China (CN)
China is one of the world's largest economies and most important expat destinations, combining global business hubs such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou with deep history, fast infrastructure, and a highly digital daily-life ecosystem.
Country Profile
Everything you need to know before you arrive.
China is one of the world's largest economies and most important expat destinations, combining global business hubs such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou with deep history, fast infrastructure, and a highly digital daily-life ecosystem. It offers major opportunities in technology, manufacturing, trade, education, finance, and research, but expats must plan carefully around work permits, residence registration, Chinese-language bureaucracy, app-based payments, and city-by-city rules.
Climate
March-May: highly regional. Beijing and northern cities are dry and windy; Shanghai and the south become humid; Guangdong warms quickly.
June-August: hot and humid in much of eastern and southern China, with typhoon season affecting the coast. Beijing and inland cities can exceed 35 C.
September-November: often the best arrival season. Cooler, drier, and clearer in northern and eastern cities.
December-February: cold and dry in the north, damp and chilly around Shanghai, mild in Guangdong, and severe in the northeast.
Demographics
Religion
Social Culture & Etiquette
A light handshake is common in business. Use family name plus title unless invited to use a given name. Business cards should be offered and received with both hands.
Punctuality is expected for business, school, and official appointments. Arrive early for government or hospital visits because security and queueing can take time.
Business dress is conservative in finance, law, government, and corporate roles. Tech and education workplaces can be more casual but still neat.
- ✕ Avoid public arguments about sensitive politics, sovereignty issues, or national symbols.
- ✕ Do not criticise a host directly in front of others; preserving face is important.
- ✕ Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice, as it resembles funeral incense.
- ✕ Never assume rules are the same across cities; local implementation matters.
- ✓ WeChat is the default communication channel for work, friends, landlords, schools, and service providers.
- ✓ Group meals are shared; the host often orders and may pay.
- ✓ Respect hierarchy in formal settings, especially with government, schools, hospitals, and employers.
- ✓ Queueing norms vary by setting, but official offices use ticket-number systems.
- ✓ Keep digital copies of passport, visa, residence permit, lease, and police registration on your phone.
🍽️ Traditional Food & Drink
Roast duck served with thin pancakes, scallions, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce, most famous in Beijing.
Soup dumplings associated with Shanghai and Jiangnan cuisine.
Shared simmering broth with meats, vegetables, tofu, and noodles; Sichuan and Chongqing styles are especially spicy.
Crisp breakfast crepe with egg, scallions, sauce, and crunchy wonton cracker.
Hand-pulled noodles in clear beef broth, widely available and affordable.
Cantonese small dishes and tea-house culture, especially important in Guangdong and Hong Kong-adjacent regions.
Green, oolong, black, pu-erh, jasmine, and regional teas are central to hospitality and daily life.
Strong grain spirit served at business banquets and formal dinners. Toasting etiquette matters.
Common breakfast drink, often served hot with buns, youtiao, or jianbing.
📍 Tourist Highlights
Historic defensive walls across northern China; Mutianyu and Jinshanling are popular sections near Beijing.
Former imperial palace complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Colonial riverfront facing modern skyscrapers, symbolising Shanghai commerce.
Thousands of life-sized clay soldiers from the Qin dynasty.
Limestone peaks, rivers, cycling routes, and scenic villages.
Research and conservation centres for giant pandas, with Sichuan food culture nearby.
📖 Brief History
Chinese civilisation reaches back thousands of years through imperial dynasties, the Silk Road, Confucian thought, invention, and regional cultural diversity. The modern People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, followed by market-oriented reforms from 1978 that transformed China into a global manufacturing, technology, trade, and infrastructure power.