Phone and apps
Direct answer
Students should make the first week boring on purpose: phone data, payment, messaging, maps, school address, hotel or dorm contact, first transfer, and one food plan should all be ready before the flight.
Editorial check
This answer stays short so a traveler can act quickly, then points back to the fuller guide and the official checks that may change before departure.
The program office's latest pre-departure packet, school arrival instructions, official app screens, payment operator guidance, mobile-data setup, and local emergency contacts.
Action path
A practical answer should leave the traveler with a few moves they can actually make before the trip or at the point of friction.
Save the school, dorm, or hotel address in Chinese and keep screenshots offline.
Prepare data, payment, messaging, maps, and translation before the flight, then test what can be tested.
Know who can help locally if the first transfer, SIM, wallet, or check-in step fails.
Answer hub
Cluster pages help travelers move through related questions without losing the thread.
Related guides
Use these pages when the traveler needs the longer context, product path, or supporting decision.
Related answers
These answers share the same practical intent and help search users move sideways without restarting.
Next move
Read enough to make the decision smaller, then open the checklist, search a specific question, choose a setup tool, or share the page with the person planning with you.
Use the checklist when the question has shifted from research to preparation.
Search by the actual problem: Alipay, eSIM, transit visa, first transfer, vegetarian food, or a city name.
Open recommendations when the task is clear enough for a short list to be useful.