Etiquette & dos and don’ts in China
The practical rules that stop you accidentally causing offence.
What everyone needs to know
- Honour the queue — pushing in is genuinely unpopular and escalators have a standing side.
- Do not comment on politics, Taiwan or Tibet in casual conversation.
- Public spitting and loud phone calls are common; reacting to them is the ruder act.
- Photographing government buildings, police and military sites is prohibited and taken seriously.
The numbers
| Item | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Escalator rule | Stand right, walk left |
| Queue behaviour | Increasingly enforced in metros |
| Photography ban | Government/military sites |
| Toasting | Older person leads |
Do it in this order
- Stand right on escalators and let people off the metro before boarding.
- Photograph people with permission and government buildings not at all.
- In restaurants, it is normal to share dishes — do not expect individual courses.
- Keep debates about politics and history out of casual conversation.
Mistakes to avoid
- Photographing police, checkpoints or government buildings.
- Assuming a shared dish is eaten only by you.
- Raising sensitive historical topics with people you have just met.
Sources
Etiquette & dos and don’ts city by city
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Xi'an
- Chengdu
- Chongqing
- Guilin
- Zhangjiajie
- Hangzhou
- Guangzhou
- Shenzhen
- Harbin
- Sanya
- Lijiang
- Kunming
- Suzhou
- Xiamen
- Zhengzhou
- Taiyuan
- Guiyang
- Fuzhou
- Yiwu
- Tianjin
- Nanjing
- Wuhan
- Changsha
- Qingdao
- Jinan
- Shenyang
- Dalian
- Changchun
- Hohhot
- Urumqi
- Lhasa
- Xining
- Lanzhou
- Yinchuan
- Dunhuang
- Luoyang
- Kaifeng
- Datong
- Pingyao
- Qufu
- Tai'an
- Huangshan
- Hefei
- Nanchang
- Wenzhou
- Ningbo
- Wuxi
- Yangzhou
- Shaoxing
- Zhuhai
- Foshan
- Dongguan
- Haikou
- Nanning
- Yangshuo
- Dali
- Shangri-La
- Xishuangbanna