Originally Posted by Doug Johnson:18592790

Those are good suggestions. China is a very competitive market, so you really can't go too wrong.

There a couple of advantages to having a SIM card sent before you leave. (Other than not needing to find a retail location or worry about activation.)

If you every do need to make calls back home you can get better rates.
You can get your NA phone forwarded.
You can make calls as soon as your plane lands.

You can also start using Google Maps soon as soon as you land. (I'm finding that more and more people are really relying on Google Maps when they travel.)

I've also found that some people don't have a good idea of how much data they are using. (i.e. they'll buy a 40 MB plan and start watching videos.) It is possible to buy small cheap plans. They designed mostly for checking emails. If you want to watch videos - or download attachments - I recommend at least a GB per month. Especially in China where you get 2Gb for $39.