In China you can usually sell building photos, but images featuring public artworks are legally risky, and government and military subjects are off-limits.
Shoot decision
Small personal or low-impact work may be fine, but commercial, staged, exclusive-use, tripod, light, or crew-heavy work can cross the permit line.
Permit line
Conditional, Site managers for ticketed attractions and commercial shoots; no permit for ordinary public street photography
Public space
Yes to photograph in genuinely public places, but the Civil Code grants a strong portrait right
Drone layer
All drones, including sub-250g, must be registered with the CAAC; recreational flight is capped at 120m
Guidance, not legal advice
Before you go
Work in this order. Each step answers a different risk, and skipping ahead is how a simple shoot turns into a permit, flight, or gear problem on site.
Use the source links before you schedule, invoice, or bring a larger setup.
Open official sourceTurn the rule answer into a route, frame list, and completion checklist before you are standing there.
Build shot listIf the plan includes a drone, check the flight side separately before you pack batteries.
Check Drone AuthorityCarry versatile gear and avoid a kit that only works for landmark-heavy commercial frames.
Match field gearAperture workflow
Country rules shape what you can publish and what gear is worth carrying. Check the legal layer, then plan the field kit.
Field kit
When rules affect what you can publish or sell, carry versatile gear and avoid a kit that forces one landmark-heavy shot.
Compact support for city and landscape work
$599 - $699
Photographers who hike or travel and want full height in a pack-friendly form.
Skip if: Expensive
Price-band check
Use the retailer for the current price after the kit still fits the rule constraint.
Simple normal lens for people and detail frames
$200 - $250
First-time Sony owners who want a budget prime for portraits and low light.
Skip if: Autofocus is slow and noisy
Price-band check
Use the retailer for the current price after the kit still fits the rule constraint.
Product links may earn a commission at no cost to you. Verify the rules first, then buy only what keeps the shoot practical.
Drone Authority
Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.
Conditional
Issuer: Site managers for ticketed attractions and commercial shoots; no permit for ordinary public street photography
Cost: No permit for casual public photography; commercial crews and many ticketed sites require permission and fees
Casual public photography needs no permit. Commercial shoots and many ticketed sites need advance permission, and tripods or lighting are often restricted. Photographing military, defence, government, police, and border sites is prohibited and can lead to detention.
All drones, including sub-250g, must be registered with the CAAC; recreational flight is capped at 120m
Extensive no-fly zones apply and foreigners cannot directly obtain commercial drone licenses. For depth, see Drone Authority.
Yes to photograph in genuinely public places, but the Civil Code grants a strong portrait right
Articles 1018 to 1020 prohibit using a person's image without consent, with exceptions for personal use, news, and unavoidable inclusion when shooting a public scene.
Limited
Copyright Law Article 24(10) permits photographing artworks displayed in public with attribution, but does not clearly authorize commercial use. Selling photos of ordinary buildings is generally safe; selling photos featuring public sculptures or murals is risky, and a court has found postcard sales of an outdoor sculpture infringing.
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: