These assistants run in Chinese first — that’s exactly why they’re useful in China. Paste a block of Chinese text and ask for a plain-English summary, or have them write a polite message you can show to staff.
Not a replacement for Google / Apple Translate. AI chatbots are great for rephrasing and explaining, but a dedicated translation app is faster for live camera and voice. Use both.
1 Doubao (豆包)
ByteDance’s AI assistant — free, fast, and strong at everyday Chinese. Good for summarizing a long Chinese article, explaining a screenshot of a form, or drafting a message. Available as an app and on the web.
2 Yuanbao (元宝)
Tencent’s assistant, integrated with WeChat’s ecosystem. Handy if you already live in WeChat — you can ask it to explain a message or help write one without leaving the app.
3 Qwen (千问)
Alibaba’s open-minded model (Qwen / Tongyi). Strong multilingual ability and useful for planning — ask it to build a day-by-day itinerary or compare neighborhoods.
4 How travellers use them
- Explain Chinese text: paste a restaurant review, policy page, or app screen and ask “summarize in English.”
- Draft messages: “Write a polite Chinese message asking if the hotel has luggage storage.” Then copy it into WeChat.
- Plan days: “I have one day in Chengdu — suggest a relaxed itinerary with food stops.”
- Translate nuance: better than word-for-word tools when context matters.
Privacy note: anything you type is processed by the provider in China. Avoid pasting passports, card numbers, or other sensitive personal data into these chatbots.