Practical · 5 min read
Ten Things Every First-Time Visitor to China Should Know
The things that are obvious once you know them and awkward when you do not. A short, specific list rather than general advice.
Carry your passport constantly
Your passport is your ID, your train ticket and your hotel registration. Hotels are required to register every guest, which means a trip to the front desk with your passport — often the same day you check in. A photocopy is not accepted for the original registration.
The trains are the best way to move
The high-speed network reaches most major cities and is faster and cheaper than flying once airport time is counted. Second class is comfortable, the trains are almost always clean, and the food on board is genuinely good.
Station names cause more confusion than anything else. A city can have four stations and they are often kilometres apart. The station on your ticket is the one you need.
Download the apps before you fly
The navigation app, the ride-hailing app, the train booking app and the payment super-app between them run daily life. Set them up before departure, complete their identity verification steps at home, and download offline maps.
The toilets are the barometer
This is not a joke. China’s public toilets range from the genuinely excellent — with heated seats, bidet controls and a music soundtrack — to the genuinely rudimentary, and the quality varies even within the same city. Carry a small pack of tissues. Carry a small pack of tissues more than you think you need.
Do not expect tipping
Service is included. Tipping is not customary and asking about it causes confusion. In practice, a small tip for exceptional service at a good restaurant is welcome.
Allow for the queues
The culture of queuing is strong and orderly. People will wait their turn. Join the line rather than going to the front, and you will be treated better for it. This applies to taxis, subways, museums and restaurants alike.
Get a Chinese mobile number
Restaurant reservations, hotel calls, and delivery apps all work far better with a local number. It is one of the small things that makes the trip noticeably smoother.
People are curious and interested
Foreign visitors are frequently photographed, particularly outside the major tourist sites, and sometimes approached by people who want to practise their English. Most of this is friendly curiosity. A smile and a light gesture of thanks is enough.
The most common request is a photograph with a child, and accepting is usually the right call.
Check the air quality, and the season
Spring in Beijing can bring dust storms; summer in the Yangtze delta is humid and hot. The Air Quality index is published daily and widely respected locally. In the bad weeks, an indoor-heavy route is a better use of the time.
Leave room for the unexpected
The strongest travel stories from China are rarely the ones that were planned. Keep one or two days genuinely open in an itinerary, and you will usually end up with the best day of the trip.
Frequently asked
The questions we get most
Do I need to carry my passport everywhere?
Yes. It is your ID for hotels, trains, museums and the mobile network. Hotels require passport registration of every guest, which usually means a visit to the front desk on arrival.
Are public toilets bad in China?
They range from excellent in newer and renovated buildings to basic in older ones, and quality varies within the same city. Carry tissues.
Should I tip in China?
No, it is not customary. Service is included. A small tip for genuinely exceptional service is welcome but entirely optional.
What are the most important apps to download before travelling to China?
The local map and navigation app, the ride-hailing app, the 12306 train booking app, and the payment super-app. Set them up and complete identity verification before you leave home.
Is it safe for a solo female traveller?
Yes. China is generally very safe, including at night and on public transport. The usual caution about being alone in an unfamiliar place applies, as anywhere.