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Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

China · Beijing

2 rules found

Essential restrictionsSafetyPlace-specific guidance · 中国

China: don't get physical in a dispute

Do

  • Walk away from an argument and call the police if needed

Don’t

  • Pushing, shoving or fighting

Whoever starts it, taking part in a fight can bring a fine or detention, and the injured party usually demands compensation.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: China travel advice

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersPlace-specific guidance · 中国

China: carry your original passport

Do

  • Foreign visitors should carry their original passport

Don’t

  • Carrying only a copy or photo of your passport

Police make random ID checks and do not accept printouts; if you cannot show your passport, you may be fined or detained.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: China travel advice

Site-specific notes 8

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Yonghe Temple

  • Touching the Buddha statues, ritual instruments or thangkas in the halls
  • taking photographs or videos inside the halls
  • treading on thresholds
  • smoking or talking loudly in the incense areas
  • crowding around chanting monks to take photographs

Old Summer Palace

  • Climbing, carving or scribbling on the ruins' stone carvings or surviving structures
  • climbing over fences into unopened ruins areas
  • shouting or chasing about in the park
  • walking on the lake when it is frozen

Peking duck

  • Don't waste lots of leftovers
  • don't tap your bowl with chopsticks or stick them upright in rice

Summer Palace

  • Don't touch or carve the Long Corridor's paintings or other painted buildings
  • don't walk on ice in areas not open to the public
  • don't feed the black swans and wild ducks.

Temple of Heaven

  • There are many ancient cypresses, so don't break or carve them
  • don't use the platforms of historic buildings for morning exercise
  • test the Echo Wall in moderation, without shouting.

The Palace Museum (Forbidden City)

  • Smoking is banned throughout the complex
  • don't touch door studs, bronze cranes or other relics
  • the interiors of the main halls are generally closed, so look in from the doorway.