Food & Culture

Many restaurants have picture menus or QR code menus you can scan. Don't hesitate to point at what looks good. Translation apps like Pleco can help you read text-only menus. In smaller restaurants, the owner may come to your table to take orders personally.

Meals in China are communal. Dishes are placed on a lazy susan for everyone to share. Order one dish per person plus a shared soup or two. It's customary to serve others before yourself, especially elders. Fighting over the bill is a sign of good manners.

Never stick chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, as this resembles incense for the dead. Don't point with them or tap them on the bowl. When not in use, rest them on the chopstick holder or across your plate. Using serving chopsticks for shared dishes is appreciated.

Learn key phrases: vegetarian is 素食 (su shi), no spicy is 不辣 (bu la), no pork is 不要猪肉 (bu yao zhu rou). Show these on your phone if needed. Buddhist restaurants (素食饮) are great for vegetarians. Note that many dishes contain small amounts of meat as flavoring.

Tipping is not part of Chinese culture and can even be considered rude. Most restaurants don't accept tips. Payment is increasingly done by scanning WeChat Pay or Alipay QR codes. Some restaurants charge per person rather than per dish. Bills are usually split evenly among the group.

Look for stalls with high turnover and long queues of locals, which means fresh food. Watch your food being cooked in front of you. Avoid raw items and unpeeled fruit from street vendors. Trust your instincts, and carry hand sanitizer. Night markets are generally safe and popular with families.