Advice for business travel to China

I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice for a 2-week business trip to China at the end of July. I will be traveling with one other co-worker to install some industrial equipment about 1-1/2 hours outside of Shanghai. My company is picking up the entire cost of the trip.

My company has provided some interesting reading material on the culture and such. I have also just started researching the internet.

I intend to take my RRT-0 and Maratac AAA lights along with a half-dozen or so batteries for each. From what I've read, I don't anticipate any problems traveling with these lights.

How big will the language barrier be? Will we feel (and be treated like) tourists and/or foreigners? I know the World Expo will be going on while we are there.

My biggest question, which I've been unable to find any answer on, is what kind of knife laws they have. I would like to have at least a small pocket knife (2-blade pen knife) along with my Leatherman Wave to use while installing our equipment. I'm well aware I have to check any knives to fly, but I don't want to get caught with a knife that is deemed illegal in China.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

The Shanghai Expo just opened. Security in general is tighter. I cannot give specific information about knife laws in China but my personal experiences with "Swiss Army" sized/type knives in Mainland China were trouble free. In general, tools are not a problem. Even a bigger knife or Letterman in a tool kit should not be a problem. If you can get it through the airlines, chances are you can get it through customs. If you cannot lose it, don't travel with it.

In terms of language, you should do ok in the city. It can be quite different outside of cities. If you are installing equipment, someone from your firm or your client's firm should receive you. It would be useful to have copies of important addresses in CHINESE (how you get them is another matter). You might be able to get to major hotels and other very famous spots in cities but don't expect the typical taxi drivers to get you to the right destination without an address in Chinese. If you have to ask for directions then an address in Chinese is probably the only way to go.

Have a good trip !

It would be better If you not bring the knife.generally speaking,there have no trobules when you bring knife(small knife),I haven't go aborad ,so I don't konw the custom law . you'd better have a interpreter if you can't speak English or when you don't know how to express, you can ask the young people ,he may can under what you say .OK ,Welcome to China ,good luck to you !

Welcome to China ,If you are not good English ,you'd better have a interpreter or you can ask the young ,They may can understand what you say .don't bring knives,it's safe to everyone .Then ,have a good trip in china !

if you can't speak English

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shouldn't this be
"if You cant speak Chinese?" :thinking:
(an American, asking in an American forum, should be able to speak English)


good luck on Your trip, all ppl I know visiting Asia/China were totally blown away and still like what they saw.
PS: as far as I remember stories from Olympia, any foreign person running around in China was "given" some kind of "watcher" ...
... to give help, to lead direction, to act as interpreter, probably to prevent "normal ppl" to say anything other than the official opinion to foreigners, ...