Don't take this as gospel, but ...
China is in nearly all ways a whole new world for western visitors. Here's some essential survival tips for first-timers.
1. Histrionics are counter-productive. If you get upset with the Chinese, they will probably just ignore you (English is hard enough for most Chinese to understand in any case, let alone from the mouth of a lunatic). Keep your cool.
2. While knives and forks are usually available on request, you will impress the locals if you can handle chopsticks with some dexterity. Practice in advance with peanuts to improve your technique and learn how to pick the chopsticks up in one fell swoop, rather than fumbling with them between two hands.
3. Food. Chinese food is fantastic. Literally. As you travel around China you will enjoy staple dishes with familiar ingredients as a matter of course, however, each area has its specialities. In the Gansu Province, for example, the local delicacy is braised camel hoof. It's called Snow Mountain by virtue of the mound of frothed egg-white which accompanies it. You will disappoint your host if you don't at least try it.
There are plenty of exotic dishes in China which have found their way into provincial custom as a result of an always populous nation having to exploit every available food resource along with a mystic confidence in the qualities of certain animal body parts and by-products. Be ready for the unusual. Oh, and tea will be offered everywhere you go. It's good for you. Drink it.
4. It is said the Chinese were formalising banquet protocol while in other parts of the world people were learning that bananas are better without the skin. If you are attending a hosted banquet, your host (who appreciates you are unfamiliar with Chinese etiquette) will make every effort to ensure your comfort. Just take his or her lead and, if offered the seat to the host's right, accept it with measured enthusiasm; this seat is somewhat privileged.
Toasts are frequent, be ready to make one yourself. A celebration of the host's generosity and choice of food is a good stand-by. When fresh fruit arrives on the banquet table you will know the service has come to an end. And the Chinese, once aware that all guests are fed, don't waste time at the dinner table. If you have something to discuss, do so during dinner, otherwise the post-dinner farewell (a speedy affair) will leave you without an answer.
5. Gan Bei. This is a drinking game played at the dinner table only by men. Presumably, women simply aren't stupid enough to take part. It involves a quick toast - ``gan bei'', the equivalent of ``prost'' or ``bottoms up'' - followed by the drinking of a shot glass of spirit; usually a 50 degree proof (or higher) firewater brewed from rice. If you are so inclined, take part, but be warned that trickery is part of the game. Experienced Chinese males employ frequently a sleight of hand in order that they can safely reach the game's objective - which is to be the one using their legs to walk away from the table. Catch them at it (one trick is to pour water in the gan bei glass while you're not looking) or vice versa and the penalty is to drink three glasses in rapid succession. Don't say you weren't warned.
6. Which brings us to toilets. The best I visited was in the World Plaza Hotel at Urumqi, a fine establishment. There, a young man opened the cubicle door for me, ushered me in, dusted me down afterwards and finished off his cheery attendance with a quick buff of my shoes. The worst was a two-way tie, with the finalists each located at forgettable pit-stops. The Asian "squat" toilet is an uncomfortable experience for Western visitors but you are almost certainly going to have to use one at least once during your stay in China. My advice? Be sure to carry a pocket-size pack of tissues with you and also a wad of one and two yuan notes or coins as city toilets typically impose a fee.
7. In a country of 1.2 billion people, queues can be long and queue-jumpers not uncommon. A Chinese assuming a higher place in the line is not trying to be rude. He just figures he has as much right to that particular space as you do. Guard your place in line. Otherwise, see survival tip 1.
8. You can get a driver's licence in China on the provision of a very good reason and even then, you must sit the theory and practical test in Chinese and if you pass, you must stick to designated travel routes. Better to shuffle on heels than bang head on wall, Confucius might say.
This is probably a good thing. A self-driving foreigner trying to negotiate the busy streets of China's hectic metropoli would likely steal the order from chaos. Independent travel by plane, train, bus and footslogging is entirely feasible, but I would suggest only for the adventurous and confident traveller. A smattering of essential Chinese phrases would be useful for the solo traveller but remember there are areas of China where the official dialect may be of little help. Good luck to you.
9. On arrival in Shanghai, our guide advised us to "close eyes and have brave heart" in order to cross street. She was joking of course (I think) but there is a safer way. Find a group of locals and cross the street with them flock-of-geese style. They know the surest way to the other side better than you do. Probably.
10. Don't buck the system. If there appears to be a system in place, adhere to it. If there is no apparent system, adhere to it. If there is absolutely no system at all, adhere to it.
11. In the age-old cities of Xi'an and Beijing (and all others for that matter), the pavements are likely to be uneven or have holes in unfortunate places. Modern flooring in new buildings tends to be a highly polished and slippery surface. There is practically no such thing as public liability in China and there is no reciprocal arrangement between Chinese and Australian public health systems.
Crossing the road on foot is fraught with danger and drivers are both foolhardy at overtaking and when doing so unlikely to change their mind even in the face of danger. Conclusion: buy the best travel insurance you can afford.
12. The Chinese prefer to snort and spit. Westerners prefer tissues. It is not my place to say which is more civilised ... just get used to it.
There is one other thing. Always say or ask exactly what you mean. The Chinese who understand English will often take you literally and return an answer you may not have anticipated or even one that is of no consequence at all. Be absolutely clear about what you want or need.