Travelling to China.. for work

Delta3D

Delta3D

Delta3D

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Joined
16 Apr 2014
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Location
North East, UK
Hello,

I'm going to be travelling to China in the next 2 months for a period of 2 weeks for some IT work.

As far as I'm aware I just need a Work Permit and a Z Visa?

Just wondered if there's anything particular to note that isn't commonly expressed on websites such as gov.uk travel advice?

Pucheng County is looking like the most likely region I'll be in. (It's either that or Hong Kong... maybe both...)

Thanks!
 
Megahurtz400 said:
If you're in Bejing and go to Tiananmen Square, there are undercover police walking around, so don't talk about the massacre.

Unlikely to get arrested apparently but you might be asked to stop.
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Thanks - I think unlikely to visit Beijing but can't rule it out!

I think the most likely places I'll be is Hong Kong/Shanghai for flights, then Pucheng County.
 
Megahurtz400 said:
I believe it's a banned subject to discuss anywhere in China, including Hong Kong.

I'm sure you wasn't planning a protest about it anyway, but something I always mention to people going just in case :cry:

Best to stay away from discussing politics, East vs West etc. etc. even if you disagree with the way they do things.
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Yeah I'll be sure to stay well away from any protest planning :P
 
jamoor said:
Signup to both Wechat and Alipay before you go using your UK mobile number and make sure it works.

You can add your credit card then pay for stuff using it, this is essential these days. Restaurant menus are also on here, if a place needs you to scan a QR to order, make sure you use alipay as it has a reliable in built translator so you will get an English Menu. Oh and take out a few hundred RMB just in case your wechat/alipay doesnt work - it works 95%+ of the time but theres always 5% when one or the other doesnt work because of some nonsense like the merchant doesnt take international payments or some fraudulent stuff I don't know exactly.

A better recommendation would be to get a chinese data plan there as some chinese websites within wechat and alipay block foreign IP addresses which you will have if you are using roaming.

Signup for VPN - letsvpn or Astrill.

If your work doesnt give you a mobile download an esim before you go - I recommend a three hk one - its about £20 for 45GB.


China is super safe and nothing to worry about - the biggest problem you will have is the language barrier so make sure you use google translate. There is a lot of media propoganda and brainwashing + youtubers that are paid to say bad things so don't watch those at all as its mostly nonsese and completely irrelvant to the average tourist. China is actually very open to visitors for tourism and trade and has been for many years.
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Thanks Jamoor, this is exactly the kind of info I'm after. I had no idea about the IP addressing issue.

I have already got a PrivateInternetAccess subscription which I *think* should be okay to use in China.

I have a mobile for work and a personal one, so thinking of getting a Chinese SIM for one of them and using hotspot.
 
Thanks all, some very good points that I didn't consider previously! Very valuable feedback, much appreciated.

I'm hoping work will sort me out with some cash prior to visiting to save me trying to withdraw with company cards etc over there.

Will get WeChat sorted this week, I'm sure one of my clients will be able to help me with that!
 
Lopéz said:
When I was there a few years ago the Google Maps thing was really annoying - as if someone had scrambled the data slightly, just enough to make it not useful - exactly as you mentioned.

Yep ICBC and Bank of China were the only places that worked for me.

I miss Yang's Dumplings in Shanghai :(
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Did you happen to try Apple Maps or are you an android user? :)
 
Pretty much firmed up dates I'm travelling today, Hong Kong crossed off the list, travelling into Shanghai then off into the sticks for a week, then get to spend some time in Shanghai before heading home. Getting sent business class. Ace!
 
Anyone got experience using AliPay?

Tried linking corporate credit card to this, but doesn't like it at all... Mixed results on the googles. People saying it works, doesn't work, or need to use TourCard which has tons of fees and requires China mobile number?

Confusing...
 
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