To visit various attractions in Chinese cities, you can choose to take a taxi, rent a car or charter a car, which is self-driving and provides a driver.
Take a taxi
In China, many taxi drivers take orders online, and roadside waving does not necessarily stop to pick up passengers. It is recommended to use a ride-hailing app to request a ride online. When you leave the hotel, you can also ask the hotel front desk to help you request a taxi.
Common online ride-hailing software includes Didi Chuxing, Shouqi car-hailing, etc. Here, we take Didi Chuxing as an example to introduce the online taxi process.
APP to request a ride
(1) Download Registration
Download DiDi Chuxing (DiDi) in the mobile app market, enter your mobile phone number and follow the prompts to complete the registration, which supports overseas mobile phone number registration and provides English version.
(2) Ride-hailing process
- Enter the starting and ending points in the APP, and check the required vehicle type, such as ordinary express car, special car, business car, etc., different models have different prices.
- Click Start Requesting a Ride and wait for the driver to take the order.
- After the driver receives the order, he can check the location and estimated time of arrival of the vehicle through the trip.
- Check whether the license plate is consistent with the platform display before getting on the bus, and the driver will generally check the last four digits of the mobile phone number with you after getting into the car.
- After arriving at the destination, pay the fee online according to the APP prompts.
(3) Pay the fare
Support overseas bank cards, Alipay/WeChat payment.
Alipay/WeChat mini program to call a car
Alipay searches for“DiDi chuxing”on the homepage or directly, searches for the applet“DiDi chuxing”on WeChat, and clicks to use the applet to call a car, and the process is the same as above.
When using Didi Chuxing in Alipay or WeChat, you can pay the fare directly in the app.
Online customer service
If you encounter any problems, you can contact Didi's online customer service, which supports English conversations, and the customer service entrance is in the“Customer Service”on the“Me”channel page.
Charter or rent a car
Common chartered travel platforms in China include Ctrip, Qunar, etc., and common car rental platforms include: Shenzhou Car Rental, eHi Car Rental.
The cost of the tour charter service will vary depending on the route, so it is recommended to book online and communicate offline to determine the cost of the trip.
To rent a car, you need to have a Chinese driver's license or a Chinese temporary driver's license.
Foreigners apply for a Chinese temporary driver's license related matters
(1) Location
Large airports in some cities have vehicle management service stations to facilitate entry of foreigners. For example, 100 meters west of the domestic arrival west exit on the second floor of the terminal building of Beijing Daxing International Airport, there is a vehicle management service station on the first floor of the T3 terminal of the capital airport, No. 805 Airport Escort Road, Shanghai Pudong Airport, and No. 201, Airport 1st Road, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport.
The vehicle management offices of the local public security traffic management bureaus can also handle it.
(2) Prepare materials
Passport, original and translation of overseas driver's license (the translation must be issued by a formal translation agency or notarized by a notary public in Chinese), photos (2 recent half-length bareheaded frontal photos with a white background and 1-inch color photos), etc.
(3) Procedure
- Submit your application: When you arrive at the location, fill out the《Application Form for Temporary Motor Vehicle Driving Permit》and hand it to the staff.
- Review materials: The staff will review the submitted materials to confirm the authenticity and completeness of the materials.
- Payment fee: The production cost of a temporary driver's license is generally 10 RMB.
- Driver's license: After the documents are reviewed and the fee is paid, you can wait for a period of time (usually about 10 minutes) to receive a temporary motor vehicle driving permit.
Note: Foreign motor vehicle drivers who stay in China for a short period of time and temporarily enter the territory of the People's Republic of China for no more than three months can apply for a temporary motor vehicle driving permit valid for 3 months, and the validity period of the temporary motor vehicle driving permit can be extended to 1 year if the stay exceeds 3 months.