Is China a safe place to travel around???

My friend (and some other friends of hers) are going to go travelling throughout China (i think filming a documentary or something)... just them, backpacks... a camera.. and enough money to get by (for food, and maybe places to sleep)...

I'd really like to go with them, but i keep hearing it's not safe to do such a thing.... in other countries yes... but not China???
What's it like??
Good idea, or bad? Risky??

by what ive seen on the news etc, you arnt even safe if your a chinese citizen, they dont like outsiders especially with cameras etc they very private, they have blocks on the internet, etc, censorship, i wouldnt risk it, come to england unless you live here already, if you do just stay here its fun, not.

Overall China is a very safe country for a tourist. The police are very strict. A big city like Beijing is much safer than New York City. I would definitely tell you to research Chinese etiquette. There is a series of books called "Culture Shock!" and there is a China edition. Try Half.com. Snapping photographs of certain buildings or people or locations is not permitted in China. If you go to Beijing currently security will be double the usual because of the Olympics and the government wants a spotless image of the city to be presented to the international media. So be on your best behavior there.

I'm currently living in China right now. It is actually quite safe. I wouldn't say the police are strict, but I wouldn't say it's dangerous, and most people don't pay attention to you taking pictures. You're a tourist, and there are many other tourists, especially in Beijing/Shanghai. Coming to China is quite cheap. I would recommend doing a little planning ahead for hostels and at least taking a phrase book since many people have limited English abilities. Just because they have a different political system does not mean it is dangerous here. As long as you use your common sense, you will be fine. I would highly recommend coming here to anyone. :) Good luck!!

When I was in a taxi in a coastal city in southern China, the cab driver went to the back of the taxi. I was wondering what was he doing? To my surprise, he was removing his car plates. I immediately ran out from the taxi and ran to a store with people. He was behind me screaming and cursing.

What was his intention of removing his car plates? Take me to a remote place, then......

Thus, you should be concerned for your safety traveling in China as a tourist.

My experience is of course anecdotal. I've been to China countless times since 1984, and my most recent trip was with my 2 teenage daughters last August. I can say that except for one slightly terrifying incident back in 1986 (that was long ago, before China really opened up to the outside world), I never encountered any personal safety problem in China, either in cities or in the country side. China is relatively safe, and I would venture to say that it is much safer than most places in the "Western" world. People are generally friendly and helpful, that is if you can speak their language or if they can understand a bit of English. This being said, China is the land of etiquette so you must be aware of certain things that you can and cannot do when you interact with people. What may be normal elsewhere may not be so in China, and vice-versa, but as a general rule, being polite and smiling always gets you out of any situation. As for traveling around with a camera to film a documentary, there may or may not be some concerns and you may or may not need some permits or approvals from local authorities. Check BEFOREHAND to make sure that you will have no surprise or problems.

Do NOT believe all the lies people tell about China. The media in Canada and the US are prejudiced against China and make up BS stories about it all the time.

You are perfectly safe in China and seeing as everywhere you go people are carrying cameras the police would be hard pressed to be harassing or arresting 99% of the people.

I am safer traveling in China as a single female than I am in Canada or the USA

Its all a bunch of lies because the USA is trying to promote hatred so when they decide to declare war on China, they have a list of every country in the world that Bush is working his way through - people wont object.

China is SAFER then the USA for sure, sneeze there and you will be arrested and thrown in jail in Cuba without due process and beaten and tortured and left to rot for 10 years or so.

No one in China is afraid of the police, the other respondents here are lying -

I have lived in China for 2 1/2 years and believe me its WAY better than the USA or Canada when it comes to crime rates, very low, police behavior, friendly and nice - and everything else, the people are wonderful here

I concur with 'isotope2007': China is definitely much safer than most 'developed' countries. Just be prepared: it's very different from the states.
If you don't have the it-should-be-this-way attitude you can have a great time there.

Some answers just blindly claim China to be safe. Be realistic. Crime could happen any where, any time. Do not tell me a communist state is so pure that there would not be any crime.

Traveling to any country has the potential of making you fall as the next victim of crime. You should keep in mind you are not safetraveling in any country, especially China.

OMG! So much controversy! If you are a female traveling in a group of young females, I would be careful regardless of the country you decide to visit. Young women remain targets in much of the world.

Most people in China will ignore you unless you are very tall or have blonde hair. Remember, most people in China are smaller and not extremely tall all though there are some and everyone has dark hair, so blonde hair is an oddity.

As for filming a documentary, you have to get visas to go and if you say that is your purpose, your itinerary will be highly scrutinized. So, don't say it. Say vacation. You also have to state where you will go and where you will stay on your trip.

I would not stay in a hostel anywhere, but thats just me. If you have done it before, then by all means. However, China is very different from the USA and Canada. Travel conditions are different. Keep that in mind. Beds are harder, you CAN NOT drink the tap water and I did not use any tap water outside of the hotel I stayed in for anything including washing my hands. I carried purel with me everywhere.

Did I feel safe in China? Yes, without question. I felt safe everywhere I went. The place that I felt the least safe was at the airport and that was because of all the other people there, not the Chinese people.