China is straightforward to travel once you're set up — and genuinely confusing before you are. The apps that work at home don't work here, your hotel never answers email, and the big sights sell out days in advance. None of it is difficult. It's just different. Here's what to actually do.
Download Alipay and WeChat before you fly — Google Play is blocked in mainland China, so you can't install them after you land.
Here's the part that saves people a lot of time: you do not need DiDi's own app. DiDi runs as a mini-program inside both Alipay and WeChat, drawing on exactly the same pool of drivers. One less download, one less registration, and — importantly — a more reliable one. Card binding in the standalone DiDi app is hit and miss for foreign cards; going through Alipay works.
This one catches almost every independent traveller, and it isn't your fault. Chinese guesthouses, homestays and small hotels run on WeChat, not email. An email sent from abroad often goes to an address nobody monitors, in a language the front desk doesn't work in.
Message them on WeChat instead — same app, already installed. Replies come back in minutes, and you can use the built-in translation. Do this before you fly:
China's high-speed rail is excellent and cheap, and it covers Guizhou's main cities — Guiyang, Anshun, Kaili, Libo, Tongren. Tickets are real-name and linked to your passport, so bring the physical document you booked with; it's your ticket at the gate.
The gap is the last stretch. Rail gets you to the city; the villages, the rice terraces and the trailheads are usually another hour or two by road. Budget for a car on those days — see below.
China's headline scenic areas now run real-name, timed-entry reservations with hard daily caps, and they do sell out. The rule of thumb: if it's UNESCO-listed or a 5A scenic area, assume you need a slot booked in advance — not a ticket bought at the gate.
Mount Fanjingshan is a good worked example of what to expect:
Booking runs through official WeChat accounts and mini-programs, which can be awkward with a foreign card from abroad. See Fanjingshan in Spring for the step-by-step, or the full mountain guide.
This is where most independent trips to Guizhou come unstuck, and it's the honest reason people end up hiring a driver. Between the station and the village, in rural counties, ride-hailing supply is thin — a quote is not a car. A fare may show up in the app and then no driver accepts it.
Two things that work:
On a private tour we meet you at Guiyang airport, get your apps and payments working before your first outing, and handle the reservations, the tickets and the driving so the last mile is never your problem. That's most of what a guide is actually for in China.
Related: How to Pay in China as a Tourist · China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit
App features, fees and reservation rules for international visitors change often — check the apps' official help pages and the scenic area's own announcements close to your travel date.