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The logistics of a factory trip: high-speed rail tickets on a passport, hailing a Didi to an industrial zone, paying by phone, and checking into a hotel.

商务 · Visiting a Chinese Factory: A Reading Path hub →

~3 min read

高铁 gāotiě High-Speed Rail

高铁 gāotiě high-speed rail

Trains are booked on the official 12306 app or site (it has an English version) or through travel apps, and your passport is the ticket: it is checked at the station entrance and at the gate. 动车 (dòngchē) are slightly slower bullet trains. Arrive early; large stations have security checks.

我想买一张明天上午去宁波的高铁票，二等座。

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhāng míngtiān shàngwǔ qù Níngbō de gāotiě piào, èrděngzuò.

I'd like one high-speed rail ticket to Ningbo tomorrow morning, second class.

车次 chēcì train number

G-trains are the fastest, D-trains next. 检票口 (jiǎnpiàokǒu) is the boarding gate, shown on the screens next to the train number; 车厢 (chēxiāng) is the carriage, 座位号 the seat number.

请问G七五零五在几号检票口？

Qǐngwèn G qī wǔ líng wǔ zài jǐ hào jiǎnpiàokǒu?

Excuse me, which gate is train G7505 at?

打车 dǎchē Taxis and Didi

滴滴 Dīdī Didi ride-hailing

The main ride app, also usable inside Alipay and WeChat. Industrial zones have confusing addresses, so ask the factory to send a 定位 (dìngwèi, location pin) and set that as the destination. 上车点 (shàngchēdiǎn) is the pickup point.

麻烦发一个工厂的定位给我，我打车过去。

Máfan fā yí ge gōngchǎng de dìngwèi gěi wǒ, wǒ dǎchē guòqù.

Could you send me the factory's location pin? I'll take a car over.

尾号 wěihào last digits (of a phone number)

Drivers confirm the passenger by the last four digits of the phone number: 手机尾号多少? Answer with the digits one by one.

师傅您好，我尾号是三八二一。

Shīfu nín hǎo, wǒ wěihào shì sān bā èr yāo.

Hello, my number ends in 3821.

师傅，到前面那个大门口停就可以了。

Shīfu, dào qiánmiàn nàge dà ménkǒu tíng jiù kěyǐ le.

Driver, you can stop at that main gate ahead.

付款 fùkuǎn Paying by Phone

扫码 sǎomǎ · Cash Is Rare

China pays by phone. Foreign visitors can now link an international bank card to Alipay (支付宝 Zhīfùbǎo) and WeChat Pay (微信支付), with a fee on larger payments; set this up and test it before the trip. Two directions to know: you scan the merchant's code (扫码 sǎomǎ, 收款码 shōukuǎnmǎ is their receiving code), or the merchant scans yours (付款码 fùkuǎnmǎ, your payment code). Carry some cash anyway for the occasional place that cannot take foreign-linked cards. Note that 一 is often read 幺 (yāo) in phone and room numbers.

扫码 sǎomǎ to scan a code

您扫我还是我扫您? (Do you scan me or do I scan you?) is the everyday question at a till.

我扫您吧，多少钱？

Wǒ sǎo nín ba, duōshao qián?

I'll scan yours. How much is it?

入住 rùzhù to check in

Hotels must register foreign guests' passports, and not every hotel is licensed to take foreigners, so book one that confirms it does. 押金 (yājīn) is the deposit, 退房 (tuìfáng) checkout. For a company invoice, give the 抬头 (táitóu, the invoice name).

您好，我在网上订了房，这是我的护照。

Nín hǎo, wǒ zài wǎngshang dìng le fáng, zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào.

Hello, I booked a room online; here is my passport.

退房的时候能开发票吗？抬头写我们公司的名字。

Tuìfáng de shíhou néng kāi fāpiào ma? Táitóu xiě wǒmen gōngsī de míngzi.

Can I get an invoice at checkout? Please make it out to our company.