Phoning

Local Calls

If you have a phone connected in your apartment then you can dial the local 8 digit number directly.

Long-distance calls in China

To make long distance calls in China you need to dial the city/provincial code and then the number.

China phone area codes:

Tianjin: 022

Beijing: 010

Shanghai: 021

Chongqing 023

Guangzhou 020

International Calls

First dial ‘00’ followed by the country code and area code followed by the number.

It would advisable that you save on phone bills by buying prepaid phone cards.

IC Cards (for payphones)

IC cards are for calling within China. You insert them directly into the slot of a payphone and make the call. You can only use IC cards that are bought in Tianjin in Tianjin pay phones.

You can buy IC cards from most street vendors and magazine and newspaper stands along with some cigarette stands. You should not pay the price on the card. There is a permanent large discount on IC cards much lower than the price written on the card.

IP Cards

IP cards are used for calling long distance in China and overseas. There is a number on the back of a card to call. When you call, you will have the option to choose English as the language option. After entering the card pin number you can then dial the country code and area code followed by the number.

You can buy IP cards from most street vendors and magazine and newspaper stands along with some cigarette stands. You should not pay the price on the card. There is a permanent large discount on IP cards much lower than the price written on the card.