Short answer
Pharmacies (药店, green cross sign) are dense in every Chinese city and common minor ailments — headache, diarrhea, colds, allergies — are handled over the counter for ¥10–40. Look for the OTC mark for self-service items; anything else needs a doctor's prescription. Foreign passports work for real-name checks. A heavily restricted list (ephedrine cold medicines and similar) is ID-registered and capped regardless of prescription status.
How pharmacies work
- Look for the green cross sign and the word 药店 (yàodiàn). Big chains include 老百姓大药房 (LBX Pharmacy), 益丰 (Yifeng), 大参林 (Da Zhong Lin) and 一心堂 (Yixintang) — they are standardized and price-labeled.
- Most common OTC items cost ¥10–40. The counter staff are usually licensed pharmacists and will recommend items if you describe symptoms — translation apps work fine for this.
- Many pharmacies in city centers and near hospitals run 24 hours; Meituan Maps or Amap searching 药店 shows opening hours and 24h flags.
- Prescription drugs legally require a prescription reviewed by an on-duty pharmacist — pharmacies cannot sell them without one, and the rule is enforced more strictly each year.
What you can buy without a prescription
The OTC mark on the box is the signal: red OTC (甲类) must be sold from the counter, green OTC (乙类) can sit on open shelves — both are yours without a prescription. Combination cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine are NOT in this free category — see the restricted list below.
| Need | Common Chinese product | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|
| Pain/fever | 布洛芬 (ibuprofen) or 对乙酰氨基酚 (acetaminophen) | ¥10–20 |
| Stomach/diarrhea | 蒙脱石散 (montmorillonite powder), 口服补液盐 (oral rehydration salts) | ¥10–25 |
| Colds (non-restricted) | Basic single-ingredient remedies with OTC mark | ¥15–30 |
| Allergies | 氯雷他定 (loratadine), 西替利嗪 (cetirizine) | ¥15–25 |
| Motion sickness | 晕车药 (buscopan-type tablets or patches) | ¥10–20 |
| Muscle strain | 云南白药 sprays and plasters, pain-relief plasters (膏药) | ¥15–40 |
What needs a prescription — and the restricted list
- Antibiotics and essentially all 'real' prescription drugs require a doctor's prescription from a licensed physician. Your foreign prescription has no force in China — but a short hospital or clinic visit produces one, and internet hospitals offer online consultations that issue valid e-prescriptions.
- A national restricted list (tightened by a 2026 regulator notice) bans online sale entirely — pharmacies and delivery apps alike — for: all injectables (except insulin), vaccines, blood products, narcotic/psychotropic medicines, pregabalin, tramadol combinations, and several high-risk prescription drugs (warfarin, carbamazepine, mifepristone and similar).
- Cold and cough medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine (common in combination cold remedies) can be bought only offline, with your passport checked and registered, capped at 2 retail packs per purchase — and the pharmacy will log it.
- Expect outright refusal for bulk purchases or requests without clear personal need; pharmacies are required to report unusual buying patterns.
Medicine delivery: 30 minutes to your door
- Meituan (美团买药), Ele.me and JD Health deliver OTC medicine in roughly 30 minutes in cities, 24h in many districts — the fastest option for traveler ailments, ordered through apps you likely already have.
- Delivery requires payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay (both link international cards), and real-name items will ask for ID details.
- Everything on the national restricted list is automatically unavailable online — that's regulation, not stock shortage. If an item can't be found in any delivery app, it's on the list; go to a pharmacy in person.
Bring your own — with care
- Personal-use quantities of your regular medication are allowed into China; keep them in original packaging with the prescription label, and carry a copy of the prescription — customs occasionally asks.
- Check controlled substances before flying: codeine-containing painkillers and ADHD stimulants (amphetamine-class medicines) are controlled in China and can cause real trouble at the border. If you rely on one, research the import rules and carry documentation.
- Western brand names often don't exist in China — the active ingredient (INN) is what to search for, e.g. 'ibuprofen 布洛芬'.
Authenticity and serious illness
- All legitimate medicines carry a 国药准字 registration number on the box, plus a traceability code you can scan with Alipay or WeChat to verify maker and batch. Refuse anything without both — no exceptions, including 'gifts' from well-meaning strangers.
- For anything beyond minor ailments, go to a hospital (医院) or an international clinic — Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu have English-speaking international departments. Emergency ambulance: 120. Pharmacies are for the small stuff.
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From our other site
Same team, different product. Care in China is a separate site with its own release state — check what it says before relying on it, and confirm anything medical with the hospital.
Policies and booking channels change — check the official channel before you rely on it.