How to Book a Sports Venue or Class in China

You found a tennis court in Shanghai or a dance studio in Guangzhou, and now you want to actually get on the court or into the class. In China that step usually doesn't happen on a website. Here's how it tends to work, and how to get it done even if you don't read Chinese.

How venues in China take bookings

Most places use one or more of these:

• Phone. Still the most reliable for small courts, studios and clubs. Whoever answers usually only speaks Chinese, so a text message often works better than a call.
• WeChat. Many owners run the business from a personal WeChat account or a group. You add them, send a message, and they confirm by hand. WeChat translates text messages in place (long-press a message, tap 翻译 Translate), so you can write in English and the owner can read it in Chinese and answer the same way.
• Mini programs (小程序). Plenty of courts, especially badminton and tennis, take bookings only inside their own WeChat mini program. You'll usually find it by scanning a QR code at the front desk or searching the venue name inside WeChat.
• Review apps like Dianping. Some venues sell vouchers or time slots there. Handy if you already use it, but not required.
• Walking in. Gyms, climbing walls and swimming pools often take walk-ins. Courts at peak hours (weekday evenings, weekends) rarely have space.

A good rule: if a venue lists a WeChat ID, that's usually the fastest way to reach a real person.

Words you'll keep running into

Chinese	Pinyin	What it means
预约 / 约课	yùyuē / yuē kè	Booking / booking a class
订场	dìng chǎng	Booking a court or field
会员卡	huìyuán kǎ	Membership card (prepaid sessions, a time period, or stored value)
次卡	cì kǎ	Pass with a set number of sessions
私教	sījiào	Private coaching
团课	tuán kè	Group class
散客	sǎnkè	Walk-in, non-member customer
体验课	tǐyàn kè	Trial class
押金	yājīn	Deposit
营业中	yíngyè zhōng	Open now
已打烊	yǐ dǎyàng	Closed for the day
营业时间	yíngyè shíjiān	Opening hours

Membership cards are a big deal here. Many studios price everything around them, and the drop-in price for a 散客 can be noticeably higher. If you plan to go regularly, ask about a 次卡.

Reading a venue page on huodong.com

Our site is in Chinese, but your browser's translate button handles most of it. Here's where to look on a venue page:

• Name and category are at the top. A check-mark badge reading 企业认证 or 主理人认证 means the business has verified itself with us and manages the page.
• 联系方式 (contact) shows the phone number and, if the venue gave one, a WeChat ID with a 复制 (copy) button. On desktop, the same info sits in the card on the right. On a phone, the bar at the bottom has buttons for 导航 (navigate), 电话 (call) and sometimes 预约 (book).
• 营业时间 (hours) lists opening times by day. Today's row is highlighted, and the contact card shows 营业中 or 已打烊 based on your current time.
• 位置与交通 (location) has a map, the full address in Chinese, and a 导航 button. That button opens directions in Amap (高德地图, Gāodé Dìtú), which is the map app most taxi drivers and ride-hailing apps here rely on.
• 本周课表 (this week's schedule), 私教 (private coaching) and 常见问答 (Q&A) show up when the business has filled them in.

Getting there by taxi

Don't try to pronounce the address. Copy the Chinese address from the page and paste it into your ride-hailing app's destination box, or just show the screen to the driver. The venue name in Chinese helps too, since drivers often know a place by name rather than street number. If you use Amap yourself, the 导航 button drops the location straight in.

When the venue doesn't answer

Small businesses get busy. If you've waited a few hours, move on to the next option instead of chasing.

Every venue page links to listing pages for the same city and category, under 继续逛 ("keep browsing") in the side column (on a phone, near the bottom of the page). The addresses look like this:

• City: /venue/shanghai
• City and category: /venue/shanghai/tennis
• City, district and category: /venue/shanghai/yangpuqu/tennis

The category part is the English code for the sport, such as tennis, badminton, table_tennis or dance. The district part is the district name in pinyin, so Haizhu District in Guangzhou gives /venue/guangzhou/haizhuqu/dance. If a hand-typed address doesn't work, start from the city page and filter from there.

When you're choosing the next place to try, venues with the verification badge are a good bet, since someone from the business is looking after the page.

A few practical things

• Get a Chinese (+86) phone number if you're staying more than a couple of weeks. Bookings, SMS confirmations and most mini program logins expect one. On huodong.com, logging in and booking also need an 11-digit mainland number that can receive SMS (more in Booking through huodong.com).
• Set up WeChat Pay or Alipay. Many venues take payment at the front desk this way, and some don't handle cash or foreign cards. Both apps now let you link an international card.
• Type, don't send voice messages. Voice notes are common between locals, but you'll get a faster and clearer answer by text, and text is what WeChat can translate. Short, simple English works; owners are used to it. Ask them to reply in text too.
• Book ahead for evenings and weekends. Popular courts fill up days in advance. Midday on weekdays is much easier.
• Ask what to bring. Some places require indoor shoes, a swim cap, or a specific grip size for rental rackets.