China Packing List: What Goes in Each Bag

For 7 to 14 days in China, pack about five days of clothes and plan a wash every three or four days; one main case and one day bag is enough. Dress in comfortable, casual layers and walking shoes you have already broken in: China's cities are informal, and most sightseeing days involve a lot of walking and steps. Build the rest around the coldest and wettest stop on your route, not around "China". Keep your passport, medicines and charging kit in the bag that stays with you. Before you choose the suitcase, check the high-speed train limit below.

Keep these in your carry-on

• Water bottles: carry the bottle empty through security and fill it airside; check your airline's rules before putting liquids in checked bags.
• Original passport or other accepted document used for your bookings, plus any visa and entry or transit documents required for your route. Keep backup copies separately; they do not replace the original.
• Offline flight and train details, the first hotel's name and address in Chinese, insurance details and a contact you can reach if your phone setup fails.
• Phone, charging cable, compatible wall charger and plug adapter. Add a power bank only after checking its label, model and the rules for every transport leg.
• Regular medicines you have verified for entry and carriage, in labelled packaging, with the relevant prescription or medical information. Keep glasses and other essentials you cannot easily replace here too.
• A payment card and some cash kept separately from your phone; prepare your mobile-payment account before departure.
• One change of underwear and a light top, plus the layer you will need on arrival. If your checked bag is delayed, you can still charge your phone and change clothes.
• Tissues, a small toiletry kit and an empty water bottle. Check your departure airport's cabin-liquid rules before adding liquids, gels or aerosols.

Five packing surprises travellers meet in China

1. A big suitcase can be too big for the high-speed train. China Railway allows each adult 20 kg of free luggage, and on high-speed (EMU) trains each item's length, width and height must add up to no more than 130 cm. A typical large checked case measures more than that, and many medium cases do too: 65 × 45 × 27 cm already adds up to 137 cm. If your route is by train, measure the case before you pack it.
2. Your hotel room may have no toothbrush. Since the end of 2025, China's plastic-reduction rules have told every hotel, guesthouse and homestay not to put single-use plastic items in rooms unprompted. Ask at the front desk, or pack your own toothbrush, razor and comb.
3. The power bank you flew in with may not be allowed on a domestic flight. Since 28 June 2025, units without a clear CCC mark, and recalled models, are not allowed on flights within China. A power bank bought outside China may have no CCC mark at all; check the label.
4. Your plug may fit and your device may still not cope. Mainland sockets supply 220 V at 50 Hz; check the INPUT range on each charger, because an adapter changes the plug shape, not the voltage.
5. Food gifts are a customs question, not a packing one. Cheese, meat, egg products and fresh fruit are on China's prohibited list whatever the packaging; check them before they go in the case.

A clothing list for 7–14 days

These are starting quantities for one adult on a city-focused trip with laundry every few days. They include what you wear on the flight. Choose pieces that work together, then add only the seasonal items your route needs.

Add your toothbrush, everyday skincare, deodorant and other toiletries in quantities suited to the trip, with leak protection. Pack a small laundry bag and a foldable bag for separating wet or dirty items. Bring swimwear only if swimming is actually in your plan. Ask the hotel about a hairdryer before carrying your own; avoid filling the case with duplicate appliances.

Use laundry to keep a two-week bag manageable

• For seven days, plan one wash around day 3 or 4. For fourteen days, plan two or three washes, roughly every four days, and adjust for activity and weather.
• Choose a hotel stay of at least two nights for laundry. Confirm whether there is a guest washer and dryer or a paid service, its hours and when clothes will be ready.
• Wash before you use the last clean set. Keep a dry outfit for the next day, and collect everything before the next hotel move.
• Do not rely on a thick cotton top or jeans drying overnight in a bathroom. If there is no reliable dryer, choose lighter fabrics or add a little more clothing.
• If you will not do laundry, increase underwear and tops to suit the trip, then weigh the result before choosing the bag. Two weeks of full outfits is a luggage decision, not a necessity.

What to take out each morning

Keep the large case at your accommodation during sightseeing. Your day bag needs your booking document where required, phone, a payment backup, drinking water, tissues, the day's essential medicines, and the rain or warm layer relevant to that outing. Add a hat and sunscreen for exposed days. Leave spare shoes, full toiletry bottles and the week's clothes at the hotel.

Summer packing: add sun and rain protection

For a summer city trip, favour light, washable tops and comfortable bottoms. Add a sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and light rain protection; keep the thin indoor layer. If you expect to change after a sweaty walking day, add one extra top and underwear change, or wash more often. Sandals can be a second pair, but do not make unfamiliar sandals your only shoes for long sightseeing days.

Winter packing: build around the coldest stop

For a cold northern city, add a thermal base layer, insulating mid-layer, warm outer coat, hat, gloves and a scarf or neck covering. Choose footwear with useful grip and space for suitable socks. Wear the bulky coat during transfers when practical, and keep it accessible before leaving the arrival terminal.

Harbin ice-and-snow days need a more substantial cold-weather setup than a short city walk: plan insulated footwear, warm socks and enough dry layers for repeated outdoor sessions. A Hainan stay needs a different bag; do not carry a full snow kit unless another stop requires it. Pick clothing for the named places and forecast, rather than for the word ‘China’.

Mountain days: add warmth without another suitcase

For a sightseeing route with mountain walks, add a wind- and rain-resistant outer layer, a warm layer and spare socks in a dry bag. Use shoes you have already walked in, with soles suited to wet or uneven steps. Check conditions at the mountain itself, not only in the city where you sleep. Put those layers in the day bag before leaving the hotel; a coat in the main suitcase will not help at a viewpoint. Multi-day trekking needs a separate equipment plan.

Coming from Australia, Singapore or Malaysia?

Australia and China are in opposite hemispheres: leaving an Australian summer in December can mean arriving in a northern Chinese winter. In June, the seasonal switch runs the other way. Travellers from Singapore or Malaysia should also pack from the destination forecast rather than the weather at home. Put the arrival layer in your cabin bag, particularly if you will reach your hotel late.

For Singaporean or Malaysian equipment with a three-rectangular-pin Type G plug, bring an adapter that accepts it and fits mainland sockets. Australian Type I pins resemble the angled Chinese format, but check fit, grounding and the device rating rather than assuming every outlet will work. On each charger, the INPUT range must cover 220V and 50Hz; a plug-shape adapter does not change voltage. One compatible multi-port charger can reduce the number of chargers you carry.

Check these before closing the bag

Read the cabin and checked-baggage allowance on each ticket, including separate domestic flights. Some international fares do not include free checked baggage. Weigh the packed case and cabin bag; do not choose a suitcase from an assumed ‘China allowance’. For rail journeys, also consider how you will move the bag and store it onboard.

Keep a permitted power bank in your cabin bag, accessible for inspection. China domestic flights prohibit units without a clear CCC mark and recalled models or batches under the rule effective from 28 June 2025. An international itinerary can still include a domestic flight. Check the exact unit and current carrier rules; railway limits are separate.

Make a separate review pile for food gifts, supplements and medicines before packing them. Keep full ingredient or active-ingredient names and original labels available, and check the product's entry requirements. Sealed packaging, personal use or a prescription does not give every item permission to enter. Use the food guide below and its Customs sources for the exact category; seek the relevant official medication guidance before carrying a medicine whose status is unclear.

The five-minute check before you leave

1. Put the original booking document, phone, medicines and arrival layer in the bag that stays with you.
2. Charge your devices, save the first hotel's Chinese address offline and make sure you can receive the account codes you need.
3. Check every suitcase pocket for forgotten batteries, liquids, food or other items that need a different packing or clearance decision.
4. Weigh each bag against the actual ticket allowance and try moving everything together. Remove a duplicate pair of shoes or bulky outfit if that makes the journey easier.
5. Confirm where the first laundry wash fits, and leave some room in the case for purchases on the trip.

Pack lighter by moving less

The bag is easiest to manage when someone else handles the moves. On our multi-city private tours, a driver takes you and your luggage from the hotel to the station or airport on every travel day, and another meets you at the other end; on the 14-day route, your bags are moved separately while you cruise the Li River. You still lift the case onto the train, so the 130 cm rule above still applies. And the trip has its own deadlines. The Forbidden City opens tickets only 7 days ahead at 20:00 China time and sells none on the day; on 1 October 2025, the first day of China's National Day holiday, its booking page already showed 2 to 7 October fully booked. We book it for CNY 45 (about USD 7) per person plus the ticket at face value. Hand the booking to us, pay and send every traveller's passport details at least 8 days before your visit, and our booking guarantee covers it: if the booking fails, we refund the fee and the ticket money in full. Inside those 8 days the guarantee no longer applies.