When you come to China, you can open international roaming, or you can get a Chinese calling card to make and receive calls and surf the Internet. Of course, if you are staying in China for a short period of time and do not have a high demand for communication and network, you can also use public places, and airports and hotels generally provide free WIFI. However, due to the need for network for daily travel such as China Mobile payment and using APP to take a taxi, it is recommended that you open roaming or apply for a Chinese calling card.
Enable international roaming
The country's mobile phone is open for international roaming, which is convenient for social sharing with Instagram, Facebook, etc., and uses Apple Maps to find directions (Google Maps is not available in China). Foreign calling cards can be opened directly for international roaming, saving the trouble of replacing calling cards, but the cost of international roaming is higher than that of Chinese calling cards.
Apply for a Chinese calling card
China's telecom operators include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, all of which can provide calling card services for foreigners.
After entering the country, you can apply for a phone card with your passport at the business hall at the airport or downtown area, and the processing time is about 15-20 minutes. For convenience, you can make an appointment in advance.
Major ports of entry such as Beijing and Shanghai have communication service points, which can directly apply for short-term calling cards. For example, the China Telecom service point at the expatriate comprehensive service counter at Pudong Airport provides 7/15/30 days of short-term SIM calling cards, including domestic data and call duration, and the price is 85/125/195 yuan respectively.
WIFI in public areas
Free Wi-Fi is available in public places such as airports, hotels, and shopping malls. For example, Pudong Airport can apply for free WIFI at the self-service kiosk with ID card, and there is no time limit.
Some public Wi-Fi requires a mobile phone number SMS verification code to log in, and overseas mobile phone numbers may not be able to accept SMS verification codes due to factors such as international operators and network communications, which will affect their use.