
Ask HN: Traveling to China for an extended period - jason_slack
I&#x27;m headed to China for 2-3 months for my job. C++, writing docs, etc. I have been learning Chinese for a while.<p>What advice does anyone have for equipment safety? Things to think about, etc.<p>Examples:<p>1. Someone told me to not take my &quot;expensive&quot; iPhone 7+ as it is a high priced item and a target for pick pockets. Same thing with my ceramic Apple Watch series 3. Buy an iPhone SE or even an Android phone as HTC phones are very common there and not really an item to steal.<p>2. Same with my cash and id, don&#x27;t carry in pants pockets, hide it in a backpack someplace.<p>3. Laptop. Same thing as my phone. Don&#x27;t take my 15-inch MBP, but an Air or something.<p>How valid is this advice? My employer is sponsoring my trip, obviously.<p>Any other advice on laptop setup?
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LiveFastDieYoun
I've lived in mainland China for almost 4 years .. It depends on the area you
go to, but I'd say China is fairly safe as long as you behave responsibly
(don't leave your laptop alone on the coffee shop etc). I never had any
problem in this time (I lived in Shenzhen and Jieyang). But, protect all your
communications with SSL or similar, and for gods sake don't use wechat. I
uninstalled it recently because of the new privacy announcement. As for
privacy and accessing blocked websites, I found this
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnQDiGBFIXk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnQDiGBFIXk)
to be very effective

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FabHK
I've lived in HK, not mainland China, and I avoid China personally (air
pollution, increasing nationalism, politics, etc.), so take this with a grain
of salt:

\- violent crime is rarely an issue, and I'd feel safer taking an MBP and
iPhone 7+ there than, say, in the Americas. Having said that, don't flaunt
them.

\- opportunistic property crime (theft, pick-pocketing) might be an issue,
particularly in crowded urban areas, but I think with some basic measures as
you mentioned you can handle the risk.

\- There are many (non-violent) scams, such as the tea house girls on popular
shopping streets, etc. Check wikivoyage for your destination, and the general
scam page
([https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Common_scams](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Common_scams))

\- I'd look into setting up a good VPN/proxy before you go, or buy a Hong Kong
SIM with roaming and massive data allowance and tether. Also, might want to
enable disk encryption. (If you use WeChat etc., assume that you're
monitored.)

There are many other issues more relevant/specific than the risk of
robbery/theft.

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mtmail
That reads like pick-pocket advise for any country, it might fit New York City
or Paris subways as well.

[https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/New_York_City#Stay_safe](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/New_York_City#Stay_safe)
"The most common crime against tourists (not including being overcharged!) is
bag snatching. Never let go of your handbag (putting other bags down is OK, as
long as you guard them carefully), especially in the subway but also when
eating at a restaurant. Take special care if sitting outdoors or in a crowded
self-service restaurant. Leave your passport and other valuables that you
don't need to carry in a hotel safe or hidden in your suitcase. Don't flaunt a
wad of money if you can help it; if you want to be safer, count your money in
your room before you go out and take only what you think you may need. Unless
you have protective outer wear, consider not wearing expensive jewelry, and
hide valuables like cameras when you're not using them. [...] While muggings
are rare, they do happen."

[https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Paris#Stay_safe](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Paris#Stay_safe)
"The métro is also a popular place for pickpockets. Hold things tightly and be
aware of your surroundings. [...] Pickpockets are most likely to be found
working at crowded tourists hotspots, so keep your wallet and phone in your
front pockets and hold your backpack tightly when in a crowd."

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PaulHoule
Bring a Dell. Nobody will want to steal it. Pickpockets might even stuff one
into your bag when you are not looking.

