Will dissect your response, if I may?

. I assume as you are using Stirling you mean buy one in UK and take it to China.

Yes if buying in the UK.

I'm afraid there is a big flaw in that suggestion because your mobile would not support Chinese and you will need Chinese for helpful Chinese people to send to your mobile so as you can inform the taxi driver where to go to and where to return.

I bought my cheapo dual sim phone in Hong Kong with simplified and traditional chinese and english and pinyin support, therefore, no problem, that is why I won't sell it for any price, even though said phone is also available in the UK/EU. But you are right, better to get a cheaper one on arrival,ideally in HK as you will have a returns policy and warranty that is worth the paper it is written on, although for a 10-20 quid phone what do you expect. There are even disposable pre paid phones now, believe it or not.

Apart from that type of mobile use I would suggest to any newbie FT that he keeps his mobile firmly turned off, so when it suddenly dawns on fao that he should have an impromptu English Corner tonight and decides you are just the man for the job, alas he cannot contact you.

A good idea for sure.

Apart from all that the Chinese like to spy on you and listen to your mobile telephone communications.

I wonder how easy this is to do. I saw some cheap gadgets on sale in Shenzhen that claimed to do it effectively, but they looked just like toys. for the secret services I reckon it is possible of course, but then most ft's who only earn in 10 years in China, what an arab businessman spends on a container full of exports aren't exactly the top of the spying list for economic gain...or are they?

[]oxy it seems prefers to use his computer but that can bring you trouble spies spies spies. Never use the Chinese fake Windows because no updates festers lots of Chinese spies.

True, one reason I did not like chinese windows versions, qq, et al.

I would suggest not having any operating system on your hard-drive at all.

Easiest way, but a ballache, but still safest.