Meat and any kinds of living plants are not allowed at the customs check points. Hope your daughter have a nice trip in China! Hey Chris…great writing as always! Check first. I particularly like it when you play dumb and so they just get blatant about it. Rather confronting haha.
Totally forgot about making a copy of the documents. Thanks for the reminder! Tipping used to be illegal in China not too long ago but that ban has now been lifted. However, it is not culturally expected.
However, as a Brit I feel as though many Americans have potentially ruined it for us other Caucasians in the big cities. I think it is a shame that cultures can be diluted by the integration of other cultures. Not because it costs me money, but more that it removes the diversity and cultural identity of the place. I also can fully relate to no First time visitors may not be aware that sites like Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China — otherwise known as the Great Wall of China.
I did however find one which won hands down for me. Because maybe people in service sector should be tipped to offset their already low wage. Working in the hospitality industry, I am very thankful for such a person who has an attitude as you regarding tipping matter. It is not about money, it is more of encouraging to give you a better service for what they go out their way to assist you. If not, should they not be looking for work elsewhere?
This is an actually incredibly informative article. Thank you. Whereabouts in China are you going to be, Romario? First of all, great article. I spent 6 months in Shenyang and I experienced many, if not all, of the things on your list! I am replying to this comment because you mentioned you had some contacts in Chengdu.
My husband and I are taking a 2 week trip to China in April and we will spend about a week in Chengdu exploring. We are scouting it out for a potential place to live in the next few years. Anyway, could you get me in contact with anyone for tips and tricks for traveling in Chengdu?
All I know is that the food is spicy and you need to go see the pandas. Amazing article my girlfriend and I are traveling to Beijing and Shanghai for 10 days. The timing of this was perfect as I am heading to China in two weeks. Have you been to this city? I have! Hangzhou is an absolutely beautiful city. Thanks Chris for the article, very insightful. Planning a business trip to Beijing for two week to procure textile and machinery.
This will help me a great deal. Some great suggestions! We visited China at the end of last year and these are definitely in line with everything we experienced and they all point to one thing we felt — a huge culture shock. As someone that lives in Guangzhou, you are pretty much spot on with most of your tips. It has been months since I saw anyone needing to wear a face mask here! I also think there is a bit of a misconception regarding haggling.
I never negotiate prices in day to day life, and I pay the same as any local. It may be necessary in a tourist shop, but I have seen traders that were most offended by rude tourists negotiating on what already was the best price.
My tip — learn some of the local dialect and you will be treated like family. Glad the tips measured up! Learning the local language is such a huge plus. I did it when living in South Korea, but never managed to pick up more than a few useful Mandarin words. In wholesale markets you can often bargain a bit, but not too much. My wife will be travelling to Guangzhou in a weeks time. I was so much concerned about the pollution and other few issues. But the Tips have really helped me.
Coming from Southern Africa where pollution is not a concern and being a first time traveller to China such information comes handy. We have secured a Agent to assist with procurement processes, we hope Agents in China are honest. This is a great and really informative post. Thanks for the spelling times! I never did come to grips with pinyin, especially since it so rarely followed the rules of the letters being used.
Great tips, Chris! You covered it all so well. I went to China prepared with a travel-sized Charmin toilet paper kit and hand sanitizer, and boy, was I glad that I did! And karaoke was a frequent occurrence in China.
Definitely a fun way to experience the culture. Loved the KTV in China. Thank you for writing this post. I am wondering if someone post some things from China to your homeland? What is a price and where I should go to the common post office, right? Yep, you can just post your things from any China Post office.
They have green and yellow signs unless something has changed since I was last there. I am traveling to China the day after tomorrow. This was the most helpful article I found. Thank you :. Great tips guys!
Not being shy is such an essential one. I consider myself to be quite a shy traveller but in China, oh my gosh, that is not going to work.
Also, hand sanitiser? A total must. China really does coax the inner beast out of you from time to time. Very informative article. Every one have a number of questions in mind before to make a trip to china. This informative article helps everyone.
Really nice Post very informative, really appreciate your time spent to share this with us. Please Tell me what would constitute as a really good budget, How much money should I consider spending all in all? Hope youunderstand? Taking a group this time, flying into Beijing to visit the Forbidden City and then off to Wudangshan to hang out for meditation, Tai Chi, Qigong and just chilling with the Tao.
Then back to Beijing and walk the Great Wall. Your list is great! I totally forgot somethings like toilet paper and being blocked out from Facebook Youtube etc, traveled to too many other countries in-between to remember. So thanks again, now I will send out a group email to inform people so they will not be to shocked in regards. Glad I could help jog your memory some! I have quite a few female friends who have traveled there alone and had no trouble whatsoever.
Hi Chris! Thanks for your article. My husband and I will be moving to Guangzhou in May, and I feel a lot more prepared and assured having a better idea of what to expect. I appreciate it! Having spent a lot of time in China, how would you suggest learning the language? You know, I did a truly awful job of learning the language in my two years there. I imagine you'll be speaking Cantonese down there? I had the best success when I found a local tutor and worked with them.
I'd then practice my new phrases and words with my students and my local friends. I think the biggest hindrance for me was that I didn't immerse myself as fully as I'd have liked in the local culture.
I was so busy with side projects that I mostly socialised with my fellow expats. It's an easy trap to fall into, but if I had my time again, I'd make a bigger effort to meet and interact with locals. Hi Mae, you definitely want a visa before you go. Depending on your nationality, the process and cost varies. I have a visa for China that appears to be good for 10 years.
Visited in April, this past year, wanting to go back in a few weeks…is it necessary to get permission to visit again? Chris, LOVE love love this article!! Quick question for you. I heard something about filling out paperwork or something online before we go to bypass the long line through security with tsa.
Do you know anything about this? I might actually be back in China around that time as well, actually. Great tips for all first time travelers like me. I hearded alot theft cases from my friends after they had a short trip in China.
Did you face any problems like this? Once again, thanks for sharing and cheer! Further to what Caz said, I lived there for almost three years and never had a problem with theft.
If you exercise normal caution keeping your belongings with you, not flaunting expensive stuff etc. First time to China, July Thanks for all the good info.
Going with Mandarin speaking friends, so hopefully will be a great trip. Looking forward to reading more great comments. Thanks again. Even though China is not as bad as most of the westerners can imagine, well as a chinese i would say most part of this is true. Most of them cant speak english, but most formalized corporations, hotels and restaurant staff are picking up and learning, so no worries.
Tips for traveling cant run far from getting cheap products, since most of the products are made in china, but it doesnt mean that getting stuff from streets is safe, you might get a counterfeit product. Vape products is a must to collect while you visit china, you cant believe how cheap they were and most are in tip-top condition!
Nice post……. The article is very informative and of good use. Hope to see more update. Hey guys! Have loved following you on IG for months and so glad this article came up in searching for technology questions for China. Other than VPN — any tips? Hey Jessica — a good VPN is the only real essential. I prefer you recommendations of VPN in China. And besides, you should choose those who have a free trial policy. I am visiting Beijing in March. I want to get off the beaten path, but I have a limited amount of time to do that.
I really want to see rice paddies up close. I am also visiting Chengde for a day. I How would you recommend seeing some of China that is not as tourist-y? China can be a difficult place to do authentically, as the places that are the most authentic tend to be difficult to get to without navigating the Chinese language only bus and train systems. Go to Lama Temple in Beijing to see a temple without the usual crowds too.
Hello Jessica — did you travel for two months on a tourist visa, did you extend it from 15 days? If, as I am led to believe you have to show a homeward flight ticket upon entering, what did you do? I would appreciate some advice. I totally agree on haggling! There are times when you will have the price pumped up at least 4 times. I recall once, near Terracotta Army the shop owner asked for yuan.
By the time I slammed the door behind me the price had fallen to 40 yuan…. Thanks Chris Walker-Bush for your sharing. One thing you guys should know when travelling in China for lower cost is to bargain. If you do not bargain tactfully you will purchase products more expensive than itself. And more importantly, be careful with fake products which can be seen everywhere in China as well. All of the tips written here are very true. You may also want to learn a basic Mandarin language too.
Definitely a handy one! Depending on where you are Shanghai, Beijing etc. We can now making booking of travel, hotel, transportation and etc online. On the item 29, mailing things back home. I heard a lot about sending items abroad being inside China is very expensive. Usually every kg cost about RMB to send abroad. Is there like a special license to send items abroad? Thank you very much. About streetfood: you can eat it on your own risk! Your stomac is that kind food not accustomed.
So be carefully with what you eat. It also helps to make sure the hotel has English speaking staff. If you are traveling with children or have light skin and blond hair be prepared to have a lot of cameras in your face. Tyler and Kara were back in the spotlight again. Tim was a subject of many photos as well, with his height and blond hair.
Most people were very polite, asking for photos with our family, but there was a smaller subset of people who stood off at a distance capturing our images on their cellphones. Yes, without a doubt, Chinese food is much different from what we see in the US. There is almost no similarity between the two. At many Chinese style restaurants we ordered small dishes from a menu and shared them all.
The food tasted good but it was oilier than I expected it to be. We would finish a dish, leaving behind a puddle of oil on the bottom of the bowl. I have to say that I liked Chinese food a lot less than I expected to. Mountain scenery, friendly people, the best Chinese food we had in China, this was the China I had always imagined.
We would love to return again someday. Have you been to China? What China travel tips do you recommend? And if you have any questions, feel free to comment below! Are you planning a trip to China? Read all of our articles about China in our China Destination Guide. For Chinese only menu you can use view find google translate. Real time translate of the words on the menu.
I lived in China and worked there from to I love the food and the people. We lived in a smaller town and were treated with nothing but respect. I assisted many travelers that were frustrated in an international hotel. I explained to him that Chinese do not call him by that name, they say Kong Zhi, I got a guide and car for him the next day.
He told me the next night he had a great trip. Without the understanding, he might have had a very different view of the Shandong people.
I for one love them and respect them. Great Post, How could you forget the forbidden city? The forbidden city is also a one of the best place to visit in China. I travel to China at least once a year to spend time with grandchildren there. Last year I arrived 4 days before there was a country wide covid lock down. I was stuck in Inner Mongolia for four months. Things are not as simple as you stated…there is a lot of deep seated mistrust of westerners and in some cases hatred.
I will give you 2 examples. When I was unable to leave the country, I needed to get my visa extended but could not. I went to the foreign affairs office but was denied entry because I was a foreigner. I ran out of an important medication and luckily a friend found a doctor that would see but I was denied entry to the hospital where she worked because I was foreigner. Food poison is all too common. Even lotions with CBD oils. There is so much more I could add but for now let me say, Stick to bigger cities with lots of foreigners.
What do I need to do to get into china now. I have a visa But with the restrictions. Need to meet my girlfriend. The Games kick off on February 4, and the Paralympics will end on March These guidelines will apply for the entire period.
What's on offer. This is of course one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. China brought us papermaking, printing, and, of course, tea. Its many dynasties have left their marks in world-famous heritage sites, such as the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an, and ancient towns such as Lijiang. But it's also thoroughly modern, with mushrooming cities and skyscrapers pricking the clouds. Who can go. China closed its borders to nearly all travelers in March , when the pandemic started spreading throughout Europe.
On March 15, , restrictions were eased for a select number of travelers from 23 countries. Those coming for work or for humanitarian reasons -- such as reuniting with family -- can apply for visas, as can holders of the APEC Business Travel Card.
Residents may also return. All categories, however, must have been vaccinated with Chinese-made vaccines at least 15 days earlier. China already has a Fast Lane agreement with Singapore, allowing business travelers. Business travelers from South Korea are also allowed in. Government officials have stated that their goal is to have 40 percent of Chinese citizens vaccinated by June. On June 19, the country officially passed the milestone of giving out more than one billion doses of the vaccine.
The "Return2HK" program will kick off on September Under this program, 2, eligible people from Macao and the Chinese mainland will be able to enter Hong Kong per day without quarantining. Proof of a negative Covid test will still be required.
What are the restrictions?
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