Visiting relatives in China: a guide for Australian families

A large share of our day-guide bookings come from families in Melbourne and Sydney going to see relatives: a grandmother in Suzhou, an uncle in Pudong, the village outside Hangzhou. Often one partner grew up in China and the other did not, the children were born in Australia, and everybody’s Mandarin is somewhere between fluent and nil. These trips are wonderful and they have their own logistics, which no ordinary travel guide covers. Here is what we have learned from running them.

Passports: which one, and the former-citizen question

Everyone travels on their Australian passport. At the time of writing, Australian passport holders enter China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business and family visits, so a three-week family trip needs no visa at all. Check the current end date of the policy before booking flights; our visa guide tracks it.

If you were born in China and later became an Australian citizen, two things to know. China does not recognise dual nationality, so you enter and leave as an Australian and the consulate treats you as one. Immigration officers may ask about your previous Chinese nationality or ask to see evidence that you naturalised; carrying your Australian citizenship certificate (or a clear photo of it) and, if you still have it, your cancelled Chinese passport avoids a long conversation at the desk. If you never formally cancelled your Chinese household registration (hukou), it is worth asking your family in China to check whether it still exists, because it can complicate things later for property or inheritance, though it rarely affects a holiday.

Children born in Australia to a parent who was a Chinese citizen at the time are, in Chinese law, sometimes regarded as Chinese nationals, which can mean the child’s Australian passport is not accepted for entry and a Chinese travel document is required instead. This depends on the parent’s status at the child’s birth. If this might apply to you, contact the Chinese consulate in Melbourne or Sydney well before booking; it is a common situation and they deal with it daily, but it takes weeks, not days.

Staying with family or in a hotel

Both work; mixing them works best. A few nights with family is the point of the trip. A hotel for part of it gives the Australian partner and the children a base, a pool, a Western breakfast and an escape from the fifth banquet in a row. Nobody is offended by a hotel if it is framed as “we did not want to be a burden on grandma”, which is both polite and true.

If you stay with family, remember that Chinese apartments rarely have a spare bedroom; someone will be giving up theirs. Bring thank-you gifts, offer to take the family out to dinner (and win the fight for the bill at least once), and plan some days out so the household gets a rest from you.

Gifts that land well

The gifts Chinese relatives actually want from Australia are consistent and you can buy them all at a Chemist Warehouse and a supermarket:

• Vitamins and supplements: fish oil, calcium, vitamin D, glucosamine, probiotics. Australian brands have a huge reputation in China. Keep them sealed in original packaging.
• Honey, especially Manuka, and propolis.
• Infant formula if there is a baby in the family; ask what they use, as brands matter.
• Wool and sheepskin: ugg boots, merino, lanolin cream.
• Chocolate, Tim Tams, macadamias, for the children and the office.
• Wine: a couple of bottles of something Barossa is appreciated, especially by uncles.

Customs: personal-use quantities are fine; a suitcase full of one product looks like trade and can be taxed or confiscated. A sensible rule is no more than a few of anything, declared if asked. Do not bring fresh fruit, meat or dairy, and keep medicines in original packaging with a prescription. Cash over USD 5,000 equivalent must be declared.

Keeping the non-speakers afloat

The partner who does not speak Chinese and the children who understand grandma but cannot answer her need two things: a way to pay and a way to be understood.

• Alipay on their own phones, set up before you fly with an Australian card. It is the difference between independence and asking for pocket money at 35. The Alipay guide walks through it.
• A translation app that works offline, and an eSIM so WhatsApp, Google Maps and the family group chat keep working; the eSIM guide covers which ones.
• WeChat, because the family already uses it for everything and the children will be added to the group within an hour of landing.

Giving everyone a break: the guided days

This is where we come in most often. The family wants to show you their city but they are working, or elderly, or have run out of things to do with the Australian teenagers. A day guide with a private car for one or two days takes the whole family to Suzhou, or the Bund and the lanes, or Zhujiajiao, with an English-speaking guide doing the explaining so the Chinese relatives can relax rather than translate. Grandparents come along and enjoy it; it is often the first time they have seen their own city with a guide.

Families tell us it also defuses the quiet tension of a long visit: a day out with someone neutral, lunch booked, tickets handled, back by six for dinner at home.

Practical notes for the visit

• Banquets. You will be fed more than is reasonable. Eat a little of everything, praise the dishes, and expect toasts; a sip per toast is fine, and tea is an accepted substitute if you say you are not drinking.
• Hongbao. Red envelopes with cash are given to children at Chinese New Year and to the couple at weddings; if you are visiting at other times, gifts are enough. If relatives give your children hongbao, accept graciously; the children may spend it with Alipay.
• Health. Older relatives will want to take you to the hospital if a child gets a cold. Chinese hospitals are competent; the international clinics in Shanghai are easier for Australians, and travel insurance covering China is still essential even when staying with family.
• Schools and villages. If you visit the ancestral village or a parent’s old school, ask the relatives to arrange it; turning up unannounced is awkward, being brought by family is a celebration.
• Photographs. Take the formal family photograph early in the trip, not on the last day when half the family has gone back to work.

A sample three-week shape

1. Week 1, with family. Arrive, settle in, the banquets, the walks around the neighbourhood, the first visits to older relatives.
2. Week 2, a few guided days and a short trip. A day in Suzhou with everyone, a night or two in Hangzhou or a water town as a family, or three days in Beijing by train if the children have never seen the Wall.
3. Week 3, back with family and a hotel at the end. The last visits, the gift-giving, two hotel nights near the airport or on the Bund so the departure day is calm.

We quote these as a day-guide package rather than a tour, since the family handles most of the trip; tell us which days you want covered and who is coming, including the grandparents, and we size the car accordingly.