You have to be VERY careful here. If you get into a fight, they will gang up on you, and they will  used knives, bottles, sticks, etc.

Even if you do manage to fight them off,  you will still have to deal with the Police, who take a very dim view of foreigners fighting in china.  The scenario that you have described, they would see it as a case where the foreigner ( you) provoked them.  And if the person or people you fight with have better Guanxi than you do, no matter who was at fault, you will be the one go pay.

It is not easy, but we are teh ones out of our element here, we are the minority and often times we are seen as the "de facto" trouble makers.

Deep breath and good luck!

Teddy, take a deep breath and calm down. You can't get into a fight over there no matter how mad you get. drop the macho and be happy you got yourself and your gf out of the way.

Just because you're bigger than most of them doesn't mean you can beat em in a fight. You don't know what kungfu they know or what they might have in their pockets that they can pull and draw your blood. You also don't know if they are out looking for a fight and have 10 buddies around the corner looking to step in the moment you swing. 

Just chill out, enjoy the sites, drink a beer and remember you are not in Canada and that things are different there. 

I only know of two instances where foreigners have gotten in a fight. Both were teachers that I know. One case was provoked, and the other case wasn't. In the first instance the guy took on three locals and beat the tar outta them (he is a very big guy). He was detained at the local police station and had to go through a world of crap at his school. The administration was able to get him out of any police fine, but each person he beat up demanded a month of his salary as compensation. The school negotiated with them and got it down somewhat, but it still cost him a lot.

In the second instance, a teacher was waiting in an elevator, and when it opened up, cold-cocked a local guy with a black-jack who was waiting to get on (long, long story). Fortunately, the local guy was wearing a helmet, having just parked his scooter. Again, when the school got involved, it was a month of back and forth. And again, the injured local demanded a month salary from the teacher, which seems to be the standard amount in these cases. The school had to promise the local police that the teacher would never again hit someone in writing, signed by both the administration and the teacher. The implied threat was if he did get in another fight, he would have to leave the country.

Based on these two instances, it seems that if you get in a fight, you may not be deported, but you will certainly be paying a month or two of your wages to the injured party, and if your employer doesn't have the proper guanxi with the local authorities, you may be paying off the police, also.

The best thing to do? Learn to grow eyes in the back and on the sides of your head, never cross the street or walk in a blind spot, and just assume that someone else is going to do something really, really stupid. "Being prepared" is not only a good idea, it is essential to surviving the streets of China. As Hug said, "relax, and have a beer." I have found that after two bottles of piju, my mood improves dramatically. Unfortunately, it also dulls the reflexes...

Ted,

  Like the others said, you can't do that here.  You won't have a one-on-one fight.  They don't work that way.

  They will yell out to the locals and in a split second it will be 20-to-1.  And they will use anything within reach to beat on you even after you are on the ground.  And, no matter what proof you have, it will ALWAYS BE YOUR FAULT.  (Unless you have godlike guangxi.  And even then, it may not help you.

And just incase you do manage to take some guy down on a 1-to-1 basis, he will remember you plenty.  Remember, we easily stick out here and a with just a few questions the place where you live can be found out.

If the guy has what passes for honor around here, he may just have a group of friends beat the shit out of you when you least expect it.  If he doesn't have honor, then, your girlfriend is fair game too.  I have seen this happen several times.

So before you get pissed, remember, you are protecting your lady more by not giving the guy the beat down he so sorely deserves.  I know it sucks, but that is the rules of the game here.

Stop being such a redneck, you come to a completely different country (actually more like a different world) where they have totally different cultures and behaviour, and yes that includes the driving way and way to cross the road. And then all you want to go is get pissed off and fiht with people, what a brainless reaction. Dont be an idiot, if you need to fight it should only be in defense as a last resort. Accept that things go differently here, find your own funk and just roll with it, otherwise alot of shit will piss you off and you probably will get stabbed.

from what I have read on this site I have this to say. Unless you are a stone cold psycho with fast legs and no regard for your life or the lifes of others, do not start fight in china. you will just end up screwed and if it ever get heated call the cops or tell the guy you are going to get in a fight with that you work for the  embassy. One last thing I think your question was about if your attitude will get you into fight yes. Think about it this way you are outnumbered and there are few laws in place to protect you and law enforcement does not give a damn. So if I was you I would try to have the same attitude about starting a fight that a lot of people of color had during segregation. It is not worth starting a fight with an ignorant a**hole especially if it means going to jail or dying.
PS if they hit your girl forget it just remember even the Chinese can’t get that mad if you beat some guy up for hitting your girl.

If someone tries to start a fight with you here, in my experience, they will almost definitely be extremely drunk. Like, barely-able-to-stand drunk. Like, so drunk they can't move and can only scream angry threats and nonsense about Obama while they flailingly slap you.

Let them hit you, then say "bie2 peng4 wo3" (don't touch me) as loudly as possible. Then let them hit you again, and say it again as loudly as possible. If they hit you a third time, and if there are witnesses, have a ball.

I do feel for you man, boy do I dream about a day when I can just rail shitty drivers with no repercussions. 

Maybe you can provoke them into throwing the first punch, have a witness and then "defend"

bout me i had 4 fight experience ,tips fr fighting here is always fightin night so u will be off the police rader with no witness ,if u gt in fight fight tillen chinese are cowards once i beat up 5 drunk chinese and in club we were 25 foriegner (amercian +pakistani+saudiees+african ) beat up around 75 chinese , bt remember always stay off rader other wise thy will piss u off i spnt a night in jail here so dnt even thnk about tht and gangs are always here and those gangs who are communist and thy have a communist card r ahve any relative in communist partyalways stay away frm them ,thy will kill u and no one will evn knw bout it so jus stay away frm communist boys around here

Hey wajid, seems like good advice except could you repost it in English?

They fight for face, and that is different than honor, and the police dont care about the difference

Im not one for violence but like anywhere in the world I've found that anywhere where alcohol is involved the chances of altercations increases.

For example I had a guy once toast me in a bar and then insult my wife cause she's with a foreigner and in another instance some drunk guy in the subway called me "yanguizi" and then mumble some crap about past wars.

But like others have said I would also recommend avoid fighting because 1 of 3 things will happen

1- if you do beat them up they will come back with friends

2- if his friends are present they will jump in if they feel their friend is losing the fight

3- 'you'll have started it' if the police arrive and how many police officers have you met that can speak good English?

I say, accept things as 'part and parcel' and enjoy the many other benefits that China and Chinese people have to offer - reality is that idiots do roam the earth and there is little you can do about it

Unless you want to get into a scrap EVERY day, just learn to accept traffic here.