<strong>Your SIM Card</strong>

If you purchased a Survival Kit you will receive your pre-paid Chinese SIM card when you arrive at the airport. For phones from almost all countries (with the notable exception of the USA) all you need to do is put the SIM card into your phone. Your card already has credit on it and you can start making calls straight away.

<a href="http://ltlcdn1.ltl.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/DSC001752.jpg" rel="gallery"><img class="alignright" title="Mr. Xu's newspaper stand" src="http://ltlcdn1.ltl.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/DSC001752-300x225.jpg" alt="Mr. Xu's newspaper stand" width="300" height="225" /></a>

Mr. Xu's newspaper stand

If you did not purchase a survival kit standard, you will have to register with the relevant Chinese authorities for a mobile phone license and can then purchase a SIM card.

USA: If you are from the USA, please make sure that your phone is compatible with international phone standards, China uses the same system as the European Union and most of the rest of the world.

<strong>Top Up Your SIM Card
</strong>

You can top up your phone with a 充植卡 Chōngzhí kǎ, which you can purchase from Mr. Xu at the newspaper stand 200m east of the Sunshine 100 main gate or any other newspaper vendor in the city. The cards come in 50RMB and 100RMB denominations with instructions in English on how use them. If you are unsure how to use it, you can ask Mr. Xu and he can do it for you. There are only two mobile phone providers in China 中国联通 Zhōngguó liántōng (China Unicom) and 中国移动 Zhōngguó yídòng (China Mobile), they have similar pricing but you have to make sure you purchase the right top up card. The name of the provider is written on your SIM card.

<strong>International Calls</strong>

To make international calls can be quite expensive with a Chinese mobile so we do not recommend this. We suggest three options for international calls:

<a href="http://ltlcdn1.ltl.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/DSC001791.jpg" rel="gallery"><img class="alignleft" title="China Mobile Office in Sunshine 100" src="http://ltlcdn1.ltl.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/DSC001791-300x225.jpg" alt="China Mobile Office in Sunshine 100" width="300" height="225" /></a>

China Mobile Office in Sunshine 100

- Buy an IP卡 IP kǎ (IP card) from either 中国联通 Zhōngguó liántōng (China Unicom) or 中国移动 Zhōngguó yídòng (China Mobile). Using an IP卡 IP kǎ (IP card) calling abroad is a lot cheaper. <strong>Important</strong>: These cards come in 100RMB denominations, but the actual price you should pay for them is between 30 and 45RMB. So do not get ripped off – if you need help in bargaining, let us know.

- Use your mobile phone and dial 12593 followed by the country code, including all zeros. So for example, for calling 0043 512 348355 you would instead dial 12593 0043 512 348355. This is more expensive than using an IP卡 IP kǎ (IP card) but still much cheaper than using your mobile to call directly.

- Use your Skype to call home. We have free wireless internet in our school and free computers for you to use with Skype installed. In case you do not have your own Skype account, we have a Skype unlimited free calls subscription which works for fixed lines in most countries and you are of course free to use.