How to use Didi (China’s Uber)?-TeachDiscoverChina

How to use Didi (China’s Uber)?

03 Mar 2022

Let’s assume you followed through with your long held dream to teach English in China. Now in China, you realize that some things are a bit different. For example, your Uber app doesn’t work and you wonder how to hail a bike.

In China, a lot of widely used Western apps, such as Uber or Tinder, are not available. So, what do you do when you want to use a car-sharing service as you are used to at home, or do you need to use taxis? But the lack of Chinese might deter some of the drivers to pick up a foreigner, especially during peak hours.

DiDi or DiDi chuxing as it’s known in China is the top choice for car-sharing services for Chinese. ‘Didi’ in Chinese sounds like a horn when a car is approaching to pick you up.

Basically, it is the Chinese version of ‘Uber’, just a bit more powerful. According to Wikipedia, you can hail official taxis and private cars, you can share a ride, get a bicycle, it’s an on-demand delivery service, an automobile service (sales, leasing, financing, maintenance, etc) and a co-development service with automakers. Probably, by the time you are reading this, they have added some other services as well.

As an interesting side fact, DiDi bought the Chinese Uber in 2016 for a miserly US$ 35 billion.

How to use car-sharing app DiDi?

So, without further ado: Here we explain to you how to use the Chinese car-sharing app DiDi.
First, you need to download it from your app store and choose English in the language settings. In order to register an account, you need a Chinese telephone number.

Choose your car

Once you have registered, there are four options for rides: express, taxi, premier and luxe.
Easy steps:
Confirm your pick-up location
Enter your destination in English or Chinese
Contact the driver if needed: Tap the message icon to start instant messaging which comes handy with auto-translation in English and Chinese
Payment: after finishing your booking, there are various payment methods including Alipay, WeChat Pay, and international credit/debit cards

Get your car

DiDi location serviceHere is an example: If you are a TEFL teacher in Chengdu and want to go from Sichuan University to Tianfu Square, the cheapest way is to choose an Express car. After you have entered your pick-up location and destination, you will see the estimated price for this trip (e.g. 17RMB).

Prices vary depending on the time of the day as well as the traffic conditions. The red line in the picture below means the road is currently very crowded. Yellow means slight congestion and green means smooth traffic. You might be familiar with the color codes from Google maps. Also, there is a reminder about how long you have to wait before Didi can find a driver to pick you up. This is quite useful as you may estimate your waiting time and get ready for the pick-up location.

During peak hours and/or location, it might take some time for a car to arrive. During morning rush hour, it could be easily more than 30 minutes! So, it is better to check early about your journey so you do not get late to your appointment. BTW, please make sure you are able to arrive at your pick-up location within three minutes after the driver’s arrival. If you are late, Didi will charge an extra waiting time. Car sharing services in China is not that different to Western equivalents.

Safety DiDi

In terms of safety, DiDi takes multiple steps to ensure you get support and feel safe. DiDi will record your trip (the texting history with your driver) in case there is any problem. There is also a safety center section on the main page. Here, you can find help and support if an emergency has happened. See the picture on the right side.

Customer services

On your account page, you will find a review section for each booking. Your review for each drive is very important as this can and will affect their order quantity. Usually, the customer service of DiDi is good enough to help with most of the problems.
The review section allows you to give comments and details whether the car was clean, how the drive was in general; if you could smell any smoke; if the driver was late; if the driver found the right pick-up location and destination without any trouble; if the service was no good, etc. This helps Didi to get your feedback and to improve the service and as well make sure that you have a pleasant and easy ride.

Prices & Discounts

Everyone likes discounts, not just English teachers in China. The price for the express service is reasonable. It cost almost the same as a taxi but it offers better much better service. If you are planning to go to the airport, just make a reservation with Didi. Also, Didi has regular discounts and festival discounts to make your rides even cheaper.

There are regular discounts every week through group purchases as well. Usually, you can start a discount package on Monday and invite at least five friends through WeChat to join you to pay one yuan and get a discount. This package contains several vouchers for a 70% discount for the express service and a 60% discount for the premier car service. They are valid for one week. So, if you are planning some rides or have a regular commute with Didi within a week, this would be a very cost-effective package for you.

If you have plans to go to the airport or other holiday plans, it is good to consider Golden Week Coupons. This could give you a discount of up to 60RMB. This Coupon Pack includes discounts on two airport trips, two-holiday trips, and two post-holiday trips. Simply, invite your friends to join your group purchase and the coupons will be placed on your wallet page. This is also valid for one week, so it is quite flexible and easy.

Payment methods

Password-free payment is a quick payment method launched by Didi and third-party payment channels. Once enabled, Didi passengers may enjoy quick payment service with less than 500 RMB for each transaction.
Here are some FQA’s about payment.

Traveling

In China, DiDi covers more than 400 cities and counting. Most cities have a starting fare for taxis of 6RMB, and DiDi does the same. If you are heading to small towns nearby and you are not sure how to use the public transportation, or you have two or three friends to go with you together, then DiDi could also be a good alternative. No matter if you are heading to some ancient towns like Lijiang, or scenic places like Lhasa, Tibet or Turpan, Xinjiang, you will find Didi there. Also, if you are traveling in a group of 6, for example, all you TEFL teacher colleagues, simply enter your destination and right slide to select ‘Business Van-6-Seater’ under the premier service section.

English service

To make it easier with English-speaking customers, DiDi is now expanding its English services on WeChat. If you haven’t Didi’s English version, just open your WeChat, go to contacts, and search ‘DiDiEN’ to follow their official WeChat account. And what’s even better – you can get 15% off of an express ride and 15% off of a premier ride! The WeChat account helps you stay tuned for tips, games, ride coupons and more.

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Now you know how to use Car sharing services in China! If you are interested in teaching English in China, Get in touch and we find you the right TEFL job in China. That’s what we do at TeachDiscoverChina.

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There is a general conception amongst native Chinese that speaking is the toughest part of learning English and what they struggle with the most. Because, reverting to a stereotype, many Chinese students are good at exams, so they can pass an English exam with hard study, they have the textbooks, they can learn textbook grammar, they can listen to news and videos. But they lack proper speaking practice. They lack a native English sparring partner. That is why many English teachers are revered here because they can offer so much. What can you use English tongue twisters ESL for? So how would a TEFL teacher go about improving their student’s speaking and pronunciation? Well, one trick which we will go through today is to use some fantastic tongue twisters that are guaranteed to get your tongue-tied and also inject some much-needed fun and liveliness into your ESL lessons. What exactly is a Tongue Twister? A tongue twister is a sequence of words and sounds, it can even be a short poem or something senseless as we will see later, that is alliterative and are very difficult to pronounce quickly. Tongue twisters have existed for centuries being extremely popular in the 19th century, but the phrase was only coined in 1895, and they continue to be a humorous form of vocal exercise. Tongue twisters feature repeated sounds which are great for you to improve your English pronunciation, and different tongue twisters focus on different sounds and phonemes. You can incorporate these nicely into your lesson plans as a starter or at the plenary. *Tip: Remember to focus on your students’ articulation first and foremost, then once they get the pronunciation right then they can start reading it as quickly as they want. Also make sure that they regularly practice these tongue twisters as just a few repetitions won’t do, long term practice and you will see the benefits of these tongue twisters. Ok! I’ve kept you waiting enough, let’s get right down to it. There are so many great tongue twisters out there that it was so difficult for us to pick so we have just compiled 15 that we absolutely love, and we hope you guys enjoy these as much as we have. So here they are, 15 tongue twisters for any ESL classroom, in no particular order. ... Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry. ... The Wish I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won’t wish the wish you wish to wish. ... I scream, you scream I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. ... Say this Sharply Say this sharply, say this sweetly, Say this shortly, say this softly. Say this sixteen times in succession. ... The Mary Poppins One! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious *Mary Poppins would be a nice topic for an ESL lesson. ... Sixth Sheep Sixth sick Sheikh’s sixth sheep sick. *This was once the Guinness World Record’s most difficult tongue twister. ... Pad Kid Pad kid poured curd pulled cod *Created by MIT researchers in 2013 for the 166th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, this tongue twister caused most problems amongst volunteers, and therefore may have inherited the crown from the sixth Sheikh, did you see what I did there? ... Sea Shells by the Sea Shore She sells sea shells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells. ... Peter Piper Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers? If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? ... Woodchuck How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood. ... Betty Botter Betty Botter had some butter, “But,” she said, “this butter’s bitter. If I bake this bitter butter, it would make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter– that would make my batter better.” So she bought a bit of butter, better than her bitter butter, and she baked it in her batter, and the batter was not bitter. So ’twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter. ... To Sit in Solemn Silence To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! A dull, dark dock, a life-long lock, A short, sharp shock, a big black block! To sit in solemn silence in a pestilential prison, And awaiting the sensation From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! .. English tongue twisters ESL for adult classes And finally two more tongue twisters not for the faint-hearted, for older and more mature students as any quick repetition or mispronunciation will sound like a rude profanity. Be careful haha. I’m Not the Pheasant Pluckerpheasant plucker I am not the pheasant plucker, I’m the pheasant plucker’s mate. I am only plucking pheasants Because the pheasant plucker’s late. ... I Slit a Sheet I slit a sheet, a sheet, I slit. Upon a slitted sheet, I sit. ... We hoped you had fun with our English tongue twisters ESL! Are you interested in challenging yourself and teaching English in China? If so, get in touch!, we can find the perfect TEFL job for you. Do you already know that you want to become a TEFL China teacher? APPLY NOW or check our Job Board Read all our TEFL China blog posts here

What to do as a TEFL teacher in Sichuan province! After teaching our TEFL teachers how to make dumplings last time we’ve rather pushed the boat for the latest trip on the TDC social program. Last weekend we took several of our wonderful English teachers on an overnight journey to Chengdu’s neighboring city Meishan to visit Wawu Mountain, Liuijiang Ancient Town and the Memorial Temple of the Three Sus. It was a joyous and special occasion where our team and teachers got to socialize and have some fun. It was even the first time some of our teachers had ever seen snow in their life. So today we will take you through our memorable trip, and profile the locations we went to, let’s get started. And we answer ‘What to do as a TEFL teacher in Sichuan’! MEISHAN Meishan is a prefecture-level city located in Sichuan Province on the southeast of Chengdu. It is halfway between the popular tourist route from Chengdu to Leshan, so maybe worth a stop when you have a chance. It has a population of just over 3 million people and the city covers an area of 7,186 square kilometers. It is only 63 kilometers (39 miles) from Chengdu and you can get there using the Chengdu Expressway at Chengdu East Railway Station where the high-speed train will only take 30 minutes to get there. The 3 main iconic tourist hot spots in the city are as follows. WAWU MOUNTAIN Located in Hongya County of Meishan, Wawu Mountain National Forest Park is the key scenic spot of the city with the mysterious mountain as its centerpiece. The surrounding park covers 268 square miles of land and is home to more than 200 species of birds and red pandas. It’s not only great for sightseers but it has also become a Taoist Shrine. Along with the sacred Emei Mountain in Leshan, the two mountains have been revered as the two wonders of Sichuan from as early as the Tang (618-907 and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Rising 2,600 meters above sea level, the summit of the fog-shrouded mountain covers 11 square kilometers and is the world’s second-largest plateau. The mountain’s name in Chinese literally translates as ‘tiled house’, describing its flat summit that resembles the bricks of the tiled roofs from these traditional Chinese houses, you can see this in the picture above. It is also said that when the great philosopher Lao Tzu discovered the unique mountain, he couldn’t see clearly at first because of the mist and fog but as soon as the wind blew the fog away he was blown away by the beauty of the mountain. So the Wa in Wawu sounds like the Chinese word for wow and Wu sounds like the word for fog. This is another explanation of the mountain’s name. There are regular buses that can take you from Meishan East Railway station to Hongya County where you then transfer bus to Wawu Mountain. You can get to the top of the mountain by cable car or you can climb, along the way passing lush forests and cascading waterfalls. Atop, if it’s not too foggy, there are some nice panoramic views of nearby peaks and valleys. Lucky for us, our team and TEFL teacher Sichuan were greeted by heavy snow and a winter wonderland. It was truly stunning and it is genuinely starting to feel like Christmas. LIUJIANG ANCIENT TOWN The next stop on our journey is the beautiful and picturesque Liujiang Ancient Town, lying also in Hongya County. It’s a quiet and relaxing spot away from the hustle and bustle of the city where you can hear the stream of water from two rivers which run through the old town. Whilst not one of the most ancient or one of the most famed old towns in Sichuan, Liujiang still illuminates with 800 years of history, and what it lacks in history it definitely makes up with charm, so much so that it was mentioned in Lonely Planet’s ‘Sichuan’s Most Charming Old Towns’. Built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), the old town used to be a place that housed four rich and well-known families, the Zeng, Zhang, Yang, and He clans. Today some of their mansions are still intact and draws visitors. It is the wooden architecture of these old Chinese-style houses with the crackling of the flowing river and luscious green trees and mountains in the background that gives the town its authentic charm. A hike along the embankment or into the countryside is irresistible. And one of the great things about this spot is that it is still relatively unknown and hasn’t yet seen masses of tourists pouring in, so get there before it becomes a massively popular destination. There are regular buses from Meishan East Railway station. If you’re taking a bus all the way from Chengdu, then a 3-hour bus journey departs from Xinnanmen bus station near the city center of Chengdu to Hongya county where you will transfer onto a local bus to the town. THE MEMORIAL TEMPLE OF THE THREE SUS Only 10 minutes taxi ride from Meishan East Railway Station, the Memorial Temple of Three Sus (San Su Ci) is the former residence of three great poets of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Che. It was during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) that the residence was reconstructed into a memorial temple that celebrated their life and works, that was opened to flocks of people and litterateurs who came to worship the three legendary poets even till this day. The temple was designed in a classical garden museum style and consists of 16 historic buildings, the Mujiashan hall, ancient wells, ponds, and also features an abundance of cultural relics and works by the Sus. It’s a must-see for any lover of Chinese history or literature. Last Word So this is was our post about the social program for our TEFL teacher Sichuan and where our Meishan journey ends. We hope you’ve enjoyed it and hope you get some ideas about things you can do here. We also do have some teaching positions available in Meishan city, so if that tickles your fancy, you can always get in touch with us at [email protected] Now in the words of the great Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Start your TEFL journey with TeachDiscoverChina today!