This next post is something of a testament to how difficult it is to get basic services set up as a foreigner in China. First off, I got my health report back with no problems, so now I am eligible for a work permit. This is what the report looks like:
Next, I had to get a bank account and a China mobile phone number. For a bank account I needed my basic identification (passport, visa) and a signed, “chopped” copy of my employment contract with my company. Chopped, meaning it has the official seal of the company plastered in red ink or some such.
This was not too difficult – However, a bank account is only of limited use in China since most payments are conducted using WeChat Pay or Ali Pay. These are third-party payment methods offered by WeChat (China’s largest social messaging and networking app offered by TenCent – more on this later) and Alibaba, respectively. Basically the Chinese do everything through their phones now, even in some instances unlocking and locking doors.
Cash is almost non-existent and credit cards are not prevalent as they are difficult to obtain. I’ve mainly only seen foreigners using cash (myself included). You can transfer money to other people using the app (though again, there are limitations for foreigners) or pay vendors like shops and restaurants.
But in order to get those services, I needed real-name authentication of a Chinese phone number – I needed to be personally identified with a Chinese cell phone number at the China Mobile office, with my picture taken, along with my passport information, for the real-name authentication to take effect.
I got a real-name-authenticated, local Chinese number, which I was able to link up with the bank (debit) card I received in WeChat and Alipay, so that I could pay directly out of the bank account or transfer money into the two apps and vice versa. With that, here is a brief overview of the main components of China’s app (they call them “A-P-P”’s ecosystem.
This non-exhaustive list of essential apps in China includes WeChat （微信）, DiDi （滴滴）, Baidu Maps and Baidu （百度）, Alipay （支付宝）, TaoBao （淘宝）, JingDong (JD.com)（京东）, ELeMe（饿了吗），Meituan （美团），Dazhongdianping （大众点评），CTRIP， Tielu 12306 （铁路12306）and DingDong Maicai （叮咚买菜). They are displayed in order below:
WeChat: It would take an entire blog post or more to describe the centrality and functionality of WeChat to Chinese life, but besides being the most popular social messaging app in China (1 billion users worldwide as of early 2019), its payment feature allows you to pay vendors (restaurants, stores, even fruit sellers and locksmiths) and receive money yourself from friends and others.
DiDi Chuxing: China’s highly dominant ride-sharing service, equivalent to Uber or Lyft. You can order more than one type of car (nicer vehicles, or regular taxis) at a time when queue times are long, which happens a lot in a busy city (there isn’t so much of a surge charge as there is in the US). Of course, you pay with WeChat or Alipay. Lots of safety tips and driver rating systems.
Baidu Maps and Baidu: Very similar to Google Maps and Google, but in China
Alipay : There are a ton of features and products on this app too, but it’s mainly used to pay with – Dominant in Hangzhou, where Alibaba hails from
TaoBao, JingDong (JD.com) : Similar to Amazon in China, you can buy pretty much anything on these sites, although the stuff on TaoBao tends to be cheaper in quality and price. I’ve ordered 24-packs of Perrier, silverware, and clotheshangers so far.
ELeMe（饿了吗）[Blue theme]，Meituan （美团）[Yellow theme]: Food delivery apps, think GrubHub or DoorDash but not as expensive – it’s only slightly more expensive than dining in a restaurant. Super popular.
Dazhongdianping （大众点评）: This is like the Yelp of China, lots of ratings of restaurants, shops, stores, bars, everything.
CTRIP : Dominant Chinese version of Orbitz, Kayak, etc., you can book tickets for plane, rail, tour packages, hotel and hostel trips, and so on.
Tielu 12306 （铁路12306） : One of the main apps for rail ticket booking in China
DingDong Maicai （叮咚买菜) : They will purchase groceries for you and deliver them to your door.
To show some of the complexity around these apps, many of these apps link to one another within the app itself. For example, WeChat connects to Didi, Jingdong (JD), Meituan and Dazhongdianping, as shown below:
I could keep going with these apps – and probably will – but this is just a start. Remember, basically all of these apps require a smartphone to operate.