Quick Answer
When buying souvenirs in China, you need to understand customs regulations. Prohibited exit items include materials involving state secrets, precious cultural relics, and endangered species. Restricted items include gold and silver, RMB, foreign currency, valuable traditional Chinese medicines, and general antiques. Antique export is managed by era: items from 1911 and earlier are strictly prohibited from export; items from 1949 and earlier are prohibited in principle. Traditional Chinese medicine export is limited to ¥300 (to foreign countries) or ¥1,500 (to Hong Kong/Macau).
Prohibited Exit Items
- Materials involving state secrets — manuscripts, printed materials, audio/video recordings — strictly prohibited
- Precious cultural relics — see antique export rules below
- Endangered species (including specimens) and seeds — includes ivory, rhino horn, tiger bone, etc.
Restricted Exit Items
- Gold and silver products — quantities exceeding personal use must be declared
- RMB — export limit of ¥20,000 per person per trip
- Foreign currency and securities — up to $5,000 equivalent without declaration
- Valuable traditional Chinese medicines — subject to specific limits and a prohibited list
- General antiques — require cultural relic export review
Antique Export Rules
Under regulations from the National Cultural Heritage Administration (ncha.gov.cn):
- 1911 and earlier — strictly prohibited from export
- 1949 and earlier — prohibited in principle
- After 1949 — may apply for cultural relic export review
Review process: 3+ professional appraisers review the item, with results issued within 15 working days. If approved, a cultural relic export seal is affixed and a Cultural Relic Export Permit is issued. Replicas can receive a Cultural Relic Replica Certificate and are not subject to export restrictions.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Export Limits
- To foreign countries — total value limited to ¥300
- To Hong Kong/Macau — total value limited to ¥1,500
- Prohibited from export — musk, toad venom, tiger bone, rhinoceros horn, bezoar
- Tea — no specific quantity limit; personal use quantity applies
Popular Souvenirs
- Silk — Hangzhou and Suzhou; choose 100% mulberry silk products
- Tea — West Lake Longjing, Pu'er, Tieguanyin
- Jade — Hetian jade and jadeite; request an appraisal certificate
- Calligraphy and painting — note that works from 1949 and earlier may be classified as cultural relics
- Porcelain — Jingdezhen blue-and-white and famille rose
- Cloisonné — a Beijing specialty
- Paper cutting — folk art from Shaanxi and Hebei
- Seal carving — Shoushan and Qingtian stones
Practical Tips
- Confirm the item's age before purchase; items from 1949 and earlier require export review
- Keep all purchase receipts and certificates
- Do not exceed medicine limits (¥300 abroad / ¥1,500 to HK/Macau)
- Tea can be purchased without worry — personal use quantity applies
- Replicas are a safe choice — request a Cultural Relic Replica Certificate
- Carry fragile items with you; request professional packaging
The following are the author's personal QR codes (not merchant codes), with a fixed amount of ¥10.00 set for testing whether your card binding was successful.
About Personal QR Codes: This website is maintained by an individual. The QR codes are for personal daily use, not merchant codes. Since personal QR codes may not be able to accept international credit card payments, the transaction may fail. However, this does not mean your card binding failed — the fact that you reached the payment page itself confirms that your binding was successful.
About the Amount: Please do not modify the preset amount. This is simply a payment test. If the payment goes through, consider it as buying me a coffee. The fixed amount is set to avoid any inconvenience caused by accidentally entering the wrong amount.
Important: The primary purpose of these codes is to help you verify whether your registration and card binding were successful, not to generate profit. If you're not comfortable, feel free to skip this step.
