How Things Work in China

In China, tipping is not part of the culture and is generally not expected anywhere — not in restaurants, taxis, hotels, or for guides. Staff may refuse a tip or seem confused by the gesture, as it can imply the employer is not paying adequately. High-end international hotels in Beijing and Shanghai are more accustomed to foreign tipping customs, but it is still not required. The overall rule is: when in doubt, skip the tip.

China's high-speed rail (HSR/CRH) network is the largest in the world and connects virtually every major city quickly and affordably; it is far preferable to domestic flights for most routes under 1,000 km. City metros in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and dozens of other cities are modern, cheap, and easy to navigate with English signage. Didi is the dominant rideshare app (Uber does not operate in China) — set it up before arrival as registration can require a local phone number. Buses are extremely cheap but very difficult to use without reading Chinese characters.

Healthcare quality in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other major cities is high, but navigating a standard Chinese public hospital without Mandarin is extremely difficult. International hospitals such as Beijing United Family Hospital and Parkway Health in Shanghai have English-speaking doctors and are accustomed to treating foreign visitors, though costs are significantly higher. Travel insurance is essential, as these facilities bill in full upfront. Some common Western prescription medications are unavailable or sold under different names, so bring an adequate supply of any personal medications.

China enforces laws that differ sharply from Western norms. Drug trafficking and large-scale possession can result in the death penalty; even small amounts of narcotics lead to severe prison sentences. Publicly criticizing the Chinese government, Communist Party, or senior leaders — including on social media — is illegal and has led to detention of foreigners. The Great Firewall blocks Google, Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter/X, and most Western news sites; while VPNs are widely used by foreigners, they are technically restricted under Chinese law. Tibet and Xinjiang have additional travel permits and significantly heightened security monitoring.

China's emergency numbers are separate for each service: 110 for police, 120 for medical emergencies, 119 for fire, and 122 for traffic police and road accidents. Operators are unlikely to speak English, so it is advisable to have your hotel address written in Chinese characters and to ask your hotel front desk to make emergency calls on your behalf whenever possible. In major tourist cities, some police stations have English-speaking officers or tourist police units. Always carry your hotel's business card with the address in Chinese.

Everyday dress in Chinese cities is modern and relaxed, with no religious or government-mandated clothing rules for tourists. However, Buddhist temples, Taoist shrines, and active places of worship expect modesty — shoulders and knees should be covered. Practical, comfortable clothing is recommended when visiting major tourist sites like the Great Wall, where extensive walking or stair climbing is involved. In Muslim-majority areas such as the Xi'an Muslim Quarter or parts of Xinjiang, more conservative dress is appreciated.

China has very liberal alcohol laws — beer, wine, and spirits are sold in convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and street stalls with minimal restrictions on hours or locations. Baijiu, a potent grain spirit (often 50–60% ABV), is the national drink and extremely cheap. Drinking in public is generally acceptable. Cold beer is inexpensive and widely available; domestic brands like Tsingtao, Snow, and Yanjing are found everywhere.

Haggling is a normal and expected part of shopping at street markets, tourist souvenir stalls, and dedicated bargaining markets like Beijing's Silk Street Market or Shanghai's Yatai Xinyang Fashion Market. Vendors at these locations routinely quote prices many times the true value to tourists, so starting at 20–30% of the asking price and negotiating from there is standard practice. Fixed-price retail — including all supermarkets, shopping malls, chain restaurants, and official stores — does not permit bargaining and attempting it will cause embarrassment. Counterfeit goods are common in tourist markets; purchasing them carries legal risk.

Photography at major tourist attractions — including Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and most temples — is generally permitted, though some inner shrines or specific halls may have restrictions. Taking photos of military bases, military personnel, police operations, border checkpoints, airports (beyond public areas), and government buildings is illegal and can result in detention and confiscation of your device. In sensitive regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang, photography restrictions are much stricter and checkpoints are common. Always check for posted signs before photographing inside any official building.

Shops, restaurants, malls, and tourist attractions in China are almost universally open 7 days a week — Sunday closures are not a feature of Chinese commercial life. Government offices and banks operate Monday to Friday and are closed on weekends. The two most significant holiday periods are Golden Week (October 1–7, National Day holiday) and Spring Festival / Chinese New Year (dates vary, typically January–February), during which domestic travel reaches record levels, popular tourist sites become extremely crowded, and many small businesses close for days or weeks. Planning travel around these dates is strongly advisable.

Didi Chuxing is the dominant rideshare platform in China (Uber exited the market in 2016). The Didi app has an English-language version and allows you to enter a destination in text, which avoids language barriers entirely. Street taxis in major cities are metered and generally honest, but most drivers speak no English; showing a written Chinese-character address on your phone is essential. Most taxis do not accept foreign credit cards — carry cash CNY. Rideshare pricing is transparent in the app and generally comparable to metered taxis.

Tap water in China is not safe to drink directly in any part of the country due to aging infrastructure and contamination risks. Bottled water is extremely cheap and universally available; hotel rooms typically provide complimentary bottled water or a hot-water thermos with boiled water. Ice in established tourist restaurants and hotels is generally made from purified water and considered safe. Brushing teeth with tap water is generally fine for short-term visitors, though sensitive travelers may prefer bottled water for this too.

While WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate everyday transactions in China, foreign tourists typically cannot easily link these apps to a foreign bank account, making cash essential for markets, street food, small shops, and local transport. Bank of China, ICBC, and HSBC ATMs are the most consistently reliable for Visa and Mastercard withdrawals; some smaller bank ATMs reject foreign cards entirely. ATM withdrawal fees can be significant — withdraw larger amounts less frequently. UnionPay is the dominant card network in China; if your bank card has a UnionPay logo, acceptance is wider.

China's three main carriers — China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom — sell tourist SIM cards at major international airports and carrier stores; bring your passport. Local SIM data is fast and cheap but is subject to the Great Firewall, meaning Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western services are blocked without a VPN. International roaming on your home SIM is generally not blocked by the Great Firewall, making it a possible alternative for light internet use, though it is expensive. A VPN must be downloaded and configured before arriving in China — the Great Firewall blocks VPN app stores and download pages.

The standard voltage in China is 220V at 50Hz, which is incompatible with 110V devices (common in North America and Japan) unless the device has a dual-voltage power supply (check the label). The most common socket types are Type A (two flat parallel pins, same as North America) and Type I (two angled flat pins in a V-shape, same as Australia). Many hotels in China, particularly international chains, provide universal sockets that accept most plug types. Surge protection is recommended as power fluctuations can occur.

The tea ceremony scam is China's most notorious tourist con: a seemingly friendly local engages a tourist in conversation and invites them for tea, which turns out to be an extremely expensive private tea tasting with a bill of hundreds or thousands of yuan. The art student scam follows a similar pattern, with young people claiming to be art students who invite tourists to view a gallery and then pressure them into buying overpriced paintings. Taxi overcharging — especially from unmetered 'black taxis' at airports — is common. Counterfeit goods in tourist markets are widespread and carry import risks on departure.

China consistently ranks among the safest countries in the world for tourists in terms of violent crime. Armed robbery, assault, and crimes targeting foreigners are exceptionally rare. Petty theft such as pickpocketing can occur in crowded tourist sites, busy markets, and on metro systems, particularly in major cities. The greatest risks for tourists are non-violent scams (see Haggling & Scams topic) rather than physical danger. Solo female travelers generally report feeling very safe in Chinese cities, even late at night.

Chinese dining etiquette differs from Western norms in important ways: slurping noodles and soup is polite and signals enjoyment, and loudness at a restaurant table is normal and acceptable. Sticking chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice mimics incense at a funeral and is considered very bad luck — always rest them on the chopstick holder or across the bowl. Business cards are presented and received with both hands and a slight bow; examine the card respectfully before putting it away. Gift-giving is meaningful but nuanced: avoid giving clocks (sounds like 'death' in Chinese), pears (sounds like 'separation'), or umbrellas as gifts. The number 4 is considered very unlucky (also sounds like 'death').

Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) is the official language and is spoken nationwide, though regional dialects like Cantonese (Guangdong), Shanghainese, and Hokkien differ so significantly that speakers cannot understand each other. English is spoken at international hotels, some tourist attractions, and by some younger urban Chinese, but is not reliably available in restaurants, taxis, markets, or smaller cities. Google Translate's offline Chinese Simplified download is essential — it allows you to translate menus, signs, and spoken words without internet. Showing written Chinese characters for your destination to taxi drivers is far more reliable than trying to pronounce Mandarin tones.

China's main beach destinations include Sanya on Hainan Island (marketed as the 'Hawaii of China'), Beidaihe near Beijing on the Bohai Sea, and several spots along the Fujian and Zhejiang coasts. Hainan's beaches are tropical, warm year-round, and have good resort infrastructure. Chinese beaches can become extraordinarily crowded during Golden Week and summer school holidays (July–August), with thousands of visitors per beach. Some beaches along the South China Sea seasonally experience jellyfish, particularly in late summer. Lifeguard coverage varies and is not universal.

China drives on the right side of the road. However, foreign driving licenses are not recognized in China and converting a foreign license to a Chinese one requires residency. Tourist car rental from major international agencies is generally unavailable to foreigners without a Chinese license. For independent exploration, using Didi rideshare or hiring a driver through your hotel or a licensed tour operator is strongly recommended. Traffic in Chinese cities is very aggressive by Western standards, and road etiquette differs significantly from most Western countries.

China is one of the world's greatest food cultures, with dramatically different regional styles: fiery Sichuan cuisine (mapo tofu, kung pao chicken), delicate Cantonese dim sum, Beijing roast duck (Peking duck), Shanghai soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), and dozens of other distinct traditions. Menus in many local restaurants are in Chinese only, but photo menus are common in tourist areas and pointing at pictures or neighboring tables' dishes is perfectly acceptable. Food safety has improved greatly in recent decades, though caution with street food hygiene (choosing busy, high-turnover stalls) remains advisable. Muslim Halal (清真, Qingzhen) restaurants are widely available, marked with green crescent signage.

Buddhist temples and Taoist shrines are the most common religious sites tourists visit in China; these require modest dress (covered shoulders and knees), removal of hats, and respectful quiet near areas of active worship. Photography is usually permitted in outer courtyards but often restricted in main shrine halls — check for posted signs. Mosques in China's Muslim communities (the Xi'an Great Mosque, Niu Jie Mosque in Beijing, and mosques throughout Xinjiang and Gansu) require removal of shoes, conservative dress including head covering for women, and non-Muslim visitors may have restricted access to prayer halls. Christian churches operate legally in China but are subject to government registration requirements.

China spans tropical, subtropical, temperate, and alpine climate zones. Beijing and northern China are best visited in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October), when temperatures are mild, skies are clearer, and air quality is better. Shanghai shares a similar optimal window. Southern China and Hainan Island are best from October to March, avoiding typhoon season (June–September). Yunnan and Sichuan are pleasant from March to October. The Tibetan Plateau is best visited from May to October. Crucially, avoid traveling during Chinese Golden Week (October 1–7) and Spring Festival (Chinese New Year, January–February) when 1.4 billion people are on the move simultaneously.

China offers exceptional value for budget travelers who embrace local habits. Street food — dumplings (jiaozi), baozi (steamed buns), scallion pancakes, and hand-pulled noodles — costs CNY 5–15 per meal at local stalls and is delicious. Small local canteen-style restaurants (小吃店, xiǎochī diàn) serve full meals for CNY 15–30. Overnight sleeper trains between cities save both accommodation costs and daytime travel time. Free attractions including many public parks, city squares, and some temples make sightseeing cheap. China's domestic airline competition also means cheap flights on routes not covered by train.