There are 30 Pokémon TCG Official Gyms in mainland China as of September 24, 2026, in 21 cities, and all 30 are open: the last five opened on September 5 and 12, 2026, and the company had announced no others. They are shops that The Pokémon Company's own mainland subsidiary opens and runs, and in July 2026 it presented them as thirty official gyms for Pokémon's thirtieth anniversary.
Each sells cards and Pokémon goods and keeps tables for play, and most open with a promo card of their mascot, given for about two months to anyone who spends 99 yuan (about $15) on one paper receipt. Anyone can walk in and shop; the card also needs a scan of the QR code in the shop, which appears to run through the chain's WeChat member mini-program. Tournaments go through that mini-program with an identity check (a passport works, after a review of about ten working days). The scarce sealed boxes of 2025 went by ballot, and winners had to show a Chinese ID card to buy.
The map has all thirty, with each address in Chinese (what a taxi driver needs), opening date, hours, mascot and promo card.
Northeast · 3
Shenyang 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-沈阳（冰砌鹅）
Mascot Eiscue 冰砌鹅
Opening promo 121/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed February 19, 2026
The only shop in the chain with separate winter and summer hours, which the official directory spells out. It opened on the same day as Changsha.
Dalian 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-大连（大舌贝）
Mascot Shellder 大舌贝
Opening promo 366/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed September 10, 2026
The three northeastern shops keep shorter hours than the rest of the chain: Dalian and Harbin shut at 21:30 all year, and Shenyang does through the winter.
Harbin 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-哈尔滨（急冻鸟）
Mascot Articuno 急冻鸟
Opening promo 433/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed October 21, 2026
The northernmost shop in the chain, and an Articuno for the city that holds an ice festival every winter. It opened on the same day as Nanjing.
North China · 4
Beijing Xihongmen 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-北京 西红门（大岩蛇）
Mascot Onix 大岩蛇
Opening promo 086/SV-P, 35,000 printed · from September 10, 2025, no closing date published
Its opening sold the 2025 mid-autumn gift box by a two-round ballot, 1,500 boxes a round, one per winner.
Beijing Zhongguancun 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-北京 中关村（幼基拉斯）
Mascot Larvitar 幼基拉斯
Opening promo 242/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed March 30, 2026
Tianjin 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-天津（聒噪鸟）
Mascot Chatot 聒噪鸟
Opening promo 430/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until November 11, 2026
Beijing Chaoyang 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-北京 朝阳（朝北鼻）
Mascot Nosepass 朝北鼻
Opening promo 428/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until November 11, 2026
East China · 11
Shanghai Zhongshan Park 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-上海 中山公园（古月鸟）
Mascot Cramorant 古月鸟
Opening promo 170/SV-P, 30,000 printed, for the reopening rather than the opening · window closed February 15, 2026
The first shop in the chain, reported at around 600 square meters, and the only one that has ever closed: it closed after trading on November 30, 2025 and reopened on January 25, 2026. Its promo card belongs to that reopening. For more than a year it was the only Pokémon TCG Official Gym in the world.
Hangzhou Xihu 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-杭州 西湖（角金鱼）
Mascot Goldeen 角金鱼
Opening promo 065/SV-P, 10,000 printed · from July 11, 2025, no closing date published
The shop that started the promo cards, and the only one whose card was printed at 10,000, a third of the usual 30,000.
Shanghai Wujiaochang 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-上海 五角场（轻身鳕）
Mascot Veluza 轻身鳕
Opening promo 115/SV-P, 35,000 printed · window closed November 30, 2025
About 13 kilometers from the Zhongshan Park shop, which is why the map needs an inset for Shanghai.
Ningbo 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-宁波（由克希）
Mascot Uxie 由克希
Opening promo 244/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed June 30, 2026
One of three shops that opened on the same day, April 30, 2026.
Fuzhou 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-福州（粉香香）
Mascot Spritzee 粉香香
Opening promo 245/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed June 30, 2026
In the Dongjiekou Dayang metro mall (东街口大洋地铁商城), an underground shopping street at Dongjiekou metro station.
Wenzhou 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-温州（萌芽鹿）
Mascot Sawsbuck 萌芽鹿
Opening promo a wooden bookmark, 15,000 made · window closed September 17, 2026
It opened without a promo card and gave a wooden bookmark, 15,000 made, instead.
Qingdao 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-青岛（海星星）
Mascot Staryu 海星星
Opening promo 424/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed October 1, 2026
The first and, as of September 2026, only shop in Shandong.
Nanjing 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-南京（波克基斯）
Mascot Togekiss 波克基斯
Opening promo 367/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed October 21, 2026
Hefei 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-合肥（太阳岩）
Mascot Solrock 太阳岩
Opening promo 434/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until October 28, 2026
Opened the same day as Chengdu Jinniu, August 29, 2026.
Shanghai Nanxiang 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-上海 南翔（蚊香君）
Mascot Poliwhirl 蚊香君
Opening promo 426/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until November 11, 2026
Opened the same day as Beijing Chaoyang, making Shanghai and Beijing the first cities with three shops. The only one of Shanghai's three in the suburbs, in Jiading.
Hangzhou Gongshu 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-杭州 拱墅（溜溜糖球）
Mascot Surskit 溜溜糖球
Opening promo 427/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until November 11, 2026
Hangzhou's second shop, about 6 kilometers from the first.
Central China · 3
Changsha 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-长沙（狠辣椒）
Mascot Scovillain 狠辣椒
Opening promo 122/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed February 19, 2026
Hunan is the chili province and Scovillain is the chili Pokémon; the company has not explained the choice.
Wuhan Wuchang 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-武汉 武昌（青铜钟）
Mascot Bronzong 青铜钟
Opening promo 300/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed June 30, 2026
Wuhan Optics Valley 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-武汉 光谷（齿轮组）
Mascot Klang 齿轮组
Opening promo 365/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed September 2, 2026
About 12 kilometers from the Wuchang shop; Wuhan was the fourth city to get a second shop.
South China · 4
Shenzhen Qianhai 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-深圳 前海（小磁怪）
Mascot Magnemite 小磁怪
Opening promo a bookmark, 5,000 made · from December 25, 2024, no closing date published
The second shop, nearly thirteen months after the first: the company had set a trial opening for December 20, 2024 and moved it to December 25. It opened before the promo card became the rule, and before the company started publishing a closing date for the giveaway.
Guangzhou 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-广州（裙儿小姐）
Mascot Lilligant 裙儿小姐
Opening promo a scented mulberry-paper flower card, 20,000 made and repeatable · from August 25, 2025, no closing date published
Reported at about 1,800 square meters, the largest Official Gym when it opened. Its mascot got a card later, 422/SV-P Lilligant, from a separate event.
Shenzhen Longhua 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-深圳 龙华（虫电宝）
Mascot Charjabug 虫电宝
Opening promo 169/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed January 4, 2026
Its announcement states that the promo cards are playable: the Charjabug carries regulation mark H and is legal in official events at any format. It also handed out 2,500 of the Shenzhen masters promo, two per person per day.
Dongguan 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-东莞（铁哑铃）
Mascot Beldum 铁哑铃
Opening promo 423/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed September 24, 2026
The fourth shop in the Pearl River Delta, all four of them within about a hundred kilometers.
Southwest · 4
Chongqing Daping 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-重庆 大坪（火箭雀）
Mascot Fletchinder 火箭雀
Opening promo 116/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed December 21, 2025
Chengdu Wuhou 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-成都 武侯（晃晃斑）
Mascot Spinda 晃晃斑
Opening promo 243/SV-P, 30,000 printed · window closed July 14, 2026
Chengdu Jinniu 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-成都 金牛（懒人獭）
Mascot Slakoth 懒人獭
Opening promo 429/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until October 28, 2026
Chengdu is the fifth city with two shops, after Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Wuhan.
Chongqing Chaotianmen 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-重庆 朝天门（火神蛾）
Mascot Volcarona 火神蛾
Opening promo 425/SV-P, 30,000 printed · claimable until November 4, 2026
Chongqing's second shop, about 8 kilometers from Daping.
Northwest · 1
Xi'an 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-西安（雷吉铎拉戈）
Mascot Regidrago 雷吉铎拉戈
Opening promo a stamp card, 30,000 made, redeemed for sticky notes (30,000 sets) or a damage-counter box (10,000) · window closed June 24, 2026
The only shop in northwest China, and the one opening that swapped a card for a stamp rally.
What a visitor can do at an Official Gym
Each point below was true on September 24, 2026.
- Shop. The gyms are ordinary mall shops, open to anyone, with no membership needed. Most open from 10:00 to 22:00 every day; nine stay open to 22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays (Chengdu Wuhou, Wuhan Optics Valley and Xi'an on Sundays too), and the three in the northeast close at 21:30 (Shenyang only in winter).
- Pay. The company publishes no list of accepted payment methods. Mobile payment dominates in Chinese malls, and Alipay and WeChat Pay have taken foreign Visa and Mastercard cards since July 2023, so set one up before the trip, and ask for a printed receipt: the promo card needs one.
- Claim an opening promo card, if the shop's opening window is still running. Eleven were still claimable on September 24, 2026; the table and the steps are below.
- Play. Free beginner lessons, where a shop runs them, can be booked in the mini-program or at the shop's guide desk, and a free drawing workshop lets you draw your own card on the shop's paper. Xi'an's opening notice also lists deck rental among its activities.
- Enter a tournament. The company's own tournaments, such as the Official Gym Cup of April 2026 and the three-player team event running from September 30 to November 30, 2026, need an account on the 宝可梦卡牌会员 (Pokémon Card Member) WeChat mini-program with real-name verification, and ID at the door. The mini-program signs members in with a mobile number; the company does not say whether a foreign number works. A passport is accepted, but since June 25, 2025 every ID other than a Chinese one goes through a manual review that the company says takes about ten working days, so verify well before you travel. Decks must be Simplified Chinese: the mainland tournament rules allow no other language.
- Win event packs. Gym events hand out the Simplified Chinese event packs. The fifth series, given since September 16, 2026, holds one card from a pool of 80, and the company publishes the odds: 89% plain cards and ex holos, 10% Poké Ball pattern, 1% Master Ball pattern. The same pack also comes from weekly and monthly tasks in the mini-program, and from events at certified card shops (see the tiers below).
- Buy scarce sealed products. Not by walking in. In 2025, when the gyms sold boxes in short supply (the 151 starter sets, a mid-autumn gift box), they did it by a two-round ballot in the mini-program: round one for members who had attended events on three separate days in the previous two or three months, round two for any verified member. Winners bought in person, at a booked time, on showing a Chinese resident ID card, original or electronic. None of the 2026 opening notices mentions a ballot.
- Join the anniversary card drive. From September 24 to December 31, 2026, every Official Gym collects Simplified Chinese cards whose name includes its mascot (a Chatot card in Tianjin, for example). At 3,000 cards collected in a shop, its participants can claim a sticker; at 300,000 across the network, a metal magnet; both while stocks last. Cards are not returned, and the account must be verified.
- Avoid opening weekends. Every opening notice since July 2025 warns that the first weeks are crowded and that the shop may limit entry.
Opening promo cards you can still claim
These windows were open on September 24, 2026, each ending on the date printed in the shop's opening notice. A card can run out sooner: each shop has 30,000, first come, first served.
| Card | Shop | Where | Claim until |
|---|---|---|---|
| 423/SV-P Beldum | Dongguan | 民盈·国贸城 (Minying International Trade Center), B1 | September 24, 2026 |
| 424/SV-P Staryu | Qingdao | 凯德MALL·新都心 (CapitaMall), B2 | October 1, 2026 |
| 367/SV-P Togekiss | Nanjing | 景枫中心 (Jingfeng Center), B1 | October 21, 2026 |
| 433/SV-P Articuno | Harbin | 西城红场 (West Red Square), B1 | October 21, 2026 |
| 429/SV-P Slakoth | Chengdu Jinniu | 凯德广场·金牛 (CapitaMall Jinniu), B1 | October 28, 2026 |
| 434/SV-P Solrock | Hefei | 包河万象汇 (Baohe MixC), B1 | October 28, 2026 |
| 425/SV-P Volcarona | Chongqing Chaotianmen | 重庆来福士 (Raffles City Chongqing), 1F | November 4, 2026 |
| 430/SV-P Chatot | Tianjin | 天津天河城 (TeeMall), 1F and 2F | November 11, 2026 |
| 426/SV-P Poliwhirl | Shanghai Nanxiang | 南翔印象城MEGA (Nanxiang Incity Mega), 2F | November 11, 2026 |
| 427/SV-P Surskit | Hangzhou Gongshu | 杭州大悦城 (Hangzhou Joy City), B1 | November 11, 2026 |
| 428/SV-P Nosepass | Beijing Chaoyang | 朝阳大悦城 (Chaoyang Joy City), B1 | November 11, 2026 |
The list under the map marks the windows that are still open and stops marking each once its closing day has passed.
How to claim an opening promo card, step by step
This is the procedure for every opening card since the Chongqing Daping opening of November 21, 2025. The three cards before it required a quiz in the mini-program to get the QR code.
Go during the window. Only the shop that opened gives its card, only between the dates in its notice, and only while its copies last.
Spend 99 yuan in one transaction. The notices name no product: any purchase of 99 yuan or more on a single receipt, made that day, qualifies.
Scan the event QR code in the shop. It is displayed on site. The notices do not name the app that reads it, but the first one to use this procedure limited the card to one per account on the 宝可梦卡牌会员 WeChat mini-program, so have WeChat on your phone and sign in to the mini-program, which uses a mobile number, before you go.
Show your paper receipt to staff. They check it and hand over the card on the spot. Only a same-day paper receipt counts, each person may claim one card, and the notices warn that claiming twice can bar you from future events.
Every opening promo card, with its print run
Since July 2025 most new shops have opened with their own card: a promo of the shop's mascot, numbered in the Simplified Chinese SV-P series and stamped with the shop's logo. There are 26, 25 for openings and one for a reopening, and the company has published every print run.
| Card | Pokémon | Shop | Print run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 065/SV-P | Goldeen 角金鱼 | Hangzhou Xihu | 10,000 |
| 086/SV-P | Onix 大岩蛇 | Beijing Xihongmen | 35,000 |
| 115/SV-P | Veluza 轻身鳕 | Shanghai Wujiaochang | 35,000 |
| 116/SV-P | Fletchinder 火箭雀 | Chongqing Daping | 30,000 |
| 121/SV-P | Eiscue 冰砌鹅 | Shenyang | 30,000 |
| 122/SV-P | Scovillain 狠辣椒 | Changsha | 30,000 |
| 169/SV-P | Charjabug 虫电宝 | Shenzhen Longhua | 30,000 |
| 170/SV-P | Cramorant 古月鸟 | Shanghai Zhongshan Park, for the reopening | 30,000 |
| 242/SV-P | Larvitar 幼基拉斯 | Beijing Zhongguancun | 30,000 |
| 243/SV-P | Spinda 晃晃斑 | Chengdu Wuhou | 30,000 |
| 244/SV-P | Uxie 由克希 | Ningbo | 30,000 |
| 245/SV-P | Spritzee 粉香香 | Fuzhou | 30,000 |
| 300/SV-P | Bronzong 青铜钟 | Wuhan Wuchang | 30,000 |
| 365/SV-P | Klang 齿轮组 | Wuhan Optics Valley | 30,000 |
| 366/SV-P | Shellder 大舌贝 | Dalian | 30,000 |
| 367/SV-P | Togekiss 波克基斯 | Nanjing | 30,000 |
| 423/SV-P | Beldum 铁哑铃 | Dongguan | 30,000 |
| 424/SV-P | Staryu 海星星 | Qingdao | 30,000 |
| 425/SV-P | Volcarona 火神蛾 | Chongqing Chaotianmen | 30,000 |
| 426/SV-P | Poliwhirl 蚊香君 | Shanghai Nanxiang | 30,000 |
| 427/SV-P | Surskit 溜溜糖球 | Hangzhou Gongshu | 30,000 |
| 428/SV-P | Nosepass 朝北鼻 | Beijing Chaoyang | 30,000 |
| 429/SV-P | Slakoth 懒人獭 | Chengdu Jinniu | 30,000 |
| 430/SV-P | Chatot 聒噪鸟 | Tianjin | 30,000 |
| 433/SV-P | Articuno 急冻鸟 | Harbin | 30,000 |
| 434/SV-P | Solrock 太阳岩 | Hefei | 30,000 |
The standard run is 30,000. Two cards were printed at 35,000, Onix for Beijing Xihongmen and Veluza for Shanghai Wujiaochang, and the first, Goldeen for Hangzhou Xihu in July 2025, at 10,000, a third of the standard. The cards are playable: Charjabug's notice says it carries regulation mark H and is legal in official events of every format.
Four shops gave something else. Shenzhen Qianhai handed out 5,000 bookmarks in December 2024, before the cards began. Guangzhou gave 20,000 scented mulberry-paper cards and let visitors claim more than one. Xi'an ran a stamp rally on 30,000 cards: two stamps earned sticky notes (30,000 sets), seven a damage-counter box (10,000). Wenzhou gave 15,000 wooden bookmarks. Guangzhou's mascot got a card later, 422/SV-P Lilligant, from a separate event rather than from the opening.
More on Chinese cards: our guide to Chinese exclusive Pokémon cards lists the artworks printed only in Chinese, and our guide to Celebratory Fanfare covers its Chinese printings.
What an Official Gym is, and what it is not
An Official Gym is a Pokémon shop inside a shopping mall (about two thirds of the 30 are below street level), with a retail area for cards and merchandise and a separate area of tables for play. The first, in Shanghai, was reported at about 600 square meters; Guangzhou's, at about 1,800, was reported as the largest when it opened in August 2025. All are run by Pokémon (Shanghai) Toys Co., Ltd., the wholly owned subsidiary The Pokémon Company set up in July 2020.
There is no gym leader and no badge: 道馆 is the video games' word for a gym, used here as a shop name. In Singapore, for instance, "Pokémon TCG Gym" means something else again: an officially certified tournament held at an ordinary card shop. Mainland China has both kinds, plus a third tier that only sells the cards.
| Tier | What it is | Who runs it | How many |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆, Official Gym | A company shop: cards, Pokémon goods, a play area, its own mascot and, for most, an opening promo card | Pokémon Shanghai, the company's subsidiary | 30 in 21 cities (September 2026) |
| 认证道馆, certified gym | An independent card shop certified to run official events | The shop's owner | 1,061 in 167 cities (list of April 2025) |
| 潮玩连锁店铺, chain stores | Toy and lifestyle chains that stock the cards | SANFU, Toys "R" Us, X11, Miniso, TOPTOY and 18 other brands | About 1,550 outlets (list of August 2025) |
The two lists are the latest the company links to, and both date from 2025, so the real counts may differ; the certified list even includes the two Official Gyms open when it was made. Certification has been open to any card shop since September 28, 2022, through the official mini-program: the shop needs a suitable space, room for eight or more players at once, and at least one event a week. A card shop in China advertising official gym events is most likely a certified gym; 38 of the independent ones even have 道馆 in their trading name. Only the thirty on the map are the company's own.
How the chain grew
| Year | Opened | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | 8 | 10 |
| 2026, to September 12 | 20 | 30 |
The chain took more than a year to open its second shop: Shanghai Zhongshan Park opened on December 6, 2023, and Shenzhen Qianhai on December 27, 2024. Eight followed in 2025 and twenty in 2026: Beijing Zhongguancun in January, then three announced waves, five shops named on April 13, six on May 31 and eight on July 12, each wave open within three months of its announcement.
No Official Gym has closed for good. Zhongshan Park shut after trading on November 30, 2025 for a refit and reopened on January 25, 2026, with a pop-up in the mall's atrium and a temporary event hall on B2 in the meantime.
Where the gyms are, and where they are not
The openings track the company's own list of certified gyms. The 21 cities with an Official Gym hold 622 of the 1,061 certified gyms on that list, nearly three fifths of the network in one eighth of its 167 cities. The likeliest reading is that the company opens where play already is; it has published no rule for choosing a city.
| City | Official Gyms | Certified gyms (April 2025 list) |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 3 | 112 |
| Beijing | 3 | 99 |
| Guangzhou | 1 | 58 |
| Shenzhen | 2 | 42 |
| Hangzhou | 2 | 38 |
| Tianjin | 1 | 36 |
| Chengdu | 2 | 27 |
| Nanjing | 1 | 25 |
| Wuhan | 2 | 23 |
| Suzhou | 0 | 20 |
| Xi'an | 1 | 19 |
| Dongguan | 1 | 8 |
Suzhou stands out: 20 certified gyms, more than in twelve of the 21 cities that have a shop, and no Official Gym as of September 24, 2026. The other cities with ten or more certified gyms and no Official Gym are Changzhou (15), Foshan (13), Changchun (12), Zhengzhou and Wuxi (11 each), Xiamen and Taiyuan (10). Dongguan runs the other way: the thinnest base of any gym city, 8, but about 50 kilometers from the shops of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Sixteen of mainland China's 31 provinces, regions and municipalities have a shop. None is in Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Guizhou or Guangxi, which together cover almost two thirds of the country's land.
The emblem names the city, not the shop
Every gym has an emblem: Pikachu beside the shop's mascot, the 宝可梦 wordmark, 官方卡牌道馆 with the city's name, and "Pokémon TCG Official Gym" at the foot. The name is the city's, so Beijing's three shops all read 北京 and Shanghai's three 上海. Only the mascot tells them apart, and the shop's full name carries it in brackets, as in 宝可梦官方卡牌道馆-天津（聒噪鸟）, the Tianjin (Chatot) gym.
FAQ
How many Pokémon TCG Official Gyms are there in China?
Thirty, all open, in 21 cities, as of September 24, 2026. Beijing and Shanghai have three each; Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing two each; 14 other cities one.
Is there a Pokémon Center in mainland China?
No, not as of September 24, 2026. Mainland China has these gyms, official Pokémon pop-up shops (29 of them take part in the anniversary card drive that began on September 24, 2026) and official online flagship stores on Taobao, JD, Douyin and Xiaohongshu, plus a member store inside WeChat. The permanent Pokémon Centers within easiest reach are Taipei's and Japan's, and Hong Kong gets an official Pokémon Center pop-up at Festival Walk in November 2026: see our list of every Pokémon Center.
Which Official Gym is closest to Hong Kong?
The two in Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong: Shenzhen Qianhai, at Uniwalk Qianhai (前海壹方城) in Bao'an, and Shenzhen Longhua, at Yifang Tiandi (壹方天地). Dongguan and Guangzhou are further up the Pearl River Delta.
Do you need WeChat to use a Pokémon gym in China?
Not to shop, and the free beginner lessons can also be booked at the shop's guide desk. The opening promo card starts with a QR code scan that appears to run through the 宝可梦卡牌会员 WeChat mini-program, and tournaments, ballots and the anniversary card drive run through it with real-name verification. The mini-program signs members in with a mobile number, and a passport is accepted for verification after a manual review of about ten working days.
Can Simplified Chinese cards be used in tournaments outside China?
For a player from outside China, not at Play! Pokémon Championship Series events: the TCG Tournament Handbook, revised September 1, 2026, lists each rating zone's legal languages, and Chinese is in none of them; other tournaments and leagues are the organizer's call. Chinese cards share the back of English ones, so unlike Japanese cards they do not count as marked. Mainland players who qualified for Worlds 2026 through China's own circuit could bring Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese or English cards, while mainland events accept only Simplified Chinese.
What is the difference between an Official Gym and a certified gym?
The owner: an Official Gym is one of the 30 shops the company runs itself, each with its own mascot and, for most, an opening promo card, while a certified gym is an independent card shop certified to run official events, about 1,060 of them on the company's April 2025 list. Both host official events; only the first is a Pokémon shop.
Will more Official Gyms open in China?
None had been announced as of September 24, 2026. Each of the three waves of 2026 was announced on the company's Chinese site and opened within three months. The cities with the most certified gyms and no Official Gym, led by Suzhou, are where the pattern points, though the company has said nothing.
