China eSIM, no KYC

China's mobile network is split between three state-linked giants — China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom — which between them cover the country's cities comprehensively, including extensive 5G in Beijing, Shanghai, and other major hubs. The high-speed rail network keeps a signal for most of a journey, and metro systems are well covered. Reception thins out in the far west, Tibet, and other mountainous or sparsely populated regions, and tourist SIM counters at major airports can mean a long queue after a long flight.

The eSIM installs before departure and connects to one of the three networks on landing, skipping that queue and the passport copy a counter purchase would require. It is useful for Didi, the ride-hailing app that replaced Uber in China, for navigation in cities where street signs are not always in English, and for scanning entry QR codes. One thing it does not change: China's internet filtering applies to the connection itself, not to how the SIM was bought, so plan around that rather than around the SIM.

Buying a Chinese SIM in person means a passport plus a facial scan at the counter — real-name registration is standard for any new number in mainland China, prepaid included. A travel eSIM does not go through that process: it is a foreign-issued profile that roams onto the local networks the same way a home carrier would, so there is no Chinese registration record and no counter visit. Note that this covers identity registration only, not content filtering — see does a travel eSIM bypass internet censorship? for what still applies at the network level.