https://chinacheatsheet.com/en/digital-life/Recent content in Digital Life on China Cheat SheetHugo -- gohugo.ioenThu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://chinacheatsheet.com/en/digital-life/can-foreigners-use-didi-in-china/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://chinacheatsheet.com/en/digital-life/can-foreigners-use-didi-in-china/<h1 id="can-foreigners-use-didi-in-china">Can Foreigners Use Didi in China? </h1><p><strong>Yes — foreign visitors can use DiDi (滴滴) for ride-hailing in mainland China</strong>, as long as you have mobile data, a working phone number for SMS verification, and a payment method the platform accepts. You do <strong>not</strong> need a Chinese ID card or a local bank account for the paths described in official visitor guides.</p> <p><strong>Who needs this:</strong> travelers who want app-based rides instead of waving down a taxi, especially in cities where street hail availability is uneven.</p>https://chinacheatsheet.com/en/digital-life/do-i-need-a-vpn-in-china/Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://chinacheatsheet.com/en/digital-life/do-i-need-a-vpn-in-china/<h1 id="do-i-need-a-vpn-in-china-what-actually-works-in-2026">Do I Need a VPN in China? What Actually Works in 2026 </h1><p><strong>Short version:</strong> Most short-term visitors do <strong>not</strong> need a VPN to <em>function</em> in China—maps, rides, food delivery, trains, and mobile pay run on local apps and a normal data SIM. You <strong>do</strong> need a plan before you fly if your daily life depends on Google, Instagram, WhatsApp, Slack, or many foreign news sites, because those services are routinely unreachable on a standard mainland connection. A travel eSIM or roaming fixes <em>billing and signal</em>, not the same problem a VPN solves. Install and test anything you rely on <strong>before</strong> departure; after landing, getting the same apps is much harder.</p>