China Travel Tips: 16 Misconceptions and Mistakes All First Time Visitors Must Know!
8 Misconceptions You Should Be Aware Of
🗣️ 1. Misconception: Many people understand basic English
Yenkid: Only common at high-end international hotels and bar districts. Top tourist attractions normally have some English speaking staff in my experience. Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Beijing have the highest number of English speakers.
The more you venture out into the countryside, the less likely you encounter anyone who understands English. In any city, keep trying your luck with young people. Remember to download a translation app to communicate with most people. There’s absolutely nothing to stop you from travelling independently in China. Take a look at my full article about this topic.
👮 2. Misconception: China is unsafe for tourists
Yenkid: One of the most insane misconceptions. Literally the opposite. China is one of the safest countries in the world. Violent and petty crime is extremely low.
I regularly walk home alone after midnight. Many people leave their laptops in the coffee shop while going out for hours. For the full picture, check out this article I wrote.
💴 3. Misconception: Shops and restaurants don’t accept cash
Yenkid: Every business must accept cash. It is a legal form of tender. Anyone who refuses is breaking the law. If they refuse, just tell them you only have cash (I did this). However, do beware that they might not have the change to give you. This is not a scam, digital payment is too universal in China.
If you’re not okay with this, then the best solution is either leave without proceeding or buy more stuff to make up the value. Not accepting credit cards is true though for a lot of businesses. You need to bind it to Alipay or WeChat Pay and use the QR code for payment.
🚅 4. Misconception: Domestic flights are always the best way to travel
Yenkid: Only for super long-distance travel. I mean really long distance. Beijing to Shanghai, choose the bullet train. Shanghai to Chengdu, choose a flight. Take a look at my summary.
My personal rule: anywhere that can be covered in 6 hours or less by high speed train is not worth a flight. It’s not just about the “pure journey time”. You waste a lot more time before and after a flight. And you get a lot of comfort and convenience stuff that most people never think about. Here’s my article about it.
🎫 5. Misconception: Using traditional Western platforms is the best way to book hotels
Yenkid: Western platforms don’t contain all of the hotels available in China. Chinese platforms like Trip offer a larger range and are often cheaper (always cheaper for me personally).
🍲 6. Misconception: "Chinese food" outside of China represents the cuisine accurately OR Chinese food is all the same
Yenkid: If you’re from a Western country, you may have eaten mostly Cantonese or Sichuan cuisines (because most of the restaurants are opened by people from these provinces). Some of the dishes have been modified heavily to suit the tastes of local people.
China has many, many regional cuisines which are very different. I haven’t counted but there’s at least one distinct cuisine per province. So, we’re talking at least 30 something and more. There’s no such thing as one single type of Chinese food. It’s NOT all the same. Even I have been surprised by the incredible variety.
However, don’t be surprised if you can’t find the exact dishes that you love back at home. Cantonese dim sum is though, if you’ve ever tried it.
Be open and adventurous to new dishes. You might not love everything, but trying different regional cuisines will make you realise that China is really the most amazing food paradise. Remember you can always find a large range of regional cuisines in any Chinese city, not just local cuisine.
🏙️ 7. Misconception: China is extremely polluted
Yenkid: This is an outdated misconception. Pollution has fallen massively in the last 10 years. I’ve personally never had any breathing issues in any of the 25 cities I have visited, and neither does anyone I know.
If you visit China, you’ll quickly realise that China has a lot of electric cars. It’s actually more common to see electric cars than petrol cars in some cities like Shenzhen. That takes out a lot of roadside pollution. The metros and high speed railways also help massively with cutting pollution sources. A lot of electricity is generated from solar and wind power.
To say there is no longer any pollution would be wrong. But the heaviest pollution is mostly limited to a specific area of the country like North China, and the majority of the pollution only happens in winter because of the coal power required for heating.
🌍 8. Misconception: China is culturally monolithic
Yenkid: Actually, China is an extremely diverse country. It has a famous song about 56 ethnic groups which each have distinct sub-cultures.
Chinese people do not all “look the same”. Many countries are too used to focusing on “colour” that they forget that China is just as culturally diverse, even if it isn’t visibly obvious.
Western China is especially rich in diverse cultures. A lot of the regional culture is celebrated, and it’s common to see people wear ethnic clothing in these parts.
8 Mistakes That You Should Be Aware Of
📅 1. Mistake: Accidentally choosing the public holidays (unless you want to experience the festivals)
Yenkid: Visiting during the public holidays massively degrades the experience at most top attractions. This includes famous attractions in rural areas and mountains. That’s assuming you manage to buy a ticket, and that is a big IF.
I’ve done it a couple of times, so it’s not entirely impossible. But brace yourself to be stuck in long queues, occasional pushing and shoving, and people blocking your view.
If top attractions are NOT on your agenda OR you’re not heading to a popular tourism city, then you can ignore this. But many top restaurants will still have long queues.
My recommendation: Check my China public holiday calendar and avoid those dates.
🥵 2. Mistake: Visiting China during the oven hot season
Yenkid: Don’t underestimate the weather. I can’t emphasise it enough to people used to cooler climates. It can get extremely hot and humid in summer. It has a huge impact on the quality of your experience.
Not to mention it rains a lot more during the summer across most of China. If you’re on the south coast, you may even encounter a typhoon, which might force you to stay indoors for the day.
My recommendation: Check my weather charts for the cities you’re visiting. If you can’t be bothered, the general answer is: avoid June to August for most cities but not all.
🧻 3. Mistake: Not carrying tissues with you
Yenkid: Some toilets don’t have toilet paper and a few even charge for it. There is no way to tell beforehand. Unless you’re visiting a high-end shopping mall or on a high-speed train.
My recommendation: Carry at least a couple of packets of tissues per person at all times. Just keep it in your back pocket or bag. Trust me, you don’t want to be in a situation without toilet paper.
🪫 4. Mistake: Your phone running out of battery and you don’t have a power bank with you
Yenkid: Society is heavily on digital payments and apps, which obviously requires your phone. If you suddenly run out of battery and have no cash, you may find yourself in a temporary pickle.
Cash only solves the payment problem, so you won’t be able to do things that require an app (e.g. hailing a cab on DiDi).
My recommendation: carry a power bank everywhere with you and have small cash (around 200rmb per person) in your back pocket at all times
⚠️ 5. Mistake: Not being able to pay because your Alipay/WeChat Pay suddenly failed and you carry no cash
Yenkid: If you find out that your payment is failing in a middle of a transaction (paying at the end of a meal), that would be an awkward situation to be in.
My recommendation: carry a small sum of cash with you at all times, enough for the day’s expenses. Remember everyone has to accept cash, regardless of digital payments.
🗺️ 6. Mistake: Using traditional apps like Google Maps in China
Yenkid: Most Western apps are not tailored for travel in China, even if you can access them via VPN.
My recommendation: Download the necessary apps like Amap for mapping. Amap is in English. Have a look at my key apps. Use my App Finder. Do be aware that you’ll have to use translation for some apps as they don’t have an English version.
🚖 7. Mistake: Don’t accept rides from drivers who approach you
Yenkid: It’s hard to know which ones are honest, because some of them may be unlicensed. So, you’re taking the risk that they will overcharge you.
My recommendation: To be safe, go to the official taxi rank or use DiDi to hail a cab.
🫰🏻 8. Mistake: Tipping for service
Yenkid: Almost no one expects a tip. Not even for outstanding service. It’s not in Chinese culture. Many will refuse you.
My recommendation: Don’t even try at restaurants. You’re gonna use digital payment anyway - don’t pay more because there is no separate option for it.
There are a few situations where people might accept your tip - tour guides and porters at high-end hotels. On apps, there might be an option to tip the cab driver or the food delivery person. Again, I must emphasise - vast majority of people have zero expectation.
