Disclaimer: This article is a personal contribution and does not represent the views of Wego or its editorial team.
1. Popular VPNs Don’t Work in China — Here’s What Actually Does
My first “oh shit” moment after landing in China came when I realized none of the VPNs I had prepared actually worked. Despite what countless online articles (especially affiliate-driven ones) claim, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark are all completely ineffective once you’re behind the Great Firewall. I tried them all—no dice.
The only VPN that worked was something totally obscure: Let’s VPN (accessible at letsvpn.world). I had never heard of it before and wouldn’t have found it if not for a tip from another traveler at a hostel. She had learned about it through a Chinese friend she met overseas. This VPN is virtually unknown outside of China but proved to be the only reliable way I found to get a VPN connection inside the country.
Takeaway: Don’t trust the affiliate hype. If you’re planning a trip to China, skip the mainstream VPNs and consider trying Let’s VPN instead.
2. The Real Game-Changer: Use an eSIM to Bypass the Great Firewall
Here’s a tip that almost no one talks about, and it’s honestly shocking how well it works: eSIMs can give you full internet freedom in China—no VPN required.
What I discovered (and what most travelers don’t know) is that if you activate a foreign eSIM before entering China, it will continue to route your data through overseas servers. That means you’ll be able to use Instagram, WhatsApp, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps—everything—just like you normally would.
This method is surprisingly seamless, no advanced setup required. It’s easily the simplest and most effective way to stay connected to the global internet while in China.
Pro tip: Activate your eSIM before arriving in China, and you can basically forget about fighting the firewall entirely.
3. eSIMs vs. Chinese SIMs: One Gives You Freedom, the Other Gives You Access
Another surprising discovery I made in China is the difference in app compatibility between Chinese SIM cards and international eSIMs. When I landed at Shanghai airport, I bought a physical Chinese SIM card, and it made a massive difference in terms of access to local Chinese apps.
With the Chinese SIM, I was able to use essential apps like:
- Baidu Maps (crucial for public transportation routing)
- Didi (China’s equivalent of Uber)
- WeChat and Alipay (for messaging and payments)
However, when using a foreign eSIM, some of these local apps—especially Baidu Maps—did not work at all. This might be because the apps detect you’re on a foreign network and restrict access or limit functionality.
Crucial insight: While WeChat and Alipay still function fine on an eSIM, Baidu Maps does not, and possibly Didi as well (still unconfirmed). And since Google Maps doesn’t offer public transport routing in China, not having Baidu severely limits your ability to navigate cities by train or bus.
Recommendation: If you’re planning to rely on public transportation or need access to local-only content, buy a Chinese SIM card upon arrival. Use your eSIM for global internet access and the Chinese SIM for full access to domestic apps.
4. Don’t Rely on Just One Mobile Payment App in China
Before arriving in China, I set up Alipay from abroad, made sure everything was working, and felt confident that I was prepared. After all, Alipay and WeChat Pay are the two dominant payment methods in China—they’re everywhere. Virtually every shop, restaurant, vendor, or service provider uses QR codes for transactions. You either scan theirs or let them scan yours. Cash is rarely accepted, and physical credit cards are practically irrelevant.
But here’s where it got complicated: as soon as I landed, my Alipay suddenly stopped working. It demanded an identity verification, which sounds simple—but wasn’t. The app interface is not intuitive, especially for international users. Chinese locals are used to the design, but for someone unfamiliar, navigating these apps can be frustratingly opaque. I repeatedly tried to verify my account through the in-app prompts, but nothing worked.
Thankfully, I had also set up WeChat Pay, and it continued to work without issues. If I hadn’t had that backup, I would’ve been completely stranded financially.
Takeaway: Don’t trust just one app. Even if you’ve tested Alipay or WeChat Pay abroad and confirmed it works, something can still break when you arrive. Set up both, and be ready for complications. China’s payment ecosystem is highly advanced but not always foreigner-friendly.
5. Not All International Cards Work — Bring Redundancy or Risk Being Cut Off
Here’s a tip that could literally save your trip: have more than one international card ready, and make sure they’re from different platforms or issuers.
I had set up WeChat Pay and was trying to add my Revolut card—which should, in theory, be supported. But when I tried to complete the verification, WeChat asked me to approve the link through Revolut, and although I got the notification, the app showed only a blank screen when I tapped to confirm. I tried multiple times, but the verification just wouldn’t go through. There was nothing I could do to fix it on the spot.
Luckily, I had a second card with Wise, and that saved me. When I tried the same process with Wise, the approval page loaded properly, and I was able to confirm WeChat as a payment merchant. WeChat Pay was then successfully linked, and I could finally make purchases again.
Takeaway: Bring multiple international cards. Even if Revolut (or another card) works fine for you at home, it might fail inside China’s digital infrastructure. Always bring a backup option—Wise worked for me when Revolut didn’t, and it was the only reason I could continue paying for things.
6. Chinese Apps Are a UX Jungle — Knowing the Language Is Your Only Real Advantage
One of the biggest ongoing challenges I faced in China wasn’t censorship or logistics—it was trying to use local apps. And here’s the reality: User Experience (UX) design as we know it in the West basically doesn’t exist in most Chinese apps.
These platforms are incredibly powerful and deeply integrated into daily life—but they’re also:
- Non-intuitive
- Visually overwhelming
- Built for people who already know how to use them
Take WeChat, for example. It’s not just a messaging app—it’s an entire operating system. Within it are mini-apps, business listings, payment tools, social feeds, e-commerce, and more. But nothing about the interface tells you this. Swiping down opens things. The search bar on your messages page? That’s not just for messages—it also returns mini-programs, services, public accounts, and even physical store listings. You won’t know that unless someone tells you.
If you’re only using WeChat in English, you’re barely scratching the surface. The best local restaurants, attractions, and services? Most of those reviews and tips live inside Chinese apps—not Google, not TripAdvisor, not Instagram.
And unless you can read and type in Chinese, navigating these ecosystems is often futile. I speak Chinese at a functional level and still struggled to get the most out of the platforms. Without that skill, you miss out on half of what makes traveling through China rich and immersive.
Takeaway: Be mentally prepared for digital disorientation. China’s apps operate on a completely different UX philosophy, and local knowledge is the only real guide. If you can’t read Chinese, either find a friend who can—or prepare to feel locked out of many of the best local experiences.
7. The Real Deal-Breaker: Unreliable eSIM Data Makes Remote Work Nearly Impossible
This last point is the one that ultimately forced me to cut my trip to China short—and that’s saying a lot, given the sheer number of unexpected obstacles I’ve already outlined. Despite everything I prepared for, this issue turned out to be the most disruptive and non-negotiable of them all.
I’m a digital nomad, so I need stable internet, fast speeds, and consistent access to Google, ChatGPT, Gmail, Google Docs, Drive, Slack, Zoom—all the tools of the Western digital ecosystem. And at first, I thought I’d found the solution: a reliable foreign eSIM that let me bypass the Great Firewall.
But here’s the truth: the eSIM data connection is unstable and unreliable. It cuts in and out, the speeds fluctuate, and it’s simply not suitable for sustained online work. Worse still, I can’t fall back on Wi-Fi in hotels, cafés, or co-working spaces, because once you’re connected to any Chinese local network, you’re back behind the firewall—cut off from all Western services unless you have a VPN that actually works (which, as I already covered, is rare and unreliable).
No stable mobile data + no usable Wi-Fi = no way to work remotely.
This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a deal-breaker. If your work depends on access to tools and services outside the Chinese internet ecosystem, you may be forced to leave just to do your job. That’s what’s happening to me.
Conclusion
To sum up, China is not an easy place to be. I mean, none of these things are insurmountable, but I am really, really surprised at the difficulty of entering and kind of getting into the ecosystem, given that I did some preparations and I didn’t feel like I would be in over my head over this—but I was naive. These are the things that you never ever know until you really step foot into the country. You could do hours and hours of research and still be caught off guard, totally off guard, with your pants down, because none of the things that they write online was actually that reliable, accurate, or true. Apparently, a lot of this content online is really just shit, and this article, this content that I’m providing you, this insight—it’s a first-hand experience of somebody that’s actually entered China and giving his first-person perspective and advice on this.
