Into China Guide

Guide · Verified 2026-08-15

Buying Concert & Event Tickets in China

By MiaVerified 2026-08-15

Wanting to catch a concert, a basketball game, or a show while you're in China runs into one specific obstacle: China's ticketing platforms are built around a real-name system designed for Chinese ID cards, not foreign passports. It's not impossible — it's just a different process, and worth knowing before you try to buy at the last minute.

The short version: try Maoyan (猫眼) before Damai (大麦) — it's generally friendlier to a passport and an international phone number. Enter your passport number exactly as printed, expect to show it again at the door, and know that some high-demand shows simply don't accept foreign IDs in their booking system at all, no matter how early you try.

The two main platforms

Damai (大麦网, "Damai.cn") is China's dominant ticketing platform, owned by Alibaba, and it's where most arena concerts and major sporting events sell tickets first. The catch for visitors: registration has traditionally leaned on a Chinese mobile number, which makes signing up from a foreign SIM or eSIM harder than it should be.

Maoyan (猫眼, "cat's eye") started as a movie-ticketing app but now sells tickets to concerts, sports, and live shows too, and its sign-up flow is generally easier to complete with a passport and a foreign number. If Damai isn't cooperating, Maoyan is the first alternative to try — both apps are Chinese-language only, so a translation app open alongside helps.

Real-name ticketing: what it means for you

Most concert and sports tickets in China are sold under a real-name system (实名制, shímíngzhì): the ticket is bound to a specific person's ID at the moment of purchase, and that same ID is checked again at entry — sometimes just visually, sometimes scanned. For a foreign visitor, your passport plays the role a Chinese ID card normally would. Enter the number exactly as it appears on your passport's photo page, and bring the physical passport to the venue; a screenshot usually isn't accepted as proof at the door.

Because tickets are tied to one identity, they're typically non-transferable — you generally can't buy on behalf of a friend and hand it over, and official resale (when it exists at all) usually requires re-verifying identity through the platform rather than a simple handoff.

Illustration of an usher scanning a phone held up by a visitor in a theatre foyer
Bring the physical passport as well as the phone — the document is what the door check is actually matching. Illustration is schematic.

What changed in 2026, and why it matters to a group

Until recently, a real-name ticket bought on your behalf existed only inside the buyer's account. Everyone else in the party depended on a screenshot forwarded through a chat app — fine until someone's phone died at the gate.

Since 1 January 2026, Damai's "personal ticket" feature changes that. On its major real-name projects — concerts, music festivals, sports fixtures and theatre — each named attendee can now open and view their own ticket in their own account, without the purchaser relaying anything. If you're travelling with people and one person is doing the buying, this is the difference between a fragile arrangement and a normal one.

The asymmetry to plan around: a ticket can be transferred, and the recipient has to accept it in their own ticket folder for the transfer to complete. But only the original purchaser can request a refund. If a transferred ticket needs refunding, the holder must transfer it back first, and only then can the buyer start the refund. Decide who is buying before you buy, not after something goes wrong.

One more distinction worth reading off the listing page rather than assuming: not every event is real-name. The requirement applies to projects explicitly marked as such; plenty of smaller shows sell ordinary unnamed tickets. And once a physical ticket has been collected or signed for, platforms generally will not reissue it if you lose it — which makes the digital, real-name kind the safer thing to hold as a visitor.

When it just won't work

Some platforms — and some especially high-demand shows — don't accept foreign passport numbers in their real-name system at all, even if the sign-up form has a field for one. This isn't a workaround-able bug; it's a deliberate restriction some organizers apply. If you hit a wall at the identity-verification step for a sold-out-fast event, that's usually the reason, not a mistake on your end. In that situation, a local friend or contact buying on your behalf (where the platform allows it), your hotel concierge, or a dedicated international ticketing/attendance service are the realistic workarounds — buying directly yourself may not be an option for that particular show.

Frequently asked questions

What app do foreigners use to buy concert or sports tickets in China?
Damai (大麦, Alibaba's ticketing platform) sells most stadium shows and major sporting events, but registration traditionally required a Chinese phone number, which shuts most visitors out. Maoyan (猫眼) — better known for movie tickets — also sells live-event tickets and is generally easier for a foreign visitor to register on with a passport and an international number.
Do I need a Chinese ID to buy tickets?
No, but you do need a passport, and it must match exactly. China's real-name ticketing system (实名制, shímíngzhì) binds each ticket to a specific ID at both purchase and entry — for foreigners that's your passport number. Enter it precisely as it appears on your passport photo page; a single mismatched digit can get you turned away at the door.
Can I buy a ticket for a friend or resell one?
Usually no. Real-name tickets are typically non-transferable, and the person named on the ticket is who's expected to show up with matching ID. High-demand shows enforce this strictly at entry; smaller or less popular events are checked more loosely, but don't count on it.
Why can't I buy tickets to a popular concert even with a passport field available?
Some platforms and high-demand events don't accept foreign passport numbers in their real-name system at all, regardless of what the sign-up form suggests — a real limitation, not a bug. If a purchase keeps failing at the ID-verification step for a sold-out-fast show, that's usually why. A local friend, hotel concierge, or a resale/attendance service is the practical workaround.
What about museum and attraction tickets — same system?
Related but separate. Major attractions like the Forbidden City use their own advance-booking real-name systems, usually simpler than concert ticketing and often bookable directly through the attraction's own mini-program. Check the relevant city guide for attraction-specific booking rules — this page is about live events (concerts, sports, theater), not sightseeing.

Verified 2026-08-15. Ticketing platforms and real-name rules change without much notice — re-check the current sign-up flow if a step here doesn't match what's on screen. Tell us if something no longer works.

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