I'm perfectly happy getting a local Chinese SIM. Makes all those local applis, SMS code vérifications, and Baidu 百度work perfectly. It's nuts how it can pinpoint stairs and metro exits perfectly. I'm on my way out after 2 weeks and it included cheap roaming in HK and Macau.

Only means the necessity for a shrill and schrewd solution to access the usual western services. But that worked too.