There are many ways to check local restaurants, shops and buisnesses in China. But if you want to navigate like a local, it’s worth mastering Dazhong Dianping – a tried-and-true review app, where Chinese locals rate local businesses and share their reviews.

In this step-by-step, we’ll help you navigate Dazhong Dianping like a pro😎

Step1: Understand the App

The Chinese name of this app is 大众点评 Dàzhòng Diǎnpíng, and people often refer to it simply as 点评 Diǎnpíng.

Think of it as of a Chinese alternative to Yelp.

Step 2: Understand the Name

Let’s see what its name means:

🔹 大众 dàzhòng – masses of people
🔹 点评 diǎnpíng – to comment

So the name prety much describes what this app does.

Step 3: Download Dazhong Dianping

You can easily download this app from the App Store or the Google Play.

Now, since there’s no English version, here comes a detailed guide for you on using it.

Step 4: Choose a City

In our case, it’s Shanghai (上海 Shànghǎi):

Step 5: Choose a Category

Here are some popular categories:

1. 美食 měishí (food)
2. 电影 diànyǐng (movies) / 演出 yǎnchū (performances)
3. 休闲娱乐 xiūxián yúlè (entertainment)
4. 丽人 lìrén (beauty) / 美发 měifà (hair)
5. 景点 jǐngdiǎn (scenic spots) / 门票 ménpiào (tickets)
6. 健身 jiànshēn (fitness) / 运动 yùndòng (sports)
7. 附近 fùjìn (nearby)

Step 6: Search By Category

Let’s choose 美食 měishí (food), and try to find something more specific.

For example, if you want to have Japanese for dinner, click “附近”.

Here you can choose the distance– 500, 1000, 2000, or 5000 meters from you, and then choose the place you like.

Step 7: Search By Subway Station

Alternatively, you can seach for places near a certain metro station, 地铁站 dìtiězhàn.

Pretty convenient, isn’t it?

Let’s say we are interested to find a restaurant near the station Jingan Temple, 静安寺 jìng’ānsì:

Once you’ve chosen it, click 美食 měishí (food), and chose the type you want.

Since we’re looking for Japanese food, click 日本菜 rìběn cài.

The next wise sep to do is filter resaturants by distance.

Click 智能程序 zhìnéng páixù (intelligent sorting), and chose 距离优秀 jùlí yōuxiù (sort by distance).

Finally, click 筛选shāixuǎn (filter) and select the price range for your meal.

We’re lucky to see some nice places in 50-100 yuan category:

The first restaurant on the list looks great. It’s located only 290 meters away.

If you click on it, you can check opening hours, address, menu, as well as recommended dishes, pictures, and reviews.

That’s it!

Next time you can try searching on your own – for museums, temples, shopping streets, historic and cultural sites, spas, gyms, hairdressing salons, or any other place you can think of.

Enjoy your China trip! ✌

Share your opinion in comments below – or tweet us at @thatsmandarin!