# Shenzhen Decoded

> The only English-language practical travel guide for foreigners visiting Shenzhen, China. Troubleshooting-first, not tour-selling.

Full version: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/llms-full.txt

## What this site covers

- Setting up mobile payments (Alipay, WeChat Pay) as a foreigner
- VPN setup and which services work in China in 2026
- Hong Kong to Shenzhen border crossings: which to use, wait times, documents
- eSIM and connectivity before and after landing
- Apps to install before crossing the border
- Eating, ordering, and navigating Shenzhen without Chinese
- Culture preparation: what surprises foreigners and how to handle it
- Dental tourism: prices, clinics, risks vs Hong Kong
- Alipay troubleshooting and emergency payment fixes
- Emergency help: what to do when things go wrong
- Visa-free entry: 30-day and 240-hour transit policies for 79 countries
- Getting a Chinese phone number: SIM cards, the free China Mobile trick, workarounds
- Hotel registration: the 24-hour rule and what hotels handle automatically
- Where to stay: which Shenzhen neighborhood fits your trip type
- Getting around: metro, Didi, navigation apps, and why Google Maps fails in China

## Key pages

- Homepage: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en
- Shenzhen travel checklist (start here): https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/shenzhen-travel-checklist
- All guides: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides
- Visa eligibility checker: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/tools/visa-checker
- Border crossing recommender: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/tools/border-picker
- Live border wait times: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/live/shenzhen-hong-kong-border-wait-times
- About the project: https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/about

## Guides

- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/payment-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/hk-shenzhen-border
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/vpn-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/esim-china
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/essential-apps
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/dental-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/alipay-troubleshooting
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/eating-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/culture-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/troubleshooting-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/visa-free-china
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/china-phone-number
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/hotel-registration-china
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/where-to-stay-shenzhen
- https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/en/guides/getting-around-shenzhen