They even bought data SIM cards online and naturally got one for Li Xiang too. It was a "10-day unlimited" plan that worked in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The carrier seemed to be a company from Singapore. They heard the connection was smooth with good speeds, and the 10-day plan was a steal at just over thirty RMB. They could enable roaming right after landing, and if there were any issues, the airport had free Wi-Fi so they could contact customer service anytime.
As for the language barrier, it wasn't a big issue. Since Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand have large Chinese populations, Chinese characters were visible everywhere in the cities, many of them even in Simplified Chinese.
If all else failed, there were translation apps. Plus, everyone, including Li Xiang, had been cramming some spoken English lately and could manage a few simple phrases.
