Symptom Index
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## Payment & money
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| Alipay / WeChat will not accept my foreign card | [Alipay & WeChat Pay (foreign visitors)](../01-System-Setup/alipay-wechat-setup-foreigners/) |
| Payment works then suddenly locks / asks for selfie | [VPN, eSIM & Payment Setup](../01-System-Setup/vpn-esim-payment/) (Payment Recovery) |
| I need cash, ATM, or invoice (fapiao) | [Money Runtime](../01-System-Setup/money-runtime/) · [Landing Protocol](../01-System-Setup/landing-protocol/) |
| Hotel / card pre-auth freeze will not clear | [Money Runtime](../01-System-Setup/money-runtime/) |
| Lost bank card / need to freeze cards | [Lost bank card](../03-Emergency-DR/lost-bank-card/) |
## Phone, data & apps
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| Google / WhatsApp / Instagram will not load | [VPN, eSIM & Payment](../01-System-Setup/vpn-esim-payment/) · [Network outage](../03-Emergency-DR/network-outage/) |
| Need a Chinese number for SMS / apps | [Mobile number & activation](../01-System-Setup/mobile-number-and-activation/) · [SIM options](../01-System-Setup/sim-card-options/) |
| Which apps to install / WeChat might lock | [China App Stack](../01-System-Setup/china-app-stack/) |
| Phone lost or stolen | [Lost phone](../03-Emergency-DR/lost-phone/) |
| Maps or Wi‑Fi fail; I am offline | [Network outage](../03-Emergency-DR/network-outage/) · [Maps & toilets](../02-Daily-Runtime/maps-and-toilets/) |
## Arrival, hotel & language
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| First 30 minutes after landing — what order? | [Landing Protocol](../01-System-Setup/landing-protocol/) |
| Digital arrival card / visa-free confusion | [Visa & entry](../01-System-Setup/visa-and-entry/) |
| Hotel will not check me in / police registration | [Hotel check-in](../01-System-Setup/hotel-check-in/) · [Stay beyond hotel](../01-System-Setup/stay-beyond-hotel/) |
| Homestay / apartment / refused as foreigner | [Stay beyond hotel](../01-System-Setup/stay-beyond-hotel/) |
| Nobody understands my English | [Translation tools](../01-System-Setup/translation-tools/) · [Phrase card tool](../../phrase-card-tool.html) |
| Cannot read metro / toilet / facility signs | [Visual signs guide](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-visual-signs-guide/) |
| Leaving Shanghai for other cities | [Beijing](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-beijing/) · [GZ & SZ](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-guangzhou-shenzhen/) · [Chengdu](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-chengdu/) · [Hangzhou](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-hangzhou/) · [Xi'an](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-xian/) · [Chongqing](../02-Daily-Runtime/city-delta-chongqing/) |
| Need offline paper for first 3 days | [72h survival pack](../../survival-72h.html) · [Print hub](../../print-hub.html) |
| Staying months — work/banking grey areas | [Long-stay risk boundaries](../01-System-Setup/long-stay-risk-boundaries/) |
## Transport
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| 12306 rejects my name | [Train ticket trap](../02-Daily-Runtime/train-ticket-trap/) · [MRZ tool](../../mrz-tool.html) |
| International → domestic flight connection | [Transit protocol](../02-Daily-Runtime/international-domestic-transit/) |
| Taxi / Didi issues or cash vs QR | [Taxi & payment](../02-Daily-Runtime/taxi-payment/) |
| Metro, bus, ferry basics | [Public transport](../02-Daily-Runtime/public-transport-tips/) |
| Want to drive / rent a car | [Car rental](../02-Daily-Runtime/car-rental/) |
| Luggage delayed or lost | [Lost luggage](../02-Daily-Runtime/lost-luggage/) |
| Power bank taken at airport security | [Power bank rules](../01-System-Setup/power-bank-rules/) |
## Health & safety
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| Need a hospital / clinic with English help | [Hospital access](../03-Emergency-DR/hospital-access/) |
| How to pay hospital / use insurance / claim | [Insurance & hospital bills](../03-Emergency-DR/insurance-and-hospital-bills/) |
| Need OTC medicine / pharmacy phrases | [Pharmacy & medications](../01-System-Setup/pharmacy-and-medications/) |
| Chronic meds / prescription refill | [Prescription refill](../03-Emergency-DR/prescription-refill/) |
| Possible scam (tea, taxi, QR) | [Safety & scams](../03-Emergency-DR/safety-and-common-scams/) · [Shanghai safety](../03-Emergency-DR/shanghai-safety-guide/) |
| Need emergency numbers on one card | [Emergency contacts card](../03-Emergency-DR/emergency-contacts-card/) · [Phrase card tool](../../phrase-card-tool.html) |
| Passport lost or stolen | [Lost passport](../03-Emergency-DR/lost-passport/) |
## Food & daily life (Shanghai-heavy)
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| Where / what to eat | [Shanghai food guide](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-food-guide/) |
| Vegetarian / vegan ordering | [Vegan guide](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-vegan-guide/) |
| Weather, AQI, typhoon prep | [Weather guide](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-weather-guide/) |
| Local apps and resident tips | [Shanghai local hacks](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-local-hacks/) |
| Sightseeing nodes | [Attractions](../02-Daily-Runtime/shanghai-attractions-guide/) |
> **Region note:** Many daily-life guides are **Shanghai-first**. Payments, trains, and emergencies are mostly national.
## Traveling with kids
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| Formula batch / recall worry | [Milk safety / recall](../04-Parenting-Patch/milk-recall-check/) · [SafeFeed Action](https://milesxlab.github.io/safefeed-action/) |
| Diapers and baby supplies | [Diapers & stores](../04-Parenting-Patch/diapers-and-stores/) |
| Food allergies at restaurants | [Food allergies](../04-Parenting-Patch/food-allergies-and-dietary-restrictions/) · [Print allergy card](../../phrase-card-tool.html) |
| Need a nursing / pumping room | [Nursing rooms](../04-Parenting-Patch/nursing-rooms/) |
| Full baby/toddler playbook | [Baby survival runbook](../04-Parenting-Patch/baby-survival-master-runbook/) |
| Need weight-based dose reference (mg) | [Dose calculator](../../dose-calculator.html) · [Pharmacy](../01-System-Setup/pharmacy-and-medications/) |
## Holidays & peak travel
| Symptom | Open this guide |
|---------|-----------------|
| CNY / Golden Week crowds, closures, tickets | [Holiday survival](../05-Event-Operations/holiday-survival-guide/) |
Still stuck?
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