Getting ready for my trip to China

After tackling several technical and virtual challenges for a seamless tour, there remains a physical hurdle to overcome.

IT’S been seven years, but I am back, China! As you read this, it will be my second day in Jiangxi province located in south-eastern China, known for – according to Google – “its mountainous terrain, rich revolutionary history, and porcelain production”.

I won’t be surprised if many Malaysians have already visited not just this part of China but other provinces and cities. Just about everyone I know has been holidaying in China for the past several years.

I am a late returnee for various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic, looking after my late mother, and dealing with health issues of my own.

When I went to Guangzhou in 2019, getting the visa was the only thing I had to worry about. Fast forward to 2026, and while China has been visa-free for Malaysians since 2025, I learned there were many things to do and consider for a hassle-free visit.

After being homebound last year because of my knee surgery, I was determined to make 2026 my year of travel. I was spurred to get going because insurance companies increase the rates for 71- to 85-year-olds. I am but a hop, skip, and a jump away from 70, so I have no time to waste.

Deciding where to go, when and with whom was a huge problem for me because my friends and old travel companions have all gone far and wide in the previous years, leaving me high and dry.

Luckily my daughter agreed to go to Japan with me last month and we had a wonderful mother-and-daughter getaway in Fukuoka. Then an old friend asked if I was keen to partner her for a group tour to Jiangxi. I jumped at the chance.

When it comes to packing for a holiday, I can never travel light because I am a worrywart. This trip is even more stressful because the weather in Jiangxi in April is actually quite challenging: it’s still cool but can be humid and warm and prone to rain. That meant I had to pack clothes for layering and waterproof my shoes.

Next were the “technical” bits, like finding the right power plugs that can be used in China’s sockets, and getting the approved power bank to bring along.

That means a device with CCC (for China Compulsory Certification) stamped on it to pass security. Without it, the power bank could be confiscated.

As always, good old Shopee had lots of affordable models to choose from.

Then I had to decide how to stay connected on my phone. In the past, I would just buy a roaming pass from my mobile service provider.

I did that for my Fukuoka trip, but I was vastly annoyed to find they subsequently charged me for a two-second incoming call that I did not even pick up. So I decided to look for alternatives, and my daughter told me to buy an e-SIM.

I had no idea my clever phone has a built-in chip onto which I can download a digital, virtual version of a physical SIM card that allows me to use my phone seamlessly and at a much lower price than the roaming passes from my service provider. I bought a two-day e-SIM for Singapore – again from Shopee – to test it out, and it worked really well.

Because it’s China, I needed an e-SIM with built-in VPN functionality that can bypass the “Great Firewall” – described as the world’s most sophisticated national Internet censorship and surveillance system – to allow me access to Google, e-mail and WhatsApp without needing a separate VPN app.

I tell you, wonders will never cease!

Another major aspect to figure out was the payment system in China. Young people who no longer carry cold hard cash anymore – like my Millennial children – will laugh at this, but this Baby Boomer still feels more secure with paper money in her wallet.

But China is practically a cashless society, even in rural areas, so the best thing is to get the right e-wallet. The Touch ‘n Go e-wallet is supposed to work seamlessly with Alipay in China, but my friend who just returned from Guangzhou says that was not her experience.

Her recommendation was to download the Alipay app and link it to my credit cards, which I have done. Still, I have some renminbi notes in my physical wallet, just in case.

As I write this on Sunday, am I all good to go? No, because Aunty has yet to pack 10 days’ worth of medications and supplements, and my goodness, there are so many! I also have to bring along my blood glucose meter, something I didn’t have to do seven years ago.

A highlight for me on the tour itinerary is a visit to Jingdezhen, dubbed the porcelain capital of the world, with a nearly 2,000-year history of making the finest ceramic wares for the Chinese imperial family and exporting its pieces across the world.

I am looking forward to visiting the Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum with more than 5,000 rare and beautiful artefacts from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. I am a fan of museums, and I hope we will be given sufficient time to explore the displays.

We will also visit the Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue, a hub for high-end art galleries, design shops, and trendy restaurants and, in contrast, Taoyang New Village with its more budget-friendly night market for porcelain and ceramic crafts.

I think I am well prepared for my trip, but there remains possibly my biggest hurdle to clear in China: squatting loos.

Readers may recall my Jan 7, 2026, column in which I wrote about how I was “desperately seeking my squat” against my surgeon’s stern advice after my knee surgery (online at bit.ly/starsquat).

My desire to be able to get down on my haunches, the so-called Asian squat, was quite strongly motivated by the need to use China’s squatting toilets that are the norm even in major cities.

It’s a tad ironic that in this super-charged innovative nation that has gone high tech in so many areas, its toilets remain rather basic. Don’t Chinese people have knee problems at all?

I have been working on my squat for quite a while, but the legs are still a bit shaky.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won’t topple over or get into some really embarrassing loo situations on this trip. So please wish me luck and safe travels!

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.