Flying in China ?

[Bob1956]

With all the drones coming out of China just wondering if it is a tightly regulated country to fly in or a more open and drone friendly place ? No idea, just curious.

 

[waynesi]

First of all I'm Chinese.

I thought China should have at least the similar common regulations like no build-up areas etc, until I found loads of drone footage taken in the busiest area of Shanghai and this is the craziest

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

. Bear in mind, the Shanghai airport is not far away. Many footages taken in other cities are also easily found everywhere. So this put me thinking, either China has the least rules on drones in the whole world, or nobody really enforces the rules.

But in general, the Chinese people is very open minded and they will only be curious if you fly a drone around them rather than telling you off.

 

[waynesi]

BTW, bit off topic, lots of viewers of the Youtube video above commented on the general grey cast as air pollution. lol, It is not (or not fully). Shanghai and the areas closeby are surrounded by a vast net of waters - rice farms, rivers and sea, so it's very humid all year round and have a rainy season (East Asian rainy season - Wikipedia) of a whole month of non-stop rain between spring and summer.

 

[Bob1956]

Thank-you. No idea why this question popped into my head. No plans to visit China anytime soon.

 

[Dan C]

First of all I'm Chinese.

...

...until I found loads of drone footage taken in the busiest area of Shanghai...

Not taking anything away from waynesi’s post, however:

The way the locals, civilian and police, will respond to a foreigner with drone is highly likely to be different from their response to a local.

Second, Shanghai is a poor representative of how mainland China is.

I live in China, and recently brought my drone here. I’ve registered it, and over the next days I’ll start experiencing first hand the answer to this question.

But my research suggests that, with a little common sense you can stay out of trouble.

It pays to launch from a location away from people, then fly to your point of interest. Reports suggest that sooner or later, some local will inform you it is not allowed to fly there, and a discrete withdrawal is always the wisest course in any conflict with locals.

Locals can be intensely curious, and sometimes don’t have much respect for boundaries.

Best advice is to avoid people.

And if you’ve been to China, you’ll realize how hard that can be.

Officially, however, it is legal once you’ve registered, though there are NFZ all over the place, and most of them do not appear on the DJI map for security reasons. You’ll just find a bunch of places you can’t fly.

 

[DKAerial]

I have been flying regularly in China now and it has been a very positive experience.
People sometimes get curious and look at you, but unlike in Europe were people start to complain sometimes no issue.
In Shanghai I took-off next to a police man and he did not care at all.

Most important thing is that your drone is registered in China, even the DJI App will check if you are registered.
Biggest no-go are Government buildings (and airports of course).

Here is my latest China video
Hangzhou, China - Modern and beautiful city - Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[waynesi]

@DKAerial, very nice video and love it as Hangzhou is my home town although I never had a chance to fly there myself.

Your Youtube profile seems suggesting you're a westerner, yet you had positive expereicne flying in China, which is bit off from what @Dan C said in his post. I have no intention to drag anyone to anything political, I just simply felt rather fraustrated with so many different stories about China...sigh... Sorry for off topic again.

 

[Dan C]

@DKAerial, very nice video and love it as Hangzhou is my home town although I never had a chance to fly there myself.

Your Youtube profile seems suggesting you're a westerner, yet you had positive expereicne flying in China, which is bit off from what @Dan C said in his post. I have no intention to drag anyone to anything political, I just simply felt rather fraustrated with so many different stories about China...sigh... Sorry for off topic again.

Please note I stated this is anecdotal. I'm hoping for a good experience, but prepared to deal with problems calmly if they occur.
I'll be flying in my city tomorrow and Sunday. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[dawgpilot]

You need to register it in China which supposedly requires a local Chinese phone number. The registration then generates a QR code that you affix to the drone.

If you have a friend or family member there, they can likely assist you with the process.

Flying Drone in China: 2025 Regulations + Travel Tips

If you plan to fly a drone in China, it's crucial that you know China's regulations on drones & how to register your drone with the CAAC.

www.travelchinacheaper.com

 

[waynesi]

Please note I stated this is anecdotal. I'm hoping for a good experience, but prepared to deal with problems calmly if they occur.
I'll be flying in my city tomorrow and Sunday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry @Dan C I might be overly sensitive as I was frustrated by the recent media war; my apology. I hope you have a wonderful experience. Love to see your updates.