I did it—but I wouldn’t have survived without a Chinese-speaking travel companion. I relied on them completely for navigating routes, purchasing tickets (which you need for almost everything, including parks), and even ordering coffee.
Here’s where I went wrong: I assumed all VPNs were created equal—big mistake. Fortunately, I had downloaded Alipay and WeChat before leaving home, linked them to my bank card, and thought I was all set. Turns out, I wasn’t.
Landing at Beijing Daxing International Airport, I quickly realized things work very differently here. My first hint? I couldn’t connect to the airport Wi-Fi. The second? When I tried booking a Forbidden City tour at an airport tourism kiosk, payment became an issue. With no cell service or Wi-Fi access, I handed the agent my credit card. He held it up, turned it around and looked at it with the most puzzled expression. I might as well have handed him a brick, which is about as useful as a credit card here.
After checking into my (thankfully prepaid) hotel, my first mission was to get a SIM card. While available at the airport, I opted to get some sleep first. The next morning, after a bit of searching, I secured one at Zhōngguó Yídòng (China Mobile), a China Telecom franchisee. For roughly $40 CAD, I had more than enough data for my two-week stay. If you’re visiting, I recommend overestimating your data needs—exceeding your limit can be costly.
Once my phone was up and running, I had to re-add my bank card to WeChat and Alipay, a process that required verification codes from my bank in Canada. If you’re planning a trip, make sure someone back home can receive the codes for you, or contact your bank in advance to set up an alternate verification method.
ALL PHOTOS: Karen Temple
