Chengdu
Pandas' Hometown
Jiuzhaigou
Famous Fairyland
Emeishan
Sacred Buddhist Site
Leshan
Giant Buddha
Gonggashan
Best for Hiking
Daocheng Yading
Shangri La Views
Dujiangyan
Irrigation System
Siguniangshan
Eastern Alps
The English-speaking level in China is in general very low.
Depending on where you travel to you may expect different level of helpful English-speaking in China. Places such as Hong Kong, Macao you’ll have no issue using English to communicate. Within mainland China you’ll probably have more people speaking English in big cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen while the rest of China will see a very low level of English-speaking. In mainland China, people who have at least learned English is around 28% of the population. People who can conduct simple English conversations is around 3%- 5% of the population. People who can speak reasonably fluent English takes up around 0.5% of the population.
China was never a fully-colonized country for long time so any foreign language was never taught for a long time anywhere in China. In modern China younger generations may have a higher chance to understand you but may not be able to communicate with you due to the test-oriented English teaching in school and lack of confidence.
At any international airports in China you should be able to communicate in English with at least someone by the airport especially by the immigration. If you are only transiting then there is no problem at all. Please note by some smaller airport or domestic airports you may expect non-English-speaking workers and it can be common.
In general you may encounter more people speaking English while traveling in the big cities than traveling in the countryside or tourist parks that are outside of the main cities. This includes railway stations, hotels, restaurants, shop-owners, banks, etc.
This situation gives travelers a sense of adventure but it also causes challenges. It is important to learn this fact before you travel to China. We have seen a lot of foreign travelers didn’t expect the low English-speaking level in China only to find out later and it can be frustrating. The language is also an issue that has been underestimated often and it is in fact harder than it looks. The English-speaking level in China is increasing quickly in recent years but in different places of China it may vary. Note a lot of Chinese people are shy and not very confident with their English-speaking.
Read more and expect this.
Have translation app on your phone.
To experience more and to see more in a trip to China, talk to people who speaks English on your travel, or hire someone who speaks English at least for some part of your trip.
