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Other practical things to know:
1. The difference between the western hotel and western hotel: Most of Chinese hotels do not charge the full payment on check in. Also won't wait until you check out. All hotels take a round number (like several hundred RMB) as prepayment (or call it surety), and the hotel will adjust your total amount on check out. Different hotels have different prepayment amount. This way sometimes confuse many western guests especially they booked via online booking agent and paid booking deposit/reservation fee already. Please carefully keep your booking confirmation (it should has the payment details), and understand the Chinese hotel prepayment system, then you can work out and avoid confusion on check out.
2. Public service opening hours: All Chinese banks, post offices are open 7 days a week. Department stores are usually open from 08:30 am (or 09:00 ) until 21:00 (or 22:00 pm on weekends). Public holidays also open, even longer. It's different from many Western countries. Restaurants, bars are also open until very late (in big cities and tourist towns). Museums and are usually close on Mondays.
3. Chinese prices: not everything is cheap in China, some things could be much more expensive than New York and London price, such as a cup of coffee or red tea (with milk), especially in the tourist cities/towns/airports, please prepare for this. Taxi cost is cheap.
4. The things which are not cheap in China: western style drinks and food, international brand products including electronic gadgets and cloths.
5. For the non-smokers: Most hotels and restaurants and many other public places do not specially have non-smoking area or rooms. So be prepare that there are may very common for someone smokes in a restaurant or bar, and no one would stop them.
6. Chinese mattresses: As a western traveller, you probably find that in most of the hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, the mattresses are firmer than Western countries. This is very typical situation travelling in China, especially in those ancient towns and those antique beds. If you feel your bed is too hard for your, try to ask hotel staff to give you extra duvet or a blanket to put underneath of the bedding. The local people are so used to the firm bed, do not see this is a problem.
7. Public WC: You will see that more than half public WC have typical Chinese type of toilets. But some WCs may have 1 western toilet unit for the elders. Also while you travel in China, make sure that always have the toilet paper or pack of tissue in your pocket (many WCs do not provide paper).
8. Try to get your hotel address in Chinese characters before you go to China: Although your hotel or B&B may send you the address in Chinese PINYIN (or already on the website). But Chinese people do not use PINYIN in daily life (only for young children start to learn the language in the school). The way for many foreigners to write (letters without four tones on the top) are not proper Pinyin, it's hard to guess the correct words especially for the addresses and names. The same pronunciation could be many different characters, so to avoid trouble and frustration, please try to get proper Chinese characters for the places you want to go, and show the taxi driver or local people CHINESE VERSION address. Most taxi drivers do not speak English. The PINYIN or English address are not much use for Chinese people. You may see that some street name display Pinyin as well as Chinese, but this would be only in the popular touristy areas, it was specially for tourists since last 5 - 10 years, but not everywhere.
9. How to use chopsticks: In most ordinary Chinese restaurants, you won't be able to get fork & knife. You would have to use the chopsticks for the meal. See the picture below for the correct way to hold them.
10. Drinking Water: We do not recommend to drink tap water. You should always drink boiled water or mineral water.
If you have the habit to drink red tea with milk (especially British travellers), then remember to pack some tea bags and milk powder with you before you travel. Most hotel rooms DO NOT provided "Red Tea" and fresh milk, only Chinese tea in the room.
11. Useful numbers: Following numbers are all in Chinese language first. If you speak English, then they may transfer you to the English speaking person.
Ambulance - 120
Police - 110
Fire Bridage - 119
Directory Inquiries - 114
12. Chinese lucky & unlucky numbers:
In China, according to the Chinese pronunciation, certain numbers
are either very popular or unpopular.
Lucky numbers: "8" sounds similar to a Chinese word which means getting
rich. Number "6" symbolizes doing things very smoothly.
Unlucky number is "4", because it sounds very close to the Chinese word
"death". So telephone numbers, car number plates with 4s are not popular. Even
the SIM card numbers, you will find that the more "4"s it has got, the cheaper
price it is.
Same theory, more "8"s and "6"s in the number (such as phone number or car
number plate) the expensive they are.
13. Taxis: the taxis are quite easy to get in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and very cheap compare to western taxi prices. But if you go to an address which is not well know, it's better to get the address copied in Chinese (could ask your hotel staff to write it for you). Most taxi drivers do not speak English, if you show them the address in English it may not be very useful. And the taxi drivers do not have the habit to read maps either.
14. Useful Chinese Phrases (pronounced in Chinese Pinyin): It will be much more convenient to be able to say some Chinese phrases when you are in China.