App Guides
Operating manuals for China's essential apps.
Learn what each app is for, how foreigners can set it up, and where things commonly break.
App walkthrough
Interface flows for essential China apps
Payment apps
Alipay and WeChat Pay for QR payments, card linking, and daily spending.
Movement apps
Amap, DiDi, 12306, and Trip.com for getting across cities and between cities.
Daily life apps
Meituan and local workflows for food, parcels, addresses, and everyday errands.
Manuals
Open the app manual before the task becomes urgent.
Alipay
China's essential payment and daily services app.
Setup time: 15-30 minutes
Amap
A Chinese map app for finding stores, planning metro routes, checking addresses, and navigating daily life.
Setup time: 10-20 minutes
12306
The official China Railway app for checking and booking train tickets.
Setup time: 20-45 minutes
Trip.com
A foreigner-friendly booking app for China hotels, domestic flights, high-speed trains, and travel support.
Setup time: 10-20 minutes
China’s essential messaging, payments, mini program, and everyday identity app.
Setup time: 20-30 minutes
DiDi
China’s major ride-hailing app for taxis, private cars, airport transfers, and city movement.
Setup time: 10-15 minutes
Meituan
A major local-life app for food delivery, restaurants, groceries, deals, and everyday services.
Setup time: 20-30 minutes