Chapter 4. Useful applications in China

#An Sungjun

2017.10.26

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https://stories.amorepacific.com/en/chapter-4-useful-applic

Columns written by member of Amorepacific Group

ColumnistAn Sungjun
APC Intellectual Property Team

This fifth column is an introduction to local applications that are handy in various daily living situations for foreigners who have visited China in a long business trip or to live. This list of recommended applications are based on my personal experience. Many of them require a Chinese mobile phone number at the initial sign-up, so please note that this information is only applicable to those who have a Chinese mobile phone number.

Now let me begin my personal recommendation of the useful applications.

Moving

货拉拉（huòlālā） :

This application can be used when you want to move things from one place to another. The price is quite cheap and you can rent 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 1.8 ton trucks on the very day you make the request. The driver might be able to help you with handling the objects depending on the negotiation. (Don't forget to leave a tip when the work is done!) You can also rent a cart to move the objects, making it possible to cover small to large things all together. When your objects are too small to call a removal company or in urgency, remember 货拉拉.

Restaurant review and reservation

大众点评（dàzhòngdiǎnpíng) :

Want to find out the best restaurants in China? We all spend time choosing and booking the right place to catch up with acquaintances or friends. This is what you need in this situation. The app provides one-stop service for searching restaurants, menu, atmosphere, consumer reviews, open hours and booking. I highly recommend 大众点评 for being convenient to use and offering information for countless restaurants that will take away the hassle.

Sightseeing & travel

This time, shall we leave on a trip to the surrounding regions or a tour of a nearby tourist spot? I would like to introduce you two applications you can use to find various information and make reservations for destinations and transportation. These applications provide information on each region of China. The best thing about them is that they are easy to use. For example, you can simply check various flight information and user-friendly search results on destination information provide great convenience. If you want to travel using local applications, try 去哪儿旅行 and 携程旅行.

Paying bills and making daily payment

支付宝 (Zhīfùbǎo) :

There is an app that saves your payment information such as bank accounts and credit cards and connects to other applications to make your payment more convenient. It is Alipay by Alibaba Group. You can pay phone, water, gas and electricity bills through this app as well as make payments in your daily shopping. It must be one of the apps you have seen or heard about many times. If you want to add an easy payment method in your daily life, 支付宝 would be your choice.

Chinese messenger and daily payment

微信 (Wēixìn) :

If Kakao Talk should be the most widely used mobile messenger in Korea, in China, we have 微信. You must have heard of this at least once, right? Servicing voice and video calls are the same, but there in one function that I think is unique. It enables voice messaging through pressing on the text field and PC messaging by connecting to the Internet. At the same time, it can also function as an easy payment method by connecting to other applications when you enter payment information of your bank accounts or credit cards. Now, isn't 微信 a must-have in living in China?

Transportation

地铁通 (Dìtiětōng) :

I know many of you use the subway a lot. Here is an application with user-friendly design that allows users to simply check information on subways throughout China, such as at stations, the distance between the stations, timetable, and so on. Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have great subway system, and this app will be helpful when you use them. To use this application, first, download the application, download the subway map for the city you want, then find the information you need. It features better usability compared to other applications, so if you need a help while using the subway, download 地铁通.

百度地图 (Bǎidùdìtú) :

When you want to find out how you should get to your destination, this one is my strongest recommendation. For instance, finding out the distance from the airport to the hotel and the estimated travel time becomes simple using this application. Convenience in use and accuracy in information are its best features. When you need a navigation application, I recommend you 百度地图.

滴滴出行 (Dīdīchūxíng) :

This one is also something you might have heard of before. It provides transportation services, including express, taxi, carpool, chauffeur and rent. When you call a car to your location, it arrives in short time which is very convenient and safe at the same time. Try using 滴滴出行 in case you need to use a car.

Music

全民K歌 (QuánmínKgē) :

Feel like singing? Let me introduce you to an application that enables you to enjoy choosing the song, singing along the lyrics and recording it like you do in the karaoke. It offers songs from diverse countries, as well as Chinese songs, and is enough to be called a private karaoke. Try downloading 全民K歌 when you are stressed out and want to sing out loud.

QQ音乐 (QQyīnyuè) :

Feel like listening to some music this time? On this application, you can add your favorite songs on the playlist and listen to them without a connection to the Internet. This one also has a good list of songs from around the world, so give it a try.

Shopping

手机淘宝 (Shǒujītáobǎo) :

It is the well-known Taobao. Taobao now features a quick delivery and simple reimbursement procedure. Its accumulated consumer purchase history provides a large variety of customer reviews which makes it easier to identify the benefits and flaws of the product you want to buy. It is an essential tool that helps you to rapidly search your shopping list, buy them and have them delivered very shortly.

唯品会 (Wéipĭnhuì) :

This application sells global best sellers in special price based on the credit of the products. It is gaining popularity among young Chinese recently and is being loved by offering exclusive products faster than anyone else at a low price. It is particularly popular among women.

京东 (Jīngdōng) :

京东 boasts fast delivery. You might have seen its advertisement on the billboards in Chinese subway stations. If you make an order before 9 a.m., they bring it to you by the afternoon. Not all products are delivered this fast, obviously. But they provide information on estimated time of delivery, so you can check that when you make an order.

Savory food delivery

When you want to eat something delicious or need to have fruits or groceries delivered right away, these applications will help you. Select the items you need, then request a delivery. These applications feature a variety of food and necessities, as well as immediate delivery. They also provide contact information of delivery drivers so you can directly call them when needed.

I hope the applications introduced on this chapter will be helpful to you, and in the final chapter I will share more stories on the work I do here in China. I sincerely appreciate all of you for reading my columns in spite of my incomplete experience in China and I'll see you again in the next chapter!

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Chapter 4. Useful applications in China

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