Considering a Move to China?

Moving to China from the UK

Abels Moving Services has provided discreet export packing and shipping for over 50 years. We work with discerning families and professionals moving to China.

China, officially the People’s Republic of China, sits in East Asia, close to the Pacific Ocean. It’s bordered by the Bohai, Yellow, East and South China Seas. It’s the world’s second-largest country by land area, covering around 3.7 million square miles. That’s roughly 40 times the size of the UK.

China: Administrative Divisions

China is made up of 22 provinces and five autonomous regions. It also has four direct-controlled municipalities: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. It also includes two mostly self-governing special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau.

Population and Major Cities

China’s population sits at around 1.41 billion, still the second-highest in the world. It has actually been declining for the past four years. The government has introduced childbirth incentives to help slow that trend.

Beijing is the capital, though Shanghai is the largest city. China’s ten largest cities are Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Nanjing, and Wuhan.

The Chinese Economy

China is the world’s largest exporter of goods and the second-largest importer. Exports mainly consist of manufactured goods, including textiles, garments, electronic equipment, and arms.

China’s economic growth has slowed considerably since the rapid expansion of the 2000s and early 2010s. The government’s 2026 growth target sits at 4.5 to 5%, its lowest target since 1991. China still runs a substantial trade surplus, though, and remains the world’s second-largest economy overall.

Places to Visit

There’s plenty worth seeing once you’ve settled in. This includes the Great Wall of China and the Summer Palace in Beijing. Nature lovers might head to the Changbai Mountains, home to the rare Siberian tiger, or the Yabuli Ski Resort. History fans will want to see the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, Shaanxi, once China’s ancient capital. For something more modern, the Beijing National Olympic Stadium, home of the 2008 Olympics, is also worth a visit.

Planning Your Move

Talk to a specialist international removal company before you move to China. The process has its own pitfalls, and a domestic mover won’t be familiar with them.

Before you call, think about whether you want to send everything you own or just a select few personal effects. Call our head office on +44 1842 816600 or email [email protected]. We’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your move.

For full house moves or large volumes, we recommend a home survey. One of our International Customer Service Managers will visit your home. They’ll discuss your requirements, answer any questions about the process, and assess the items you’re packing. They’ll also explain how best to protect them in transit and confirm access for a larger removal vehicle or shipping container. Our colleague draws up a full list of items to take during the visit. Once we’ve collated all the costs (origin, freight, destination services), we’ll send you a detailed door-to-door removal proposal.

For smaller volumes, you can discuss your move over the phone, by email, or through our online service. We’ll assess your volume, access, packing requirements and shipping method from the information you give us. We’ll then send a detailed door-to-door proposal for you to consider.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They work alongside your Customer Service Manager to manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to China.

Export Packing

Export packing is essential for your belongings when moving to China. It protects your items in transit. We use either a 6-ply paper blanket with a wax inner and water-resistant outer. Or a tough bubble blanket with a soft cloth inner and robust outer that keeps corners protected. Certain items need an extra layer of card, cartoning, or wrap for additional protection. This includes polished furniture, antiques, delicate legs, and mirrored or glass-fronted units.

A domestic move by road needs less protection. A journey of thousands of miles in a 20ft or 40ft container needs far more. Your items get handled multiple times on that journey. They’re wrapped, loaded, and driven to port. They’re then lifted on and off the stack, and loaded onto the vessel. The same happens again in reverse at the other end. Robust export packing matters throughout.

We use the highest quality export materials throughout. We choose these to withstand a long export journey, not just a short domestic one. Containers stack up to two metres high in transit. Cartons at the bottom need to hold their shape and protect their contents for the whole journey.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Fine art needs particular care. Shipments to China involving valuable or delicate pieces call for enhanced export packing and careful handling throughout. This includes paintings, grandfather clocks, barometers, and chandeliers. In many cases, we build bespoke cases specifically for the item.

How we dismantle these items before shipping matters as much as how we pack them. Grandfather clocks need their main components taken apart and weights removed before casing. Barometers need specialist handling too, since we bung the tube to prevent the mercury inside from spilling.

Thorough training is what keeps our packing teams versed in the right handling and packing techniques for items like these. Find out more in our moving advice.

Airfreight

China has around 40 international airports, with several more in development. Major hubs include Beijing Capital (PEK) and Beijing Daxing (PKX). Also worth knowing: Fuzhou Changle (FOC), Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), Haikou Meilan (HAK), and Hong Kong International (HKG).

Beijing now runs a two-airport system, and both handle serious traffic. Beijing Capital handles around 70.7 million passengers a year, while Beijing Daxing, which opened in 2019, has quickly grown to around 53.6 million.

Sea transit typically takes 8 to 10 weeks door to door, so consider airfreight for anything you need sooner. Security restrictions mean airfreighted goods need professional packing rather than owner-packed cartons. We load them into heat-treated modules of various sizes, with waterproof covering for extra protection. Allow around 2 weeks door to door for airfreight. This accounts for UK and Chinese security and customs checks before delivery.

See more on airfreight shipments.

Customs Information

Import and export rules govern personal items and household goods entering China. Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for China for further background before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Shipping Services

We ship larger volumes and full house moves in a 20ft or 40ft container. Where access allows, we load the container outside your residence, so you can see our team’s care and skill first-hand. We seal the container with our uniquely numbered bolt seals. Where access doesn’t suit a container of this size, we load goods at our warehouse instead (you’re welcome to attend). Or we use a shuttle truck between your home and the container.

Some shipping lines offer low-cost freight at the expense of container quality and transit time. Abels sources containers through an organisation that secures A1-class containers on our behalf. These arrive without fractures, dry, clean, odour-free, and with a reliably consistent transit time. An odour in the container will transfer to your goods, and any fractures risk water damage.

Smaller volumes travel as LCL (less than container load). We take these to our warehouse and load them into heat-treated wooden crates for shipping.

Transit from port to port in China typically takes 34 to 45 days by sea. Vessels depart the UK weekly to major ports including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Qingdao, Tianjin, Xiamen, and Hong Kong. Door to door, allow around 8 to 10 weeks, depending on weather, strikes, re-routing, vessel availability and customs inspections.

Read more about shipping options when moving abroad.

Destination Services

We choose our destination partners for their accreditations. Most hold the FIDI-FAIM quality award. That means the standard you experience with Abels continues right through customs clearance and delivery in China.

We notify our destination partner as soon as your container departs the UK. They’ll contact you as delivery approaches and manage customs clearance on your behalf. Once cleared, they’ll arrange your delivery date. This normally includes delivery, unpacking, and set-up of standard furniture (excluding flat-pack items unless agreed). It also covers removal of packaging waste and return of the container to the wharf. Talk to your Abels Customer Service Manager or Customer Liaison if you’d like additional services. This includes a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support.

Our destination agents bring local knowledge of import documents, customs clearance and delivery. This keeps your arrival in China as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of. That means this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to China, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.