🍜 Cheap, fast, and at your door in 30–45 minutes. Once you set this up, life in China changes. Here's everything you need. 🇨🇳

By Hafrik Official · Life in China Series

Craving a hot meal but staring at a Chinese-only menu? You're not alone. Food delivery (外卖 · wàimài) is one of the biggest daily conveniences in China — and with the right setup, you don't need to read a single character to use it.

The famous yellow riders — Meituan handles millions of orders daily across China.

The Big 3 Apps 📱

1. Meituan (美团) Yellow Riders

China's biggest platform with nearly 70% market share — street food, premium restaurants, groceries, even medicine. Delivery fees often under ¥5. No tipping culture: rate your rider 5 stars instead. ⭐

2. Taobao Flash Purchase (淘宝闪购) Blue Riders

Formerly Ele.me — fully rebranded in 2025, same service underneath. Owned by Alibaba, lives inside the Taobao app, and offers big discounts during shopping festivals.

3. JD Takeout (京东外卖) New Player

The newest competitor, now covering major cities down to small counties. Worth checking for aggressive promo prices.

Photo-rich menus mean you can point, tap, and order — no Chinese required.

No Chinese? No Problem 🔑

The main apps are Chinese-only, but here's the hack most people don't know:

💡 The WeChat Mini Program trick: Open the Meituan Mini Program inside WeChat and use WeChat's built-in translation to switch the entire page to English. Just note — inside the Mini Program you can only pay with WeChat Pay.

Otherwise, Google Lens or your phone's screen translator handles menus easily. Most dishes have photos anyway — point, tap, add to cart. 📸

Setup Checklist ✅

A Chinese phone number (for SMS verification)
WeChat Pay or Alipay — international Visa/Mastercard work once linked, but can't pay directly
Your address saved in Chinese characters (ask a friend once, save it forever)

Key Phrases to Recognise 🈯

Chinese	Meaning
外卖	Food delivery (wàimài)
起送价	Minimum order — below this, you can't check out
提交订单	Submit order — this charges you immediately!
满30减15	Spend ¥30, get ¥15 off — grab these deals
放门口，别打电话	"Leave at door, don't call" — add this to your address 🚪

The blue riders — Ele.me is now Taobao Flash Purchase, but the service is the same.

Pro Tips 💡

🌙 Midnight cravings, sorted: Meituan runs 24/7 in most major cities. Late-night skewers, malatang, burgers — all still delivering after midnight.

📦 Track everything: After ordering, watch your rider move on the live map. When it arrives, tap 确认收货 (Confirm Receipt) and rate — it builds your account reputation.

What's your go-to late-night order? 👇

Drop it in the comments and help the next person who just landed in China.

How to Order Food Delivery in China — Hafrik Guide