Tipping and gifts in China: what is expected, what is not, and what to bring from Australia

Two questions come up in the last email before every trip: do we tip, and what should we bring. Both have clear answers that are different from the American habits Australians half-absorb and the Chinese customs they half-know. Here they are, with the practice we use on our own tours.

Tipping: there is none

In mainland China, tipping is not part of the culture and never was. Restaurants, taxis, hotel porters, hairdressers, massage parlours, bars: no tip is expected, and leaving coins on a restaurant table causes a waiter to run after you with them. Service charges appear only at hotel restaurants and some upmarket places, printed on the menu. The price is the price. This is one of the small pleasures of travelling in China, and visitors should not import a habit the Chinese do not have.

Guides and drivers: the one exception, and our policy

Private guides and drivers who work with foreign visitors are the one group that has come to see tips as a possibility, because American and European clients give them. It is still a bonus, not an expectation, and nobody will be offended by its absence.

Our policy is simple. Our guides and drivers are paid a proper day rate, which is why they do not take you to commission shops and why no tip is ever required. If a guest wants to give something at the end of a trip because the guide was excellent, that is a kindness the guide will remember; the amounts guests choose are typically in the range of a modest dinner per day for the guide and about half that for the driver, given in cash in an envelope on the last day, or by Alipay transfer if you have it set up. A thank-you message or a review is valued at least as much, and we pass both on. If the service was not excellent, tell us rather than tipping out of awkwardness; fixing it is our job.

Red envelopes (hongbao)

Cash in a red envelope is the traditional gift for Chinese New Year (from adults to children and to unmarried younger relatives), for weddings, for a new baby, and for some birthdays of the elderly. It is not for ordinary visits. If you are visiting relatives at New Year, bring crisp notes and red envelopes (sold everywhere in China in January) and ask a family member what amount is normal in that family and city, since it varies enormously; even numbers are good and amounts with 8 are lucky, 4 is avoided. If relatives give your children hongbao, accept with both hands and thanks; the visiting relatives guide has the rest of the etiquette.

Gifts for hosts and relatives: what to bring from Australia

The gifts Chinese hosts genuinely want are consistent, and you can buy all of them in a Melbourne supermarket and a Chemist Warehouse the week before you fly:

• Health supplements: fish oil, vitamin D, calcium, glucosamine, probiotics, propolis, Manuka honey. Australian brands carry real prestige. Sealed, in original packaging.
• Wool and sheepskin: ugg boots in the right size, merino scarves, lanolin cream.
• Food: Tim Tams, macadamias, Australian chocolate, a bottle of Barossa shiraz or a Tasmanian whisky for the uncles; quality tea is coals to Newcastle.
• Infant formula and children’s products, if there is a baby; ask the brand.
• Something from where you live: a book of Australian photographs, a Melbourne coffee, an Aboriginal-designed scarf. Hosts like a story with the gift.
• For children: Australian animal toys, picture books, AFL or cricket merchandise for the sports-minded.

The visiting relatives guide covers customs quantities; a sensible number of each item, declared if asked.

Gifts for business contacts

A modest, well-chosen gift at the first meeting or at the farewell dinner is normal and appreciated: something Australian and of reasonable quality (a bottle of good wine, a Tasmanian or Barossa product with a story, a quality pen, a coffee-table book on Australia), wrapped, given with both hands at the end of the meeting rather than the start. Avoid anything so expensive it embarrasses, and be aware that staff of large state-owned enterprises and officials may be restricted in what they can accept. Reciprocity matters: if a host gives you something, bring something next time. The business trip guide has the meeting and dinner etiquette this sits inside.

Gifts to avoid

Some traditional taboos are still observed, especially by older people:

• Clocks (the phrase for giving a clock sounds like attending a funeral).
• Umbrellas (sounds like separation), pears shared (likewise), sharp objects like knives and scissors (cutting the relationship).
• Sets of four of anything (four sounds like death); eight and six are good numbers.
• White or black wrapping and white flowers, which belong to funerals; red and gold are the colours.
• Green hats, an old joke about infidelity, and shoes for some older people.
• Anything with a handkerchief, associated with parting and tears.

None of these will end a friendship, but choosing red paper and avoiding clocks costs nothing.

How to give and receive

Give and receive with both hands. Expect the recipient to decline once or twice before accepting; insist gently. Gifts are usually not opened in front of the giver, so do not be surprised if yours is set aside with thanks; if you are given one, ask “may I open it?” and follow the host’s cue. A gift is given at the end of a visit or meeting, not the beginning. When invited to a home, bring fruit, a cake from a good bakery, or one of the Australian items above; arriving empty-handed is the one thing that is noticed.

The dinner bill

The host pays, and will fight to. Guests offer once, politely, and lose. If you wish to reciprocate, host a dinner yourself before you leave and let the guide or the hotel book it; then you win the fight. Splitting the bill is not done among friends and reads as cold among business contacts. On our tours the lunches that are included are paid quietly by the guide, and the dinners that are not are the guest’s choice.

The practical summary

No tips, anywhere, as a rule. A thank-you to a guide or driver who was outstanding, in an envelope on the last day, if you want to; never required. Red envelopes only for the occasions that call for them. Gifts from Australia for every host, chosen from the list above, wrapped in red, given with both hands at the end. And the bill is the host’s, which, on the last night, can be you.