Honest etiquette, and the scams that actually happen

마지막 확인일 2026년 11월 12일 · 최초 게시 2026년 11월 12일 · 출처 1개

핵심 사실

An honest level of caution

Violent crime against visitors in China’s large cities is not the typical story. The problems that actually happen are quieter: a seafood price that was not the price you thought, a taxi that will not use the meter, a “teahouse” invitation from a stranger, or a shop in a tourist market that swaps the item after you pay. This page is about those, and about ordinary manners that prevent most friction. It is not a warning to be suspicious of everyone who talks to you.

Money and the bill

• Seafood and markets. Official consumer advice, which we also use in Shenzhen, is simple: read the price tag (by the jin, 斤, usually 500 grams), watch the item being weighed, and agree the total before it is cooked. If any of those three is refused, walk away. This is the most reliable way visitors overpay.
• Taxis. Licensed cabs should use the meter. If a driver at a tourist exit quotes a flat fare, take the next car. Prefer DiDi when you can, so the price is on the screen.
• Huaqiangbei and similar markets. Bargaining is normal in the electronics halls; counterfeits exist; a price that is far below a legitimate retail figure is information, not a bargain. See our Huaqiangbei guide.
• “Tea ceremony” or “art student” invitations from a stranger who has just become your friend near a major sight are a long-running tourist trap in some cities: you end up with a large bill for tea or “paintings.” It is fine to say no and keep walking. This pattern is less associated with Shenzhen than with a few older tourist centres, but the habit of declining a sudden paid invitation is useful everywhere.

If a bill is wrong, stay polite and point at the line. Asking for a printed receipt (发票, fāpiào, or a simple 收据) often slows a “mistake” down. For a serious dispute, you can call the local consumer hotline 12315, or the police on 110.

Everyday manners that actually matter

• Pay the QR code at the table in many restaurants; waving a foreign card and expecting a handheld machine is not always how the room works.
• Do not stick chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice — it resembles a funeral offering. Rest them on the rest or across the bowl.
• At yum cha (morning dim sum), pouring tea for others first, and tapping two fingers on the table as a quiet thanks, is the ordinary rhythm. The tea charge is normal, not a scam. How a session works →
• Receive and offer cards or phones with two hands in a formal moment; a little care reads as respect, not ceremony.
• Speak a little quieter on the metro than you might on a holiday bus. Phone videos without headphones will earn looks.
• Queue, and do not photograph children or officials without a clear yes. See also what nobody tells you.

Ordering when you cannot read the menu

Point at a neighbouring table’s dish only if you can do it lightly; pointing at a picture or at the Chinese name on your phone is better. Allergies should be written in Chinese before you travel, not improvised at the table. “A little spicy” and “not spicy” are worth having in characters: 微辣 (wēi là) and 不要辣 (bú yào là). If a restaurant has a clear priced photo wall, that wall is your friend.

We do not invent restaurant reviews. When we name a dish, we give the characters and the district; when we have not eaten in a specific room, we say so. What to eat in Shenzhen →

What is not a scam

• A tea charge at dim sum. It is listed, and it is how the table is rented.
• A deposit for a metro card, if you still use one — though in Shenzhen you may not need a card at all.
• A high-speed rail ticket that is cheaper or more expensive than a flight on the same day. Prices move.
• Someone refusing to speak English. That is ordinary life, not hostility. Show the characters.

Sources

• Emergency numbers — Shanghai Municipal People’s Government (English)