How to Use AI in China (Without a VPN)
You don't need a VPN to use AI in China. The local AI tools are free, mostly work in English, and they're better at China-specific tasks than the assistant you use at home.
- Before you leave home: 20 minutes of setup
- Scenario 1 โ You can't read the menu, the sign, or the packet
- Scenario 2 โ Build a trip plan in ten minutes
- Scenario 3 โ A Chinese guide, PDF, or blog post you can't read
- Scenario 4 โ Talking to a real person: directions, markets, taxis
- Scenario 5 โ Something goes wrong
- The cheat sheet
- Small things that make a big difference
You already have WeChat and Alipay sorted โ this is the next layer. Four free apps, five real situations, and the exact words to type. I've used all of these on the ground; where something is fussy, I say so.
That used to be the advice. In 2026 it barely works: mainstream VPNs succeed in China maybe 10โ15% of the time, and even with a VPN, ChatGPT often says "not available in your region" โ OpenAI itself has blocked China since 2024, so you're fighting two walls, not one. The four apps below need no VPN at all.
One more cheat code: if you arrive with a Hong Kong eSIM or international roaming, your traffic routes home first and the firewall never sees it โ Google, WhatsApp, and ChatGPT all work. Travelers call it the easiest option. But the apps below work on any connection, eSIM or not.
Before you leave home: 20 minutes of setup
Do this on your home Wi-Fi, not at the airport. App store listings vary by country, and setting up accounts is much easier before you land.
| App | Official link | What you'll actually use it for | English in the interface |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | deepseek.com ยท download.deepseek.com | Thinking, planning, itineraries, coding | Full English โ there's an EN toggle on the website |
| Kimi (Moonshot AI) | www.kimi.com โ the international version | Reading long Chinese PDFs, web pages, guides | Mostly Chinese โ but you can type in English and ask for English answers |
| Doubao (ByteDance) | doubao.com | Voice calls, live interpreting, photo Q&A | Mostly Chinese โ the interpreter mode handles Chinese โ English |
| Qwen (Alibaba) | qwen.ai ยท qwen.ai/download | Translation, photo translation, shopping questions | Largely English on the web; app is English-friendly |
How to install
Do it before you fly, from your home country's App Store or Google Play โ listings vary by region. Check the developer name: Kimi is made by Moonshot AI (copycat apps with similar names exist). Can't find one? Open the official site in your phone browser and add it to your home screen โ the web versions do the same jobs.
China version or international version? Pick international.
Three of the four come in two flavors โ a China-only edition and an international one. As a foreign visitor, always pick international:
| App | Use this | Not this |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi | www.kimi.com โ sign in with Google | kimi.moonshot.cn โ needs a Chinese phone number or WeChat; it redirects overseas visitors to kimi.com anyway |
| Qwen | qwen.ai โ the international version | tongyi.aliyun.com (้ไน) โ the old domestic name; Alibaba renamed the consumer app to Qwen in 2025 |
| Doubao | doubao.com in your browser โ the most reliable entry for foreigners | The app's phone-number login only accepts +86 and Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan numbers |
| DeepSeek | deepseek.com โ one global version, no split | โ |
How to sign up
- DeepSeek โ email, Google account, or Apple ID. No Chinese phone number needed. This is the one that's guaranteed painless for a foreign visitor.
- Doubao โ the fussiest of the four. Phone-number login only accepts +86 and Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan numbers; US/EU numbers are rejected. Easiest paths: log in with WeChat (you have it from the payment setup), Apple ID, or a TikTok/Douyin account. If the app won't let you in, use the web version at doubao.com โ or skip it and use Qwen for voice and photo tasks.
- Qwen โ sign in with Google or email on qwen.ai.
- Kimi โ use the international version at www.kimi.com and sign in with Google. (The domestic site kimi.moonshot.cn wants a Chinese phone number โ you're on the wrong site if you land there.)
Two small things that save you later
1 Log in on the web version too, so you have a backup if the app misbehaves.
2 Allow camera and microphone permissions when asked, or the photo and voice features won't work.
Scenario 1 โ You can't read the menu, the sign, or the packet
You don't need a new app for the easy stuff. Both apps you already have can translate text through the camera.
WeChat: WeChat โ tap + (top right) โ Scan โ look for the Translate (็ฟป่ฏ) tab at the bottom โ point the camera at the text.
Alipay: Alipay โ Scan (ๆซไธๆซ) on the home screen โ Translate (็ฟป่ฏ).
Good for: signs, menus with pictures, product labels. Fast, and no typing.
When the camera translation isn't enough โ handwritten menus, a wall of small print, a herbal tea packet with 30 ingredients โ hand it to Doubao or Qwen.
Doubao: open the app โ tap the + or camera icon next to the input box โ Take a photo or upload from your album โ type:
Please translate all the text in this image into English. If it's a menu, list the dishes, the price, and say whether each one is spicy, fried, or cold.
Qwen: same flow โ attach the photo and ask. Qwen's underlying model supports 119 languages and dialects (per Alibaba's Qwen3 announcement), and its image translation keeps the original layout, so the translation lands on top of the original design. You can hold the phone up and read dish names and prices in place, which is genuinely nicer than a wall of plain text.
Which three dishes on this menu would a local actually order? And what should I avoid if I don't eat spicy food?
Chinese menus are long. Let the AI shortlist for you.
Scenario 2 โ Build a trip plan in ten minutes
This is DeepSeek's strongest everyday job โ reasoning and planning. Type in English, get English back.
Open DeepSeek (web or app), turn on Deep Think if you see the toggle, and paste something like this:
I'm travelling in China for 8 days: 3 days in Shanghai, 2 in Xi'an, 3 in Chengdu. I arrive in Shanghai on a Monday morning and fly home from Chengdu. I like food markets, old architecture and hiking; I hate crowded tourist traps. Build me a day-by-day plan that keeps travel time realistic. For each day give: morning / afternoon / evening, the metro line to take, and one specific restaurant. Put the Chinese name next to every place so I can show it to a taxi driver. Note anything I must book in advance.
Then follow up, which is where it gets useful:
- "Day 4 looks too rushed. Rebuild it."
- "I'd rather swap the museum for a park. What else is nearby?"
- "Write a packing list for the weather in Xi'an in this month."
- "Which of these need a reservation, and how far ahead?"
A lot of popular attractions and high-speed trains in China release tickets a set number of days ahead and sell out. Ask explicitly: "Does this need to be booked in advance, and how many days ahead?" Then book it.
Save the output as a screenshot. You'll want it when you're offline on the metro.
Scenario 3 โ A Chinese guide, PDF, or blog post you can't read
Kimi's whole reputation is long documents. According to Moonshot AI, it handles very long contexts; public reviews routinely describe uploading several hundred pages at once. For a traveller that means: stop squinting at a 40-page Chinese travel guide and let it read the whole thing.
1 Open Kimi โ tap the paperclip / upload icon next to the input box.
2 Upload the PDF, or paste a URL to a Chinese blog post or guide page.
3 Ask in English:
This is a Chinese travel guide. Summarise it in English. Then: list every place mentioned with its Chinese name, opening hours, ticket price, and how to get there by metro. Flag anything a foreign visitor would need to book or bring ID for.
Also works on:
- A hotel confirmation or train ticket PDF โ "What time do I check in, and what's the address in Chinese characters?"
- A Chinese contract or rental agreement โ "Summarise the key terms in English."
- A long WeChat article someone sent you โ paste the link instead of the file.
English names of Chinese places are useless to a taxi driver, a ticket machine, or a person on the street. You want the characters.
Scenario 4 โ Talking to a real person: directions, markets, taxis
This is the one that feels like a superpower in a market. Doubao is one of the most widely used AI assistants in China, and its voice features are the strongest of the four.
Live interpreting (two-way conversation)
Doubao app โ tap the phone icon (top right) โ choose the interpreter / ๅๅฃฐไผ ่ฏ mode โ set the language pair to Chinese โ English โ just talk. It speaks the translation out loud and shows both languages on screen.
Public guides describe support for Chinese with English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and more. English โ Chinese is the pair that matters most here and is usually auto-detected.
Where it shines:
- Asking a shopkeeper what something is made of
- Negotiating at a market โ speak English, it speaks Chinese
- A taxi driver who doesn't speak English
- A pharmacist, when you need to describe a symptom properly
If you'd rather not hold a conversation
Hold the microphone icon, say your sentence in English, and send. Then ask:
Translate this into natural spoken Chinese, and also write the characters so I can show the screen to the person.
Then turn the phone around. Showing Chinese characters is often faster than any translation app, and it never fails.
Alibaba has publicised real-time speech translation and face-to-face interpreting in the Qwen app. If Doubao's voice is busy or you can't find the mode, try Qwen's translate tab.
Scenario 5 โ Something goes wrong
AI is a fast way to find a phone number or an address. It is not an authority. Always confirm by calling, or by checking the organisation's own website.
I'm in Hangzhou, China. I need a hospital with a 24-hour emergency department. Give me: the hospital name in English and in Chinese characters, the address in Chinese characters I can show a taxi driver, the phone number, and the nearest metro station. Then tell me what to say, in Chinese, when I walk in.
Find the consulate or embassy of [your country] in [city]. Give me the full address in Chinese characters, the 24-hour consular emergency phone number, and the office hours.
I've lost my passport in Chengdu. What are the exact steps I need to take, in order? What documents do I need, and where do I report it?
Numbers worth having in your phone before anything happens
- 110 โ police
- 120 โ ambulance
- 119 โ fire
And save your own country's embassy 24-hour consular number โ look it up on the embassy's official website before you fly, and save it as a contact, not just in a chat.
Two habits that help in a real emergency
1 Screenshot the address in Chinese characters. Hand the phone to a taxi driver or a passer-by. This works even when language doesn't.
2 Ask the AI for a short Chinese sentence you can read aloud or show: "Write in Chinese: I need a doctor. I have travel insurance. Please call this number."
Hotel reception (ๅๅฐ) is also an underrated resource in China โ they'll call a doctor, translate, and deal with the paperwork. Ask them first.
The cheat sheet
| Situation | Use this | Exactly what to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sign, menu, label โ quick | WeChat or Alipay โ Scan โ Translate | Point the camera. No typing. |
| Menu is handwritten or complicated | Doubao or Qwen photo | Attach photo โ "Translate everything into English and tell me what's spicy." |
| Build or fix a trip plan | DeepSeek | Turn on Deep Think, paste your dates and interests, ask for a day-by-day plan with Chinese names. |
| Long Chinese PDF, guide, or blog | Kimi | Upload the file or paste the link โ "Summarise in English, list every place with Chinese name, hours and price." |
| Talking to a person | Doubao voice / interpreter | Phone icon โ interpreter โ talk. Or hold the mic and show the screen. |
| Two-way speech, translation of a document | Qwen | Translate tab โ real-time speech or document translation. |
| Hospital, embassy, lost passport | Any of them | Ask for name, address in Chinese characters, phone, metro. Then verify by calling. |
Small things that make a big difference
- Always ask for the Chinese characters. English names get you nowhere at a ticket window. Make it a habit: "and give me the Chinese name."
- Turn on Deep Think for plans, off for quick facts. It's slower, but the itineraries are noticeably better.
- Screenshot everything you might need offline. Metro with no signal is the normal state of affairs, not a rare one.
- Ask it to write things you can show, not just things you can read. "Write this in Chinese so I can show it to the driver" is the single most useful prompt in this guide.
- Ask follow-up questions. Every one of these apps remembers the conversation. "Make it cheaper", "I'm vegetarian", "I have a knee injury, no stairs" โ say it and it will redo the plan.
- Free is real. All four are free to use, and the free tiers cover everything in this guide. One note: Kimi also sells a membership (ยฅ49โ699/month) โ if it prompts you to upgrade, that's normal, just ignore it.
- Two honest caveats. These are Chinese apps: your chats and uploads live on servers in China, so don't paste passport numbers, bank details, or company secrets. And keep it to ้ฃๆ โ the pleasant stuff (food, travel, daily life). Politics is off the menu.
- One more worth knowing: Tencent's Yuanbao (่ พ่ฎฏๅ ๅฎ) can search WeChat public articles โ a huge pool of Chinese local guides that Western search engines barely index. Handy when the other four can't find that niche local recommendation.
One last thing
None of this replaces a smile, a bit of patience, and pointing at things. But it does remove the friction that makes first-time visitors to China nervous: the menu you can't read, the sign you can't parse, the taxi conversation that goes nowhere.
Install the four apps at home, log in before you fly, and you'll arrive with a translator, a tour guide, a document reader, and a planner โ all free, all already working on the Chinese network, all in your pocket.
Safe travels.
Keep going โ the other survival guides
AI is one layer of the trip. The rest of the stack:
- WeChat for Foreigners โ register, verify, and pay with WeChat before you land.
- Alipay for Foreigners โ the other half of paying in China.
- Taobao in English โ shop like a local, in a language you can read.
- Phone Cards & Bank Accounts โ connectivity and money, solved.
๐งณ Travel essentials for your China trip
- Asia eSIM โ 11 countries, 20 days unlimited data โ land connected, QR code in 24h
- Ceptics 45W universal travel adapter โ 3 USB-A + 2 USB-C, works with China sockets
- Lonely Planet Mandarin phrasebook & dictionary โ 3,500 words, pocket size
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Current as of October 2026. App registration rules and feature availability change fast โ anything marked as a signup flow should be confirmed in the live app before you rely on it.
Corrections and fresh data points are welcome โ app interfaces move fast, and a reader who installed one last week knows more than a writer with a browser.
Still stuck after reading this guide?
Get personal help from a local. China Visitor Consulting โ $50 for up to 3 questions, answered within 48 hours.