China Packing List: What to Bring, What to Set Up and What to Leave at Home

The short version

Packing for China is different from packing for most countries, because the things that decide whether your trip goes smoothly are apps and accounts, not objects. Travelers who have just come back say the same thing again and again: set up your phone first, and buy the small stuff when you get there.

The ten things that matter most:

1. Passport, ideally with six months’ validity and a blank page, and your visa or visa-free eligibility checked.
2. Alipay, installed, verified and linked to your bank card.
3. A travel eSIM or roaming plan, installed before you fly.
4. A map app that works in China: Amap or Apple Maps.
5. A translation app with Chinese downloaded for offline use.
6. A backup bank card and a little cash.
7. Your medicines, in original packaging.
8. A plug adapter, if your plugs are not the US or Australian type.
9. Pocket tissues and hand sanitizer.
10. Comfortable shoes. You will walk 15,000 to 25,000 steps a day.

Part 1: set up your phone before you fly

Do these at home, on your own Wi-Fi, while you can still receive SMS codes from your bank.

Also save these on your phone and as screenshots that work offline:

• your hotel names and addresses in Chinese;
• a photo of your passport photo page and visa;
• your booking confirmations and onward ticket;
• your travel insurance policy and its 24-hour phone number;
• your bank’s phone number for a blocked card.

Tell your bank you are traveling, so it does not block your card when Alipay charges it.

Part 2: documents and money

• Passport. You need the original for hotels, trains, flights and many attractions. A cross-body pouch or a zipped inner pocket keeps it safe and easy to reach.
• Visa or proof of visa-free eligibility. For 240-hour transit, carry a printed onward ticket. See China visa-free countries.
• Two bank cards from different networks if you can, such as one Visa and one Mastercard. Choose cards with no foreign transaction fee.
• Cash. RMB 300 to 500 in small notes is enough as a backup. See cash and ATMs in China.
• Travel insurance details. See travel insurance for China.
• Paper copies of your passport, kept apart from the original.

Part 3: electronics, plugs and power banks

Plugs and voltage

China uses 220 V, 50 Hz. Wall sockets are usually a combined design that takes several plug shapes.

Most hotels also have USB sockets by the bed. If you forget an adapter, they cost a few dollars in any convenience store, and hotel front desks often lend one.

Voltage: chargers for phones, laptops, tablets and cameras work on 100 to 240 V. Read the small print on anything that heats or spins. A US hair dryer marked “120 V” will burn out.

Power banks

Your phone is your wallet, ticket, map and translator, so its battery matters. A power bank is close to essential. But the rules are strict:

• On domestic flights in China, a power bank must have a clear 3C (CCC) mark, be carried in hand luggage, and you may carry two at most. Most power banks sold outside China have no 3C mark and can be confiscated at security.
• Trains have no such rule.
• The easy answer: buy one in China. 3C-marked power banks are sold in convenience stores, electronics shops and chain stores for roughly RMB 80 to 200.
• Or rent one. Shared power bank stations are in most restaurants, malls and stations. You scan a code with Alipay and return it at any station.

Full rules are in China domestic flights and power bank rules.

Other electronics

• Charging cables, and a spare.
• Earphones for trains.
• A luggage tracker, if you use one. Useful when bags are delayed.
• Laptops, cameras and tablets are fine to bring. Drones are tightly regulated. Check the rules before you pack one.

Part 4: health and hygiene

Almost every experienced visitor gives the same first tip: carry tissues.

• Pocket tissues and wet wipes. Many public toilets have no paper, and small restaurants may not give napkins. Tissues are sold everywhere, so start with one pack and restock.
• Hand sanitizer. Soap is often missing in public toilets.
• Your prescription medicines, enough for the whole trip, in original packaging, with a copy of the prescription. See China customs rules.
• A small medicine kit:
  • an anti-diarrhea medicine such as loperamide, and oral rehydration salts;
  • a painkiller you know;
  • antihistamines;
  • motion sickness tablets for mountain roads;
  • plasters for blisters;
  • any altitude medicine your doctor advises for Yunnan, Sichuan or Tibet.
• Sunscreen. Many sunscreens sold in China include whitening ingredients.
• Deodorant. The stick and spray types common in the West are hard to find.
• Tampons. Pads are everywhere. Tampons are sold in large cities but with little choice.
• Insect repellent for the south in summer.
• A face mask if you are sensitive to air pollution, mainly for northern cities in winter.
• Contact lens solution and a spare pair of glasses.

Stomach upsets are the most common health problem for visitors. See stomach problems in China and can you drink tap water in China?

Part 5: clothes and shoes

China covers many climates, so pack for your route and month. Our what to wear in China guide goes month by month and region by region. The rules that apply everywhere:

• Shoes first. Bring walking shoes that are already broken in. The Great Wall, the Forbidden City and city days mean long distances on stone. In summer and the rainy season, choose shoes that survive getting wet.
• Layers. Trains, malls and restaurants are strongly air-conditioned in summer and strongly heated in winter in the north.
• A light rain jacket or a small umbrella.
• Casual is fine. There is no strict dress code for temples or restaurants. Cover shoulders and knees at religious sites to be respectful.
• Pack light. You will carry your bag through large stations and up stairs. Hotels offer laundry, and many have self-service washing machines.
• Leave room. Most people buy more than they planned. See what to buy in China.

Part 6: small things that make a big difference

• A reusable water bottle. Hot water dispensers are in every station, airport and train.
• A day bag that closes with a zip, worn in front in crowds.
• A pen, for forms.
• Snacks for your first day, in case jet lag wakes you at 4:00.
• Earplugs and an eye mask. Old-town guesthouses and hutong hotels have thin walls.
• A card with your allergies or dietary needs in Chinese. See food allergies in China.
• A small lock for hostel lockers or your bag on overnight trains.

What to buy after you arrive

Do not fill your suitcase with things that are cheaper and easier in China.

Delivery apps can bring most of these to your hotel within an hour, if you have them set up. See how to order food in China.

What not to bring

• Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy products. Not allowed through customs.
• Cannabis and CBD products, including oils and gummies. Illegal, with serious penalties.
• Power banks without a 3C mark, if you will take domestic flights.
• 110 to 120 V-only appliances.
• Large amounts of cash. Amounts above the equivalent of USD 5,000 in foreign currency must be declared.
• More than the duty-free allowance of alcohol and tobacco.
• Printed material, films or recordings that Chinese customs could treat as harmful to China’s politics, economy, culture or morals. This is a listed prohibited category.
• A drone, unless you have checked the registration and no-fly rules.
• Too many clothes.

For allowances and the full list, see China customs rules.

Printable checklist

Phone: Alipay verified · WeChat · eSIM installed · Amap or Apple Maps · translation app with offline Chinese · DiDi · hotel addresses in Chinese · screenshots of bookings

Documents: passport · visa or onward ticket · two bank cards · RMB 300 to 500 · insurance details · passport copies

Electronics: phone and charger · plug adapter · cables · earphones · power bank plan (buy or rent in China)

Health: prescription medicines and prescriptions · stomach medicine · painkiller · antihistamine · plasters · sunscreen · deodorant · tampons · hand sanitizer · tissues

Clothes: walking shoes · layers · rain jacket · one smarter outfit · hat and sunglasses

Extras: water bottle · zipped day bag · earplugs · allergy card in Chinese · pen

Still feeling unprepared?

That is normal before a first trip to China, and most of the worry disappears on the second day. If you want a plan that tells you exactly what to book and set up, and in what order, start with our first time in China guide or ask for a free China trip plan.