地圖、手紙、VPN，外國人的中國旅行指南

China is one of the world’s most exciting and rewarding places to visit, but can be intimidating even to experienced travelers, who might struggle with communication and lack of familiarity with rules and customs. Here’s a handful of practical tips to help make sure your trip to the world’s most populous country is smooth sailing from start to finish.

中國是世界上最令人激動、最值得一去的地方之一，但就連經(jīng)驗豐富的旅行者都會有些忌憚，擔心遇到溝通不暢或不熟悉當?shù)匾?guī)矩和習俗的問題。以下是一些實用小貼士，能幫助你在這個世界上人口最多的國家安然度過整個旅程。

Easier Visas 簡易簽證

The good news: Those annoying and expensive single-entry visas are a thing of the past. Americans can now apply for a 10-year, multiple-entry visa from the Chinese consulate. Download the form from the embassy website, type up the application and bring copies of your travel itinerary to your local consulate or embassy (depending on your location). Several days and a $140 fee later, you should be all set. There are also visa services that, for a fee, will take your application to the consulate for you.

好消息：那些麻煩又昂貴的單次入境簽證已經(jīng)成為歷史了。美國人現(xiàn)在可以向中國大使館申請10年多次往返簽證。從大使館網(wǎng)站下載表格，填好申請，再帶上行程單的副本去往當?shù)氐念I事館或大使館(這取決于你所在地點)。付費140美元，再等上幾天，你就一切就緒了。也有有償?shù)暮炞C服務，可以替你去領館遞交申請。

One other important note: Passport and visa expiration dates rarely line up exactly, creating situations where a passport might expire while a visa is still valid. I found myself in this exact situation before my last trip — would I have to go through the whole costly and time-consuming application process again? No — you are allowed to travel on a valid visa that’s in an expired passport as long as personal details like name and date of birth match up exactly (bring both passports).

還有一個重要的注意事項：護照和簽證的有效期很少重合，這會造成護照過期而簽證依然有效的情況。我在上一次旅行前就發(fā)現(xiàn)自己正好遇到了這個問題——我是否要再走一遍這個昂貴而費時的申請程序?不用——只要姓名、出生日期等個人信息能夠完全匹配，你就能使用過期護照中的簽證旅游(把兩本護照都帶上)。

Cashlessness 無現(xiàn)金

You’ll notice blue and green QR codes at nearly every business in China, from the glitziest boutique to the most humble dumpling shop. WeChat Pay and Alipay are gradually turning the Chinese economy cashless: Simply enter the amount you want to pay, scan the business’s QR code, and boom, you have paid directly from your bank account. It’s something of a revolution — one that you, as a tourist, will not be a part of.

在中國，上至奢華的時裝店，下至最簡陋的餃子館，不論在哪你幾乎都能看見藍色和綠色的二維碼。微信支付和支付寶逐漸讓中國經(jīng)濟向無現(xiàn)金轉(zhuǎn)變：只需輸入你想支付的金額，掃描商家的二維碼，就能直接用銀行賬戶進行付款。這是一種革命——一種你身為游客無法參與的革命。

Cashless payment in China requires a Chinese bank card, which you can’t get unless you’re a citizen or resident. Don’t count on businesses accepting your foreign credit card, either — you’ll frequently find yourself out of luck. So load up on cash when you can — fortunately, I’ve never had trouble finding A.T.M.s in Chinese cities, and withdrawing from Chinese currency with my American debit card has been trouble-free. If you want to play it safe, you can exchange for some at your local bank before you go.

中國的無現(xiàn)金支付需要有中國的銀行卡，而如果你不是中國公民或居民就無法辦理。也別指望商家接受你的外國信用卡——你往往會失望的。所以多裝上一些現(xiàn)金吧——好在，我在中國的城市里找ATM時并不麻煩，用美國借記卡按中國貨幣結算取款也沒有問題。如果你想謹慎行事，可以在動身之前在當?shù)氐你y行換一些現(xiàn)金。

Ride Sharing, With a Hiccup 叫車服務——但有個小問題

While you probably won’t be participating in the cashless revolution, you will be able to use Didi Chuxing, the Chinese version of Uber (the company, in fact, purchased Uber’s operations in China in 2016, forcing them out). I found Didi to be inexpensive and as reliable as Uber is in the United States, with one caveat: paying by credit card. Didi wouldn’t accept my Chase card, but did accept one from my credit union. Then, unfortunately, my credit union repeatedly flagged the charges as suspicious, leading to several long phone conversations with the fraud department. While not foolproof, you can set a travel notification on the card you plan to use before you leave. You can also enroll in text notifications for fraudulent activity, which allow you to verify the veracity of charges right away.

雖然你可能不會參與無現(xiàn)金革命，但你能使用中國版優(yōu)步(Uber)——滴滴出行(事實上，這家公司在2016年收購了優(yōu)步在中國的業(yè)務，迫使其退出中國)。我發(fā)現(xiàn)滴滴出行并不貴，還和在美國的優(yōu)步一樣可靠，不過有一點：要用信用卡付款。滴滴出行不接受我的Chase信用卡，但接受了一張信用合作社卡。只是很不幸，我的合作社再三將這些扣費標記為可疑交易，引來了詐騙處理部門的好幾通長時電話。雖然不是萬無一失，但你可以在出門之前在準備使用的卡上設置一個旅行提醒。也可以辦理詐騙活動的短信提醒，這能讓你立即確認扣款的真實性。

Phone Hacks 電話小竅門

Speaking of phone conversations, I found the best way to cheaply make calls was through the WeChat app. A $9.99 credit (which comes with a $2.50 bonus), purchased within the app, lasts a long time. Calls to the United States are only a penny per minute, and the sound quality is decent. Texting on WeChat is easy, and I was also able to use iMessage without issue. WhatsApp is blocked in China.

說到打電話，我發(fā)現(xiàn)最便宜的方法就是使用微信應用?；?.99美元在應用內(nèi)購買的點數(shù)(還會附贈2.50美元)可以使用很長時間。打給美國的電話每分鐘只需1美分，通話音質(zhì)也很好。用微信發(fā)短消息很簡單，使用iMessage也很順利。WhatsApp在中國是被屏蔽的。

Staying Safe 保障安全

While you should always remain alert, China is remarkably safe for foreigners. In total, I’ve spent over a year in China, and have never felt in danger or threatened while walking around, no matter the hour.

你應該時刻保持警惕，但是中國對于外國人來說還是非常安全的。我加起來在中國待了有一年多，不論什么時候出去逛，都從未感到危險或人身安全受到威脅。

Chinese traffic, however, can be horrendous, and navigating streets as a pedestrian is always an adventure. Buckle up when in a vehicle, and be extremely careful when crossing the street: Cars do not necessarily yield to pedestrians, and motorcycles and scooters do not seem to yield to anything — not even red lights.

然而，中國的交通非?？膳拢鳛樾腥艘樌ㄟ^大街永遠都是冒險。乘坐交通工具請系好安全帶，過馬路時也要格外小心：車不一定會讓行人，而摩托車和腳踏車似乎什么都不讓——甚至連紅燈都不讓。

Getting Online 上網(wǎng)

While you won’t be able to buy a SIM card for your phone that includes a Chinese phone number, data plans with 4G speed are available for foreigners. Check at the airport (I bought one in a convenience store), or at the hostel or hotel where you’re staying, and be ready to show your passport.

雖然你可能買不了有中國號碼的手機SIM卡，但外國人可以購買4G流量套餐?？纯礄C場有沒有(我在便利店里買過一個)，或是你住的青年旅社或酒店，做好出示護照的準備。

Wi-Fi is everywhere in China, from the pricey malls of Shanghai to modest mom-and-pop restaurants in the smaller cities. The bad news is that you won’t be able to access it some of the time, as it frequently requires you to enter a local phone number to receive a Wi-Fi access code.

中國到處都有Wi-Fi，不論是在上海昂貴的購物中心，還是小城市里簡陋的夫妻飯館。壞消息是，有時你可能無法連上這些網(wǎng)絡，因為它往往會要求你輸入中國手機號碼來接收連接Wi-Fi的密碼。

There are ways to circumvent this. Having a WeChat account will grant access to certain Wi-Fi networks. I also use a Google Voice number to receive internet access codes, which works part of the time. But wait — isn’t Google blocked in China? That brings us to …

要繞過這一步也有些方法。有了微信賬戶就能在一些Wi-Fi網(wǎng)絡下獲得訪問許可。我也會用谷歌語音服務(Google Voice)的號碼接收網(wǎng)絡訪問許可的密碼，這有時能用。但是等等——中國不是把谷歌屏蔽了嗎?這就讓我們說到……

Virtual Private Networks 虛擬專用網(wǎng)絡(VPN)

The Chinese government does a fairly thorough job censoring websites and traffic from sources it deems potentially unsavory or damaging to the ruling Communist Party. Say goodbye to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, any Google-related services (including Gmail), and even (gasp!) The New York Times.

對于被視為會給中國共產(chǎn)黨造成不良影響或損害的網(wǎng)站或流量來源，中國審查得十分徹底。和Facebook、Instagram、Twitter以及一切和谷歌有關的服務(包括Gmail)說再見吧，甚至還有(倒吸一口冷氣!)《紐約時報》。

There are, however, a few holes in the Great Firewall, as it is called. Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, essentially function as tunnels under the aforementioned firewall, connecting to a private network in a country with more internet freedom, like the United States or Japan. (VPNs are a legal gray area in China. The unauthorized business or commercial use of VPNs in China is not legal, but tourists checking their email or Facebook are not likely to run into problems.) While it’s a fairly easy way for you — and almost every young Chinese person I interacted with — to connect with the outside world, VPNs do have limitations: They can slow traffic noticeably, and aren’t always reliable.

但是，這個所謂的防火長城有一些漏洞。VPN的功能大體就是在剛剛提到的防火墻底下挖通的隧道，能通往如美國和日本等網(wǎng)絡更自由的國家的私人網(wǎng)絡。(VPN是中國法律的灰色地帶。在中國未經(jīng)授權的經(jīng)營或商業(yè)使用VPN是違法的，但游客用它來看看郵件和Facebook倒不太可能遇上什么麻煩。)雖然對你——以及對我接觸過的幾乎所有年輕的中國人——來說，用它與外面的世界聯(lián)系還是很簡單的，但VPN也有它的局限：它們會顯著減緩網(wǎng)速，而且有時不穩(wěn)定。

There are a number of well-reviewed VPNs with names like Golden Frog and NordVPN — I opted for one called ExpressVPN, which costs $12.95 per month and offers a discount if you purchase a yearly subscription. I’d put my overall connection success rate between 85 and 90 percent. I also tried a free service called TunnelBear with slightly less consistent results. TunnelBear is free up to 500 megabytes of data per month — after that, you’ll have to pay. To get an idea of how long that will last you, loading The Times home page and clicking on an article consumed 6 megabytes.

有一些口碑不錯的VPN，比如Golden Frog和NordVPN，我選的是ExpressVPN，每月的費用為12.95美元，如果你訂購一年的可以打折。我的總體連接成功率在85%至90%之間。我還用過一個名為TunnelBear的免費VPN，它的連接成功率略低。TunnelBear每個月最多提供500MB的免費數(shù)據(jù)——超過這個量，你就得付費。至于這能用多久，我舉個例子：加載時報的主頁并點擊一篇文章會消耗6MB。

One obvious, but essential, tip: Download and set up your VPN before you leave for China. Once you’re there, you’ll be blocked from downloading any VPNs.

有一個顯而易見但很重要的提示：在前往中國之前，下載并設置好VPN。一旦你到了那里，就無法再下載任何VPN。

Navigation 導航

If you’re like me, you’ve come to depend on Google Maps considerably during your travels. In China, you would be wise to rid yourself of that notion. Even with a VPN, Google Maps in China is filled with incomplete or sometimes just flat-out incorrect information. For example: There are no fewer than six subway lines currently operating in Chengdu. According to Google Maps, there are just two.

如果你像我一樣，在旅行中非常依賴谷歌地圖，那么在中國，你應該明智地擺脫這種觀念。即使有VPN，中國的谷歌地圖也充滿不完整甚至完全錯誤的信息。例如，成都目前運營的地鐵線路不少于6條。而谷歌地圖上只有兩條。

I recommend downloading the app Tencent Maps for your trip. While it can be difficult to navigate for those who don’t read Chinese, it’s worth having for its accuracy. Moreover, it will sometimes recognize English words you input (“airport,” and names of some businesses, for example). It also does a great job plotting out directions. Just drop a pin (like you would in Google Maps) on a location in Tencent Maps, and it will give you accurate public transportation, driving, or walking directions.

我建議你下載騰訊地圖。雖然不懂中文的人用它導航可能有些困難，但它還是值得下載，因為它的準確性很高。此外，它有時能識別你輸入的英語單詞(例如，“airport”和一些企業(yè)的名字)。它也能很好地規(guī)劃路線。你只需在騰訊地圖上定位一個地點(就像你在谷歌地圖上做的那樣)，它就能給你提供準確的公共交通、駕駛和行走路線。

Other Apps 其他應用

WeChat dominates the country and is used to keep in touch with friends, pay for meals in restaurants, get news and play games — it even serves as something of a dating app. Download it if you’re going to spend any significant amount of time in China, as you will need it to keep in touch with locals you meet along the way. Just don’t use the messaging feature to say anything you wouldn’t want the Chinese government to read — your privacy protections are nil (WeChat disputes the extent to which it stores and shares information with Chinese authorities).

微信在中國的普及率很高，它被用于與朋友保持聯(lián)系、在餐館付賬、獲取新聞和玩游戲，它甚至能用于交友。如果你打算在中國待上一段時間，就得下載一個微信，因為你需要用它與你在旅途中遇到的當?shù)厝吮３致?lián)系。只不過，不要用它的短信功能來表達任何你不想讓中國政府閱讀的內(nèi)容——它幾乎毫不保護你的隱私(至于信息的存儲以及分享給中國當局的程度，騰訊公司有不同說法)。

I’ve found Pleco to be a useful translation app — you can drop in English words, or paste in Chinese characters to receive their counterparts. And Dianping, the Chinese version of Yelp, is helpful for finding restaurants.

我發(fā)現(xiàn)Pleco是一個很有用的翻譯應用程序——你可以輸入英文單詞或粘貼中文詞語，來獲取對應的中文或英文。此外，中國的Yelp——“大眾點評”對尋找餐館很有幫助。

Finally, T.P. 最后一點：手紙

You’ll notice plenty of well-maintained public restrooms in China, but they’re not always stocked with toilet paper. You would be wise to carry a small stash with you. This applies to napkins in restaurants as well — at smaller, more casual places, diners are expected to have their own supply on hand.

你在中國能找到很多維護得很好的公共廁所，但它們并不都配備手紙。你最好隨身帶點。餐館里的餐巾紙也是如此——在相對小的、簡易的餐廳里，食客需要自備餐巾紙。