Etiquette and Culture in China

Chinese etiquette is less formal than many first-timers fear, and people are generally forgiving of foreign visitors who make honest mistakes. A few customs are worth knowing, though: how crowds move, what to do with chopsticks, why there’s no tipping, and why you should always carry tissues.

Queues and crowds in China

Crowds in China can feel intense at first. Metro stations at rush hour, famous sights on weekends and train stations before a holiday are packed, and personal space is smaller than you may be used to. Pushing gently to board a metro or leave a lift is common and not meant as rude.

Queuing in China has become much more orderly in recent years. Lines at ticket counters, security checks, taxi ranks and metro platforms are generally respected, and many metro platforms have markings showing where to wait. Still:

• Stand firm in your place in line, without being aggressive.
• Let people off the metro before you board, even if others don’t.
• At very crowded sights, go early in the morning or late in the day.
• During public holidays (see below), expect everything to be busier.

Taking photos of people and places in China

Photography is generally relaxed in China, and you’ll see people taking photos everywhere. Common sense applies:

• Ask before taking close-up photos of individuals, especially older people, children and vendors. A smile and a gesture at your camera is usually enough.
• Don’t photograph police, soldiers, military sites, security checkpoints or border areas.
• Many museums and temple halls restrict photography or flash; follow the signs.
• Drones are tightly controlled in China and banned in many central areas; check the rules before flying one.

Don’t be surprised if Chinese visitors ask to take a photo with you, especially outside the biggest cities. Saying yes or politely declining are both fine.

Visiting temples in China

Temples in China are working places of worship as well as tourist sights. Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian temples, mosques and churches all welcome respectful visitors.

Temple etiquette in China:

• Dress modestly; cover your shoulders and avoid very short shorts.
• Speak quietly and don’t climb on statues, altars or railings.
• Step over the raised threshold at a hall entrance rather than standing on it.
• Walk clockwise around Tibetan Buddhist stupas and prayer wheels, such as at the Lama Temple in Beijing.
• Ask before photographing monks, nuns or people praying, and check whether photos are allowed inside halls.
• You don’t have to light incense. If someone presses incense on you and then asks for money, hand it back.
• At mosques, follow any rules on dress and on which areas are open to non-Muslims.

Chopsticks and table manners in China

Chopstick etiquette in China is easy to learn. The main rules:

• Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice; it looks like incense at a funeral. Lay them across your bowl or on the rest.
• Don’t tap your bowl with chopsticks, point them at people or wave them around while talking.
• Don’t dig through a shared dish for the best piece. Take what’s nearest to you.
• Use the serving chopsticks or spoon (公筷 gōngkuài) if the table has them.

Dishes in China are shared, and it’s polite for a host to put food in a guest’s bowl. Lifting your rice bowl to your mouth is normal. If you’re out with Chinese hosts, they may insist on paying; it’s polite to offer, and fine to accept graciously. More on ordering is in Food and ordering.

Gifts and tipping in China

Tipping is not customary in China. Restaurants, taxis, ride-hailing drivers and hair salons don’t expect a tip, and staff may try to return money you leave behind. Some upscale international hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill, which covers it.

Gift-giving in China follows a few traditions if you’re visiting someone’s home or meeting a business contact:

• Give and receive gifts, and business cards, with both hands.
• A gift may be politely refused once or twice before it’s accepted; it’s not rejection.
• The recipient may not open it in front of you.
• Avoid clocks (the phrase “to give a clock” sounds like attending a funeral), sharp objects and sets of four, as “four” sounds like “death.”
• Small gifts from your home country, such as local snacks or a book, are always welcome.

Sensitive topics and conversation in China

Chinese people are often curious and friendly with foreign visitors, and questions about your age, salary, marital status or family are common and not meant to be intrusive. Deflect with a smile if you’d rather not answer.

Some topics are sensitive in China and best avoided with people you’ve just met: domestic politics, the country’s leaders, territorial questions and some periods of recent history. You won’t get in trouble for a private conversation, but you may make your companion uncomfortable. Public protests, distributing religious or political materials, and criticizing the government in public are a different matter and can get foreign visitors into real trouble.

Food, travel, family, sport and the city you’re in are always good topics.

Smoking and toilets in China

Smoking in China is banned indoors in public places in many cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, and smoking is not allowed on high-speed trains. Enforcement varies, though, and you may still smell smoke in small restaurants, lift lobbies and stairwells. Look for designated smoking areas if you smoke.

Toilets in China range from spotless to basic. Malls, hotels, airports and newer metro stations usually have Western-style toilets; older buildings, parks and rural areas often have squat toilets.

Toilet tips for China:

• Carry tissues. Many public toilets don’t provide toilet paper.
• Carry hand sanitizer, as soap is sometimes missing.
• In older buildings, a sign may ask you to put paper in the bin rather than the toilet; follow it.
• Malls, hotels and fast-food chains are reliable places to find a clean toilet.

Chinese public holidays and what they mean for visitors

Chinese public holidays change how China feels for a visitor. Transport, hotels and sights fill up, prices rise, and the most popular places become extremely crowded.

The main public holidays in China:

• Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): late January or February. Many people travel home, some small businesses close for days, and cities can feel quiet while transport is packed.
• Qingming Festival: early April.
• Labor Day: the first days of May.
• Dragon Boat Festival: late May or June.
• Mid-Autumn Festival: September or early October.
• National Day “Golden Week”: from October 1.

Some holidays are made longer by swapping working days, so a weekend day can become a working day. If you can, avoid traveling during Golden Week and the Spring Festival travel rush; if you can’t, book trains, hotels and sights well ahead. See Booking sights for how holidays affect tickets.

Check before you go: Holiday dates follow the lunar calendar and an official schedule published each year. Check the current year’s dates before you plan.