Mobile Phone

Currently the major mobile phone systems in China are, namely TD-SCDMA(3G), W-CDMA(3G), CDMA2000(3G), GSM 900/1800 and PAS. The cheapest among them will be PAS but there were lots of drawbacks for this system. If students are going to travel around the China, it won’t be a good choice since its coverage normally would only be within one single city. Students should beware of the compatibility of their mobile phones before bringing them to China.

For 3G users, the largest China’s mobile service operator, China Mobile, uses a Chinese 3G standard (TD-SCDMA) which is not compatible with mobile phones sold outside China. If students bring their own 3G smartphone to China, it will most likely be restricted to China Mobile’s 2G network which is GSM. In order to enjoy 3G mobile service with mobile phones sold outside of China, students can join China Unicom, which is another China’s mobile service operator which uses the same 3G technology as the rest of the world (W-CDMA).

Laptop Computer

A computer is a must for any student. We suggest students bringing their own laptops from their home country because laptops in Chinese retail stores are all equipped with simplified Chinese operation system. It becomes a major obstacle for foreign student who is new to simplified Chinese.

Electronic Dictionary

We recommend students brining their electronic dictionary that was bought from their home country. It’s not easy to buy a good electronic dictionary with translation other than English.