Since China opened up the visa-free policy, I have seen many people traveling there. Moreover, I have friends who have visited there. After returning, they told me that there are many beautiful scenery, delicious food, and beautiful women there. So I was also moved and went there.

I went to the magical Chongqing, went to Sichuan to see the cute giant pandas, and went to the fashionable Shanghai. I also ate local food, chatted with the locals, and experienced local folk customs. The whole process was very happy and interesting. In this regard, I also summarized some problems encountered during the tour for your reference.

What should Malaysians pay attention to when going to China?

For example: visa, payment, transportation, phone cards, hotels, maps.

Do you need a visa?

Malaysians are visa-free to go to China. Now and then you just need to fill in the white card when you arrive. Because Malaysia and China have signed a mutual visa exemption agreement (April 17, 2025).

How to buy a phone card?

It's about phone cards. Why do we have to buy Chinese phone numbers? Because whether we buy tickets or make reservations for restaurants, or make reservations for some tourist attractions, or order takeout on Meituan or Dianping, all of them require Chinese phone numbers. Then there is another question, where to buy phone cards? I personally recommend that you buy them at the airport as soon as you get off the plane, because it is easier to go through the procedures at the airport. And you have to check the business hours. If it happens to be closed, you can also buy them outside, that is, the business hall of the telecommunications company. For example, if you buy Digi, you can only buy it at a place with a Digi business hall behind it. But I personally recommend that it is best to buy it at the airport, because it is much simpler, because it is really difficult to find a business hall outside.


Next is how to pay in China?

For example, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and TNG eWallet. I personally recommend Alipay and Micropay, because when I went to China, I found that many restaurants use these two apps to scan the code and order and pay. And I want to remind you that one week before you go to China, you should do real-name authentication first. These two apps use passports for authentication. You also need to bind your visa card, and when you pay, it will deduct the money in your visa card. Of course, they also have some differences. For Alipay, people can transfer money to you, but for WeChat Pay, people cannot transfer money to you. Then if you want to recharge Alipay, it is best to ask your Chinese friends to help you recharge. You cannot use visa cards to recharge.

There is also TNG eWallet, and there are few merchants that use TNG eWallet. Some merchants can use it, and some can't, so I personally think that TNG eWallet is just a backup, and you can also bring some cash as a backup. Because I should spend 100 yuan out of 1,000 yuan, because many merchants can accept cash, but whether they have money to give you change is another matter, so I personally think that you can have as many backup methods as you want, but it is best to have Alipay.

How to book a hotel?

Then before you book, you need to pay attention to whether the hotel has the ability to receive foreign tourists. Because some hotels do not have the ability to receive foreign tourists, I recommend booking a hotel on Trip.com. Because it will indicate whether the hotel has the ability to receive foreigners, so there is no problem, you will definitely have a place to sleep.

What types of transportation are there?

If you want to take the subway, you can use the travel function in Alipay to take the subway. If you want to take a taxi, I suggest you download the Didi app. It is very convenient that you can bind our Malaysian phone number and our visa card. It also has a good function that it can reserve a car one day in advance. For example, if you want to take a car to the airport at 4 o'clock in the middle of the night, you are worried that there will be no car, you can make a reservation one day in advance. This way you can ensure that there will be a car to pick you up at that time. There is one more thing, when you get on the car, he will repeat the four numbers to you. He uses the last four characters of your phone number to confirm your identity.

What map to use?

There are only two, Baidu Map and Gaode Map. Then if you want to check their business hours, it is recommended to check Dianping. Their business hours will be more accurate, because usually businesses update their business hours on Dianping.

The above points are the problems I encountered in China. I hope this video sharing can help you.

Categories: travel