Maybe I have some more tips from my 2.5 months of riding here (about 10,000 kms).

Full face helmet. Mixed bag. It protects much better and it hides you from cops. However, I get way more respect from cages (cars) with my half helmet. People actually see you and realize killing you would cause a lot of trouble. YMMV.

I fully agree about the looking like you know what you are doing.

Lane splitting. Lane splitting is the act of driving between 2 moving cars on a multi lane road. I have done it. I don't reccomend it.

Chinese drivers really don't know what is right and wrong on the road. If lost or confused, they panic. Keep this in mind.

-When they cut you off, they are generally not being aggressive. Just clueless
-When they are about to do something stupid, they tend to slam on their brakes first. Be very cautious around cars that slam on their brakes.
-When a car is going well below the speed limit, avoid it. This is an uncertain driver and will probably do something stupid shortly.
-Cops will generally make only a half hearted attempt to stop you. They tend to step in front of you and hold up a hand. If you don't stop, generally there are no consequences. Do NOT use this technique at military checkpoints.
-Do not retaliate. If a car cuts you off or even physically hits you, he is not doing it out of aggression, just lack of skill and manners. If you retaliate (yell, hit mirrors or kick doors) they will get angry, as they have no idea why you are angry.
-After the light turns in any major Chinese intersection, there will always be a befuddled partly blind old man or woman pedalling a bicycle in the wrong direction through the intersection at 2 km/h.