There are a number of things you should NOT do in China. I will add a quick summary.
Shadeed Abdulmateen, a US citizen, was entenced to death in China (for killing GF as she tried to break up with him).
Drug offences are a big NO! Don’t mess up with drugs. China has no tolerance for drug menace. The penalties are high, and there is simply no escape.
There are so many examples from the recent past where expats have been awarded the capital punishment.
Don’t create trouble with the locals. Don’t attack women. The security system is very comprehensive. CCTV cameras are installed in every shop, restaurant, bars, pubs… troublemakers will be caught.
Harbin in winter.
Don’t get into politics. For example, Taiwan is a sensitive issue. You can’t just say anything you want. If you are an American expat, you may be directly asked about your opinion on Taiwan issue.
The locals, especially in Shanghai, prefer to discuss business over politics.
Chinese people are patriotic. You are expected to show respect to the local culture.
Don’t try to enter China illegally. It’s not easy to enter illegally in the first place, and even if you managed to do so, you will be caught. Also, don’t overstay your visa. The penalties include RMB 500/day fine, with a possible ban on entering China again in near future.
Xi’an Terracota Warriors.
Don’t expect to find spoons and forks in the restaurants. You need to get used to handling chopsticks. It’s so important…
Don’t keep comparing China with this and that countries. China has its own Charm. The more time you spend exploring China, the more you will discover.
NEVER TAKE DRUGS!！！
I’m a Chinese police. We once arrested 13 foreign junkies in a bar in May this year. Most of them took marijuana, and some took others. They were from 9 counties, so my colleagues joked that we’d caught a bunch of “the Eight-Power Allied Forces”, and defeated a new “The Opium War” tonight.
When I announced that they would be remanded in custody for 15 days, all of them were breaking down, repeatedly complaining that marijuana is legal in many countries, and some even claimed that marijuana can prevent cancer. My English is not so good, so I didn’t argue with them ，but just simply said “This is China！law is law”！
And, this was not THE END. Few days before the 15-day detention periods, I went to them again and announced that they would be deported from China, and were prohibited from entering china within 5 years. Two of them, one is from Luxembourg and another is from Portugal, were arrested by the punishment, for they were the organizers.
Most of those people had been living a stable life in China for a long time, doing business, studying, or teaching as foreign teachers, ect.but they nearly lost everything they earned in China, just because they smoked some marijuana, which they thought to be “legal”.
So, I think that the drug control is very severe in China.
