Why Chinese Address Cards Matter for China Taxis and Hotels
A destination card turns a place into something you can show immediately: the English label you recognize, the Chinese name a local person recognizes, and the local address a map or driver can use.
What goes wrong with addresses
An English hotel or attraction name may have several translations, while a driver or local app recognizes only the Chinese listing. A pin can also identify the overall complex without telling you which entrance, building, or station hall you need.
A destination card reduces that ambiguity by putting the place name, local address, and a short request on one screen. It also helps a hotel desk confirm the destination before you leave.
A real destination card
The example below uses Yu Garden from the Formscape Shanghai catalog. The English name is kept for your own recognition, but the Chinese name and address are the most important lines for local use.
Take me to:
Yu Garden
豫园
上海市黄浦区福佑路168号
师傅您好，请带我去这个地址。
谢谢！
What every card should include
Keep the card short, high-contrast, and readable at arm's length. Do not bury the Chinese address inside a paragraph or rely on a map pin alone.
- English name for your own recognition.
- Chinese name in large type for local recognition.
- Full Chinese street address, including district when available.
- Phone number, entrance, building, or booking note when useful.
- A short request such as ‘Please take me to this address.’
Prepare different cards for different moments
The hotel return card is the priority because it is the one you may need when tired, lost, or returning late. Station and airport cards should include the exact terminal or station name. Restaurant cards benefit from a reservation name or phone number when the venue is hard to locate.
Hotel return
Keep the hotel name, Chinese address, phone number, and front-desk message available from the lock screen or photo favorites.
Station or airport
Use the complete Chinese station and terminal name; similarly translated station names can be far apart.
Restaurant or ticketed venue
Add the reservation name, booking time, entrance, or nearby landmark when the address alone does not finish the journey.
Store cards with the day plan
Keep the destination card beside the place and itinerary instead of inside a long screenshot folder. Save an offline copy before late arrivals, train transfers, or any journey where mobile data may be unreliable.
How this guide is maintained
Written and maintained by Formscape Travel, a China-based travel-planning product from Formscape Lab. Product examples use the same local POI and trip data shown in the app.
Published 2026-07-01 · Updated 2026-07-14 · Last verified 2026-07-14