At the airport

The Red Channel

This crossingArriving in ChinaLeaving China

Personal articles you will leave in China, worth ¥2,000 or more. A Chinese resident’s line on this guide is ¥5,000.
1,500 ml or more of drinks at 12% alcohol or above, 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars, or 500 g of tobacco.
Animals, plants, animal or plant products, microbes, biological products, human tissue, or blood products.
A radio transmitter, receiver, or communication-security device.
Goods for sale, samples, or advertising material.
Baggage that is not traveling with you.

The green channel is only for nothing to declare

If you are not sure, the guide says to ask an officer or choose the red channel. Passengers under 16 traveling with an adult may be exempt from the form. This page does not decide that.

Do not pack these

Weapons, imitation weapons, ammunition, or explosives.
Counterfeit currency or counterfeit securities.
Illegal drugs, including opium, morphine, heroin, and cannabis.
Deadly poisons.
Fresh fruit, soil, and live animals other than a pet dog or cat. The quarantine list is longer than this line.

Where this came from

General Administration of Customs — English clearance guide: http://english.customs.gov.cn/statics/88707c1e-aa4e-40ca-a968-bdbdbb565e4f.html

The guide’s category 7 is anything else the law prohibits or restricts. This page does not list that whole law.