Updated 2026-07-31
Most etiquette advice about China is either wildly outdated or so hedged it is useless. The honest version is short: Chinese people are generous to foreign visitors who are visibly trying, almost nothing you do accidentally will cause real offence, and the handful of things that do matter are easy to learn in five minutes. This guide covers those, and skips the folklore.
There is no tipping culture in mainland China. Restaurants, taxis, hotels, hairdressers, delivery riders — none of them expect a tip, and leaving one can create genuine confusion, with staff sometimes chasing you down the street to return the money because they assume you miscounted. Service is priced into the bill and staff are paid a wage.
The narrow exceptions are five-star international hotels, where a porter will accept ¥10–20 for luggage without surprise, and private tour guides or drivers hired for a full day, where ¥50–100 at the end is a recognised courtesy rather than an obligation. Everywhere else, a genuine 谢谢 (xiè xie — thank you) is the whole transaction.
Chinese dining is communal and loud, and that informality means there are far fewer rules than visitors fear. Dishes arrive in the middle to be shared, everyone eats from the same plates, and food arriving one dish at a time rather than all together is normal — start eating when it lands. Slurping noodles and resting bones on the table or in a side dish are ordinary, not rude.
In China the person who extends the invitation pays, and splitting the bill Western-style at a hosted meal is unusual. If a Chinese acquaintance invites you to dinner, they are paying, and the fight over the bill that follows is a ritual rather than a negotiation. Offering once is polite; insisting past a second refusal makes your host lose face rather than saving them money.
The correct move is to accept graciously and reciprocate on a different occasion — that is how the relationship is built, and returning the invitation later is understood and appreciated far more than paying half tonight. Among younger friends splitting via WeChat or Alipay group bills is now completely normal, so read the room rather than the rulebook.
If you are invited to someone's home, bring something small: imported chocolate, a good tea, fruit, or something from your own country, which is the most appreciated category by a wide margin. Present it with both hands. Do not be surprised if it is set aside unopened — opening gifts in front of the giver is not the norm and is not a snub.
Business cards, if you are travelling for work, are exchanged with both hands and read before being put away — putting one straight into a back pocket is the small gesture that registers as dismissive. Personal space is also simply narrower here than in Europe or North America: crowded queues, close standing and physical contact on the metro are not aggression, and stepping back repeatedly reads as odd rather than polite.
Two things surprise visitors most and neither is about rudeness. First, you may be photographed, especially outside the big coastal cities — this is curiosity, and a smile or a polite 不要拍照 (bú yào pāi zhào — please don't photograph) both work fine. Second, public conversation is loud by European standards: phone calls on speaker, animated restaurant tables, video playing without headphones. It is not aggression and it is not directed at you.
Where you should be genuinely careful is photographing people without asking — particularly in rural areas, at religious sites and of children — and photographing military installations, police, border facilities and anything marked 禁止拍照 (no photography). The first is courtesy; the second can become a real problem rather than an awkward moment.
Overseas app stores are full of copycat clones with the same name. Every link below has been checked against the official developer.
⚠️ Install and download the offline Chinese pack BEFORE you fly — it needs a VPN inside China, but offline mode works without one.
⚠️ Free core dictionary with OCR camera — point it at a menu and it reads the characters. Works fully offline.
⚠️ Developer: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen). Bind your card under Me → Services → Wallet.
⚠️ China's Yelp — read real reviews and photos before you commit to a restaurant.
No. There is no tipping culture in mainland China — restaurants, taxis, hotels, hairdressers and delivery riders do not expect anything extra, and leaving money can cause confusion, with staff occasionally chasing you to return it. The narrow exceptions are porters at five-star international hotels (¥10–20 is accepted) and private guides or drivers hired for a full day (¥50–100 at the end is a courtesy). Otherwise a sincere thank you is complete.
Fewer than most visitors expect. Meals are communal, dishes are shared from the middle, food arrives one plate at a time and you start when it lands. Slurping is fine. The genuine rules: never stand chopsticks upright in rice (it resembles funeral incense), do not tap your bowl with chopsticks, try a little of everything offered, and tap two fingers beside your cup when someone pours your tea to say thank you. In a toast, hold your glass slightly lower than a senior person's.
The person who invited you. Splitting a hosted meal Western-style is unusual, and the argument over the bill that follows is a ritual rather than a real negotiation — offer once, then let it go, because insisting past a second refusal costs your host face rather than saving them money. Reciprocate by inviting them another time; that is far more appreciated than paying half tonight. Among younger friends, splitting via WeChat or Alipay group payments is now completely normal.
Photographing strangers without asking is discourteous anywhere, and particularly so in rural areas, at religious sites and with children — a gesture towards your camera and a nod is enough to ask. Separately, do not photograph military installations, police, border facilities or anywhere marked 禁止拍照; that moves from impolite to a genuine problem. Note that you may also be photographed yourself outside the big coastal cities, which is curiosity rather than hostility.
Avoid clocks (associated with a life running out), knives and scissors (cutting a relationship), anything in sets of four (the word for four sounds like the word for death), and white or plain black wrapping (funeral colours). Red and gold packaging is auspicious. Present gifts with both hands, and do not be surprised if the recipient sets it aside unopened — opening gifts in front of the giver is simply not the norm. Something distinctive from your own country is the most appreciated choice of all.
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Our team of China travel researchers combines on-the-ground contributor insights, official government sources, and traveler community feedback to create the most detailed English-language China guides available. Every guide is fact-checked against primary sources (NIA, 12367, official attraction websites, Railway 12306) before publication.