Practical Information for visiting China

High-speed rail is the answer to most journeys. The network is longer than every other country’s combined, trains run at up to 350 km/h, and Beijing to Shanghai takes about four and a half hours. Book through the official Railway 12306 app or a reputable agent; you will need your passport, which is scanned at the gate.

Flights cover the long west-east distances that rail does not. Delays are common.

In cities. Metro systems in every major city are modern, cheap, signed in English and extensive — Shanghai and Beijing have among the largest in the world. Didi is the ride-hailing app.

Payment and apps. China runs on Alipay and WeChat Pay, both of which now accept foreign cards for visitors. Set them up before arrival; taxis, metros, shops and even street vendors expect a QR code, and cash is increasingly awkward.

Visas. Requirements change; a growing number of nationalities now have visa-free entry for short stays, and transit exemptions exist in many cities. Check current rules close to travel.

The currency is the renminbi, with the yuan (CNY) as its unit, often written ¥ and referred to as kuai in speech.

China is effectively cashless, and this is the practical fact to prepare for. Payment is by QR code through Alipay or WeChat Pay, both of which can now be linked to an international card. Set this up before you arrive — registration can require a phone number that works.

Foreign credit cards are accepted at international hotels and some large stores, and nowhere else. Cash is legal tender and must be accepted, but small vendors often have no change and some staff will not know how to handle it.

ATMs at Bank of China and ICBC branches generally accept foreign cards; many others do not.

Tipping is not practised and can cause confusion or be refused. It is not expected in restaurants, taxis or hotels.

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent and 5G is widespread, including in remote areas, on high-speed trains and in metro tunnels.

The practical issue is the firewall. Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, most Western news sites and many others are blocked on Chinese networks. A VPN installed before you arrive is the standard workaround; the download sites are themselves blocked from inside, so leaving it until you land does not work. VPN reliability varies and enforcement tightens around political events.

International roaming routes traffic outside the firewall and often works normally, which makes an eSIM from a foreign provider a simpler solution than a local SIM for short trips.

Wi-Fi is everywhere and frequently requires a Chinese mobile number for verification, which visitors cannot always supply. Hotel networks usually do not.

Mandarin is the official language, written in simplified characters on the mainland. It is tonal — four tones plus a neutral one — and the tone changes the meaning entirely, which is the main difficulty for learners.

Hundreds of other Chinese languages and dialects are spoken, several mutually unintelligible with Mandarin: Cantonese in the south, Wu around Shanghai, Hokkien in Fujian. Minority languages including Tibetan, Uyghur, Mongolian and Zhuang have official status in their regions.

English is not widely spoken outside international hotels, major tourist sites and among younger urban people. This is the single biggest practical challenge of independent travel here.

Translation apps with camera and voice functions work well and are what everybody uses, including Chinese people talking to you. Download the offline Chinese pack before arrival, since the app store may be inaccessible afterwards. Ni hao, xie xie and duo shao qian will still be appreciated.

China has very low violent crime and is a safe country to travel in; solo travel including for women is straightforward. The concerns are legal, digital and bureaucratic rather than criminal.

• Registration is mandatory. Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within twenty-four hours of arrival. Hotels do this automatically; if you stay in a private home or rental, you must do it yourself at the local station.
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• Politics. Avoid discussing or posting about Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong or the leadership. The risk falls on Chinese people you speak to as much as on you. Do not photograph police, military or security infrastructure.
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• Restricted areas. Tibet requires a permit and an organised tour; parts of Xinjiang have heavy security and movement controls. Check current requirements.
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• Scams aimed at foreigners in Beijing and Shanghai: the tea house, the art student and the bar bill. If a stranger with excellent English approaches you near a tourist site and suggests a drink, decline.
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• Drug offences carry the death penalty for trafficking and long sentences for possession.
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• Traffic is the everyday hazard; electric scooters are silent and use pavements.

Medical care in major cities is good, with international clinics and hospital VIP wings in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou that have English-speaking staff and expect payment up front. Public hospitals elsewhere are crowded and conducted entirely in Chinese. Insurance including evacuation is important, particularly for travel in the west.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid. Japanese encephalitis and rabies for longer or rural stays; rabies is present and stray dog and monkey bites need immediate attention.

Do not drink tap water. Boiled water is provided everywhere — hotels, trains, offices all have dispensers — and carrying a flask is normal practice.

Air quality in northern cities in winter can be genuinely poor. Check the daily index; masks are widely sold and used.

Altitude matters in Tibet and western Sichuan, where Lhasa sits at 3,650 metres and passes go far higher. Ascend gradually if possible.

Pharmacies are widespread; bring your own prescription medication with a doctor’s letter, as equivalents may not be available.

Register with the police within twenty-four hours of arrival if you are not in a hotel. This is a legal requirement and is checked.

Chopsticks must never be left standing upright in rice — it resembles funeral incense. Do not tap bowls with them or use them to point.

Give and receive with two hands, particularly business cards, which are read rather than pocketed immediately.

The host pays, and the argument over the bill is part of the form. Guests are served first, the host orders for the table, and leaving a little food signals that you were given enough.

Do not lose your temper in public. Raising your voice loses you the argument and everybody’s respect.

Avoid sensitive subjects and be careful what you photograph — police, military installations, protests and some government buildings are all off limits.

Gifts: avoid clocks, which suggest a funeral, and anything in fours.

Emergency numbers: 110 for police, 120 for ambulance, 119 for fire. Operators are unlikely to speak English — your hotel is usually the fastest route to help, and translation apps are used routinely in these situations.

Medical. International clinics such as United Family and Raffles operate in the largest cities and are used to foreign patients. Major public hospitals have foreigner or VIP wings. Payment or a deposit is required before treatment, including in emergencies.

Consular. Embassies are in Beijing with consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and elsewhere. Note the one covering the region you are visiting.

Communication. Given the firewall, agree how you will stay in contact with people at home before you travel, and have a backup if your VPN fails. WeChat works everywhere and is what Chinese contacts will use.

Keep offline copies of your passport, visa and insurance, and carry your passport — it is required for train travel, hotel check-in and site entry.