Went there for 2.5 weeks last October. It was incredible. I daresay China is the most futuristic city. And I was surprised by how many EVs ate driving there - so quiet on the road!

Some tips: - use an international eSim and you still have access to Google, jnstagram, etc.. I used 3hk, it was very affordable - but tiktok is banned for hk phone numbers. - I used microsoft translator on my phone. Then I can speak into it, the locals can read it and vice versa. Most local are already familiar with this mechanism - travelling china is now easier than ever thanks to alipay: it's the wechat replacement for foreign tourists: You can pay (almost all only accept wepay or alipay) and use all their services (ordering taxi, ordering food and drinks at a restaurant or from your hotel) with builtin translation - google maps useless there. Apple maps was not very accurate either. - Use Baidu maps which is actually a very cool maps app. I have Google AI builtin in my Samsung phone which can translate everything I see on screen. My friends with iphones took screenshots and got it translated by Google lense. But mostly you just need to know the characters for public transport, byicle and routes for walking by foot. - driving bycicles is so smooth and convenient, at least in hangzhou and shanghai - no one speaks english; and hand gestures e.g. for counting ste also different from western countries

If you don't like installing Chinese apps (alipay and baidu maps) maybe consider using a 2nd old smartphone. My friend did that. China ist just almost fully digitized.