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Find cheap flights to China from R8 029

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from South Africa to China departing on 19/9. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Sa 15/6
Sa 22/6

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Best China Flight Deals

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Guangzhou
Guangzhou1 stopR12 575
Shanghai
Shanghai1 stopR15 453
Beijing
Beijing1 stopR14 463

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

November

Cheapest flight

R8 029
Best time to beat the crowds (9% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 7% lower on average.
Flight from OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg to Shanghai Pudong Airport

FAQs - booking China flights

  • How long is the flight to China?

    An average direct flight from South Africa to China takes 22h 08m, covering a distance of 18749 km. The most popular route is Johannesburg - Guangzhou with an average flight time of 15h 35m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to China?

    The cheapest ticket to China from South Africa found in the last 72 hours was R9 808 one-way, and R10 540 round-trip. The most popular route is Johannesburg OR Tambo to Guangzhou Baiyun and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was R10 760.

  • What are the most popular destinations in China?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Shanghai (57% of total searches to China). The next most popular destinations are Guangzhou (20%) and Beijing (15%).Searches for flights to Kunming (5%) and to Xiamen (3%) are also popular.

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to China

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest China flight deals.

Top 5 airlines flying to China

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from South Africa to China? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8,2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1448 reviews
8,4Boarding
8,1Comfort
8,7Crew
7,8Food
8,1Entertainment
Airline reviews

My overall experience with Singapore Airlines is great. Will definitely fly Singapore airline again.

8,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2024SIN - JFK
Read more about Singapore Airlines reviews

My overall experience with Singapore Airlines is great. Will definitely fly Singapore airline again.

Good flight. Fiod was ready a bit late hence a hurry to finish before landing. Excellent crew and service

Good flight. The food was served a bit late, hence a hurry to finish before landing. Excellent crew and service

Great to have actual hot tastey meal on a flight. Well done

Excellent meal served with real utensils, cardboard served hot meals instead of plastic utensils and plastic covers. Quick service, friendly and accommodating stewards.

All in all the flight was good. Love the fact that for airline food it was piping hot

I commend the flight attendants on our SFO-SIN flight who went above and beyond to provide us with extra snacks and food. This type of service makes the flight experience personal and awesome.

It was a great flight Food was great Crew was spectacular

In general good, but the machine seems to be long in operation and some functions were restricted as e. g. Adjusting of seats.

Wonderful service, planes and interior in great condition, very pleasant experience

The customers before boarding the plane from Dubai was HORRENDOUS. The entire Emirates staff had a stick up their bum. The guy at the check in booth was rude. I don’t understand.

Good but needs to improve cleanliness Coffee serve cold Needs to raise standard serving food Otherwise good

Staff were friendly, and provided great service. The food was plentiful and delicious. Food could have been hotter.

They had superb boarding (started an hour before flight time). Timely pushback from them gate and an early arrival. Flight and service was very comfortable. I wanted to move my flight to an earlier one, only thing was there was no one at emirates in Heathrow to help. Had to call the call the center and pay to change. There were ample seats on the flight though

Check-in process at Bengaluru airport was atrociously slow. Emirates should allow baggage drop option after online check-in and verification of documents. The rest of the flight was quite good and we didn't have any complaints.

The air hostess spilled tomato juice on me by mistake in Mumbai -Dubai flight. I was traveling from Mumbai to UAD. Her senior came and offered couple of small chocolates (probably given in business class) as compensation. I asked for access to lounge as I had to travel till IAD and I could shower and change. But she said she cannot do that and did nothing further. I found the response to their mistake as inappropriate.

Great flight. Comfortable seats, courteous service, and excellent selection for entertainment.

I enjoyed the live television programming for entertainment, and honestly everything was acceptable. It’s just that I choose emirates, because they have always been so much better in so many ways – food choices, service, accessibility, friendliness of the staff. None of those things were poor, but they have definitely slid from their position of excellence. One example would be that after the dinner meal was served, the flight attendants huddled in the back galley with the curtains closed (by the way, that’s where snacks and drinks are), and you have to interrupt them to go back there to either ask for something or to get a snack. While they do not respond in an unfriendly way, you are led to believe that you are interrupting them by coming to get a snack or making a request. Even something like, “ Yes, how many I help you?” would be a great improvement.

The individual attention the crew gives to passengers is commendable and I find them positively helpful.

More space all around is practically essential on long international fights, and Emirates definitely delivers. But food selection and taste was only average. Otherwise, the flight was smooth and the cabin crew service was fine.

Qatar airways from Doha to guangzhau was excellent big bird Boeing 777 more room and smoothly flight, I Love it

They made us deliberate waste time by holding our passports and boarding passes making us miss the flight

Not impressed. Only allowed one carry on on such a long flight.

I found it weird that the quality of the flight different from Australia to Doha than the Doha to Berlin leg. The quality of the toiletries pack (was in a box from Australia) and then a proper bag from Doha. The biggest variation was the inflight entertainment, which had a significantly shorter amount of content compared to the Doha flight. My QSuite seat was also broken and did not recline all the way flat. Wasn’t the best and I wouldn’t be happy if I’d paid cash for the flight.

The crew was fantastic and the over flight was perfect as well.

They shld provide food. Between food they are giving 10 hours gap which is toooo much

The crew was courteous and efficient. There was no entertainment or liquor service on this short international flight.

It was pretty good overall. I just wish the crew didn't have to interrupt you every five seconds to ask you if you wanted anything, I mean that's what the help button is for. When someone is tired and sleepy and still getting their bearings, turning on DND button is maybe not the first thing on their mind.

I liked the overall service and comfort. The only annoying thing was paying for excess baggage at the airport. They have limited options and they don't take all cards.

Was required to print a boarding pass, which I'd prefer to avoid. Seat (economy x) was comfortable, service was excellent.

I was a good, but long trip. The airline did a good job. I would use them again.

The food could be better, the beef was quite tough. The crew were friendly and helpful on this flight, which has not being my experience on other Ethiopian flights.

The flight was one hour late. The food is mediocre and the screen was broken

It is just ok, the sits are very uncomfortable, the temperature too low and there weren’t blankets. The food is mediocre and there are no screens to watch movies.

Seat in front of my wife was broken so it reclined further than normal and without having to push the recline button so my wife had absolutely no room the entire 17 hour flight. My seat was broken and wouldn't recline at all. Also.. my tray table was sticky and dirty right away before I even used it. Also...the floor in the back of the plane from our row of seats on back was totally soaked and both times we landed water came rushing out of the food/servant area like a flood onto the same already wet carpet. It got everything wet that was placed around our feet...including our shoes and socks.

it was a nice tripe but they need to work on the serving of soda,they should be abled to serve cain soda not on cup.At least each passenger should be entitled to one cain of soda not serving on cup.thanks.

Entertainment was very poor. Couldn’t watch anything. Ear pieces were the wrong type .

The check in staff was amazing. Best customer service! The plane was old! My entertainment on the first flight didn't work at all, in my seat or in the seat next to me. The bathroom doors were old and troublesome. One of the bathrooms, the whole sink panel was broken. Everything felt old and falling apart. The airline stewardesses were amazing and quite hospitable. When there were delays, they kept us well informed. Transit was GREAT! I wasn't sure how I would make it to my next flight in 1 1/2 hours but the security lines were short and efficient. The C gates in Addis Ababa were CROWDED! That whole space downstairs was too crowded and challenging to manuever. I usually fly Ethiopian within Africa and was interested to see how the experience would be intercontinental. Overall, I would choose it again if it was cheaper than Delta/Air France or Lufthansa/KLM. I wouldn't make it a first choice if the prices were the same because the planes are so old! The food and entertainment also weren't as good. Good selection of movies but as I mentioned, on the first flight they didn't work at all (I slept so it was okay) and the 2nd flight it was glitchy. All in all, I didn't hate it but it would be a first choice only if it's cheaper.

The wifi service was really poor I try to use it the service was extremely poor if that could be improved that will go a long way

The food really sucks And they really need to work on entertainment The movie selection is herendous .

The flight was delayed for almost 5 hours, but I understand that it was not up to the company, however how they could handle the situation better, they never apologized for that delay, moreover despite passengers being there for 7 hours only thing they did was to give a bowl of instant noodles, afterwards on the plane tiny snacks, people were there starting from lunch time and we’ve arrived to destination at almost midnight

Flight was delayed for 2 hours for no reason, then we spent almost an hour after boarding because of the weather conditions. If we left on time we could avoid that 😾

Pros: "Friendly crew and helpful staff"
Cons: "Missed connection from PEK to XIY due to delayed arrival and early departure. From XIY to PEK, booked and confirmed 11 departure, changed to 12:30 without notification or explaination. Rushed connections at PEK, pretty much ran from the minute left plan to another terminal, through custom, through all the health check points, security check. Just keep the fights on time and keep the original schedules, not arbitrarily change them."
Pros: "The crew was accommodating during the flight but spoke very little English and could not help with information on connecting flight."
Cons: "We missed our connecting flight due to a delay and the airline would not let us through because we could have made our second flight...."
Cons: "Connecting though Beijing from Taipei to LAX is not recommended if you can avoid it!"
Cons: "Seats are narrow, leg room poor, and food service is minimal."
Pros: "The seats on business were comfy, the service excellent, the movie selection was fair to poor, the food was also fair to good largely because they served a heavy lunch rather than a light breakfast."
Cons: "The food and movie selection."
Pros: "The crew was okay. The seating was great on all except for one leg."
Cons: "On one leg, it must have been an older plane, because the business class seats barely reclined."
Cons: "More TV show choices and more Hollywood movies although I understand it's a Chinese airline not American."
Pros: "Crew was great and was happy to get gluten free food i could eat"
Cons: "Not lose my bags :("

Book Cheap China Plane Tickets

Recent return flight deals

3/11So
1 stopSingapore Airlines
37h 45mJNB-CAN
17/11So
1 stopSingapore Airlines
25h 25mCAN-JNB
R12 575
3/6Mo
1 stopEthiopian Air
18h 25mJNB-CAN
9/6So
1 stopEthiopian Air
18h 35mCAN-JNB
R12 997
3/6Mo
2 stopsAir China
44h 10mJNB-CAN
10/6Mo
2 stopsAir China
41h 20mCAN-JNB
R14 060
10/7Mi
1 stopAir China
18h 45mJNB-PEK
16/7Di
1 stopAir China
19h 15mPEK-JNB
R14 463
26/7Fr
1 stopCathay Pacific
29h 15mJNB-PEK
8/8Do
1 stopCathay Pacific
25h 35mPEK-JNB
R15 105
3/6Mo
1 stopQatar Airways
19h 55mJNB-CAN
10/6Mo
1 stopQatar Airways
26h 50mCAN-JNB
R15 196
22/9So
1 stopQatar Airways
19h 55mJNB-CAN
3/10Do
1 stopQatar Airways
21h 25mCAN-JNB
R15 251
20/9Fr
1 stopCathay Pacific
15h 35mJNB-CAN
30/9Mo
1 stopCathay Pacific
15h 20mCAN-JNB
R15 655
10/7Mi
1 stopEmirates
18h 00mJNB-PEK
19/7Fr
1 stopEmirates
19h 25mPEK-JNB
R15 893
12/7Fr
1 stopEmirates
35h 10mJNB-PVG
19/7Fr
1 stopEmirates
39h 00mPVG-JNB
R17 011

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Recent one-way flight deals

19/9Do
1 stopQatar Airways
20h 55mJNB-PVG
R8 029
11/7Do
1 stopQatar Airways
19h 55mJNB-CAN
R8 286
22/5Mi
1 stopQatar Airways
18h 40mCPT-CAN
R8 927
21/6Fr
1 stopCathay Pacific
23h 10mJNB-PVG
R9 074
12/6Mi
1 stopEthiopian Air
19h 15mJNB-PVG
R9 752
14/6Fr
2 stopsAir China
24h 50mJNB-XMN
R10 155
14/6Fr
2 stopsAir China
24h 50mJNB-XMN
R10 192
19/9Do
2 stopsCathay Pacific
40h 30mJNB-SHA
R10 504
10/7Mi
2 stopsKenya Airways
35h 45mJNB-CAN
R10 944
10/7Mi
1 stopKenya Airways
35h 45mJNB-CAN
R11 567

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Last minute flights to China

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

19/5So
multi-stopCathay Pacific
28h 45mJNB-PVG
27/5Mo
multi-stopCathay Pacific
29h 00mPVG-JNB
R10 779
19/5So
multi-stopCathay Pacific
18h 50mJNB-PVG
25/5Sa
multi-stopCathay Pacific
24h 15mPVG-JNB
R11 182
21/5Di
multi-stopQatar Airways
20h 55mJNB-PVG
28/5Di
multi-stopQatar Airways
22h 25mPVG-JNB
R13 400
20/5Mo
multi-stopQatar Airways
38h 15mJNB-PVG
26/5So
multi-stopQatar Airways
22h 25mPVG-JNB
R14 555
20/5Mo
multi-stopAir China
18h 45mJNB-PEK
17/7Mi
multi-stopAir China
41h 00mPEK-JNB
R15 398
20/5Mo
multi-stopAir China
25h 00mJNB-SHA
27/5Mo
multi-stopAir China
39h 30mSHA-JNB
R15 655
19/5So
multi-stopEmirates
35h 05mJNB-PEK
10/7Mi
multi-stopEmirates
32h 50mPEK-JNB
R16 553
19/5So
multi-stopEmirates
21h 10mJNB-PEK
17/7Mi
multi-stopEmirates
32h 50mPEK-JNB
R17 176
21/5Di
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
37h 40mJNB-CAN
28/5Di
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
25h 30mCAN-JNB
R19 394
20/5Mo
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
37h 40mJNB-CAN
30/5Do
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
25h 30mCAN-JNB
R22 639

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Flights to China

Return flight deals:

China - South Africa

Cabin classes:

R42 381
R39 338
R13 510