{"cities":[{"id":"beijing","name":"Beijing","tag":"Capital · most booked sights"},{"id":"shanghai","name":"Shanghai","tag":"Most international-ready"},{"id":"guangzhou","name":"Guangzhou","tag":"Trade city · Cantonese adds a layer"},{"id":"shenzhen","name":"Shenzhen","tag":"Tech city · closest to Hong Kong"},{"id":"chengdu","name":"Chengdu","tag":"Pandas · spicy · slower English coverage"},{"id":"hangzhou","name":"Hangzhou","tag":"Alipay's home city"},{"id":"xian","name":"Xi'an","tag":"Terracotta Army bottleneck"},{"id":"chongqing","name":"Chongqing","tag":"Mountain city · complex layout"}],"history":[{"date":"2026-10-24","note":"Baseline. Eight cities, eight scenarios, editorial scores. No prior history exists; trends accumulate from the next review.","version":"1.0"}],"methodology":["Scores are editorial assessments made by the toolkit editors, based on publicly documented policy and widely reported traveller experience.","They are NOT measured statistics: no payment-success percentages, no sampled user counts, and no crowdsourced votes are used in v1.0.","A score moves only when a policy changes, a platform changes its foreigner onboarding, or editors verify a systematic change on the ground.","Each version is archived. When a score changes, the version log below records what changed and why.","If you find a score wrong for a city you just visited, corrections are welcome via the contact on the toolkit site."],"next_review":"2026-11-24","notes":{"beijing.hotel":"International hotels are routine with foreign check-in; small hotels can still be unfamiliar with the process.","beijing.tickets":"Palace Museum and other top sights need real-name booking days ahead and sell out.","chengdu.connectivity":"Same national app limits as everywhere, with less English help at SIM counters.","chengdu.medical":"Public hospital registration is app-based and Chinese-language first.","chongqing.connectivity":"Same national app limits as everywhere, with less English help at SIM counters.","chongqing.medical":"Public hospital registration is app-based and Chinese-language first.","chongqing.transport":"Multi-level terrain and stacked interchanges make navigation harder than in flat cities.","guangzhou.connectivity":"Airport SIM counters have thinner English support than Beijing or Shanghai.","guangzhou.language":"Cantonese is common in daily life; Mandarin still works, English less so outside malls and hotels.","guangzhou.medical":"International clinics exist but are fewer than in Beijing or Shanghai; public hospitals need app-based real-name registration.","hangzhou.language":"Tourist areas are fine; neighbourhood shops are mostly Chinese-only.","hangzhou.medical":"Public hospital registration is app-based and Chinese-language first.","hangzhou.payments":"Alipay's home city: QR coverage is near-universal, including small stalls.","shanghai.hotel":"International hotels are routine with foreign check-in.","shanghai.payments":"Highest card-binding success and most card-friendly merchants of the eight cities.","shenzhen.hotel":"International hotels are routine with foreign check-in.","shenzhen.medical":"Good hospitals, but English-speaking international clinics are concentrated in a few districts.","shenzhen.payments":"Deep QR-code coverage; Hong Kong visitors often find the setup familiar.","xian.connectivity":"Same national app limits as everywhere, with less English help at SIM counters.","xian.medical":"Public hospital registration is app-based and Chinese-language first.","xian.tickets":"Terracotta Army tickets are capacity-controlled; same-day availability is unreliable in peak season."},"policy_anchors":["240-hour transit visa-free: 57 nationalities (National Immigration Administration Announcement No. 4 of 2026, effective 2026-08-20).","Unilateral 30-day visa-free: 50 countries (most to 2026-12-31; Russia to 2027-12-31) — recheck after the 2026-12-31 renewal.","Alipay and WeChat Pay both support binding international bank cards; set both up a week before departure.","12306 train booking accepts passports; Trip.com is the English-language alternative.","Since 2024, hotels may not refuse foreign guests for lacking a 'foreign-related licence'; in practice, small hotels still sometimes turn guests away or are unfamiliar with the registration process.","Some apps and services commonly used outside mainland China are not directly available there; plan offline maps and downloads before arrival."],"product":"China Digital Friction Index","scale_note":"1 = smooth, 5 = high friction. Scores are editorial assessments, not survey statistics.","scenarios":[{"fix":"Set up BOTH Alipay and WeChat Pay a week early, bind your card, and carry some cash for small vendors.","id":"payments","name":"Payments","what":"Paying day to day: binding a foreign card, QR codes, cash, refunds."},{"fix":"Buy a SIM at the airport with your passport, download offline maps and a translation app before you land.","id":"connectivity","name":"Connectivity","what":"Getting online and using your usual apps: SIM, Wi-Fi, app availability."},{"fix":"Use DiDi inside Alipay for English ride-hailing; save your hotel name in Chinese characters.","id":"transport","name":"Transport","what":"Metro, taxis, ride-hailing and navigation inside the city."},{"fix":"Book international-brand or well-reviewed hotels for your first night; keep the hotel's Chinese address on your phone.","id":"hotel","name":"Hotels","what":"Checking in as a foreign guest, including registration."},{"fix":"Book the top sights 7 days ahead with your passport details; same-day tickets at the gate are unreliable.","id":"tickets","name":"Sights & tickets","what":"Booking popular sights, which often require real-name advance booking."},{"fix":"Use picture menus and the phrase cards in the toolkit; hotel concierges can order delivery for you.","id":"dining","name":"Dining","what":"Ordering food, delivery apps, menus and language at restaurants."},{"fix":"Know the nearest international clinic before you need one; carry your hotel card and passport copies.","id":"medical","name":"Medical","what":"Seeing a doctor, hospital registration, pharmacies, language support."},{"fix":"Offline translation + the toolkit's show-don't-pronounce phrase cards cover most situations.","id":"language","name":"Language","what":"English signage, English-speaking staff and everyday communication."}],"scores":{"beijing":{"connectivity":3,"dining":2,"hotel":2,"language":2,"medical":3,"payments":3,"tickets":4,"transport":2},"chengdu":{"connectivity":4,"dining":3,"hotel":3,"language":3,"medical":4,"payments":3,"tickets":3,"transport":3},"chongqing":{"connectivity":4,"dining":3,"hotel":3,"language":3,"medical":4,"payments":3,"tickets":3,"transport":3},"guangzhou":{"connectivity":4,"dining":3,"hotel":3,"language":3,"medical":4,"payments":3,"tickets":3,"transport":3},"hangzhou":{"connectivity":3,"dining":2,"hotel":3,"language":3,"medical":4,"payments":2,"tickets":3,"transport":2},"shanghai":{"connectivity":3,"dining":2,"hotel":2,"language":2,"medical":3,"payments":2,"tickets":3,"transport":2},"shenzhen":{"connectivity":3,"dining":2,"hotel":2,"language":2,"medical":4,"payments":2,"tickets":2,"transport":2},"xian":{"connectivity":4,"dining":3,"hotel":3,"language":3,"medical":4,"payments":3,"tickets":4,"transport":3}},"updated":"2026-10-24","version":"1.0"}