Packing: what to bring
to China

Start with what you can leave behind

China has excellent shops, from international brands in the big cities to a pharmacy or a convenience store on almost every block. Toothpaste, shampoo, sun cream, umbrellas and basic clothing are all easy to buy, so there is no reason to pack a month of consumables.

What you cannot easily replace is anything specific to you: prescription medicine, contact lenses in your prescription, a favourite pair of broken-in walking shoes, or an over-the-counter remedy you are used to. Those go in first.

The other item worth leaving at home is weight itself. Internal flights and high-speed trains are far kinder with a light suitcase, and you will be moving between hotels more often than you expect. One well-chosen bag beats two you have to drag.

Power: the one thing you must get right

China runs on 220 volts and uses plug types A, C and I. Sockets often take the flat two-pin plug used in North America as well as the two round pins used in Europe, which means most visitors need only a small adapter rather than a full converter.

Check what your devices are rated for. Phones, laptops and camera chargers almost always handle 100 to 240 volts, so a cheap adapter is enough. Anything with a heating element, such as a hair dryer or a travel kettle, is the one to be careful with; it may need a proper converter or, more simply, you can use the one the hotel provides.

A small power strip is the quiet hero of modern travel: one adapter at the socket, and everything else plugs into the strip. It also means fewer of the multi-plug adapters you would otherwise need to carry.

• Plug types A, C and I; 220 volts.
• A compact universal adapter is usually enough for phones, laptops and cameras.
• Anything that heats up needs checking for voltage, or should be left at home.
• A short power strip lets one adapter charge four devices at once.

Clothing by season and by altitude

The rule is layers, because a single trip can cross several climates. Spring and autumn in the east are mild, but mornings and evenings can be cold, and summer is hot and humid in most of the country with heavy rain in the south.

Winter in the north is dry and genuinely cold, so a proper coat matters. Winter in the far south is mild but damp. If your trip goes up onto the plateau, the temperature can drop twenty degrees between the valley and the pass, and it can snow in June at high altitude.

Whatever the season, bring comfortable walking shoes that are already broken in, and a light rain jacket. China has a great deal to see on foot, and the ground is often stone or uneven.

• Layers rather than a single heavy item, so you can adapt through the day.
• A warm mid-layer even in summer if the plan includes altitude or a mountain.
• Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes and a spare pair of insoles if you walk a lot.
• A light rain jacket or umbrella, useful in almost every region and season.
• A sun hat and sunglasses, especially on the plateau, where the light is strong.

Medicines and the small pharmacy kit

Bring your own supply of any prescription medicine in its original packaging, with the prescription or a copy, particularly if it is a controlled drug in China. Keep it in your hand luggage rather than your checked bag.

Beyond that, a slim kit covers almost every ordinary problem: painkillers, an anti-diarrhoeal, rehydration sachets, a mild antihistamine, plasters and any motion-sickness remedy you trust for winding mountain roads.

There is no need to overdo it. Pharmacies in Chinese cities are everywhere and staffed by trained people, and a translation app is usually all you need to ask for something simple. The exceptions are exactly the things specific to you, which is why they are the ones to bring.

Documents and the paper copies that save you

Passport, visa, the printed itinerary and the addresses of your first hotels, all in one place and all also saved as photographs on your phone. In China you will be asked for your passport at hotel check-in, and sometimes for the address of where you are staying.

A printed copy of the itinerary is worth carrying even in a paperless age: it can be shown to a driver, a station official or a guide, and it carries the Chinese characters that make everything easier.

Keep a photocopy or a photo of your passport data page separate from the passport itself. If the original is ever lost, that copy is what speeds up the replacement.

What airport security will take off you

Domestic flights and, above all, the high-speed rail network apply strict security rules, and the list of items that cannot travel in the cabin is longer than in many countries.

Power banks must go in hand luggage, never in a checked bag, and they need to be within the permitted capacity. Liquids, aerosols and gels follow the usual limits for flights. Sharp objects, from pocket knives to some tools, will be confiscated at train stations as well as airports, so leave them out of your day bag.

Lighters are restricted in hand luggage on trains, and some outdoor items, including certain camping gear, will not pass. If you are unsure about a specific item, ask before you pack it rather than at the security line.

• Lithium power banks in hand luggage only, within the permitted capacity.
• Liquids and aerosols to the usual flight limits.
• No knives, tools or sharp objects, including for train travel.
• Lighters restricted on trains.
• Camping and specialty gear is best left at home, or checked with advice first.

Comfort items for long days

A few small things make long days in China noticeably better: a refillable water bottle, a small pack of tissues and hand sanitiser, a compact umbrella for both sun and rain, and a neck pillow if you have a domestic flight or a long rail journey.

A second phone charger and a short charging cable for use on the train are worth their weight. Chinese high-speed trains are comfortable and have power at most seats, but the sockets are the local type, so this is where your adapter earns its place again.

How we help before you pack

Packing is easier when you know exactly what the trip involves. When ChinaTour.es, the English-language site of the JoyoTour group, sends your first draft, it comes with a note on the climate, the altitude and the pace of each part of the route, so you know whether to pack for a mountain pass or a city street.

Because JoyoTour has been designing tailor-made trips since 1999 and works on the ground in China, we can also tell you what is genuinely worth carrying and what you can simply buy on arrival, which usually means a lighter bag and a calmer morning at the airport.

If your trip includes the plateau or a long road section, we send a short packing note specific to that route, because those are the trips where the right two items make the biggest difference.