Anyone who has lived anywhere in China or even visited briefly as a tourist, how is the drinking water?

Question

How is the drinking water in China,people who have lived there for an extended period of time, are there places cities, providences, where the water is better than others? the country? the cities? which and where is the better water for drinking?

as most of us have heard, when going to Mexico, not to drink the water, any admonitions or and warnings like that in China?? thanks for all answers,

Answer 1

In China, you only drink the tap water if it's been boiled. If you want normal water, you have to buy it bottled. If you go to a restaurant, you have to ask for water and if you don't want boiled water, you have to pay for bottled water so it's probably cheaper to bring your own bottle of water. The bottled water will also be more expensive in any major attraction, so again, bring your own.

Have fun if you're going to China!

Answer 2

We went to China for a couple of weeks last year.  Beijing, Xian, the Yangtze River, Guilin, all after a week in Bhutan.   We drank mostly bottled water just to be on the safe side, but we brushed our teeth with tap water.  Most of the places we stayed provided bottled water in the rooms.  Here's our page on general travel health tips:   http://www.mousetourstravels.com/interna...  and our page on water safety:  http://www.mousetourstravels.com/is-the-...

Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it!  http://www.mousetourstravels.com

Answer 3

I'm a chinese american, lived in China for half a yr, visited several times, so I know da facts.

NEVER drink any water from the wild (like rivers, lakes, ponds). Normally, tap water is filtered only a bit from these wild waters, so the chinese people boil it. This kind of water is safe, and you'll find it in most people houses. Restaurants offer this boiled water too but they also offer cold water. THese are safe (assuming its not a dirty run down cart on the side of some broken road). Bottle water is tricky. Most bottle water are very good, clean, and relatively cheap (if your from the US). Its usually 2-4 yuan, so about 25-50 cents. Funny thing, coke and sprite are usally just 2 yuan, and these are clean drinks, so if your not worried about dieting, these are always good. However, there are some bottled water that are just fake. I can't quite remember all the real brands, but if you see one that has some sort of commercialling on it (like a picture of a famous person) it's probably real. Don't buy any bottle that just has a lable saying "Water". If something is really basicly designed, it's probably fake (unless you buy it at an airport, which are all real). Some brands are Wahaha, Avian, QingSui. During my half yr there though, i bought tons of different brands, and I never got sick. Just go with your guts, it it looks bad,dont get it. Looks simple and fake, dont get it. Looks expensive/real/complex, get it :)