Can tourists travel in China without a Chinese phone number?

A foreign passport is an enumerated valid ID for buying a mainland SIM — you are not locked out

Article 7(4) lists a foreign citizen's passport among the valid identity documents for individual real-name registration. So the common worry that a Chinese number requires residency or a local ID is wrong at the rule level: the passport alone is on the list.

Where in the source: 第七条(四): a foreign citizen's passport is an enumerated valid ID for individual real-name SIM registration.

Real-name registration is mandatory on the carrier's side, so expect the ID check

Article 6 requires the carrier to demand a valid ID and true identity information at sign-up, and Article 10 bars it from processing the SIM at all if the customer refuses. The counter asking for your passport is the rule working, not a shop being awkward — and it means there is no informal route around it.

Where in the source: 第六条: carrier must demand valid ID and true identity info; 第十条: carrier may not process the SIM if the customer refuses.

If the shop photocopies your passport, the copy must be annotated — that is your right

Article 9 requires a photocopy to be annotated with the carrier's name, the purpose, and the date. Vendor-facing guides omit this. It is a concrete thing to ask for at the counter, and it limits what an unmarked copy of your passport can later be used for.

Where in the source: 第九条: a photocopy must be annotated with the carrier's name, the purpose and the date.

Your identity data is kept for two years after the service ends

Article 11 sets the retention window: the carrier keeps sign-up identity information during service and for two years after it ends. For a short trip that is an honest privacy expectation to hold before deciding between a local SIM and a roaming eSIM.

Where in the source: 第十一条: the carrier retains identity information during service and for two years after service ends.