5 Things To Avoid Doing In China

5 Things To Avoid Doing In China

The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven; a trip to China offers plenty of eye opening highlights. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of ways to make a bad impression as well. Whether you want to ensure a better visit with your Chinese acquaintances, or to steer clear of making traveler faux pas, make sure to avoid these five Chinese no-no’s.

1. Avoid Travel during Golden Weeks

Every year the Chinese have two holidays they tend to travel to spend time with family. Due to the massive crowds, tickets are difficult to come by for any mode of transportation. Let them visit family, and a wait a week or two; plus prices tend to inflate during these time periods.

2. Avoid Staring

Whether in large cities or small villages, children are known to relieve themselves wherever they happen to be. Although it is unclear what age the cutoff is for this.

3. Avoid Touching Anyone’s Head

In various areas of the country the head is considered one of the more sacred parts of the body. Touching can be seen as a sign of disrespect; so avoid patting someone on the head, or messing with their hair.

4. Avoid the Topic of Death

Unless you have a good reason to talk about the topic, NEVER talk about death. To the Chinese, it is a very serious and ominous topic. The color white is also attributed to death, so it is best to avoid white gifts, and wrapping items in with white paper or ribbons.

5. Avoid Improper Chopstick Etiquette

It is considered extremely rude to place your chopsticks upright into your rice or to have the point of the chopsticks rested towards others seated at the table. This is due to: people typically leave rice with chopsticks at the grave sites (tombstones) of their loved ones.