What must you carry with you in China?

It does not matter if you are in the smallest village in China or in the huge cities that are spread all over the map, there is one item you need in your pocket or your handbag. Do not go out of the hotel without it, especially when you are going out to explore without a tour guide. It doesn't matter if you are traveling one street or a hundred miles don't leave it behind.

What is it? A small packet of tissues. In the West you may carry this for blowing your nose or wiping up the mess from your children. In China there is a far more basic reason for carrying it. If you use a Chinese W.C. (bathroom, toilet, washroom) then it is highly unlikely you will find any toilet tissue in the toilet itself. If you want a clean toilet then head for one of the two main American fast food restaurants (McD or KFC). The toilets in these may be squat type but they are clean. There may be toilet paper but you often have to collect it before getting into the toilet, sometimes near the sinks which are often in the restaurant itself.

Be prepared for far less privacy than you are used to in the West. Often there are only half height walls between the cubicles and very often no doors. The flushing system may be inadequate or even non-existent. On rare occasions there may be no barrier in the toilet area to separate the cubicles, and occasionally the toilets may be unisex. With that in mind the American fast-food outlets are at least a decent standard.

All this may be a shock especially to western children on their first trip outside their home country, so it may be as well to warn them.

Ladies be prepared for a bin overflowing with sanitary towels and the Chinese do not empty them on a regular basis. The bins are also for used toilet paper, as the plumbing is so bad that no paper should be flushed down the toilet. Also the make of tampons or sanitary towels that you normally use may not be available in many parts of China so stock up before you travel.

Another thing to add to what you carry with you every day is a small bottle of handwash. This is special handwash that does not require any water to use it. The water may not always be as pure as you may want and the washing facilities may be limited. So your own handwash is necessary.

One final thing are some antiseptic wipes. These usually come in individual wrappers. Not for a cut or a scrape but to clean your chopsticks. If you are eating somewhere that the chopsticks get dumped in a bowl of water, shaken and then reused having not even been dried (Chinese air dry their dishes) you may want to make sure your own chopsticks are clean so wipe them over with the antiseptic wipe and let them dry.