No foreigners in China?

We have been to China two times – once as tourists in 2018, and then as employees from 2020 till now, and planning to stay till May 2024. Of course, China’s “zero-COVID” policy has scared many foreigners away, and even after restrictions have been lifted, not many are willing to come back or travel to China.

China for us was always a mystery. Not a popular tourist destination with nice beaches, cheap spicy food, and lots of parties. We didn’t know what to expect from China. And only after these three years of living here, we have finally understood what is this country really about.

Yeah, we feel special here. Foreigners can’t go on being unnoticed even in the biggest Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai. We are still greeted, and we are still asked to have photos with the locals. It happened in 2018, during the pandemic, and after. And that’s because Chinese people simply do not see many foreigners here.

But why is that so?

1. Visa process.

This was the first difficult step we needed to take. We went to China’s embassy in Latvia where nobody spoke Latvian, of course. But their English was also so poor that we couldn’t communicate easily. Tourist visa was quite expensive and quite a few papers were needed to get one. Yeah, no visa without an effort.

As of June 2015, citizens of 51 countries with valid international travel documents and air tickets for a connecting flight can apply for a 72-hour transit visa; moreover, if one joins a tourist group organized by a travel agency can visit the Pearl River Delta region, and Hainan island for 6 days without visa.

We have had work visas in some countries, and China’s was definitely the most tricky one to get. But nothing is impossible. Just time, lots of patience, and willingness to work in an exotic country like China.

2. Language barrier.

Yeah, such a huge nation really can live without English, that’s not an issue for them. But for tourists coming to China, it is. Not that there aren’t countries where English is not common. The problem is that in China, you won’t be able to read and translate your unknown words so easily because it’s the language of symbols. Of course, now there are apps that can translate the symbols, too. But that translation can often be wrong and misleading.

Knowing a little Chinese now, things have gotten super-easy for us. We can read, we can ask, we can get around. But this is so much more different than it was in that faraway 2018 when we just came without any preparation. To be honest, we were so happy to leave China then. Now? We can’t stop admiring this fascinating country.

3. China’s Firewall.

Your social media won’t work here. Unless you use a VPN. VPN is a virtual private network that masks users’ IP addresses and hides your real location. And it’s illegal in China.

No, nobody will come and check your phone asking whether you have it or not. Chinese understand that foreigners communicate through their own means so they just don’t bother. Though we wouldn’t recommend sharing your VPN with locals… Who knows – you might get into trouble.

The most important thing – get your VPN before entering China! We didn’t do it the first time, and the first day here shocked us – no Google Maps, no Google Translate, no Facebook, no WhatsApp – cut out from the outside world among Chinese who do not communicate in any other language than theirs! We couldn’t read, speak, we couldn’t find our way around the place… It was a hard first-time experience, to say the least.

4. Chinese APPs.

Now we have a Chinese bank card and WeChat app through which we can buy anything we need. We have all the tools the Chinese have. But for the first-timer? Wow, that’s a challenge.

Not all ATMs will accept your foreign debit card (we don’t have a credit card, so we can’t say anything about that). Until we found the Agricultural Bank of China, we went through a lot. And even if you have cash, not everywhere it’s accepted. China is a super-digitalized country. It is so modern that we felt like the people from the Stone Age coming and amusing developed Chinese. “You don’t have WeChat? You don’t know how to order Didi?”

Even in some of the biggest and most popular attractions, you won’t be able to find a cashier who gives you the tickets. You’ll see a barcode to scan and fill in the blanks (in Chinese) to pay online. Yeah, we couldn’t even scan things back then so we had to skip some places. The best solution – come with some cash but later on use an ATM in China as the exchange rate is so much better within the country than outside. Then get a Chinese SIM card – choose one of the major providers – China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile, take your passport, and be ready with your translation app. And then set up a WeChat account. With WeChat, life will be so much easier in China!

5. Wrong ideas.

We have talked to many travelers around all those 88 countries we have visited so far. And so many have the wrong impression about China! So this is probably one of the reasons why people just don’t come here! Know this – you shouldn’t be afraid of the words “communism”, “strict rules”, “censorship”, or “punishments” if you’re a good guy! Did you know that China is one of the safest countries in the world? For such a huge nation, strong leadership is needed! Trust us, you won’t be in trouble here, you’ll be definitely happy about your decision to visit this beautiful land (with a little preparation in advance)!

As mentioned in some news articles, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the US were the countries where most tourists arrived from before the pandemic. Then more than 140 million foreigners visited China. During the tough years, the number dropped to 27 million. And approximately 1 million immigrants (50% of which are residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) are living in mainland China.

In conclusion, we can agree with many who say that China is the most convenient country in the world… But with some exceptions… If you speak at least a little bit of Mandarin, if you have Chinese SIM, Chinese bank card, and WeChat. Still, if you prepare yourself for this trip to China, it will definitely be memorable.