Although gratuities are not officially required, and are entirely voluntary, tipping has become a common practice in China in some areas. It has become the norm to tip the tour guide and driver, hotel bellboy in recognition of their good service. It is not customary to leave tips at local restaurants. Normally, you do not need to tip at hotel restaurants, as the bill includes 10% to 15% service charge.
China Highlights does not include tipping when quoting the tour price. We suggest $5 to $10 /per guest per day for tour guide and 3 to 8 USD for the driver when traveling in a small group of say - 2 to 5 people. For example, if 2 people are traveling in a party and stay in Beijing for 3 nights, the combined tip for the tour guide could be US$30 to US$60. Active tours like hiking, biking, rafting, we suggest that doubling the tip is appropriate.