Airport hassle
At all major airports you may be hassled by pushy guys who will insist you take their ‘taxi’ into the city. They are seldom dangerous but they will charge the unsuspecting visitor an extraordinary sum. Additionally, you could find yourself in an old banger with several of them, which can feel very intimidating. This does not happen so much nowadays but is still a thing which you should therefore be aware of.
Licensed taxis should be easy to find but they may not be well signposted. Taxis are in abundance in China so there should always be some ready to pick you up. Buses operate from all major airports too, but again it may take a short time to find the right bay (which is when the rouge ‘taxi drivers’ strike).
The annoying thing is when you're looking for the taxi rank or bus platform, you may be hassled by these illegal, dodgy drivers. Just ignore them or say a firm no ('bu yao'). Inside the airport terminal should be a helpdesk, usually selling bus tickets. Ask those staff first.
By the way, to avoid these annoyances and ensure there are taxis available, try to arrange a flight that does not arrive too late at night, thus increasing your chance of getting legitimate transport away.
Trolley assistants –who aren’t employed by the airport- will want to ferry your luggage to and from the main terminal for a small fee, which is quite ridiculous considering the trolley has wheels so you can just do it yourself. ATM’s, phones and banks to exchange money should be easily found in most airport terminals but are subject to early closing times.
You can also purchase one-off insurance cover for your belongings from a counter somewhere, usually.
A huge thing to note about airports is that now China does not allow any liquids or lighters whatsoever to pass through customs. Liquids are forbidden on all flights, even a small bottle of water and lighters are totally forbidden in both handheld and checked in luggage (doesn’t affect arrivals from abroad). Last year, they also banned many power banks. So, be aware of that golden nugget of info.
Check out our Customs article for more info on what you can't take through a Chinese airport.
