Safety & Health
Travel Insurance for China: Do You Need It, and Which Clauses Matter
China doesn't require travel insurance, but hospitals charge visitors as they go and evacuation costs a fortune....
Category
Culture & Safety
Safety & Health
Tourist Scams in China: How to Spot Them and What to Do If You're Caught
The scams aimed at visitors to China — tea ceremony, art student, fake taxis, "broken" meters, swapped QR codes,...
Cultural Guide
Tipping in China: When You Don't, When You Might, and What the Law Says
In mainland China you normally don't tip, and licensed guides may not ask for one. What the rules say about service...
Safety & Health
Is China Safe? Safety Tips for Travellers, from Scams to the Laws You Might Break
China is safe for visitors, including solo and women travellers. What to actually watch — theft, scams, traffic —...
Emergency
Lost Passport in China: The Four Steps to Get Home
Lost or stolen passport in China? Report to the police, get a Loss Certificate, replace the passport at your...
Cultural Guide
Survival Chinese for Travelers: Essential Mandarin Phrases
The ten Mandarin phrases that cover most of a China trip, plus phrase tables for taxis, paying, food, hotels,...
Safety & Health
Health and Medical Care in China: Vaccines, Hospitals, Pharmacies and Paying
How health care works for a visitor to China: no entry vaccines for most, which medicines you can bring, how...
Safety & Health
Food Safety in China: Tap Water, Street Food, Allergies, Halal and Vegetarian
Eating safely in China: why the official advice is to boil tap water, how to pick a street food stall, what the...
Emergency
English-Speaking Hospitals in China: Where to Go in Beijing, Shanghai and Beyond
Three ways to see a doctor in China, the English-speaking hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and...
Emergency
Emergency Numbers in China: 110, 120, 119 and Who Speaks English
China has no 911. Dial 110 for police, 120 for an ambulance, 119 for fire, 122 for accidents. Which lines speak...
Emergency
Embassies in China: Emergency Numbers, Consular Districts and What They Can Do
Embassy switchboards, after-hours emergency lines and addresses for nine countries, which consulate covers your...
Cultural Guide
Chinese Etiquette and Taboos: Table Manners, Gifts, Temples and Everyday Do's and Don'ts
What really matters when visiting China: face and harmony, greetings and business cards, chopsticks, toasts and who...