The first thing you must do in China: Buy a local SIM card

How important is it to get a Chinese SIM card?

In today's PandaGuide, we've invited Darren, an international student from Indonesia, to share his experiences coming to China!

The first thing Darren did after arriving in Sichuan to study was buying a SIM card, so that he could gain access to online car-hailing, order food delivery, and various other Chinese apps. He then found that getting a SIM card in China was much smoother than he thought. All you need to do is to bring your passport, pick a number at a telecom company shop or stand, wait to be called, and select a desired plan.

If you are here just for a trip, you can make use of a short-validity card. If you come to China for long-term study, there are monthly plans that might be a better fit. They even offer English plan menus, and bilingual staff will guide you through the whole process, so it’s not a problem if you don’t speak Chinese.

The method of recharging your phone is simple as well. You can pay in cash or via local eWallets such as WeChat Pay or Alipay. One thing to remember: The Chinese phone number can only be used by the registrant. You are not allowed to lend or sell it to anyone else. Since everyone’s personal phone number is so deeply linked to payments, online transactions are made much safer.

Here's another tip from Darren:

If you're here just for travel, you can buy a short-term SIM card at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. Simply insert the SIM card for instant internet access! They offer three major operators: China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom.