Whether you’re living in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) or just visiting, it’s handy to have a list of the region’s most essential numbers, websites and apps at your disposal in case you encounter a problem or require a particular service. 

To save you the trouble of having to sift through mountains of information, The Bay has compiled a directory that centralises everything in one place, covering all the essentials, including emergency numbers, transport information, local apps and news channels. 

Before using this directory, be aware that if you are calling between one of the GBA’s nine mainland Chinese cities and the Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of Hong Kong and Macao, you will need to first dial the international call prefix 00,before inputting the country and/or area codes, followed by the phone number. 

[See more: What is China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA)? A simple guide] 

For mainland China, the country code is 86, with each mainland GBA city having a different area code. For a list of the area codes, click here. Meanwhile, for calls between Hong Kong and Macao, you only need to use the IDD codes 852 and 853 respectively, as neither SARs have an area code. 

Please also be mindful that not all telephone operators will be able to speak English, as Mandarin and Cantonese are the dominant languages in the GBA. However, if you request for an English-speaking operator, they may be able to redirect your line to one. The same applies for apps and websites, which are Chinese by default, although many feature an English-language option.

Emergency services

Call the following numbers when you encounter an urgent or life-threatening situation. Keep in mind that mainland China uses a different three-digit emergency number depending on the emergency service required. By contrast, the emergency service numbers in Hong Kong and Macao are unified.

Mainland China:

• Police: 110
• Ambulance: 120
• Fire: 119 
• Traffic Accidents: 122

Hong Kong:

• Emergency services (police, ambulance, fire): 999

Macao:

• Emergency services (police, ambulance, fire): 999 or 110 or 112 

Got a problem or have a question?

Mainland China

• Non-emergency services and public service issues: 12345 
• Comprehensive information (e.g. ticket ordering, weather, traffic): 12580 (China Mobile) or 118114 (Best Tone)
• Consumer complaint hotline: 12315
• Directory enquiries: 114

Hong Kong

• Consumer Council: +852 2929 2222
• Hong Kong Tourism Board Visitor Hotline: +852 2807 0707
• Directory enquiries: +852 1081 

Macao

• Consumer Council: +853 307820
• Macao Government Tourism Office Hotline: +853 2833 3000
• Directory enquiries: +853 181 

Weather websites

Refer to the following websites for the latest updates on the weather and severe weather alerts. Note that typhoon season in the GBA typically falls between May and November. These tropical cyclones can disrupt services, including public buses and flights, and can result in flooding in low-lying areas. 

Mainland China/Hong Kong/Macao: Weather Website for GBA

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Observatory

Macao: Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau

Transport websites

The following websites provide you with detailed information concerning buses, trains, ferries and flights in the GBA. 

Mainland China:

• All-in one transport navigator (includes Public Bus): AMap Global (IOS/Android) 
• High speed rail/Intercity rail: 12306 China Railway
• Flights: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Huizhou, Foshan 
• Metro: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan
• Ridehailing: Didi Chuxing (IOS or Android) 
• Crossborder ferries: TurboJet, Shenzhen Airport Ferry Terminal, Zhao Shang She Kou

Hong Kong:

• Ground and marine transport: HKeMobility
• High speed rail: Hong Kong West Kowloon Station
• Ridehailing: Uber (IOS or Android) 
• Crossborder ferries: TurboJet, Cotai Water Jet 
• Flights: Hong Kong International Airport
• Public transport payment: Octopus

Macao:

• Public buses: Bus location guide, Transmac, TCM
• Shuttle buses: Macao News guide to hotel and casino shuttle services
• Train: Macao Light Rapid Transit (LRT)
• Ridehailing: Uber (IOS or Android)  
• Crossborder ferries: TurboJet, Cotai Water Jet
• Flights: Macao International Airport 
• Public transport payment: Macau Pass/MPay 

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge:

• Gold bus (for travel between Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai): HZM Bus
• HK Airport Direct Bus (for travel between Hong Kong Airport and Macao): Macau HK Airport Bus 

Mobile applications: Mainland China

Phone apps are an indispensable part of day-to-day life in mainland China, and are frequently used for payment, transport fares, ticket reservations and social media. For the visitor, the payment function is crucial as most businesses don’t take cash and many won’t accept credit cards.

Download the following apps to make your life in the GBA hassle-free. 

Super Apps: AliPay [IOS or Android] and WeChat [IOS or Android] 

These apps are a must for anyone living or travelling in China, providing a host of functions such as QR code payments, messaging, watching videos and other third-party services.

Navigation app: AMap [IOS or Android] or Baidu Map [IOS or Android] 

Baidu Map and AMap are both the gold standard when it comes to navigation apps in China, although AMap is currently the only one that offers an English option. 

High-speed rail app: 12306 [IOS or Android] 

12306 is the official app for purchasing high-speed rail tickets. 

Subway app: MetroMan China [IOS or Android]

MetroMan China can help you give you detailed route information and suggestions for China’s various metro lines, including those in the GBA. 

Ridehailing app: Didi Chuxing [IOS or Android] 

Didi Chuxing is the Chinese version of Uber and can also be accessed as a mini app via AliPay or WeChat. 

Food review app: Dianping [IOS or Android] 

This app is excellent for finding good restaurants based on reviews and photos from diners. 

Translation app: Baidu Translate [IOS] or Waygo [IOS or Android] 

These apps can help you translate spoken and written Chinese. 

Travel booking app: Trip [IOS or Android] or Klook [IOS or Android] 

Trip and Klook are the go-to apps for booking hotels, transports, attraction tickets and the like. 

Online shopping: Taobao [IOS or Android]

Taobao is China’s equivalent of Amazon and can be used to purchase just about anything.

Social media app: Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) [IOS or Android]

If you have Chinese language skills, Xiaohongshu is a terrific app to use for recommendations and tips on hidden gems and places to visit in China. 

Takeaway: Meituan [IOS or Android] or Ele.me [IOS]

China’s two biggest food delivery apps allow you to enjoy restaurant food at your fingertips. 

Movies: Maoyan [IOS] or Taopiaopiao [IOS]

Both of these apps are commonly used to purchase film tickets in China. 

VPN: ExpressVPN [IOS or Android], Astrill [IOS or Android] or Nord VPN [IOS or Android]

Use of a virtual private network (VPN) app to access websites such as Google and YouTube that are normally blocked on the Chinese internet. 

Mobile applications: Hong Kong and Macao

Apps are also equally important in Macao and Hong Kong. We’ve suggested some of the most useful local ones below. For more information on Macao-based apps specifically, click here. 

Hong Kong:

PayMe [IOS or Android], AliPayHK [IOS or Android] and WeChat Pay [IOS or Android], Apple Pay [IOS]

These three apps are commonly used by local residents to pay for services such as transport, store purchases and utility

Octopus [IOS or Android]

The Octopus app can be used for transport and retail payments, and has other functionalities, including food delivery orders and utility payment. 

MTR Mobile [IOS or Android] 

Use the MTR app to plan your subway journey, pay for your train trips and access a variety of information on malls and station shops. 

Macao:

MPay [IOS or Android]

MPay is the preferred e-wallet app of Macao locals and can also be used for a variety of other services such as bus payment, ordering take out and movie ticket purchases. 

Macao Smart Go [IOS or Android]

Macao Smart Go is the go-to app for all transport-related information relating to Macao, including bus and LRT schedules. 

Experience Macao [IOS or Android]

The ultimate app for visitors to Macao, with plenty of tourism information covering areas such as events, restaurants and hotels

Useful GBA websites

Access the following websites for government information relating to the GBA. 

GoGBA:

Rather than painstakingly searching for information on doing business in the Greater Bay Area, the GoGBA website from the Hong Kong Development Council aggregates all you need in one place. 

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Developed by the Hong Kong government, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area site provides users with the latest information on the GBA. Keep in mind that some of the economic and business pages tend to be oriented around Hong Kong. 

Discover the Greater Bay Area

Those looking for suggestions on places to visit in the GBA and other travel information on the region need not look further than this website, which was created by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. 

CN Bay Area

Refer to this website for information on the latest GBA policies and news. The Chinese-language version of this platform is more comprehensive and updated more regularly than the English one.

Government websites

Below are the English-language versions of government websites for Guangdong and the 11 GBA cities. Note that some of the smaller cities only have Chinese-language websites. 

Guangdong: Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office

Guangzhou: Guangzhou International

Shenzhen: Shenzhen Government Online

Macao: Macao SAR Government Portal

Hong Kong: GovHK

Zhongshan: Zhongshan China

Zhuhai： The People’s Government of Zhuhai (Chinese Only), Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin

Dongguan: The People’s Government of Dongguan (Chinese Only), Invest in Dongguan 

Huizhou: The People’s Government of Huizhou 

Foshan: The People’s Government of Foshan (Chinese Only)

Jiangmen: The People’s Government of Jiangmen (Chinese Only)

Zhaoqing: The People’s Government of Zhaoqing (Chinese Only) 

Consulate General information

List of foreign consulates general in Guangzhou

List of foreign consulates general in Hong Kong

List of foreign consulates general in Macao