Dietary Restriction Help in China - Rescue Card #11

How to use this card

Save the image to your phone before traveling. We recommend screenshotting all 12 rescue cards and saving them to a dedicated “China Travel” album on your phone, so they’re available offline.
Open the image before you order, or as soon as a dish arrives that you’re unsure about. Point clearly at the allergen in the Chinese sentence.
Show the Chinese text (top half of the card) directly to the server, ask them to take it to the chef (厨师). The pinyin is there as backup if they want to read it phonetically.
Read the English translation to understand their answer.

“没有，可以吃” (No, it’s safe to eat) — They’ve confirmed the dish does not contain the listed allergen. Always ask them to show you the ingredient list or to write it on paper.
“有，不能吃” (Yes, it contains it — don’t eat it) — They have confirmed the allergen is present. Politely ask for a different dish.
“不清楚” (Not sure) — They cannot guarantee. In this case, the safe answer is to not eat the dish and order something simpler (plain rice, steamed vegetables, grilled fish with no sauce).
“我们换一道” (We’ll switch to a different dish) — The kitchen is making you a safe alternative. Stay nearby to confirm.

Always carry antihistamines and an EpiPen if you have a severe allergy — show this card in addition to having medication on hand. A translation app reading the dish description in advance is even safer.
High-risk Chinese dishes for common allergens — peanut sauce (麻酱) is everywhere; shellfish appears in many dim sum dishes and congees; gluten (麸质) hides in soy sauce (酱油) and many thickeners; eggs appear in many baked and fried dishes.
Avoid street food if your allergy is severe — the cooking surface is shared and the chef cannot guarantee no cross-contamination. Stick to sit-down restaurants where you can show this card.
Learn to recognize your allergen in Chinese characters — 花生 (peanut), 海鲜 (seafood), 鸡蛋 (egg), 麸质/面筋 (gluten), 牛奶 (milk), 大豆 (soy), 坚果 (tree nuts). Save this as a separate screenshot.
Screenshots work offline — make sure you have the image saved to your phone, not just bookmarked in a browser.

China Dietary Restrictions — full allergen vocabulary and what to watch for in Chinese cooking
China Street Food Guide — how to eat street food safely with dietary restrictions
China Travel Safety Guide — what to do in a medical emergency from an allergic reaction

If the restaurant cannot confirm safety, this card doesn’t make a dish safe. Instead:

Order plain rice (白米饭) and steamed vegetables (清炒蔬菜) — these are almost universally safe across Chinese cuisine.
Use a restaurant app filter — the Lazada of Chinese food apps (大众点评 / Meituan) lets you search restaurants by allergen and dietary tag.
Show the chef your EpiPen — this visual cue, paired with the card, removes any doubt about how serious your allergy is.
Head for an international-chain restaurant in a major city — Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and the larger international hotels all have allergen-aware kitchens with English-speaking staff.