When westerners ask me about China, one of their concerns is safety. I tell my friends and fellow travelers that I feel safer walking around cities in China than I do walking around cities in any other country in the world, including the United States.
For better or worse, there is no Second Amendment in China. The only guns available are for military personnel. Some police carry guns, but most do not. There are no muggings at gunpoint in Beijing, but there are plenty in New York. I feel safe in Beijing.
Of course, if travelers are careless with their belongings, leaving them unattended, they will quickly disappear. One of my students once left her camera on the counter in a store, turned around and started shopping and wondered why, three minutes later, the camera was gone. Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, keep your belongings close.
Pickpockets are supposedly commonplace in China, but in my dozens of trips, with hundreds of people, we've never dealt with this issue. I've never even seen, nor heard, about people being pickpocketed. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but from my experience, it's a non-issue.
Part of the reason I have not witnessed crime in China is that committing crimes is not worth the risk. All crime carries severe punishment, but punitive measures are harshest against foreigners. Additionally, unlike in the United States, there is not yet a significant income disparity amongst citizens. The U.S. income gap has grown steadily, by all measures, in the past several decades. There is more desperation, more homelessness and a larger drug problem in the U.S. China has its own issues, but they do not have a drug crisis, significant income disparity and homelessness.
I feel safer traveling around China than any other country in the world. So yes, it is safe. Fear not! Join a Chow Fun tour of China!
For better or worse, there is no Second Amendment in China. The only guns available are for military personnel. Some police carry guns, but most do not. There are no muggings at gunpoint in Beijing, but there are plenty in New York. I feel safe in Beijing.
Of course, if travelers are careless with their belongings, leaving them unattended, they will quickly disappear. One of my students once left her camera on the counter in a store, turned around and started shopping and wondered why, three minutes later, the camera was gone. Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, keep your belongings close.
Pickpockets are supposedly commonplace in China, but in my dozens of trips, with hundreds of people, we've never dealt with this issue. I've never even seen, nor heard, about people being pickpocketed. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but from my experience, it's a non-issue.
Part of the reason I have not witnessed crime in China is that committing crimes is not worth the risk. All crime carries severe punishment, but punitive measures are harshest against foreigners. Additionally, unlike in the United States, there is not yet a significant income disparity amongst citizens. The U.S. income gap has grown steadily, by all measures, in the past several decades. There is more desperation, more homelessness and a larger drug problem in the U.S. China has its own issues, but they do not have a drug crisis, significant income disparity and homelessness.
I feel safer traveling around China than any other country in the world. So yes, it is safe. Fear not! Join a Chow Fun tour of China!
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