Quick Answers

Emergency Numbers

Worth looking up your own embassy's contact info too, before you need it, not after.

110

Police

120

Ambulance

119

Fire

Basic Chinese

你好

nǐ hǎo
Hello

谢谢

xièxiè
Thank you

不好意思，我听不太懂，我不会说中文

bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ tīng bú tài dǒng, wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén
Sorry, I don't understand much. I don't speak Chinese.

有人会说英语吗？

yǒu rén huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?
Does anyone here speak English?

我要这个

wǒ yào zhège
I want this
Point at what you mean while showing it

不要辣

bú yào là
No spice

微辣

wēi là
Mild spice

服务员

fúwùyuán
Excuse me! (calling a server)

多少钱？

duōshǎo qián?
How much is this?

不好意思

bù hǎoyìsi
Excuse me, coming through
Said while moving through a crowd

洗手间在哪里？

xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?
Where's the bathroom?

我需要帮助

wǒ xūyào bāngzhù
I need help

Tipping & Etiquette

Tipping isn't expected anywhere in China, restaurants, taxis, hotels included. No percentage to calculate, no awkwardness in leaving nothing.

Getting Around at Night

Most metro lines stop running between 10:30pm and 11:30pm. If a match runs long, there's a real chance the metro's already closed by the time it lets out. Didi is the fallback once trains stop, worth setting up beforehand.