China first time traveler tips

Do many Chinese people speak English?

Often one of the most pressing concerns for first-time visitors to China is negotiating the language barrier. Many Chinese people, especially younger generations, can speak passable English, enough to give rudimentary directions. But downloading a translation app onto your phone before you travel can be a good idea. We recommend familiarising yourself with a few key phrases in Mandarin – even knowing how to say please, thank you and good morning can earn you a friendly smile.

What is the Wi-Fi coverage like?

The Wi-Fi coverage in China is usually excellent, in cities at least. However, having data is essential, whether for staying in touch with your tour group, or paying for public transport with your phone. Daily roaming rates can be steep, so connect to free Wi-Fi whenever you can.

If you’re going to be in China for 10 days or more and tend to use your phone a lot, then you may find it more cost effective to purchase a local eSIM. However, if you do that then you are going to encounter what’s known as the ‘Great Firewall of China’. Online censorship is very strict, effective, and well policed, and Western social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as Google, are blocked. You will need to purchase a virtual private network (VPN) if you want to access them. But if you’re using your own SIM card from home, with roaming charges, then you should still be able to do your Google searches and stay in touch with friends on your regular social platforms.

Can you drink the tap water?

Avoid drinking tap water, or water from public fountains, in most areas of China. Ageing pipework and the presence of contaminants mean there is a risk of illness. You can stick to bottled water for safety but try to purchase larger bottles infrequently rather than lots of small ones, to reduce waste.

We’d also recommend looking at reusable water filtration bottles like Water2Go, which are highly effective at removing pollutants and therefore make the tap water anywhere immediately drinkable.

Public bathrooms

Public bathrooms in China are usually free of charge. They are a mix of squat toilets and Western-style throne toilets – in both cases it’s normal for wastepaper to be put into a bin rather than down the toilet to avoid causing blockages. Squat toilets, considered more hygienic as they’re effectively just a hole in the ground, are more common in older areas such as the hutong neighbourhoods of Beijing. In modern hotels and restaurants you can expect to find Western-style facilities.

Tipping

China doesn’t have a tipping culture. While they will certainly be appreciated, gratuities are not expected in restaurants or bars. But on guided tours, it’s polite to tip your guides and driver at the end of the trip as a thank you.

Taking the train

When traveling in China, we recommend taking the train over an internal flight. Not only does this mode of travel have a smaller carbon footprint but it’s also a more relaxed and scenic way to see the country, and a chance to meet Chinese people on their own journeys. Most signage in train stations is in English as well as Mandarin, but do arrive nice and early for your train as in big cities the stations are huge and can be a little overwhelming.

China has an extensive high speed rail network, reaching speeds of up to 350km/h, that connects most cities. It can whisk you from Beijing to Xi’an in as little as four hours, or from Shanghai to Hangzhou in just 40 minutes. There are different classes of tickets, and some trains also have sleeper compartments. Sleepers are themselves divided into different classes. Second class compartments with six berths are the cheapest, while deluxe soft sleepers with just two berths are the priciest. Our guide to traveling China by train has more details.

Cultural etiquette

Our partners ensure you are fully briefed on cultural etiquette before departure just to avoid any misunderstandings. This is particularly important when visiting minority communities, such as the Hakka people of Fujian, where you can stay in community-run ecolodges and learn about their traditional ways of living, such as their fortified earthen homes and the ‘hill songs’ they use to communicate. In places like this it’s useful to know how to greet people (with a handshake, and addressing the most senior person first), any subjects to avoid, as well as pointers like removing your shoes on entering someone’s home, and not bowing unless it’s in apology.