What to eat for breakfast in China

Chinese breakfast is not a single meal. It changes every few hundred kilometres, it is usually eaten standing or on the way to work, and it almost never costs more than a coffee in Europe. If you want to understand a city quickly, eat where the neighbourhood eats at seven in the morning.

North: wheat, sesame and soy

In Beijing and Xi'an expect flatbreads, fried dough sticks, steamed buns and hot soy milk, sometimes savoury with dried shrimp and pickles. Jianbing, a thin mung-bean crepe folded around egg, scallion and crisp cracker, is the fastest breakfast in the north and the one most visitors finish before reaching their first stop.

South: rice, noodles and soup

In Suzhou and Chengdu the morning is rice-based: congee with pickles, rice noodles in clear or spicy broth, wontons in a light soup. In Guangdong, dim sum is a weekend affair rather than a weekday habit, and the everyday breakfast is rice-noodle rolls or a bowl of congee from a shop with four tables.

How to order without a menu

Point at what the person ahead of you has. Ask for no chilli by saying bu yao la, and ask for less oil by saying shao you. Tea is usually free and self-service; soy milk is often served warm and unsweetened unless you ask for sugar.

Entry, visa and payment details are for guidance only and subject to official regulations. Confirm anything critical with the relevant authority before travel.