Is China Safe?

China is one of the safest countries in the world. You can walk at night safely and be treated well. Crime against tourists just doesn’t exist.

I was at the Silver Pagoda park back in March 2024 and while there a group of 30 people put all their backpacks in one place and left them there while they hiked up the mountain for a few hours. No worries about the backpacks being stolen. That’s how safe it is.

With their camera systems everywhere and social credit system, China has become even more safe… and in my travels it has always been very safe to start with!

If you leave a tip at your restaurant the server will likely come running after you to give you the money you left behind.

Here are some testimonies regarding lost items.

We went up the Great Wall, and because we were too busy setting up and posing for pics, my husband left his fanny pack in one of the windowsill overlooking the mountains. It had all our cash for our entire trip, plus all our passports.

Someone found it and gave it to one of the caretakers. Upon opening the bag, they saw our passports and gave it to one of the guards. The guards scanned our passports and it contained the information that we belong to a certain tour group.

To make the long story longer, they called the tour company, who in turn called the guide in charge of us, who then contacted us and informed us about it.

We were enjoying our climb and taking pics that we didn’t even realize the bag was gone!

The guide had to climb up the wall we were at, meet us there and get the bag. The authorities checked our identification and took a video of us receiving our bags. Not a single thing was stolen. Our guide discretely gave them three bottles of juice to say thank you, which they reluctantly accepted after the guide’s insistence.

We were quite blessed that China is so strict. We really felt safe here.

Story 2

China is amazing for things like that. I lost my house keys, and the next morning, someone delivered them back to the building. I’ve never felt as safe anywhere than in China. In England I would have come back and found my flat burgled. haha

Story 3

Yep, similar experiences here, can confirm. I left my laptop bag at a Starbucks in Shanghai many years ago, and the staff put it behind the bar for me until I came back for it an hour later – had a baby emergency at the time. Also, forgot my laptop bag…

Story 4

I like walking, I parked my motorbike and walked at least 45 mins when I realised I had left my keys in the ignition. I thought oh well and finished my walk, came back a few hours later and it was still there on a busy road next to a tourist site.

Travel Tips

If you know which metro trains and buses you took, get a chinese friend/the hotel to call each line/route up and ask if its found. You might need to head to the end of the line to pick it up.

If you think taxi and you used didi, the customer service should help you…

It will be handed in at the nearest Police station. Trust me. I lost my house keys & it was handed in at the nearest police station. No thieves in China same with my cellphone

Story 5

Help! I lost my wallet! …Thank you Everyone, I got it back, The police found it within hours, they told me that I lost it on a bus that I took. Again thank you so much for your valuable support

Scam Warnings

Lady Bar Scam

This scam was still active in the Beijing Sanlitun and Hou hai area in Spring 2024 and perhaps in other cities too. Prostitution is illegal in China and dealt with harshly. This scam may happen if you are a single male walking alone. You may be approached by touts (male or female) offering to take you to a “Lady Bar” with pretty girls and cheap beer and food. Under no circumstances should you follow them. You will be entertained by some lovely girls, but food that you didn’t order will start arriving. The bill will be presented to you for a a couple of hundred USD. If you don’t pay, you’ll be threatened. Report to the police? You are probably to embarrassed to do that! and remember, you’re breaking the law….

Here’s an account of what happens when you go to the “Lady Bar”

“Happened to me almost my first night in Beijing! Drunk in Sanlitun and went with some dude on the street offering girls and ended up in a KTV room with no windows with 2 chicks .. when I suggested we take it somewhere else, after just a drink or two I was presented with a massive, ridiculous bill… when I complained about it the boss and a couple thugs came in the room and it started getting a bit scary. Remember, I had no idea where I was and in a room with no windows with gangsters extorting me on one of my very first nights in Beijing.

So when I didn’t have enough cash on me and didn’t have credit cards they said they’d take me back to my room to get my ATM card to withdraw the money, so I agreed as getting outta there was priority #1.

So as the driver and thug were taking me back to my place in Sanlitun as the car slowed down to make a corner I just bailed! Jumped out and starting running down the street never looking back… and that was the end of that luckily for me. And a good lesson learned…”

The Tea Ceremony Scam

Not sure if this is still active, but it was active years ago in the Wangfujing area of Beijing. Two girls approach tourists and strike up a conversation… They are very pleasant and educated and you feel disarmed by their friendliness. They invite you to a Tea Ceremony and you join them… they take you to a tea shop and you try all these small cups of tea…. then the bill arrives for $200 – 500USD and you are expected to pay….

Art Dealer Scam

Since Tiananmen square is now closed off (you have to go through security to enter) this scam is not likely active. It involved a student inviting you to see his or her art nearby, then when you try to leave they say you must pay the entrance fee.