anyone having problems with Astrill today? all of a sudden I can't connect to any servers on desktop web. praying it's not blocked now. I'm also using LetsVPN but it doesn't let all the sites through

Mine is quite stable for years

anyone that recently entered china with an EU passport under the 15-day visa-free scheme? if yes, did they ask for proof of onward travel?

Gm friends, any good vpn recs for connecting to WhatsApp, telegram, instagram, gmail in China? Saw reviews saying that express, letsvpn, nordvpn are all not working

I use Express VPN, LetsVPN and Astrill. I’m in Beijing right now. Astrill was just completely blocked on desktop but works well n Mobile. LetsVPN works fine for google accounts, WhatsApp and telegram but not for yahoo accounts or LinkedIn ExpressVPN goes in and out. Seems like they play cat and mouse with the firewall. I highly recommend getting a few options. I understand NordVPN is also blocked completely now

How can letsvpn work for one thing but not another 🤪

a lot of Chinese business use LetVPN so you can do google search, but not news or social media

Kinda annoying to use vpns cuz they’re unpredictable lol

There are advantages of getting a Chinese SIM card is you can get a phone number and easily access local apps. If you’re roaming local apps are painfully slow and sometimes don’t work

Does anyone has contact with Local Clothing manufacturer ?

In Shenzhen for a couple of weeks. Holler if anybody around wants to catch-up!

Hi there! Any recommendations about visa in China for long period(business, work, agency) excluding student visa ! Thanks

Will be in Shenzhen from 24th Nov. DM me if you’d like to meetup

So how do You like in China? Whats the buggest challenges You face while here?

I’m in Beijing area Nov 15 - 19. Anyone fancy visiting some places or hiking somewhere?

For the second point. If you’re a foreigner just add your Mastercard or visa to WeChat or Alipay then you can pay with card almost everywhere. Do carry some backup cash tho as it has sometimes failed me in the past.

I had to speak to Alipay support on the phone to get my UK card added, but it was quick and they were helpful with good english!

With a VPN, you can use Google maps. But you may still need to recognize Chinese characters on the map data. Letsvpn works well there. I hadn't used this yet but on my last trip to China a week ago, my friends tell me it's good. Make sure to install and have an acct set up before you arrive.

I use Baidu translate when not using a VPN; Google translate when on VPN. Both have camera feature that translate in near real time or via scanning a snapped photo.

Letsvpn however recognizes many Chinese apps and bypasses the VPN so you don't have to turn it on/off for certain applications.

Get a Chinese dictionary app as you may find that you'll need it. Pleco is very popular and pretty robust. Enable Chinese keyboards. There's one that you draw the characters which is helpful at times to recreate characters on the phone.

If you need to type Chinese, you can install the Chinese keyboard if using the Google keyboard. This way, you can use Google translate directly as your type. VPN is needed for this however. Wasn't the case before.

I just got back from my second 2-month (59 day haha) stay in China. LetsVPN is very good, but for me it still blocked all the Yahoo sites and LinkedIn. Google sites were fine. I also use ExpressVPN and Astrill, but while I was there, Astrill went completely dark so I'm not sure if it's permenently blocked or not. ExpressVPN used to be completely down too, but now it works sometimes. For me, I'm constantly switching apps, constantly switching between mobile and desktop and constantly switching servers. I definitely recommend having multiple apps and installing them on both desktop and mobile for added backup.

Hey guys! For those who have been there already, how did you manage to make friends or to meet other digital nomads in China? Is there any platform or app you usually use? Would meetup work for that?

due to digital nomads are still a minority here, so basically there are only some city for them to gather together

where is the best place in China ?

Regardings maps I use amaps. It's all in Chinese, but really good

Yup Alipay is super easy to onboard and you can book a Didi taxi within the alipay app. A few months ago my own wireguard vpn worked surprisingly well but only with my foreign esim, never got a vpn to work on a domestic wifi connection. I’ve heard that they don’t bother block vpns for foreign sim cards but don’t have a source to share.

I tried setting up WeChat pay and AliPay and using them in Hong Kong. This did not work.

Hi guys, I just spent a few months in China and I also speak Chinese. I saw some common questions, and tried to summarize the things you should know before visiting China below, hope it helps!

I went to a store and the guy said I need to install the app, so I need to switch app stores, so I need a Hong Kong residential address. This is not what I expected.

I think 5 days in Kunming is plenty (more than enough tbh). I enjoyed Dali a lot more, The stone forest is pretty cool, good for a full day trip. I'd get a guide if you can, it's a lot easier to follow them around then trying to figure out the best routes yourself. I'd definitely go back to Dali before Kunming. It's really beautiful around the lake and there are tons of restaurants. I rented a motor scooter and that was a great way to get around

Yeah I’m just flying into Kunming but want to go elsewhere. Amazing!! Maybe I just do most my days in Dali! Thanks!

Plan a trip to the Cangshan mountain area in Dali too. There are lots of hiking trails, you can go horseback riding or take a cable car.

You don’t need a tour it’s a waste of money

Hey all! Will be in Shanghai from 15dec - 10jan. Anyone keen to meet up to cowork or for activities?

Hey all ! I’m in Hangzhou welcome to meet up

Does anyone have a good link (links?) about how mainland Chinese can enter Taiwan for tourism, conference-, and short term student visits?

Wiki claims that travel for tourism was suspended in Oct. I guess this topic requires both the mainland and Taiwan policies, but I'm pretty sure conferences are still possible. Probably exchange semesters too.

Anyone in Beijing this weekend and next week?

I'll be flying to Beijing on the 9th, stay for 2 nights and then work my way up to Harbin for the Ice Festival via Chengde, Chifeng, Tongliao

Harbin’s ice festival is amazing! I was there a couple of years ago. Mind blowing! Stay warm!

Anyone in Beijing for last week of January