Guides to hiring in China
These guides are for buyers outside China who don’t read Chinese. If you’re new to this, start with the handbook, or go straight to the group below that matches your job. Each rule links to its official text and the date we last checked it. Cost pages show their working.
The handbook, chapter by chapter
- HandbookHow to hire a freelancer in China without speaking ChineseYou can hire a freelancer in mainland China without a Chinese company. This guide shows how to find, judge, contract, pay and work with one.Last updated October 18, 2026
- HandbookWhere to find freelancers in China if you don’t read ChineseMost freelancers in mainland China look for work in Chinese. This chapter gives the words for fifteen roles, six channels and a ready job post.Last updated October 18, 2026
- HandbookHow to vet a freelancer in China before you hireFive checks a buyer abroad can run on a freelancer in China, from the bid to a paid trial, and what never to ask for.Last updated October 18, 2026
- HandbookContracting a freelancer in China without an entityA company abroad can contract a freelancer in China without an entity. This chapter maps each clause to the Chinese law that makes it matter.Last updated October 18, 2026
- HandbookHow to pay a freelancer in China from abroadYou can pay a freelancer in mainland China from abroad, but every route has a receiving limit. Here are the thresholds, routes and tax rules.Last updated October 18, 2026
- HandbookWorking with a freelancer in China, day to dayAgree six things in writing in the first week, write instructions that survive translation and judge each delivery against its criteria, not the hours worked.Last updated October 18, 2026
Find and vet
Contract and pay
- RulesContractor or employee in China: the three testsChinese labor law ignores what you call a freelancer. It asks whether a labor relationship exists, under three 2005 tests quoted in Chinese and English.Last updated October 18, 2026
- ToolDo you need an employee in China, or a freelancer?Answer nine questions about the work you have in mind and see whether China’s official tests read it as project work, mixed or a job.Last updated October 18, 2026
- TemplateServices agreement checklist for a freelancer in ChinaA printable checklist for a services agreement with a freelancer in mainland China, with each clause, why it matters and the Chinese law behind it.Last updated October 18, 2026
- RulesWhen China asks for a certified translationChinese courts want a Chinese translation of foreign documents, yet the national texts define no certified translation. What the law asks, and where apostilles fit.Last updated October 18, 2026
- RulesWho owns the work you commission from a freelancer in ChinaPaying a freelancer in China does not make the work yours. The maker owns it unless a written contract assigns it. The Chinese texts, quoted.Last updated October 18, 2026
What it costs
- CostsChinese translation rates per word and per characterChinese translation is priced per 1,000 characters. Official tender and regulation figures, the counting rule and how to turn a quote into a per-word price.Last updated October 18, 2026
- CostsPre-shipment inspection cost in China, worked out in daysA pre-shipment inspection in China is priced by the day. The table turns lot size into a sample, then into inspector-days, with every assumption shown.Last updated October 18, 2026
- CostsSourcing agent fees in China: commission or fixed feeA sourcing agent in China is paid by commission, retainer or fixed fee. A break-even table shows which one costs less on your own order.Last updated October 18, 2026
- CostsWhat a software developer costs in China in 2026China’s official 2025 wage for IT and software professionals, per year, month and working day, and how to read a freelance developer’s quote against it.Last updated October 18, 2026
- CostsWhat freelancers cost in China in 2026, by roleOfficial 2025 wages for roles closest to freelance work in China, per year, month, day and hour, and how a day rate builds on them.Last updated October 18, 2026
Work in China you can’t do from abroad
- ToolAQL sample size calculator, from the national standardEnter a lot size, inspection level and AQL to get the sample size and accept and reject numbers from China’s national sampling standard, GB/T 2828.1.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuideBuying on 1688 without speaking ChineseYou can search 1688 yourself. Ordering from abroad often takes a person in China. One order, step by step, with goods and help paid apart.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuideCheck a factory in China without flying thereYou can check a factory in China without flying there. Send one local freelancer with a shot list and ten questions, and compare the cost.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuideHow to hire a freelance sourcing agent in ChinaA freelance sourcing agent in China works for you only if you pay them. How to scope the job, check suppliers and pay by milestone.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuideHow to hire an interpreter in China, city by cityBook a consecutive business interpreter by the day and brief them first. What applies in Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Yiwu, city by city.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuidePrototyping hardware in Shenzhen without moving thereHow to run a hardware prototype loop in Shenzhen from abroad: who to hire, a week-by-week example, the IP steps and the checks before shipping.Last updated October 18, 2026
Planning around China
- GuideChinese New Year 2027: plan freelance work around itChinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6. The fixed dates, the Hong Kong holidays and how to set a freelancer’s milestones around them.Last updated October 18, 2026
- GuideThe work tools a freelancer in China can reachGoogle Docs, Zoom, Slack, GitHub: which work tools a freelancer in mainland China can open, from GreatFire’s dated tests, and a day-one check to run.Last updated October 18, 2026