big, touristy areas it's fine, but I go for work and only briefly visit these  types of places.  My SCB debit card worked no problem at the checkouts I tried, just make sure to enable 'international transactions' in the SCB app before you go.  It does annoy people behind you in lines as scanning with wechat is FAR faster than credit/debit cards.  Getting wechat scanning working for foreigners is basically impossible, co-worker has tried for years.

My recommendation for internet is use an overseas roaming package.  I use AIS, it works just fine.  Co-worker from USA uses Verizon, also works.   All our normal apps/webpages seem to work through overseas 4/5G connections.  Use a VPN for sure if on any wifi connection.

Co-worker has wirelessly had credit cards and data/accounts stolen from phone multiple times in past few years.  He now uses a 'faraday bag' to store his wallet and phone to prevent hacking when in large public places such as train stations etc.  Since starting that he has not been hacked.  Can probably find on lazada.  I thought it was BS...  but apparently they actually work.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, impulse said:

Be aware that they have a list of questions they ask everyone, every time.  It's not onerous once you realize that it's just their procedure.

They didn't speak to me at all, just waved me through.

[Liverpool Lou]

38 minutes ago, bobeychao said:

Many places are using online payments and cash is not used.

 

3 hours ago, ChockyTheCat said:

don’t believe what people say about most places won’t take cash

 

[MangoKorat]

18 hours ago, Bangkok Black said:

I am a UK passport holder and have a thai work permit, did you have any problems with immigration going/coming back to Thailand and in China?

I'm curious to learn why you think problems are a possibility - just don't forget your re-entry permit.