This is a question that travelers ask a lot. And I’m here to answer it for you.
Essentially, you’re not allowed to bring meat into China.
However, this rule is really in place to prevent people from bringing raw meat and animal products into China, which can contain harmful bacteria and cause illness in humans.
Highly processed meat doesn’t carry the same risk, but the blanket rule is still there.
Hypothetically, if you wanted to bring a store-bought, vacuum-sealed packet of beef jerky in your checked luggage, you’d probably be fine.
Chinese Customs are more interested in the highly prohibited stuff, like fresh or live animal products.
Besides, unless you were to declare something, Chinese airport food inspections are lax. But you didn’t hear that from me!
Canned meat should be fine. Just don’t bring cold cuts of meat like sausage, salami, chicken or turkey to China.
And definitely don’t bring home-cooked meats, or any of the other prohibited foods.
Remember, China is a meat-loving country and meat is available absolutely everywhere, so there’s no need to bring it in.
To be honest, it’s extremely hard being a vegetarian in China because the locals love their meat so much.
You’re going to have an amazing time over there. Make sure you try the famous braised pork belly!
I hope my answer wasn’t too nuanced for you, but China is the land of interpretation and nuance. Next, see my #1 travel tip for China below or read all of the tips here.
My top China travel tip
All major foreign websites and apps are blocked in China, so if you want to use hotel Wi-Fi then you’re going to need a virtual private network (VPN) on your phone.
You can refer to the best VPN for China for my personal recommendations on the ones that work in China. Or, tap on the button below for the one I recommend the most:
Just make sure you download the VPN before you arrive in China, otherwise you’ll be stuck!
Bringing food into China
Here are some commonly asked questions about bringing other foods into China:
You can also ask me any questions in the comments area below.
Main image credit: Tomáš Sova on Pixabay.
