Apps

China has arguably the best food delivery ecosystem in the world. Meituan alone handles over 60 million orders per day. You can get anything — hot pot, bubble tea, groceries, medicine — delivered to your door in under 30 minutes, often for under $5. But if you’re a foreign traveler who can’t read Chinese, ordering food can feel impossible. Here’s what actually works, based on real traveler experiences. The first thing to know: cash won’t help you Chinese law says vendors must accept cash. In practice? Almost no one does. Street vendors, restaurants, even taxi drivers expect you to scan a QR code. Pulling out a ¥100 bill at a noodle shop will earn you a confused stare and possibly a refusal. ...

Google Maps loads in China, but it’s wrong. Streets are offset by 500 meters. Public transit directions don’t work. Walking routes send you through walls. Here’s what to use instead. Why Google Maps Fails in China China uses a different coordinate system (GCJ-02) than the global standard (WGS-84). Google Maps uses WGS-84. Chinese maps use GCJ-02. The result: everything is shifted. Your hotel appears in the middle of a river. Your walking route goes through a construction site. ...