Chinese for Tourism & Sightseeing: Tickets, Tours, Photos, and Souvenirs

The first step at any Chinese tourist site is buying a ticket. Key vocabulary: 门票 (mén piào) — entrance ticket, 售票处 (shòu piào chù) — ticket office, 票价 (piào jià) — ticket price, 学生票 (xué shēng piào) — student ticket, 老年票 (lǎo nián piào) — senior ticket, 儿童票 (ér tóng piào) — children's ticket, 免费 (miǎn fèi) — free, 优惠政策 (yōu huì zhèng cè) — discount policy. Starting the conversation: 我要买票 (wǒ yào mǎi piào) — I want to buy a ticket. 多少钱一张 (duō shǎo qián yī zhāng) — How much per ticket? 有学生票吗 (yǒu xué shēng piào ma) — Do you have student tickets?

Showing identification: 这是我的学生证 (zhè shì wǒ de xué shēng zhèng) — This is my student ID. 护照可以吗 (hù zhào kě yǐ ma) — Is a passport okay? Many attractions require ID for discount tickets. At popular sites, you may hear: 请排队 (qǐng pái duì) — please line up, 这边排队 (zhè biān pái duì) — line up on this side. After buying: 入口在哪里 (rù kǒu zài nǎ lǐ) — Where is the entrance? 出口 (chū kǒu) — exit, 扫码入园 (sǎo mǎ rù yuán) — scan the QR code to enter (common at modern attractions).

Many Chinese attractions offer guided tours or audio guides. Key vocabulary: 导游 (dǎo yóu) — tour guide, 讲解 (jiǎng jiě) — explanation/commentary, 讲解器 (jiǎng jiě qì) — audio guide device, 耳机 (ěr jī) — earphones, 中文讲解 (zhōng wén jiǎng jiě) — Chinese commentary, 英文讲解 (yīng wén jiǎng jiě) — English commentary. Asking for a guide: 有英文导游吗 (yǒu yīng wén dǎo yóu ma) — Is there an English-speaking guide? 导游费是多少 (dǎo yóu fèi shì duō shǎo) — How much is the guide fee? 几个人一组 (jǐ gè rén yī zǔ) — How many people per group?

During the tour: 请跟着我 (qǐng gēn zhe wǒ) — Please follow me. 这边走 (zhè biān zǒu) — Walk this way. 小心台阶 (xiǎo xīn tái jiē) — Watch your step. 在这里拍照 (zài zhè lǐ pāi zhào) — Take photos here. Asking questions: 这是什么 (zhè shì shén me) — What is this? 建于什么时候 (jiàn yú shén me shí hou) — When was it built? 有什么历史 (yǒu shén me lì shǐ) — What is its history? 这里发生过什么 (zhè lǐ fā shēng guò shén me) — What happened here? 可以问一个问题吗 (kě yǐ wèn yī gè wèn tí ma) — Can I ask a question?

Few things are more universal at tourist sites than taking photos. Key vocabulary: 拍照 (pāi zhào) — take a photo, 照相 (zhào xiàng) — take a picture, 照片 (zhào piàn) — photograph, 自拍 (zì pāi) — selfie, 合影 (hé yǐng) — group photo. Asking for help: 麻烦帮我拍张照片 (má fan bāng wǒ pāi zhāng zhào piàn) — Excuse me, could you take a photo for me? 按这里就行 (àn zhè lǐ jiù xíng) — Just press here. 再拍一张 (zài pāi yī zhāng) — Take one more. 拍全身 (pāi quán shēn) — full body shot, 拍半身 (pāi bàn shēn) — half body shot.

Photo-related requests: 可以把背景拍进去吗 (kě yǐ bǎ bèi jǐng pāi jìn qù ma) — Can you include the background? 拍得好看一点 (pāi de hǎo kàn yī diǎn) — Make it look nice please. 开着闪光灯 (kāi zhe shǎn guāng dēng) — with the flash on. 不用闪光灯 (bù yòng shǎn guāng dēng) — no flash. Important: 这里可以拍照吗 (zhè lǐ kě yǐ pāi zhào ma) — Can I take photos here? Some museums and temples prohibit photography. 禁止拍照 (jìn zhǐ pāi zhào) — No photography. 禁止使用闪光灯 (jìn zhǐ shǐ yòng shǎn guāng dēng) — No flash photography.

Chinese tourist sites are full of signs — knowing key characters helps immensely. Direction signs: 入口 (rù kǒu) — entrance, 出口 (chū kǒu) — exit, 卫生间 (wèi shēng jiān) — restroom, 停车场 (tíng chē chǎng) — parking lot, 游客中心 (yóu kè zhōng xīn) — visitor center, 问询处 (wèn xún chù) — information desk. Time and schedule: 开放时间 (kāi fàng shí jiān) — opening hours, 闭馆 (bì guǎn) — closed (museum/gallery), 最后入园时间 (zuì hòu rù yuán shí jiān) — last admission time, 全年开放 (quán nián kāi fàng) — open year-round.

Prohibitions and warnings: 禁止 (jìn zhǐ) — prohibited, 禁止吸烟 (jìn zhǐ xī yān) — no smoking, 禁止触摸 (jìn zhǐ chù mō) — do not touch, 请勿攀爬 (qǐng wù pān pá) — no climbing, 注意安全 (zhù yì ān quán) — be careful / safety notice, 小心地滑 (xiǎo xīn dì huá) — caution wet floor. Useful questions: 请问卫生间在哪里 (qǐng wèn wèi shēng jiān zài nǎ lǐ) — Where is the restroom? 现在几点关门 (xiàn zài jǐ diǎn guān mén) — What time do you close? 还有多远 (hái yǒu duō yuǎn) — How much further? 这里离出口多远 (zhè lǐ lí chū kǒu duō yuǎn) — How far is it to the exit?

Tourist sites in China almost always have souvenir shops. Key vocabulary: 纪念品 (jì niàn pǐn) — souvenir, 特产 (tè chǎn) — local specialty product, 手工艺品 (shǒu gōng yì pǐn) — handicraft, 明信片 (míng xìn piàn) — postcard, 冰箱贴 (bīng xiāng tiē) — fridge magnet, 钥匙扣 (yào shi kòu) — keychain. Price questions: 这个多少钱 (zhè ge duō shǎo qián) — How much is this? 可以便宜一点吗 (kě yǐ pián yi yī diǎn ma) — Can it be a little cheaper? 太贵了 (tài guì le) — Too expensive. 有便宜一点的吗 (yǒu pián yi yī diǎn de ma) — Do you have something cheaper?

Payment and authenticity: 可以刷卡吗 (kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma) — Can I pay by card? 微信支付 (wēi xìn zhī fù) — WeChat Pay, 支付宝 (zhī fù bǎo) — Alipay, 现金 (xiàn jīn) — cash. Questions about authenticity: 这是真的吗 (zhè shì zhēn de ma) — Is this real/authentic? 哪里产的 (nǎ lǐ chǎn de) — Where was it made? 有没有包装 (yǒu méi yǒu bāo zhuāng) — Do you have packaging? 帮我包起来 (bāng wǒ bāo qǐ lái) — Wrap it up for me please. At tourist markets, remember: 不用找了 (bù yòng zhǎo le) — Keep the change (only if appropriate). 可以试一下吗 (kě yǐ shì yī xià ma) — Can I try it on? (for clothes/accessories).