Staying well
in China

China is a safe, modern country to travel in and most visitors have no health trouble at all beyond a stomach recalibrating to more chilli than it is used to. But a few conventions here differ from home — the water is drunk boiled, pharmacies work differently, and hospitals expect payment up front — and knowing them in advance removes almost all of the anxiety. This is the practical version, without the scaremongering.

1. Water, and why everyone drinks it hot

• Don't drink from the tap. It is treated and fine for teeth and showers, but nobody in China drinks it cold and unboiled — that is a local convention, not a foreigner precaution.
• Boiled water is everywhere. Every hotel room has a kettle; every train, airport and office has a hot-water dispenser; restaurants pour hot water as a matter of course. Bring a flask and you will never buy a bottle.
• Bottled water is cheap and universal — a few yuan at any convenience store. A filter bottle also works well if you'd rather avoid plastic.
• Ice in reputable restaurants, hotels and chain cafes is made from purified water and is fine. Ice from a street cart in high summer is the one to think twice about.
• Cold drinks are less common than you expect; if you want water genuinely cold, ask for bingde.

2. Eating well without regret

• Follow the queue. High turnover is the single best food-safety signal in any country, and China has a lot of queues to choose from.
• Prefer cooked-to-order and high heat — a wok or a grill in front of you is safer than a tray that has been sitting warm.
• Be selective with: pre-cut fruit left out, cold marinated dishes in small places, raw or lightly pickled seafood, and anything at the end of a long buffet shift.
• Ramp up the chilli. Sichuan and Hunan volumes of chilli and oil will upset a stomach that is not used to them, quite independently of hygiene. Two fiery meals a day for a week is the actual cause of most "I got sick in China" stories.
• Allergies: have your allergy written in Chinese on your phone — peanut and sesame oil in particular are everywhere and cross-contamination is likely in a busy kitchen. A guide makes this dramatically easier.
• Vegetarians: "vegetable" dishes are often cooked with pork stock or lard. Say the word for strict vegetarian (sushi) rather than just "no meat". More context in what to eat in China.

3. Pharmacies and what to bring

• Pharmacies are everywhere and open late, usually marked with a green cross. Many common medicines that need a prescription at home are available over the counter.
• Show, don't explain. A photo of the box, the generic drug name, or a translation-app screen gets you what you need faster than any conversation.
• Bring from home: your own prescription medicines in original packaging with a copy of the prescription, plus painkillers, antihistamines, rehydration salts, an anti-diarrhoeal, blister plasters and anything you are particular about.
• Traditional and Western medicine sit side by side in the same shop. If you want Western pharmaceuticals, say so — otherwise you may be handed a herbal preparation.
• Check your medication is legal to bring. Some ordinary codeine- and pseudoephedrine-based cold and pain medicines are controlled in China. Confirm with the Chinese embassy before you fly rather than at the border, and carry the prescription.

4. Doctors, hospitals and insurance

• Two tiers, in practice. Public hospitals are cheap, competent and busy, with little English and a queue-and-window system that is hard to navigate alone. International clinics and VIP wings in major cities cost far more and remove the language barrier entirely.
• Payment comes first. Hospitals normally take payment at the time of treatment and you claim it back later — so travel insurance that covers medical treatment and repatriation is not optional, and a card with headroom matters.
• Keep on your phone: your insurance policy number and 24-hour assistance line, your passport data page, your blood type and any conditions, and the Chinese name of your hotel.
• Emergency numbers: 120 for an ambulance, 110 for police, 119 for fire. Operators may not speak English — this is where a hotel front desk or a guide is worth a great deal.
• Dental and optical are good and inexpensive in major cities, if something breaks mid-trip.

5. Air, altitude, sun and mosquitoes

• Air quality has improved enormously over the last decade, but northern cities still get bad days in winter. Check a live AQI app; on a genuinely bad day, move the outdoor sight to another day rather than wearing a mask through it. Anyone with asthma should carry their inhaler.
• Altitude matters in Yunnan, Tibet and parts of Sichuan. Shangri-La sits around 3,200 m and cable cars climb past 4,000 m. Ascend gradually, go slowly on the first day, drink water, skip alcohol on arrival nights — details in the Yunnan guide.
• Sun is fierce at altitude and on the water even when the air is cold. Sunscreen belongs in the day bag from Yunnan to the Yangtze.
• Mosquitoes are a nuisance rather than a major disease risk in the places most visitors go, but the subtropical south in summer earns repellent. Check current advice with your travel clinic for rural or southern regions.
• Vaccinations: no special vaccinations are normally required for a standard city-and-sights trip, but routine boosters and hepatitis A are commonly advised. Ask a travel clinic six weeks before you fly.
• Heat is the underrated risk. July and August in Chongqing, Xi'an or Nanjing are genuinely punishing — plan indoor afternoons (when to visit).