Hi there, I am currently studying and living in Hainan, China. I have been in China for more than 4 years.
And today I will be sharing with you some of the apps must have if you are coming to China or if you are already living in China it does not matter.
Apps are an important part of our lives if you are coming to China or are already living in China you would wanna have a look at these apps that I am going to tell you.
They are going to help you out a great deal and save you a lot of trouble.
1-WeChat 微信
Okay so let’s talk about WeChat first we all know that most instant messaging services are banned or not available in China .so that leaves you with a few options and WeChat is one of those, WeChat is one of the most useful Apps to have in China .and probably going to be your most used app when you come to China because with the help of WeChat you can do a lot with just one app, WeChat has a lot of features built into it. it is more than just a messaging app .you can pay your bills stay connected to your friends and even transfer money to other people too .you can even watch videos just like Duo Yin(Tik Tok).and that is not even the beginning, you can do a whole lot with WeChat.
I think this is the reason WeChat has more than a billion monthly active users and is constantly increasing in popularity, especially in China.
WeChat mini-programs can let you buy food order taxis, let you buy stuff online, and even buy plane or train tickets.
And now let us talk about the beauty of WeChat payment, I have been living in China for more than 4 years, I can tell you one thing from my experience even street vendors accept payment through WeChat that alone can explain how popular WeChat is so, in other words, WeChat is just like a virtual wallet in your pocket a single app doing everything for you and so good that you don’t need any other App. I think that’s it for WeChat and I hope I have talked about how useful Wechat is that will be it for Wechat.
The WeChat Download page:
2-Taobao 淘宝
There is no doubt that Taobao is the largest online shopping company in China with a huge variety of products, including clothing, electronics, and even those ingenious little gadgets you never knew existed. Typically, you will receive your order within three days of placing an order in China because shipping is fast. One of the most widely accepted payment methods in China is Alipay, which is only accepted by Alibaba Group’s parent company Taobao’s parent company.
I have been in China for more than 4 years and one thing I can tell you from my experience is that if you ever come to china Taobao is gonna be one of your favorites.
Apps you can buy almost everything on Taobao whether it’s from a brand or not it doesn’t matter almost everything can be found on Taobao and it’s so cheap too it will be in your nearest shop in like 2 or three days .its so convenient too just like Amazon or eBay.
The Taobao Download page:
https://market.m.taobao.com/app/fdilab/download-page/main/index.html
3-Meituan 美团
These are two of the most popular takeout options when you do not want to leave your room for food or are tired of the restaurants near campus. Food will typically arrive within 20 minutes to an hour, depending on how far the restaurant is, and you can track where your food is as it is delivered in real-time on the map to better plan your time before the food arrives.
The Meituan Download page:
4-QQ Music QQ音乐
Mainstream music streaming services in the US and most of the others are not always available in China (you need a VPN to log in to Spotify but don’t need a VPN to listen to music, and SoundCloud needs a VPN to work) so it’ll be good to know that there are alternatives if your usually music provider does not work in China. QQ and Netease music provide access to most songs and music videos that are available for download free of charge.
The QQ Music Download Page
The Netease Music Download Page
https://music.163.com/#/download
5-Amap 高德地图
As we know google maps is ban in China so we have to use Amap or Baidu map I personally prefer Amap because I find it convenient but you are more than welcome to use any other alternative.
Amap, formerly AutoNavi, is a map application by Alibaba Group and is a leading mapping service provider in China. It has become a popular tool for traveling in China, with more than 100 million daily active users and over 400 million monthly active users. Amap’s services cover information services, driving navigation, shared travel, smart public transportation, smart attractions, cycling, walking, and long-distance travel. More than a tool for navigation, Amap is also an Internet infrastructure.
Just as Taobao establishes relationships between consumers and products and Alipay establishes relationships between people and funds, Amap establishes relationships between people and places. Even more importantly, it establishes relationships between people and the real world. Amap’s mission is to connect the world and make travel more wonderful. The Amap app is only the tip of the iceberg, the minority of our work that everyone can see. There is a great deal of work hidden from everyone’s view, such as positioning, route planning, road condition detection, estimated time of arrival (ETA), online ride-hailing, freight transportation, location-based service (LBS) games, and route planning based on supplies and demands. All of this requires a lot of technical support.
The Amap Download Page
6-Duoyin 抖音
I personally don’t use Duoyin that much because I am not a fan of short videos but
Douyin is a short-video platform that allows users to both produce and watch 50-second videos with numerous effects, music backgrounds, filters, and other tools to be as creative as you want.
Douyin has achieved amazing growth numbers for the past years since it was first launched. Douyin Ads
In-Video Ads. Videos can last up to 60 seconds (if the account is verified) and can integrate an internal link on Douyin. The cost of these ads are in cost per thousand impressions or CPC.
“Splash ad” which plays an ad for a few seconds when you start up the app. These ads are launched maximum 4 times a day. The payment of this type of ad is either between 800,000 RMB and 1 million RMB or in cost per mille (CPM) between 50 and 60 RMB.
Video Link: Embed links into videos that direct people to a product store page directly. Avoiding any further redirection or app-switching creates a smoother user experience. You can leverage the social media element by encouraging users to share these videos with the shopping links in it with their friends. This helped them recruit new customers at the least cost. This of course means that the videos must be entertaining or interesting beyond just being an advert for a product. Otherwise, fans won’t want to share them with their friends.
The Douyin Download Page:
7-Microsoft Translator
Some of you may already know but some may don’t but google translate doesn’t work in china now the app I use is Microsoft Translate.the translation feature on WeChat is pretty good but trust me you are gonna need another translating app.
This app has a lot of features that can come in handy ,trust me you are going to love this app.
If you want to translate between Chinese and other languages, Microsoft Translate can help you out. The app is straightforward and very user-friendly, with options to translate text, audio and pictures.
The latest update includes handy tools such as a phrasebook and a conversation function. And when verbal communication and translation functions fail, this chat feature allows you to have translated text conversations with native speakers who also use the app.
MICROSOFT TRANSLATE PAGE :
8-Microsoft Bing
With Google and Yahoo blocked in China, the Chinese rely on local alternatives Baidu and Sogou. But as popular as those two search engines are, they are not foreigner-friendly.Thankfully, Bing is the only major foreign search engine that has survived all these years.
It is true that it was blocked temporarily and has since received a Chinese makeover (with censored search results), but the most important thing about Bing’s return is that foreigners can use it in China without a proxy. You can also filter your search by Chinese or International search results.
Microsoft Bing’s official page :
9- Trip.com
The final app that I am going to share with you guys is Trip.com. Most of you may already know about this app but for those of you who don’t know Trip.com is one of the best Apps to book a hotel, plane tickets or even train tickets online and that’s not it. With trip.com you can do a whole lot of other things too and can get huge discounts.
I personally use Trip.com a lot I recently used it to book a plane ticket for my friend who just came to China. Their service and most importantly the customer support is on a different level. It does not matter if it’s a domestic journey or international Trip.com is one of the best apps you’re gonna find and trust me when I say this you are to love it.
Trip.com Download page :
Okay, that is what I want to share with you the APPs must have in China, if you have not used these apps, you could try to download them, and if you have some better apps or some apps that help you great, just leave your comment below to tell me~~~
If you want to know more about tips for studying in China, you can read my another post: