With a civilisation spanning over 5000 years and a vast land area, China certainly packs a punch. From the sweeping vistas of Zhangjiajie National Park to the sprawling cities of Beijing and Shanghai, it makes for an unforgettable eastern experience. China is the most populous country on earth with a staggering population of over 1.3 billion people. Travelling in China is an immensely rewarding experience although it does come with a set of challenges. Read on to find our China travel tips to help you plan and organise a trip to this fascinating country.
CHINA TRAVEL TIPS
Whilst planning our trip to China we found it would be impossible to visit completely independently as we needed a letter of invitation from a travel company or resident in order for us to obtain the necessary Chinese visa. We therefore booked some of our trip through Top China Travel in order to get the necessary letter of invitation. Top China Travel arranged our transportation, some of our hotels and a guide in those locations where english was limited. All guiding was on a private basis so we would not be herded along as part of a large group. We were able to travel independently in Shanghai, Beijing and Yangshuo where some english is spoken.
GET YOUR VISA BEFORE ENTERING CHINA
The first and most important step in planning a trip to China. Without a Chinese visa you will not be allowed to enter the China (if you have a British passport).
We obtained our visas at the Chinese Visa Centre in London just before the start of our trip. It required two trips to the Chinese Visa Centre to drop off and pick up of our passports and documents. There is a lot of paperwork involved. In order to obtain a Chinese visa on a UK passport you will need a letter of invitation from a travel company or Chinese resident, proof of inbound and outbound flights, and all the hotel bookings for the duration of your stay in China. In other words everything must be booked and confirmed for the duration of your stay before you can apply for the visa. At the time of writing this, the Chinese visa is valid for two years.
PURCHASE A VPN BEFORE ARRIVING IN CHINA
China blocks access to many western sites, apps, and services, including Facebook, Google and western news sites. China’s advanced online censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, can be very frustrating while travelling for a prolonged period. One way to avoid this is by purchasing a VPN, or a Virtual Private Network. A VPN disguises the computer’s IP address so it looks like you are connected from another country, even if you are in China.
We used VyprVPN for the month we were in China, paying a small monthly fee for the service. It worked fairly well but wasn’t perfect. Without it we would have spent our time in China without any access to the outside world.
Make sure you purchase the VPN before getting to China. China blocks access to the VPN companies so you will struggle to purchase one if you are already in China.
BRING YOUR OWN TOILET PAPER
Bathrooms are rarely stocked with toilet paper so bringing your own is essential. Be prepared to use squat potties, we used many while we were in China. The toilets can be quite dirty, so we would advise having some hand sanitiser with you as well. We travelled with toilet roll and hand sanitiser in our bags at all times in China.
HOTELS IN CHINA
Many people smoke in China. Make sure you clearly specify that you want a non-smoking room on any hotel booking. Even if you request a non-smoking room it may well smell of smoke. We asked to change rooms on more than one occasion, even after requesting a non-smoking room. On our arrival into Beijing in the middle of the night we were given a room which smelled dreadfully of smoke, luckily we were able to change rooms almost immediately.
ENGLISH IS LIMITED!
In the larger business cities, like Beijing and Shanghai, you will be able to get by with English. In the less travelled parts of China, such as Zhangjiajie, no english will be spoken. We would certainly have struggled travelling completely independently in some of the parts of China we visited, as there was absolutely no english.
It helps to have a Chinese translate app on your phone. We used this to communicate many times, particularly ordering food in restaurants.
Another tip would be to keep a business card from your hotel handy to show to taxi drivers or in case you get lost while exploring. In this way you have the hotel name and address written in Chinese characters, easy for anybody to read.
CONSTANT PHOTOGRAPH REQUESTS!
The Chinese love to take photographs! If you are traveling with children or have light coloured skin and blond hair be prepared to have lots of photographs taken. Dylan, Logan and Flynn were constantly asked for photographs, having literally hundreds of photographs taken. People were fascinated by the fact that we had three children and constantly wanted photographs of them. It wasn’t enough just to take pictures of the boys, people frequently wanted their photograph taken with them. The boys were very patient, most of the time!
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PERSONAL SPACE IN CHINA
China is a crowded place and the locals have become accustomed to a much smaller personal space than we are used to in the west. Don’t be surprised if you’re jostled or shoved when queuing, it’s just part of Chinese culture. In fact, queues often don’t exist at all! We experienced much shoving and elbowing whilst trying to get onto buses and mini-vans. There is no holding back, you simply won’t get on.
CHINESE FOOD
Chinese food is very different from what we see in the UK. At many Chinese restaurants we ordered small dishes from a menu and shared them all. We tended to order mostly vegetables with noodles and rice. Our meat intake was limited mainly because they serve everything, bones, cartilage, the lot. Some things we loved and some we didn’t, but generally the food tasted good.
Many restaurants in China have menus with only Chinese characters. It can be quite a game ordering food in China! Our translate app was used on a number of occasions. In the larger cities, menus in English (or at least with pictures of the food), became much more common.
HAGGLE FOR EVERYTHING
Outside of chain stores and boutiques, it is perfectly acceptable to practice your haggling skills. Never accept the marked price or first price offered. With shrewd negotiation it is possible to get souvenirs for a fraction of the quoted price.
TAXIS ONLY TAKE FOUR
A common problem for us whilst in China was that taxis would only take four passengers. At times we would have to take two taxis in order to get around! This meant that where possible we organised a larger car and driver through our hotel so that we could all travel together.
Most taxi drivers will not speak English, so it’s a good idea to get your destination address written in Chinese by somebody at your hotel. Likewise always carry the name and address of your hotel in Chinese characters so that you are able to get back.
PEOPLE SPIT ALL THE TIME
The Chinese do not use handkerchiefs and tissues to blow their noses, and instead spit. While this can be a bit unpleasant when you first visit China, they’re similarly affronted when they see us blowing our noses into a tissue.
SWIMMING HATS REQUIRED
If you plan to swim in China a swimming hat will be required. We didn’t know this and ended up having to buy five swim hats before we were allowed into the hotel swimming pool!
CASH IS PREFERRED
More and more businesses (particularly large hotel chains and upscale restaurants) do now accept Visa and Mastercard. However, for the most part, you’ll need to pay with cash. The official currency of China is the yuan, otherwise known as RMB.
READ MORE ON CHINA:
Five Days in Beijing with Kids
Hiking the Great Wall of China with Kids – Simatai West to Jinshanling
Top 6 Things To Do in Xi’an with Kids
China is a vast country with so much to offer, the history and sights here are world class. We loved it and will hopefully return one day.
Updated Post September 2018
Have you been to China? What China travel tips do you recommend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
2 Comments.
WoW! Looks like tourism has changed a lot in the last decade! We travelled independetely 3 weeks in 2003 and 5 weeks in 2005 and it was very smooth. Yes, people didn’t spoke english in some places, but it never was a problem. We were thinking of going with our daughters in a year or two, but I guess we will have to think it more carefully if we have to plan everything in advance! Thanks for the advices!
Glad to have helped. I think the visa situation now in China has made things more complicated for independent travellers.