Chinese cities are heavily policed and extensively camera-monitored. Whatever one thinks of that in general, its effect on street crime is straightforward: mugging, assault and armed robbery against foreign visitors are genuinely uncommon. Solo travellers, including women, routinely report feeling safer in Chinese cities than in European or North American ones.
That does not mean nothing goes wrong. The risks are simply not the ones you are trained for.
Traffic is the real one#
By a wide margin the most likely way a tourist gets hurt in China.
Right turns on red are legal, so a green pedestrian signal does not mean the crossing is clear. Electric scooters are silent, fast, unlit at night, and ride on pavements and against the flow of traffic. Zebra crossings are treated as advisory by a meaningful minority of drivers.
Look both ways twice, including on one-way streets, and cross with a group of locals whenever you can. That single habit removes most of the risk.
The scams are non-violent and follow a script#
They cluster around a handful of tourist locations and open the same way: a friendly, well-dressed English speaker approaches you near Tiananmen, Wangfujing, the Bund or Xi'an's Bell Tower. The conversation is genuinely pleasant. It ends with an invitation — a traditional tea ceremony, a student art exhibition, a nice bar nearby. The bill arrives at several thousand yuan and leaving is discouraged.
One rule covers nearly all of them: never let a stranger choose the venue. Chat by all means; many approaches really are locals wanting English practice. But if it ends in "let me take you to…", decline pleasantly and keep walking.
Other common ones: taxi drivers refusing the meter, counterfeit ¥100 notes in change, and someone outside an attraction telling you it is closed today.
Air quality and altitude#
Northern China from November to March can exceed AQI 150 for days at a stretch when winter heating comes on. Check an app, move museum visits forward on a bad day, and carry an N95 if you have a respiratory condition.
Altitude is the one genuinely dangerous physical risk on standard tourist routes. Lhasa is at 3,656 m, Shangri-La at 3,200 m, and the Jade Dragon cable car reaches 4,506 m. Severity is unrelated to fitness. Ascend gradually, skip alcohol for the first two days, and descend if symptoms worsen.
Petty crime#
Pickpocketing exists in crowded markets, on packed buses and around major stations. Front pockets, a zipped bag worn in front in crowds, no phone in a back pocket. Standard precautions are sufficient.
Emergency numbers, medical care and what to do if you lose your passport are covered in our health and safety guide.